13 ms·

Norm Macdonald has died

701 points by coloneltcb 5y ago

mhh__ 5y ago
So he nearly died on 9/11, I think he would've liked it if he did. He is probably the only North American comedian I really, really like, I am genuinely sad. Edit: I initially said American, but obviously norm is from Canada, but the statement is still true of North America so I'll go with that as Canada doesn't have the same gravitas...
- xyzzy_plugh 5y ago
  Norm was Canadian.
  - mhh__ 5y ago
    Fixed
  - bmitc 5y ago
    He was from Canada and never became a U.S. citizen, but to my knowledge, he lived and worked primarily in the U.S. for his entire adult life.
- tompazourek 5y ago
  Do you also really, really like some comedians outside of North America? Can you recommend someone?
  - mhh__ 5y ago
    I am British, so mostly British comedians. This isn't a given, but American comedy relative to our palette can seem very fake - although some quintessential "British" acts don't do it for me whatsoever, e.g. I don't find the IT Crowd funny, I don't find Mitchell and Webb particularly funny either. My absolute all-time most bestest favourite comedian is Chris Morris (Brass Eye, Jam, Four Lions) - who is a genius whose work is still blisteringly modern today even though most of it was recorded 25 years ago now. The way he uses neologisms is pure trip-fuel too if you enjoy banned substances. https://youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY https://youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY, a little sample. https://youtu.be/0lhJ3YJkfcg https://youtu.be/0lhJ3YJkfcg longer but more insane sample He's not really a standup though. I think Norm was probably my favourite long-form standup all things considered, and it feels slightly weird comparing him to a British one because although he definitely reminded me of the subversiveness of comedy this side of the pond, he was still very much an American comic. Comedians over here are typically much more personal if they do "bits" (i.e. expertly performed but often true stories), or just pure one-liner merchants. Similarly, "improv" has always seemed very alien to me. If I had to pick one pure standup it would have to be Frankie Boyle just by the volume of laughs I've got out of him. If you want endless hours of fun British comedy (mostly improvised, I'm a hypocrite), listen to a little of the old Gervais, Pilkington, and Merchant radio shows from back in the day.
    - tompazourek 5y ago
      Thanks for this write up. I actually haven't heard of Chris Morris and Frankie Boyle yet. I'll have to check them out.
    - OneEyedRobot 5y ago
      >This isn't a given, but American comedy relative to our palette can seem very fake I get it. Benny Hill: real Doug Stanhope: fake
      - mhh__ 5y ago
        I love Doug Stanhope. Jimmy Fallon however...
stareatgoats 5y ago
Figured something was wrong since he stopped tweeting in July. I'll just drop this here, his last standup on Letterman - which (at the end) reveals that he was not "just" the wittiest, most fearless funnyman ever. RIP Norm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY
- flas9sd 5y ago
  puts the germany piece I only knew to date isolated into perspective, that was also a goodbye to letterman and kind of broke the 4th wall, thanks
Ronsenshi 5y ago
Ooof, one more death that hit me hard this year. Norm's humor was not for everybody, but I loved how weird, absurd and off-putting it could be.
Saint_Genet 5y ago
My favorite joke of his: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJN9mBRX3uo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJN9mBRX3uo
- k0stas 5y ago
  I'm partial to this story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELoXiuDA_sQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELoXiuDA_sQ
  - lherron 5y ago
    Try this one. https://youtu.be/NMRd-n_s4c8 https://youtu.be/NMRd-n_s4c8
    - piker 5y ago
      Mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcUKMO27yKY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcUKMO27yKY
      - gbjw 5y ago
        Also mine. Here is the video of it (his mannerisms only add to the aesthetic): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vaqxy https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vaqxy
    - awb 5y ago
      On the nose given the news, thanks for sharing
- hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
  To me I was never a huge Norm Macdonald fan, but that clip just shows how great of a comedian he was. I mean, the joke itself isn't anything special, but his delivery is so good that he has you just waiting with anxious anticipation throughout the whole thing that when he got to the punchline I really lol'ed. Mad respect.
  - 5y ago
legerdemain 5y ago
Is this some kind of Norm MacDonald joke?
- colpabar 5y ago
  reminds me of that tragedy
  - caslon 5y ago
    I didn't even know he was sick!
  - scop 5y ago
    the one with the buildings?
  - tailspin2019 5y ago
    Terrible name for an airline
- reginold 5y ago
  The Grey Man
fredros 5y ago
As a French man, I discovered him a couple of weeks ago and binge watched his material on YouTube. One of the bests.
ThePadawan 5y ago
Ah, fucking hell.
GhostOfLelandJr 5y ago
RIP to one of the greats
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
brightball 5y ago
Awful. Always loved his comedy. The movie he made years ago, Dirty Work, is heavily underappreciated. RIP Norm.
bennesvig 5y ago
Norm's musings on death from his 2011 special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrFU5wyd_C0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrFU5wyd_C0
isk517 5y ago
Terrible news. One of my favorite Norm Macdonald moments was when he purposely bombed during the Bob Saget Comedy Central Roast purely to make Bob and the other comedians laugh.
- xyzzy_plugh 5y ago
  His roast is still the only memorable part of that entire special. Norm really was for the birds.
  - tzs 5y ago
    Gilbert Gottfried's segment from that roast was pretty memorable [1] [1] https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x1bwa https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x1bwa
  - happyrock 5y ago
    That Linsdey Lohan can't swim a lick, but she sure knows every dive in town!
- reginold 5y ago
  Oo would love to see this if you have a link handy
  - eganist 5y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9wo_apQ1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9wo_apQ1s Looking for HD but this one actually has video; the others I found didn't.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
mioasndo 5y ago
:(
leesec 5y ago
The funniest man ever. RIP
- junon 5y ago
