RIP Norm Macdonald

[Regan MacNeil]

If you don't think this is funny, we're never going to agree on what's funny:

 

[sgreenwell]

Norm is making a silly, disingenuous point there. It was absolutely not all about the joke for him -- he acknowledges that he did stuff that made him laugh even if he knew it wasn't funny. The "joke" of the Saget roast was that all of his jokes were old-timey insults that sounded like he took them from a children's joke book from the 40s. He claims the moth joke wasn't a "shaggy dog" story, and it's pretty much the definitive shaggy dog story. (And it's brilliant.)

I mean, the fact that he argues that Andy Kaufman was just a funny guy who made people laugh and that there was nothing else to what Kaufman did.... anyone who has even a vague familiarity with Kaufman knows what bull**** that is.

In all the praise for Norm's time on Weekend Update, people are strangely ignoring what he primarily did while he was there: he told the same jokes every week, sometimes twice in the same segment, and he did it because they weren't particularly funny and they never got a laugh. "It just goes to show what I always say: Germans love David Hasselhoff" is not funny. "Note to self: don't go to _____" is not funny. Those are jokes for the writers and other comics to oooh and ahhh over his willingness to be intentionally not funny. He did them every week.

Ultimately the key to Norm's appeal was often his outlook and demeanor. He was unique, and he was sometimes hilarious. He was not all about the joke.

I think to make a clarification... Norm telling the same jokes every week is still kind of a joke or an attempt at humor. He realized that awkward silence or uncomfortable moments could turn into humor.

IIRC, on his podcast / YouTube show, he wasn't so into things like Tig Notaro's "comedy." I can't even remember if it was her specifically, or someone else. But he didn't like "comedians" who essentially did not tell jokes.

 

[OscarMadison]

My only exposure to Notaro was via One Mississippi, which is a great bit of scripted television.

I asked the ex if people considered MacDonald a comedians' comedian before he died. He said to an extent. More people inside found him to be "likably pedantic and increasingly pompous over the years, especially after he found religion." He gave me a half dozen names of people who are currently considered "comedians' comedians." I've seen most of them and here's what they have in common:

• They're good storytellers.
• A weird edge doesn't make them unintelligible.
• They're funny.

Not on that list: Hannah Gadsby.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

Damn. Shots fired at Hannah Gadsby.

 

[OscarMadison]

Damn. Shots fired at Hannah Gadsby.

Don't get me wrong, like Gadsby. Her videos about art history are some of my favorite things to watch on YouTube. Nanette was well written. It was a great example of longform storytelling. Was it standup comedy? No.

 

[OscarMadison]

Also going to go out on limb here wrt a point of contention between me and the former chewtoy: Bill Hicks could be brilliant. There were times when he bordered on going into the same territory as Gadsby when it came to being an idealogue versus being a standup comedian.

Are the two mutually exclusive? Nope. See Carlin, George.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

New stand-up special coming. Filmed while he was sick.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t...YUODdh-XmKrpacE-2yiJgYkXPFAdB7HJEVVmeIUqwbuao