Norm MacDonald
Added 2021-06-10 17:48:32 +0000 UTCOn occasion, I find myself falling asleep at night to Norm MacDonald. I honestly think he rivals Stewart Lee for the title of greatest comedian alive. He can make literally anything funny, in ways no one else can. It's his delivery, the way he subverts the structure of a joke. Even when the punchline is completely obvious...he will still find a way to steer it back to unexpected in some way. He is deceptively ingenious, and perhaps the most underrated comic I can think of. I have never heard anyone like him, nor have I laughed so hard. Glad to know he wrote for Roseanne in the mid 90s as well, which I think is also, one of the most underrated American sitcoms ever. What do you guys think of him? Anything you recommend?
Comments
"Chairman of the Bored"... :D
Manuel Johnen
2021-07-17 12:08:17 +0000 UTCThanks. I admit I'm less schooled in movie comedies starring modern comedians. But I'll keep that in mind.
Deepfocuslens
2021-06-14 06:26:39 +0000 UTCabsolutely
Deepfocuslens
2021-06-14 06:23:54 +0000 UTCNorm MacDonald's work on Weekend Update during the OJ Simpson trial is of total genius
Emerson B
2021-06-14 02:49:28 +0000 UTCI love Norm (especially his standup), and I've really enjoyed plenty of other things he'd been involved in. His bit about the guy who murders his family because the devil tells him to, only to discover that the devil was actually his buddy Bob in a costume, is one of the funniest bits I've ever seen. But despite all that, I have to offer a negative recommendation and warn you away from Dirty Work (1998). It's really a misfire, IMO. Everything about that flick, from the writing to the acting, just seemed phoned-in and flat. I wasn't expecting greatness, but I figured at least the revenge gags might be funny bits. They're not. :)
Derek H.
2021-06-12 06:18:59 +0000 UTCYou’re welcome. :) One more thing: Norm once posted a series of tweets telling the story of the time he met Bob Dylan that he’s since deleted. An article on bdcwire.com has the entire chain of tweets telling the whole story. It’s the craziest thing. Definitely worth checking out.
Bennett Oliver
2021-06-12 04:23:04 +0000 UTCYou nailed it. I'll check out the Duvall interview. Thanks!
Deepfocuslens
2021-06-12 03:52:13 +0000 UTCStand up comedy is dead! Nobody is funny anymore.
Tony Moro
2021-06-11 02:16:18 +0000 UTCStand up comedy isn't for me. Only concert films I like are Richard Pryor: Live in Concert and Eddie Murphy's Delirious. I also like George Carlin but only when he's roasting America.
Wolfman Brandon
2021-06-11 00:34:19 +0000 UTCI love Norm Macdonald. He’s one of my favorite comedians ever. You’re right, there really is no one like him out there. He tells these corny grandfather jokes and shaggy dog stories and makes them hilarious with his cadence, his way of stating the obvious with a flat-toned delivery. His stand up is great, but I think he’s at his best in his talk show appearances, especially Conan, who was more willing to play the straight man to his nonsense than anyone else (Letterman was always a little too cool for that). I recommend the moth joke that he tells Conan. Also the joke about Andy Richter the Swedish-German. But Norm is also smarter and more thoughtful than people give him credit for. He likes to play the fool, but in his spare time he reads voraciously, particularly Russian literature. If you want to see that side of him, check out his interview with Robert Duvall. He’s a big fan of his. And finally, I would say check out the fake memoir that he wrote, Based on a True Story. Funny stuff, but also very well written (no ghost writer for him).
Bennett Oliver
2021-06-10 21:47:55 +0000 UTCLove Norm so much. Have seen him three times in Las Vegas. Has a couple of jokes that are always in the act, but always a lot of new material. Off course his show is not for everyone — he told some Caitlyn Jenner trans jokes — but anyone who would get super offended by Norm is not someone I want to be around. Loved his podcast where he made comedians tell his off-color jokes. And god help me, but I enjoy Dirty Work.
Jim Barnes
2021-06-10 18:43:13 +0000 UTCNorm's appearances on Conan are some of his best bits! When Courtney Thorne Smith was on and he made fun of her film Chairman Of The Board, I couldn't breathe because I was laughing so damn hard!!
Tony Moro
2021-06-10 18:14:43 +0000 UTCI get recommended clips of him on YouTube constantly and always watch them. Consistently find it funny.
Tyler Shobe
2021-06-10 17:52:32 +0000 UTC