  Meh. I disagree. He frequently made below the belt jokes about the appearance or attributes of others, particularly women and gays. He was pretty funny otherwise though. Fully realizing this will be downvoted, but RIP anyway.
  - vernie 5y ago
    So brave, thank you for your service.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - mrmuagi 5y ago
    You know what they say... speak ill of the dead!
    - junon 5y ago
      I don't believe in any of that, personally. I was simply responding to "he's the funniest man alive" or such.
      - mrmuagi 5y ago
        I was merely referencing the bit from podcast episode with Bobby Lee -- where Adam Eget mentioned Robin Williams stealing acts/jokes in a conversation and he replies as I did.
- yeezyseezy 5y ago
  Agree with this and the following FTA: 'Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”'
_red 5y ago
Wow. In recent years lots of his comedy centered on his fears of death and related religious musings... The fact that he had been struggling with cancer really puts this in a different perspective. RIP Norm. You were funny!
slg 5y ago
"If you die, the cancer also dies at exactly the same time. That to me isn't losing a battle, it is a draw." He was one of the funniest people ever and there is probably no one who was a more entertaining talk show guest. I can spend hours just watching whatever comes up after plugging "Norm Macdonald talk show" into Youtube.
- bee_rider 5y ago
  Is that actually a quote of his?
  - superduperuser 5y ago
    Yes it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRd-n_s4c8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRd-n_s4c8 From his special: Me Doing Standup
    - bee_rider 5y ago
      Thanks. Interesting in context -- wonder if he knew at the time, it would be right at the limit of the time-window described in the article I guess.
      - rOOb85 5y ago
        In the TMZ article it mentions a 9 year battle with cancer.
        bee_rider 5y ago
        Yeah, at least from my quick glance it looked like the special came out in 2011, which would put it around there. There's fuzziness on either side -- on one hand there was presumably some editing time, on the other he seems to have kept it private, presumably whoever told TMZ found out a little bit after he did, and their memory might not have been perfect. It is just in the ballpark.
  - npkarnik 5y ago
acheron 5y ago
Probably my favorite comedian. No wonder we hadn't seen much of him for awhile, e.g. when Conan O'Brien's show was ending.
ultramundane828 5y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXdtafGdIVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXdtafGdIVM Bit starting at :43 (Germany) will easily go down as one of the greatest stand-up bits ever written and performed. And he was the perfect guy to do it.
- jldl805 5y ago
  "I don't know if you guys are history buffs or not..."
  - mritchie712 5y ago
    "What do you think you are, Mars or something?"
privatdozent 5y ago
Who ever thought Artie would outlive Norm. RIP to a giant
soneca 5y ago
A great video essay about Norm Macdonald from great YouTuber nerdwriter: https://youtu.be/EbthMC6spAE https://youtu.be/EbthMC6spAE
redsummer 5y ago
Stalin was worse
warent 5y ago
Shocking and sad news. I always enjoy Norm and watch his work every other month at the least. The world has lost some light. His ability to tell a whole absurd story that sounds like it's building into a huge climax and fizzles into an anti-joke is legendary.
qweqwweqwe-90i 5y ago
This guy was so funny :(
ajakate 5y ago
His interview on Conan with Courtney Thorne-Smith is one my favorite videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc
- jkestner 5y ago
  Yes! The unusual relentlessness and Conan's breakdown is why that's my top Norm memory. Just mean from most people, but that impish grin lets him get away a perfect stream of ad-libbed insults. Saw him twice in standup. Second time he was completely committed to a theme of being a born-again Christian and it was hilariously puzzling.
bzudo 5y ago
Damn. Always enjoyed his work. I especially like this moment from Conan. Seeing him in the zone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc
typon 5y ago
He was one of those comedians that wasn't affected by the whole "wokeism" movement, because he existed outside this PC vs. non-PC humour hierarchy. The reason he could do that is that he was genuinely funny, wasn't trying to "sell" an ideology, and didn't particularly care about other people's opinion of him. Oh and he wasn't someone who would "punch down" as an alternative for being funny.
- bitwize 5y ago
  Norm was actually somewhat conservative, though he played his politics close to the vest -- except for when he weaponized his conservatism to shock people and get laughs, for example, when he appeared on The View and the ladies were praising Bill Clinton, he cut in with "Didn't he kill a guy?" in reference to the Vince Foster conspiracy theory.
- bee_rider 5y ago
  He definitely changed his more outrageous jokes to switch away from punching down so much, and to making fun of this out of touch dummy character that he was playing. Keeping up with the times made him better.
staunch 5y ago
Wow. Norm Macdonald is my favorite comedian of all time and stand up comedy is one of my favorite things about humanity. I was just watching some clips of his on the "I'm not Norm" YouTube channel while eating lunch right before I read this. I had no idea he had cancer, although in retrospect I can see the signs... Damn, what a massive shock. He was an absolute legend and will never be forgotten. RIP. His appearance on Letterman's last show is one of the greatest stand up sets of all time and now I'll consider it his farewell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY A more recent appearance where he was great, just talking, was on David Spade's show. His quick comeback on the Paul Newman line is a great example of why he was so amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbanVqLk1lQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbanVqLk1lQ
rainworld 5y ago
Not just jokes https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_RHERXXIAIFAAi?format=png https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_RHERXXIAIFAAi?format=png
- yeezyseezy 5y ago
  He was so well read, but played the "dumb guy" so well: https://youtu.be/ob3yBb2E-uM https://youtu.be/ob3yBb2E-uM
  - sophacles 5y ago
    I'd argue that it should be: He was so well-read that he played the "dumb guy" well.
- jimbokun 5y ago
  Damn.
- warent 5y ago
  yeah, not many people know he was a devout Christian, overall a man of depth and complexity
  - mixmastamyk 5y ago
