Norm McDonald- great?

[Casady1]

I am surprised there was so little comment on Norm McDonald's passing. Great or not?

[Ex Lurker]

1. Don't know that much about him

but he seemed to have some conservative, or at least libertarian, beliefs. I could be wrong.

[hlthe2b]

7. You are absolutely wrong. He was no conservative. He was absolutely a biting comic & a good one

Maybe you confuse him with Dennis Miller? The latter most definitely is a conservative a'hole.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

11. He palled around with Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan

There was definitely a right-wing edge to him.
That said, he was still funny as hell and his comedy didn't seem political to me.
And there was a lot of posts about his passing a couple weeks ago.

[hlthe2b]

13. He was apolitical and got the NYT to correct a story that suggested he was a Republican.

From his WAPO memoriam: (https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/norm-macdonald-appreciation/2021/09/15/315f6f52-15eb-11ec-b976-f4a43b740aeb_story.html )

Norm hated groupthink and conformity. A few years ago, a writer at the New Yorker referenced him as a Republican and Norm was horrified. He would have felt the same way had he been labeled a Democrat. He wrote to me wondering how such an error could be corrected; I passed him New Yorker Editor David Remnick’s email and it was.

Many here have friends/relatives who are conservative. I go to the dog park with a friend who I stood by the past three years during the death of her husband. We DON'T talk politics and have our dogs and a few other things in common. He likewise played Bob Dole on SNL (causing Dole to remark on his passing) just as Alec Baldwin did Trump. Does that make him a conservative?

If you made that broad assumption by the company comics frequently keep, then they must ALL be conservative. Comedy attracts comics to each other. In reality he was more apolitical, but he absolutley denied being conservative.

[Rebl2]

2. There was

on a couple of networks, particularly NBC.

[PatSeg]

18. Yes, I've seen his passing mentioned frequently

[patricia92243]

3. I liked him, but didn't know he had passed.

[Polly Hennessey]

4. I liked him. He seemed to understand the absurdity of life.

[LakeArenal]

5. Okay.... not great. Have seen lots of posts for him

Not really a fan of rude comedians.
Get enough of that in life.

[hlthe2b]

6. Do a search (Norm MacDonald) There were LOTs of threads & more since with video of his performances.

He will be very much missed.

Here are the most recent search results, but be sure to spell his name "MacDonald"

OP Norm McDonald- great? Casady1 9:27 AM General Discussion
OP Did I imagine seeing a certain final Norm MacDonald video? Frasier Balzov Yesterday The DU Lounge
OP Conan Talks About Norm Macdonald Swede Saturday Video & Multimedia
OP Norm and his Mom making jokes mucifer Saturday The DU Lounge
OP 35 Minutes of my fave Norm Macdonald bits KG Thursday The DU Lounge
OP Bob Saget remembering Norm Dr. Strange Thursday The DU Lounge
OP Howard Stern Remembers Norm Macdonald ItsjustMe Thursday The DU Lounge
OP Norm Macdonald, Comedian and 'Saturday Night Live' Star, Dies at 61 Hugh_Lebowski Wednesday The DU Lounge
OP It's things like this that got Norm McDonald fired as the host of "Weekend Update." mahatmakanejeeves Wednesday The DU Lounge
OP Norm Macdonald on Bowel Cancer mucifer Wednesday The DU Lounge
OP I can't handle Norm dying and Elders winning on the same day Johonny Sep 14 General Discussion
OP Seth Meyers Remembers Norm Macdonald Rhiannon12866 Sep 14 Video & Multimedia
OP Norm McDonald makes the same punchline funny over and over and over again underpants Sep 14 The DU Lounge
OP I didn't remember Norm MacDonald until I saw this: El Supremo Sep 14 The DU Lounge
OP RIP Norm McDonald. "I'm Kinda Glad The Fonz Is Sittin Between Us. It Makes Me Feel Safe." TrollBuster9090 Sep 14 Video & Multimedia
OP Norm Macdonald Last Stand Up on Letterman Swede Sep 14 Video & Multimedia
OP Norm Macdonald, Comedian and 'Saturday Night Live' Star, Dies at 61 CatWoman Sep 14 General Discussion
OP Norm Macdonald Dies: Influential Comedian & Former 'SNL' Weekend Update Anchor Was 61 TheProle Sep 14 Latest Breaking News
OP Norm Macdonald Dies: Influential Comedian & Former 'SNL' Weekend Update Anchor Was 61 Nittersing Sep 14 General Discussion
OP Norm Ornstein - Want to know why our democracy is teetering at the edge? EleanorR Sep 1 General Discussion
OP Norm Ornstein - Want to know why our democracy is teetering at the edge? EleanorR Sep 1 General Discussion
OP Norm Ornstein: A solution to the voter ID standoff

[VarryOn]

8. I found him to be pretty funny...

With some many fellow comedians honoring him, he was clearly liked.