    Weird. Am a big fan, but can't imagine anyone dissing the Enlightenment. Maybe a bit crazy after all?
    - mhh__ 5y ago
      Norm's non-comedy persona (I suspect even when not "performing" he was still performing, at least to himself) was probably not immune to pretense. I can see the point he is trying to make, although I think it's nonsense
      - gbjw 5y ago
        Hardly nonsense and a view espoused by several other cultural commentators and authors (e.g., Ross Douthat, Dostoyevsky, Simone Weil, to name a few).
aidenn0 5y ago
61 years old is a ripe old age for an SNL comedian. [edit] Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8h-xeuC1L0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8h-xeuC1L0
- AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
  Yeah but he didn't OD on anything.
nefitty 5y ago
One of the funniest people to ever live, RIP.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
baby 5y ago
Wow. Well, I didn’t know, that sucks…
mixmastamyk 5y ago
That sucks. Loved him on SNL... don't remember anyone else who's resulting laughs seemed so inadvertent or by chance, like he was ill-prepared or crazy, or both. :-D I really enjoyed his Netflix talk show a few years ago as well, especially because it was (seemed to be?) such a mess. Also introduced me to a great country artist in the last show, and I don't even like country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joe_Shaver https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joe_Shaver
- CydeWeys 5y ago
  > don't remember anyone else who's resulting laughs seemed so inadvertent or by chance, like he was ill-prepared or crazy, or both None of it was by accident: He was really good at comedy and was getting exactly the laughs when/where he expected them. Coming off as ill-prepared was a shtick.
  - 35fbe7d3d5b9 5y ago
    Bill Burr and Bert Kreischer have a podcast. Once, Norm came up[1]. What they said is something I've heard from pretty much any interview about him: Norm is the quintessential comedian's comedian. He's up there trying to do what he thinks is funny, audience be damned. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVgX0AP3Gz4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVgX0AP3Gz4
- nirav72 5y ago
  His role portraying Bob Dole during the Clinton years use to be one of my favorite skits on SNL
  - mixmastamyk 5y ago
    I’d forgotten about that, thanks. Whenever I read the name “Bob Dole” I hear it in Norm’s voice without realizing it until now.
SKCarr 5y ago
He was the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNsXU2myCI8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNsXU2myCI8
unemphysbro 5y ago
His sports posting was great, wish he was a commentator. RIP
amerine 5y ago
One of my all time favorite comedians. A pretty sucky part about getting older is losing the people who provided you a bunch of joy.
gbjw 5y ago
Gutted. He was a comedic genius, and extremely well-read. Rest in peace, Norm.
karaterobot 5y ago
The first chunk off his 2011 special is all about his own mortality. Given that the article says he'd been living with cancer for about 9 years, you now have to wonder whether this was just before, or just after he was diagnosed. I know it takes time to work on material, so likely the former. Still, kind of spooky listening to it right now.
cordaciu 5y ago
My favorite was the basket for Conan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4&ab_channel=THEVIEW5652 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4&ab_channel=THEVI...
OneEyedRobot 5y ago
Wow, that's a bummer. It's a pity he didn't have Dick Shawn's timing.
jdlyga 5y ago
I didn't even know he was sick!
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  Just like Norm to make that line the literal truth for his fans. RIP.
sandebert 5y ago
Sad news indeed. In case somebody missed it, and is in the mood for some Norm, why not check out S09E02 of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, where he's interviewed by Jerry Seinfeld.
HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago
I'm going to miss Pigeon.
standardUser 5y ago
"Norm Macdonald's Legendary Bob Saget Roast" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfsXUPghXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfsXUPghXk
N_A_T_E 5y ago
Damn I was just looking at tickets yesterday https://www.ticketweb.com/event/new-york-comedy-festival-presents-carolines-on-broadway-tickets/11285925?pl=carolines https://www.ticketweb.com/event/new-york-comedy-festival-pre...
chrisco255 5y ago
Gonna miss this old chunk of coal.
bitwize 5y ago
Norm MacDonald was pretty much the gold standard for comedy for me. Unlike my other comedic hero, Dana Carvey, he wasn't good at impressions -- his Bob Dole was pretty much just Norm speaking as if his pronouns were Bob Dole/Bob Dole -- but he could take literally anything and make it funny. Even if a joke failed to land, he would just "do the Norm thing" for a couple seconds and everybody would laugh. The Norm thing is like the Christopher Walken thing -- it's a person's ineffable talent of being that person. To this day I still speak of my "inner Norm MacDonald voice", which kicks in when I observe something hilariously absurd. Like when Jeff Bezos launched his evocatively-shaped rocket, what Dennis Miller called the "Pynchonesque cock rants" practically write themselves -- in Norm's voice in my head.
- bmitc 5y ago
  I actually think Norm is an under appreciated impressionist. Bob Uecker: https://youtu.be/eiooeRAdcjU https://youtu.be/eiooeRAdcjU Quentin Tarantino: https://youtu.be/0imUF8EmDIQ https://youtu.be/0imUF8EmDIQ His Burt Reynolds impression, one of his most famous, was a good example of a good impression: close enough to show a resemblance but with a weird caricature twist. Most of Norm's impression were like this. His Johnny Carson was also not half bad.
scop 5y ago
I literally gasped when I heard this. There is something uniquely sad when one's favorite comedian passes away. There were many things that made him special, but one thing stands out right now: I don't think I've ever seen a comedian pursue Truth so rigorously. So much of his comedy was him shining a light on a given topic and giving 100% unflinching attention toward it, even if everyone else wanted to ignore it or "move on". This often made the "joke" the audience, in that we found ourselves laughing when we thought we shouldn't be. But why shouldn't we be laughing? Why shouldn't we be discussing this? Wait, why is this uncomfortable in the first place? Have I thought about this enough?
- mindfulplay 5y ago