[True Dough]

9. He had a following

and he had some clever lines, but I never found his brand of humor to be much to my liking. So I'd be reluctant to call him one of the comedy "greats."

[Dr. Strange]

10. Watching Norm Macdonald was like watching Henry Fonda pick blueberries.

There were a few threads.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142799955
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181558817
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215854723
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017682139
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1017681294
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181558998

Great or not? To me: the greatest.

[Tommy Carcetti]

12. He had his own unique comic style.

I actually saw him perform once at my college. Some people went away claiming "He sounds drunk." I'm assuming they had never seen him before. (And yes, quite possibly he actually was drunk. But that was always part of his delivery style, for better or worse.)

I did see this clip today and I will admit I literally snort-laughed when he got to the punch line. He was probably one of the few comics I know of who could actually pull off this type of delivery. (And his subtle invocation of Kafka themed imagery makes me think he was actually a lot smarter than his "rambling drunk guy" persona let off.)

Enjoy:

[MenloParque]

14. GREAT

[arlyellowdog]

15. He was funny but said mean things

Especially about women.

[Walleye]

16. His celebrity Jeopardy Burt Reynolds was hilarious

[blm]

17. There were dozens of threads on his passing

And lots of video clips posted, as well.

He was a significant writer and comedian for that timeframe.

[Casady1]

19. I only see Roseanne show

for his writing credits. Am I wrong?

[Dr. Strange]

20. He also wrote for SNL.

And Dennis Miller's early talk show.

[blm]

24. He wrote most of the material he used on SNL

[Casady1]

25. Woody Allen

to me is an example of a great comedic writer. to me. His early career was writing for many people and then he wrote "Midnight in Paris" which is really ingenious. I'm surprised Norm didn't write like this.

[blm]

28. Uh. Different styles altogether.

I don’t get why that would ‘surprise’ anyone. And I’m quite familiar with genius-level humor and comedy writing.

[Casady1]

30. Who are great writers to you?

My friend movie is being started in a couple of weeks. Dustin Hoffman is starring in it. He wrote for Sesame street for years and was the writer for Burt and Ernie. I have great admiration for writing. I just thought Norm would have written more.

[blm]

31. Don't want to

get into this too much, as most longtime DUers already know that I had a long term relationship with Michael O’Donoghue (National Lampoon, SNL originator). And another longtime friend, Marty Callner, originated the HBO comedy specials, and directed George Carlin and Robin Williams in their shows, as well as many other comedy stars of the last 4 decades.

But, that’s all I have time to post right now.

[Casady1]

32. thanks very informative

[Orrex]

21. His takedown of Carrot Top on Conan was magnificent

And you simply must watch a compilation of his SNL attacks on OJ. Some of the most amazing stuff I’ve ever seen on tv.

[BradAllison]

22. You must not be on the internet much

Norm's gotten a lot of talk everywhere for 2 weeks.

[Polybius]

23. His Bob Dole was hilarious

I loved him.

[FakeNoose]

26. Are you saying it wasn't mentioned on DU?

I saw and commented on at least 10 different posts about the comic genius of Norm MacDonald. There have been several more that I didn't have time to comment on.

Norm MacDonald was one of the great comics of our boomer generation. He'll be greatly missed.

[Casady1]

27. I did a search and not that much came up

Do you mean the baby boomer generation

[hlthe2b]

33. I provided search results upstream. You misspelled his last name (should be MacDonald)

[Initech]

29. Oh yeah Norm was awesome!

And if you haven't seen his movie Dirty Work do it now!

[maxsolomon]

34. Ridiculous post. There were many posts on him as soon as it was announced.

He was good. He wasn't a "great" comic - there aren't many that deserve that accolade.

[BootinUp]

35. A few years ago I watched everything

I could find with Norm. I was obsessed for I don’t know almost a week. The guy could make almost anything funny.

[pstokely]

36. would OJ's BFF had fired him if Dole had won in 96?

Last edited Thu Sep 23, 2021, 03:04 AM - Edit history (1)

and how did Tim Meadows survive?