  Norm MacDonald and Patrice O'Neal's comedy should be studied by every comedian as they pursued comedy and nothing else. No social saintness or political hackery. If there were a Michelin star, we just lost two three star Michelins in about a decade... There aren't many (perhaps even any) left to fill this void.
  - pixxel 5y ago
    Doug Stanhope and Dave Chappell will tell you the truth.
  - clemailacct1 5y ago
    Yes! I’m beyond thrilled to see someone mention Patrice here. He is, by far, the most cerebral comedians of all time.
  - prudhvis 5y ago
    Thank you for mentioning Patrice O'Neal and Norm MacDonald in the same breath. We really lost comedy greats that cannot be filled by anyone anytime soon.
- okareaman 5y ago
  I had the same reaction. So many comics are fast with a joke but Norm was the master at drawing out a joke out and exploring the Truth as you say.
RattleyCooper 5y ago
Ffs 2 of my all time favorite comedians gone in less than a couple months..
- wernst 5y ago
  Trevor Moore?
  - LAC-Tech 5y ago
    Yeah I was shocked by that too. Had been enjoying the WKUK mini reunion.
  - RattleyCooper 5y ago
    Yeah
cableshaft 5y ago
It was all Ralph Abernathy's fault! (Listening to his 2017 Netflix special right now in memoriam).
NorSoulx 5y ago
He was a comedic genius and one of a kind. I've been a fan since 1995 and have spent countless hours on YouTube watching Norm Macdonald clips from SNL and various talk shows. There are so many great clips, here is one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4
74d-fe6-2c6 5y ago
it's always sad to hear that somebody died of cancer. seriously. but what I always found odd was that a lot of comdedians who I consider very funny - openly consider him to be the most funny guy every while to me he didn't seem funny at all. he had something striking and charismatic about him - I give him that. but I can't remember having seen any sketch or interview with him where I found him funny. often watchworthy and interesting - but never funny.
bmitc 5y ago
I'm gutted on hearing this. I’ve been on one of my regular Norm YouTube binges, and was watching a ton of them just last night. His dedication to comedy was legendary, and his complexity was intriguing. Norm’s fake late gift to Conan for The Tonight Show, given after Conan was leaving, is a great example of his sort of expectation-bending humor. https://youtu.be/uarJj-K4XH4 https://youtu.be/uarJj-K4XH4 His appearances on The View are legendary examples of his ability to be uncontrolled and play the dumbest guy in the room at the same time while actually being the sharpest. His intentional subversion played off as uninformed is a seemingly one of a kind talent. There are videos of interviews where he describes some of the background to things he did on the show. https://youtu.be/a4ageUPHgno https://youtu.be/a4ageUPHgno https://youtu.be/Z3PP_SWHUQQ https://youtu.be/Z3PP_SWHUQQ “Not everything has a point” just gets me. It’s amazing how the hosts just want to jump from talking point to talking point and just refuse to let the guest actually talk, which Norm really plays off of. And lastly, the moth joke remains a shining example of his anti-jokes. https://youtu.be/jJN9mBRX3uo https://youtu.be/jJN9mBRX3uo His monologues at roasts, awards shows, and the correspondents dinner were examples of not being afraid of anything.
- PennRobotics 5y ago
  > the dumbest guy in the room at the same time while actually being the sharpest He would've won top prize on Millionaire but backed off before answering the last question from nerves. https://millionaire.fandom.com/wiki/Norm_MacDonald https://millionaire.fandom.com/wiki/Norm_MacDonald What a legend
  - bmitc 5y ago
    Yea, Regis really flustered him on that question and made him second guess himself even though he had the right answer. What's extra funny about that is that one of his The View appearances (linked above) was the day of or soon before his Millionaire appearance. One of the hosts said something along the lines of "you think he's dumb here, just wait until his appearance on Millionaire", and of course they all cackle at that. Then he goes and gives a great performance.
    - 5y ago
rmason 5y ago
The greatest tribute to Norm McDonald is that other famous comics regard him as their favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkpcQGPgMs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkpcQGPgMs
PedroBatista 5y ago
Boy I don't know who this Cancer guy is but he seems like a real jerk!
LAC-Tech 5y ago
RIP Norm. Best delivery in the business, hands down.
logicalmonster 5y ago
Norm wasn’t normal. That’s why I loved him. I miss him already.
marnett 5y ago
I am an avid lover of comedy, and Norm Macdonald was by far my favorite comedian. I am younger, and the first live show of his I was going to attend at the San Jose Improv was cancelled because of COVID last year. I am gutted. Norm really embodied what comedy is truly about. No one likes the smartest guy in the room. Nothing is off limits. Always speak Truth to Power. His style and ability to write jokes, as opposed to the popular story telling methods of today, is still one of a kind. I loved hearing his "meta musings" about comedy and joke writing, where he said the "perfect joke" is one where the set up and punchline are the same. (https://youtu.be/9GKKnlsZvQA?t=231 https://youtu.be/9GKKnlsZvQA?t=231) My all time favorite performance of any comedian will always be Norm's white house correspondence dinner performance during the Clinton administration. His ability to understand his audience, and write and perform real jokes (unlike the pandering we see in the decades since) is truly the mark of a master. The truest of comedians play the role of the philosopher and jester: through their performances we ought to recognize the things we refuse to see in ourselves and our societies. Norm has a library of noteworthy clips, but this will always be my top. This is art. I implore you to watch. RIP Norm. You old chunk of coal. https://youtu.be/3U7AZIdalzM https://youtu.be/3U7AZIdalzM
r3vo 5y ago
>There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die. Devastated to hear this. RIP Norm. I loved you.
MiddleEndian 5y ago
For those who haven't seen it, I recommend checking out Mike Tyson Mysteries. It's an animated show by Adult Swim where Mike Tyson (voiced by himself), his adopted Korean daughter, the ghost of the inventor of the rules of modern boxing, and a talking pigeon who is a complete asshole solve mysteries in the style of Scooby Doo. Norm Macdonald plays Pigeon.
fieryskiff11 5y ago
I have heard of her, rip Norm
emerged 5y ago
His episode with Andy Dick is the most I’ve laughed in my entire life. I go back and watch it again a couple times a year it’s just perfect.
tomasdore 5y ago
I hope O.J. has a good alibi.

701 points by coloneltcb 5y ago

So he nearly died on 9/11, I think he would've liked it if he did. He is probably the only North American comedian I really, really like, I am genuinely sad. Edit: I initially said American, but obviously norm is from Canada, but the statement is still true of North America so I'll go with that as Canada doesn't have the same gravitas...

xyzzy_plugh 5y ago
Norm was Canadian.
- mhh__ 5y ago
  Fixed
- bmitc 5y ago
  He was from Canada and never became a U.S. citizen, but to my knowledge, he lived and worked primarily in the U.S. for his entire adult life.
tompazourek 5y ago
Do you also really, really like some comedians outside of North America? Can you recommend someone?
- mhh__ 5y ago
  I am British, so mostly British comedians. This isn't a given, but American comedy relative to our palette can seem very fake - although some quintessential "British" acts don't do it for me whatsoever, e.g. I don't find the IT Crowd funny, I don't find Mitchell and Webb particularly funny either. My absolute all-time most bestest favourite comedian is Chris Morris (Brass Eye, Jam, Four Lions) - who is a genius whose work is still blisteringly modern today even though most of it was recorded 25 years ago now. The way he uses neologisms is pure trip-fuel too if you enjoy banned substances. https://youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY https://youtu.be/r3BO6GP9NMY, a little sample. https://youtu.be/0lhJ3YJkfcg https://youtu.be/0lhJ3YJkfcg longer but more insane sample He's not really a standup though. I think Norm was probably my favourite long-form standup all things considered, and it feels slightly weird comparing him to a British one because although he definitely reminded me of the subversiveness of comedy this side of the pond, he was still very much an American comic. Comedians over here are typically much more personal if they do "bits" (i.e. expertly performed but often true stories), or just pure one-liner merchants. Similarly, "improv" has always seemed very alien to me. If I had to pick one pure standup it would have to be Frankie Boyle just by the volume of laughs I've got out of him. If you want endless hours of fun British comedy (mostly improvised, I'm a hypocrite), listen to a little of the old Gervais, Pilkington, and Merchant radio shows from back in the day.
  - tompazourek 5y ago
    Thanks for this write up. I actually haven't heard of Chris Morris and Frankie Boyle yet. I'll have to check them out.
  - OneEyedRobot 5y ago
    >This isn't a given, but American comedy relative to our palette can seem very fake I get it. Benny Hill: real Doug Stanhope: fake
    - mhh__ 5y ago
      I love Doug Stanhope. Jimmy Fallon however...

stareatgoats 5y ago

Figured something was wrong since he stopped tweeting in July. I'll just drop this here, his last standup on Letterman - which (at the end) reveals that he was not "just" the wittiest, most fearless funnyman ever. RIP Norm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY

flas9sd 5y ago
puts the germany piece I only knew to date isolated into perspective, that was also a goodbye to letterman and kind of broke the 4th wall, thanks

Ronsenshi 5y ago

Ooof, one more death that hit me hard this year. Norm's humor was not for everybody, but I loved how weird, absurd and off-putting it could be.

Saint_Genet 5y ago

My favorite joke of his: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJN9mBRX3uo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJN9mBRX3uo

k0stas 5y ago
I'm partial to this story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELoXiuDA_sQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELoXiuDA_sQ
- lherron 5y ago
  Try this one. https://youtu.be/NMRd-n_s4c8 https://youtu.be/NMRd-n_s4c8
  - piker 5y ago
    Mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcUKMO27yKY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcUKMO27yKY
    - gbjw 5y ago
      Also mine. Here is the video of it (his mannerisms only add to the aesthetic): https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vaqxy https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vaqxy
  - awb 5y ago
    On the nose given the news, thanks for sharing
hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
To me I was never a huge Norm Macdonald fan, but that clip just shows how great of a comedian he was. I mean, the joke itself isn't anything special, but his delivery is so good that he has you just waiting with anxious anticipation throughout the whole thing that when he got to the punchline I really lol'ed. Mad respect.
- 5y ago

legerdemain 5y ago

Is this some kind of Norm MacDonald joke?

colpabar 5y ago
reminds me of that tragedy
- caslon 5y ago
  I didn't even know he was sick!
- scop 5y ago
  the one with the buildings?
- tailspin2019 5y ago
  Terrible name for an airline
reginold 5y ago
The Grey Man

fredros 5y ago

As a French man, I discovered him a couple of weeks ago and binge watched his material on YouTube. One of the bests.

ThePadawan 5y ago

Ah, fucking hell.

GhostOfLelandJr 5y ago

RIP to one of the greats

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

brightball 5y ago

Awful. Always loved his comedy. The movie he made years ago, Dirty Work, is heavily underappreciated. RIP Norm.

bennesvig 5y ago

Norm's musings on death from his 2011 special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrFU5wyd_C0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrFU5wyd_C0

isk517 5y ago

Terrible news. One of my favorite Norm Macdonald moments was when he purposely bombed during the Bob Saget Comedy Central Roast purely to make Bob and the other comedians laugh.

xyzzy_plugh 5y ago
His roast is still the only memorable part of that entire special. Norm really was for the birds.
- tzs 5y ago
  Gilbert Gottfried's segment from that roast was pretty memorable [1] [1] https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x1bwa https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2x1bwa
- happyrock 5y ago
  That Linsdey Lohan can't swim a lick, but she sure knows every dive in town!
reginold 5y ago
Oo would love to see this if you have a link handy
- eganist 5y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9wo_apQ1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9wo_apQ1s Looking for HD but this one actually has video; the others I found didn't.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

mioasndo 5y ago

leesec 5y ago

The funniest man ever. RIP

junon 5y ago
Meh. I disagree. He frequently made below the belt jokes about the appearance or attributes of others, particularly women and gays. He was pretty funny otherwise though. Fully realizing this will be downvoted, but RIP anyway.
- vernie 5y ago
  So brave, thank you for your service.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- mrmuagi 5y ago
  You know what they say... speak ill of the dead!
  - junon 5y ago
    I don't believe in any of that, personally. I was simply responding to "he's the funniest man alive" or such.
    - mrmuagi 5y ago
      I was merely referencing the bit from podcast episode with Bobby Lee -- where Adam Eget mentioned Robin Williams stealing acts/jokes in a conversation and he replies as I did.
yeezyseezy 5y ago
Agree with this and the following FTA: 'Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”'