[Bucky]

37. He was a subtle brutalist. He turned cliches on their ears

So yes, he was absolutely brilliant as a comedian. He was also politically pretty troublesome -- anti-vax, anti-science, anti-intellectual -- and had some troubling views on women. He was frequently accused of treating female co-workers like shit. He was politically conservative, which is fine; you want smart satirists in the world going after our sacred cows. And yet for all his comic genius, he pulled his punches going after the right. His gambling addiction led him to literally bet away most of the money he made in life.

I admired how he stuck to his guns about his Christian faith, yet stayed Canadianly quiet about it. He separated from his wife, but he never divorced. And yet as gleefully as he skewered other people's beliefs as a satirist, there were a couple times when he became defensive and intolerant about people who took comic jobs at Christian religion. I loved how he played with cliches as a comedian, he was brilliant in his technique, but part of that shtick led to perpetuating some negative stereotypes.

That said, he made me think. I liked his light touch, I like your deadpan delivery, I loved his shaggy dog jokes. I wish we had another 20 years of Norm Macdonald

[cadoman]

38. there were plenty, you're just a week late [nt]

[Dorian Gray]

39. I think he was

one of the most thoughtful and funny comedians of our time. He seemed to THRIVE on awkward jokes, bombing in interview and on stage, which made him fearless as a comedian.

Having said that, he was both a complicated man and a simple man. I think his views are difficult to pin down through his public statements. I also have heard a few tales of sexual harassment back in the 90s.

He got a raw deal from NBC when he was fired from SNL. Friend of OJ's didn't like his OJ jokes.

All in all, he could be extraordinarily thoughtful at times, and he could convey deeply meaningful thoughts through his work. And then he could tell one of the most crass and unfunny jokes you've ever heard and relish in the aftermath.

[Casady1]

41. Reminds me of Andy Kaufman

[Dorian Gray]

42. YES!

Not as extreme as Kaufman, but definitely inspired by.

[Casady1]

43. and just like Andy

not funny. One trick pony. Same joke over and over again. to me a second rate writer. Comic genius is Woody Allen and Mel Brooks who could write for other people. They were both stand up comedians in the beginning but were brilliant enough to become artists and make great movies. Norm never really got better. I see no brilliant play on words or elevating dialogue.

[Dorian Gray]

45. lol

I'll give you Mel Brooks, but Woody Allen? lol. no thanks.

Funny thing about comedy is it's all subjective.

[Casady1]

47. watch midnight in Paris

what a brilliant idea and screenplay. FYI, my good friend's movie is just starting. Dustin Hoffman and Sam Neill are in it. He also wrote Bert and Ernie for Sesame street. He is pretty damn smart. I have known him since 7th grade. We are on a call every friday with him.

[Dorian Gray]

48. I've seen Midnight in Paris

I had actually seen a lot of Allen's movies. Because I don't find him particularly funny (or likable) doesn't mean I hadn't watched his movies once upon a time. (Though Midnight in Paris was the last one I watched.)

His pathologies are quite evident in his films, which make him a complicated man, and reflecting on the films he made, it's difficult for me to enjoy them in the spirit of comedy.

But like I said, comedy (like art) is subjective. And while I may have enjoyed Allen movies once upon a time (Crimes and Misdemeanors was an old favorite), it wasn't the comedy that grabbed me. Midnight in Paris doesn't feel particularly funny, either.

[Casady1]

51. It is brilliant

great screenplay. I see you point because after his first 4 or 5 movies he became pretty serious. Probably his funniest is banana's. He is a good writer. I guess I do think great comedy is borsch belt comedians from Groucho to Mel Brooks and beyond. The quickness and interplay and use of language is terrific. It is the quickness of mind that always gets to me.

[BannonsLiver]

49. Really?

That’s a comparison that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Their styles were not similar at all. Not even remotely so. Though I agree, Andy Kaufman sucked. I’m not into prop comedy.

[Casady1]

52. They both tried to make the viewer uncomfortable

watch the moth joke. Laborious to say the least. He was trying to use discomfort as a means to get to a punchline.

[Takket]

40. Loved Norm. Very sorry to see him go so young

[BannonsLiver]

44. My favorite joke he ever did on weekend update

Was the bit about Michael Jackson’s hospital room decorations, probably around 1996 or so.

[ProfessorGAC]

46. We Saw It Covered

My wife saw a piece on NBC Nightly News.
I saw a piece on both CNN & WGN News. Both pieces were at least 2 minutes, probably longer.
If hadn't seen those, I doubt I'd even knew he died.

[MissMillie]

50. He was funny, but his delivery/timing threw me off a bit

That could be a failing on my part.

[Casady1]

53. great comedians have great timing

Rodney dangerfield. Macdonald used uncomfortableness as his signature as opposed to telling a joke and getting out of the way.