_red 5y ago

Wow. In recent years lots of his comedy centered on his fears of death and related religious musings... The fact that he had been struggling with cancer really puts this in a different perspective. RIP Norm. You were funny!

slg 5y ago

"If you die, the cancer also dies at exactly the same time. That to me isn't losing a battle, it is a draw." He was one of the funniest people ever and there is probably no one who was a more entertaining talk show guest. I can spend hours just watching whatever comes up after plugging "Norm Macdonald talk show" into Youtube.

bee_rider 5y ago
Is that actually a quote of his?
- superduperuser 5y ago
  Yes it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRd-n_s4c8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRd-n_s4c8 From his special: Me Doing Standup
  - bee_rider 5y ago
    Thanks. Interesting in context -- wonder if he knew at the time, it would be right at the limit of the time-window described in the article I guess.
    - rOOb85 5y ago
      In the TMZ article it mentions a 9 year battle with cancer.
      - bee_rider 5y ago
        Yeah, at least from my quick glance it looked like the special came out in 2011, which would put it around there. There's fuzziness on either side -- on one hand there was presumably some editing time, on the other he seems to have kept it private, presumably whoever told TMZ found out a little bit after he did, and their memory might not have been perfect. It is just in the ballpark.
- npkarnik 5y ago

acheron 5y ago

Probably my favorite comedian. No wonder we hadn't seen much of him for awhile, e.g. when Conan O'Brien's show was ending.

ultramundane828 5y ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXdtafGdIVM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXdtafGdIVM Bit starting at :43 (Germany) will easily go down as one of the greatest stand-up bits ever written and performed. And he was the perfect guy to do it.

jldl805 5y ago
"I don't know if you guys are history buffs or not..."
- mritchie712 5y ago
  "What do you think you are, Mars or something?"

privatdozent 5y ago

Who ever thought Artie would outlive Norm. RIP to a giant

soneca 5y ago

A great video essay about Norm Macdonald from great YouTuber nerdwriter: https://youtu.be/EbthMC6spAE https://youtu.be/EbthMC6spAE

redsummer 5y ago

Stalin was worse

warent 5y ago

Shocking and sad news. I always enjoy Norm and watch his work every other month at the least. The world has lost some light. His ability to tell a whole absurd story that sounds like it's building into a huge climax and fizzles into an anti-joke is legendary.

qweqwweqwe-90i 5y ago

This guy was so funny :(

ajakate 5y ago

His interview on Conan with Courtney Thorne-Smith is one my favorite videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc

jkestner 5y ago
Yes! The unusual relentlessness and Conan's breakdown is why that's my top Norm memory. Just mean from most people, but that impish grin lets him get away a perfect stream of ad-libbed insults. Saw him twice in standup. Second time he was completely committed to a theme of being a born-again Christian and it was hilariously puzzling.

bzudo 5y ago

Damn. Always enjoyed his work. I especially like this moment from Conan. Seeing him in the zone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F6dXcW-_Fc

typon 5y ago

He was one of those comedians that wasn't affected by the whole "wokeism" movement, because he existed outside this PC vs. non-PC humour hierarchy. The reason he could do that is that he was genuinely funny, wasn't trying to "sell" an ideology, and didn't particularly care about other people's opinion of him. Oh and he wasn't someone who would "punch down" as an alternative for being funny.

bitwize 5y ago
Norm was actually somewhat conservative, though he played his politics close to the vest -- except for when he weaponized his conservatism to shock people and get laughs, for example, when he appeared on The View and the ladies were praising Bill Clinton, he cut in with "Didn't he kill a guy?" in reference to the Vince Foster conspiracy theory.
bee_rider 5y ago
He definitely changed his more outrageous jokes to switch away from punching down so much, and to making fun of this out of touch dummy character that he was playing. Keeping up with the times made him better.

staunch 5y ago

Wow. Norm Macdonald is my favorite comedian of all time and stand up comedy is one of my favorite things about humanity. I was just watching some clips of his on the "I'm not Norm" YouTube channel while eating lunch right before I read this. I had no idea he had cancer, although in retrospect I can see the signs... Damn, what a massive shock. He was an absolute legend and will never be forgotten. RIP. His appearance on Letterman's last show is one of the greatest stand up sets of all time and now I'll consider it his farewell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjEvl43zYY A more recent appearance where he was great, just talking, was on David Spade's show. His quick comeback on the Paul Newman line is a great example of why he was so amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbanVqLk1lQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbanVqLk1lQ

rainworld 5y ago

Not just jokes https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_RHERXXIAIFAAi?format=png https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_RHERXXIAIFAAi?format=png

yeezyseezy 5y ago
He was so well read, but played the "dumb guy" so well: https://youtu.be/ob3yBb2E-uM https://youtu.be/ob3yBb2E-uM
- sophacles 5y ago
  I'd argue that it should be: He was so well-read that he played the "dumb guy" well.
jimbokun 5y ago
Damn.
warent 5y ago
yeah, not many people know he was a devout Christian, overall a man of depth and complexity
- mixmastamyk 5y ago
  Weird. Am a big fan, but can't imagine anyone dissing the Enlightenment. Maybe a bit crazy after all?
  - mhh__ 5y ago
    Norm's non-comedy persona (I suspect even when not "performing" he was still performing, at least to himself) was probably not immune to pretense. I can see the point he is trying to make, although I think it's nonsense
    - gbjw 5y ago
      Hardly nonsense and a view espoused by several other cultural commentators and authors (e.g., Ross Douthat, Dostoyevsky, Simone Weil, to name a few).

aidenn0 5y ago

61 years old is a ripe old age for an SNL comedian. [edit] Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8h-xeuC1L0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8h-xeuC1L0

AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
Yeah but he didn't OD on anything.

nefitty 5y ago

One of the funniest people to ever live, RIP.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

baby 5y ago

Wow. Well, I didn’t know, that sucks…

mixmastamyk 5y ago

That sucks. Loved him on SNL... don't remember anyone else who's resulting laughs seemed so inadvertent or by chance, like he was ill-prepared or crazy, or both. :-D I really enjoyed his Netflix talk show a few years ago as well, especially because it was (seemed to be?) such a mess. Also introduced me to a great country artist in the last show, and I don't even like country: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joe_Shaver https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joe_Shaver

CydeWeys 5y ago
> don't remember anyone else who's resulting laughs seemed so inadvertent or by chance, like he was ill-prepared or crazy, or both None of it was by accident: He was really good at comedy and was getting exactly the laughs when/where he expected them. Coming off as ill-prepared was a shtick.
- 35fbe7d3d5b9 5y ago
  Bill Burr and Bert Kreischer have a podcast. Once, Norm came up[1]. What they said is something I've heard from pretty much any interview about him: Norm is the quintessential comedian's comedian. He's up there trying to do what he thinks is funny, audience be damned. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVgX0AP3Gz4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVgX0AP3Gz4
nirav72 5y ago
His role portraying Bob Dole during the Clinton years use to be one of my favorite skits on SNL
- mixmastamyk 5y ago
  I’d forgotten about that, thanks. Whenever I read the name “Bob Dole” I hear it in Norm’s voice without realizing it until now.

SKCarr 5y ago

He was the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNsXU2myCI8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNsXU2myCI8

unemphysbro 5y ago

His sports posting was great, wish he was a commentator. RIP

amerine 5y ago

One of my all time favorite comedians. A pretty sucky part about getting older is losing the people who provided you a bunch of joy.

gbjw 5y ago

Gutted. He was a comedic genius, and extremely well-read. Rest in peace, Norm.

karaterobot 5y ago

The first chunk off his 2011 special is all about his own mortality. Given that the article says he'd been living with cancer for about 9 years, you now have to wonder whether this was just before, or just after he was diagnosed. I know it takes time to work on material, so likely the former. Still, kind of spooky listening to it right now.

cordaciu 5y ago

My favorite was the basket for Conan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4&ab_channel=THEVIEW5652 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4&ab_channel=THEVI...

OneEyedRobot 5y ago

Wow, that's a bummer. It's a pity he didn't have Dick Shawn's timing.

jdlyga 5y ago

I didn't even know he was sick!

throwawayboise 5y ago
Just like Norm to make that line the literal truth for his fans. RIP.

sandebert 5y ago

Sad news indeed. In case somebody missed it, and is in the mood for some Norm, why not check out S09E02 of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, where he's interviewed by Jerry Seinfeld.

HeyLaughingBoy 5y ago

I'm going to miss Pigeon.

standardUser 5y ago

"Norm Macdonald's Legendary Bob Saget Roast" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfsXUPghXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfsXUPghXk

N_A_T_E 5y ago

Damn I was just looking at tickets yesterday https://www.ticketweb.com/event/new-york-comedy-festival-presents-carolines-on-broadway-tickets/11285925?pl=carolines https://www.ticketweb.com/event/new-york-comedy-festival-pre...

chrisco255 5y ago

Gonna miss this old chunk of coal.

bitwize 5y ago

Norm MacDonald was pretty much the gold standard for comedy for me. Unlike my other comedic hero, Dana Carvey, he wasn't good at impressions -- his Bob Dole was pretty much just Norm speaking as if his pronouns were Bob Dole/Bob Dole -- but he could take literally anything and make it funny. Even if a joke failed to land, he would just "do the Norm thing" for a couple seconds and everybody would laugh. The Norm thing is like the Christopher Walken thing -- it's a person's ineffable talent of being that person. To this day I still speak of my "inner Norm MacDonald voice", which kicks in when I observe something hilariously absurd. Like when Jeff Bezos launched his evocatively-shaped rocket, what Dennis Miller called the "Pynchonesque cock rants" practically write themselves -- in Norm's voice in my head.

bmitc 5y ago
I actually think Norm is an under appreciated impressionist. Bob Uecker: https://youtu.be/eiooeRAdcjU https://youtu.be/eiooeRAdcjU Quentin Tarantino: https://youtu.be/0imUF8EmDIQ https://youtu.be/0imUF8EmDIQ His Burt Reynolds impression, one of his most famous, was a good example of a good impression: close enough to show a resemblance but with a weird caricature twist. Most of Norm's impression were like this. His Johnny Carson was also not half bad.

scop 5y ago

I literally gasped when I heard this. There is something uniquely sad when one's favorite comedian passes away. There were many things that made him special, but one thing stands out right now: I don't think I've ever seen a comedian pursue Truth so rigorously. So much of his comedy was him shining a light on a given topic and giving 100% unflinching attention toward it, even if everyone else wanted to ignore it or "move on". This often made the "joke" the audience, in that we found ourselves laughing when we thought we shouldn't be. But why shouldn't we be laughing? Why shouldn't we be discussing this? Wait, why is this uncomfortable in the first place? Have I thought about this enough?

mindfulplay 5y ago
Norm MacDonald and Patrice O'Neal's comedy should be studied by every comedian as they pursued comedy and nothing else. No social saintness or political hackery. If there were a Michelin star, we just lost two three star Michelins in about a decade... There aren't many (perhaps even any) left to fill this void.
- pixxel 5y ago
  Doug Stanhope and Dave Chappell will tell you the truth.
- clemailacct1 5y ago
  Yes! I’m beyond thrilled to see someone mention Patrice here. He is, by far, the most cerebral comedians of all time.
- prudhvis 5y ago
  Thank you for mentioning Patrice O'Neal and Norm MacDonald in the same breath. We really lost comedy greats that cannot be filled by anyone anytime soon.
okareaman 5y ago
I had the same reaction. So many comics are fast with a joke but Norm was the master at drawing out a joke out and exploring the Truth as you say.

RattleyCooper 5y ago

Ffs 2 of my all time favorite comedians gone in less than a couple months..

wernst 5y ago
Trevor Moore?
- LAC-Tech 5y ago
  Yeah I was shocked by that too. Had been enjoying the WKUK mini reunion.
- RattleyCooper 5y ago
  Yeah

cableshaft 5y ago

It was all Ralph Abernathy's fault! (Listening to his 2017 Netflix special right now in memoriam).

NorSoulx 5y ago

He was a comedic genius and one of a kind. I've been a fan since 1995 and have spent countless hours on YouTube watching Norm Macdonald clips from SNL and various talk shows. There are so many great clips, here is one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uarJj-K4XH4

74d-fe6-2c6 5y ago

it's always sad to hear that somebody died of cancer. seriously. but what I always found odd was that a lot of comdedians who I consider very funny - openly consider him to be the most funny guy every while to me he didn't seem funny at all. he had something striking and charismatic about him - I give him that. but I can't remember having seen any sketch or interview with him where I found him funny. often watchworthy and interesting - but never funny.

bmitc 5y ago

I'm gutted on hearing this. I’ve been on one of my regular Norm YouTube binges, and was watching a ton of them just last night. His dedication to comedy was legendary, and his complexity was intriguing. Norm’s fake late gift to Conan for The Tonight Show, given after Conan was leaving, is a great example of his sort of expectation-bending humor. https://youtu.be/uarJj-K4XH4 https://youtu.be/uarJj-K4XH4 His appearances on The View are legendary examples of his ability to be uncontrolled and play the dumbest guy in the room at the same time while actually being the sharpest. His intentional subversion played off as uninformed is a seemingly one of a kind talent. There are videos of interviews where he describes some of the background to things he did on the show. https://youtu.be/a4ageUPHgno https://youtu.be/a4ageUPHgno https://youtu.be/Z3PP_SWHUQQ https://youtu.be/Z3PP_SWHUQQ “Not everything has a point” just gets me. It’s amazing how the hosts just want to jump from talking point to talking point and just refuse to let the guest actually talk, which Norm really plays off of. And lastly, the moth joke remains a shining example of his anti-jokes. https://youtu.be/jJN9mBRX3uo https://youtu.be/jJN9mBRX3uo His monologues at roasts, awards shows, and the correspondents dinner were examples of not being afraid of anything.

PennRobotics 5y ago
> the dumbest guy in the room at the same time while actually being the sharpest He would've won top prize on Millionaire but backed off before answering the last question from nerves. https://millionaire.fandom.com/wiki/Norm_MacDonald https://millionaire.fandom.com/wiki/Norm_MacDonald What a legend
- bmitc 5y ago
  Yea, Regis really flustered him on that question and made him second guess himself even though he had the right answer. What's extra funny about that is that one of his The View appearances (linked above) was the day of or soon before his Millionaire appearance. One of the hosts said something along the lines of "you think he's dumb here, just wait until his appearance on Millionaire", and of course they all cackle at that. Then he goes and gives a great performance.
  - 5y ago

rmason 5y ago

The greatest tribute to Norm McDonald is that other famous comics regard him as their favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkpcQGPgMs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkpcQGPgMs

PedroBatista 5y ago

Boy I don't know who this Cancer guy is but he seems like a real jerk!

LAC-Tech 5y ago

RIP Norm. Best delivery in the business, hands down.

logicalmonster 5y ago

Norm wasn’t normal. That’s why I loved him. I miss him already.

marnett 5y ago

I am an avid lover of comedy, and Norm Macdonald was by far my favorite comedian. I am younger, and the first live show of his I was going to attend at the San Jose Improv was cancelled because of COVID last year. I am gutted. Norm really embodied what comedy is truly about. No one likes the smartest guy in the room. Nothing is off limits. Always speak Truth to Power. His style and ability to write jokes, as opposed to the popular story telling methods of today, is still one of a kind. I loved hearing his "meta musings" about comedy and joke writing, where he said the "perfect joke" is one where the set up and punchline are the same. (https://youtu.be/9GKKnlsZvQA?t=231 https://youtu.be/9GKKnlsZvQA?t=231) My all time favorite performance of any comedian will always be Norm's white house correspondence dinner performance during the Clinton administration. His ability to understand his audience, and write and perform real jokes (unlike the pandering we see in the decades since) is truly the mark of a master. The truest of comedians play the role of the philosopher and jester: through their performances we ought to recognize the things we refuse to see in ourselves and our societies. Norm has a library of noteworthy clips, but this will always be my top. This is art. I implore you to watch. RIP Norm. You old chunk of coal. https://youtu.be/3U7AZIdalzM https://youtu.be/3U7AZIdalzM

r3vo 5y ago

>There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die. Devastated to hear this. RIP Norm. I loved you.

MiddleEndian 5y ago

For those who haven't seen it, I recommend checking out Mike Tyson Mysteries. It's an animated show by Adult Swim where Mike Tyson (voiced by himself), his adopted Korean daughter, the ghost of the inventor of the rules of modern boxing, and a talking pigeon who is a complete asshole solve mysteries in the style of Scooby Doo. Norm Macdonald plays Pigeon.

fieryskiff11 5y ago

I have heard of her, rip Norm

emerged 5y ago

His episode with Andy Dick is the most I’ve laughed in my entire life. I go back and watch it again a couple times a year it’s just perfect.

tomasdore 5y ago

I hope O.J. has a good alibi.