The Norm Macdonald Thread Over Here

[Fr.Bigley]

Oh Google

More of a comment really

[spaghetamine]

Feel like I didn't "get" Norm at first but I've recently been enjoying him a lot, reckon that lovable cheeky face of his is half the magic, hoping he's alright though as he seems to have aged quite dramatically in the last couple of years

[darby o chill]

New old Norm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YF9U-6ixr4

[Dusty Substance]

New old Norm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YF9U-6ixr4

"Some sort of a Kenyan sleeper agent". Holy shit. How does Norm do it?!

[lankyguy95]

FAO people who hadn't seen Sports Show - someone uploaded the first episode to YouTube

https://youtu.be/C5zT3TAmNOw

[bgmnts]

Properly listening to a load of Norm Macdonald over the past few days has been a real watershed moment for me. It's made me realise that I've gotten a bit too old and I can't really do that kind of comedy anymore. When he hits, he hits big, but when he doesn't it usually fucking sucks and its a topic that makes me really uncomfortable and my mega sympathy/empathy kicks in and I can't laugh, only be sad.

Which sucks mostly but fuck me its freeing. I feel like in order to be considered worthwhile you have to laugh at literally everything and being serious or having compassion makes you worse than Hitler.

Thanks Norm!

[cacciaguida]

I've had the above a couple of time. For the record, he's top 5 comedians for me... but....

Sometimes he says things and I don't like them.

They're not funny, they're not clever, they're just a bit shit.

I say this fully aware that the most common praise of him is that he's the smartest man in the room, pretending to be the dumbest.

SO... Maybe, when I get frustrated at him I'm just acting like the cast of the view in those clips, or clueless radio hosts, or tv anchors.

But I don't think so.

I think he's one of the funniest men ever, who occasionally says shitty things or makes shitty jokes.

That's not great, sure, but I have come to terms with it.

And yes, when he hits: he hits big.

That ep 1 of sports show is filled full of more great jokes, lines, winks, nods than many shows will have in their entire run.

(and no, I'm NOT being paid to say that)

[shagatha crustie]

Properly listening to a load of Norm Macdonald over the past few days has been a real watershed moment for me. It's made me realise that I've gotten a bit too old and I can't really do that kind of comedy anymore. When he hits, he hits big, but when he doesn't it usually fucking sucks and its a topic that makes me really uncomfortable and my mega sympathy/empathy kicks in and I can't laugh, only be sad.

Which sucks mostly but fuck me its freeing. I feel like in order to be considered worthwhile you have to laugh at literally everything and being serious or having compassion makes you worse than Hitler.

Thanks Norm!

Tbh I think Norm would agree with you - it's why he's totally okay with bombing, or being booed, and will just stare the audience down, amused, when something fails or is too controversial. He's said the job of a comic is to get laughs, and either succeed or fail at that, depending on how funny they manage to be - not to be 'agreed with.'

It's worth mentioning that when he was told to 'just be offensive' at the Bob Sagat roast, he refused to conform and delivered a set of the lamest, safest jokes ever - at the risk of his own set, in front of a huge audience. It cuts both ways.

[shagatha crustie]

New old Norm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YF9U-6ixr4

"Networks don't do what they were originally supposed to do. So on the History Channel you get... 'High Hitler.' Or on National Geographic, 'Sasquatch.' 'Sasquatch?'"

Crying.

[Dusty Substance]

FAO people who hadn't seen Sports Show - someone uploaded the first episode to YouTube

https://youtu.be/C5zT3TAmNOw

Nice one! Watching/listening now.

[Dusty Substance]

That ep 1 of sports show is filled full of more great jokes, lines, winks, nods than many shows will have in their entire run.

Yep. Absolutely wonderful stuff.



EDIT: Episode two also available on the same channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE8ttZoN32Q

[Annie Labuntur]

Thanks for the links. Cracking up at the NBA Undercover sketch in the first show.

Episode 3 is up today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHAYLJD6Mis

[cacciaguida]

Thanks for the links. Cracking up at the NBA Undercover sketch in the first show.

Episode 3 is up today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHAYLJD6Mis

Just great.

Love how it starts straight out the blocks with cold open absolute banger of a joke

[Dusty Substance]

Is anyone here downloading the Sports shows? Just in case they get swiftly removed.

[Chedney Honks]

Properly listening to a load of Norm Macdonald over the past few days has been a real watershed moment for me. It's made me realise that I've gotten a bit too old and I can't really do that kind of comedy anymore. When he hits, he hits big, but when he doesn't it usually fucking sucks and its a topic that makes me really uncomfortable and my mega sympathy/empathy kicks in and I can't laugh, only be sad.

Which sucks mostly but fuck me its freeing. I feel like in order to be considered worthwhile you have to laugh at literally everything and being serious or having compassion makes you worse than Hitler.

Thanks Norm!

What a load of bollocks you fucking idiot

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Norm repeatedly outing Michael Jackson as a paedophile on SNL is top-tier satire. Unheeded public service broadcasting.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Norm repeatedly outing Michael Jackson as a paedophile on SNL is top-tier satire. Unheeded public service broadcasting.

Absolutely unbelievable TV, live (obvs.) as well. Makes HIGNFY look like the chummy toothless shit it always has been.
Watching the compilations of it on youtube just emphasise the brutality. One of the best things about it is the joy on Norm's face as he's doing it.

[bgmnts]

What a load of bollocks you fucking idiot

ok

[Twit 2]

To put it less harshly, it is the wrong opinion.

[Dusty Substance]

Absolutely unbelievable TV, live (obvs.) as well. Makes HIGNFY look like the chummy toothless shit it always has been.
Watching the compilations of it on youtube just emphasise the brutality. One of the best things about it is the joy on Norm's face as he's doing it.

Completely agree, even with the uncomfortable homophobic dogwhistles of "Remember, Michael Jackson is a homosexual pedophile".

[Dusty Substance]

Can't remember if this has been discussed on the Norm thread, but what do we make of this clip of him on The View?

He complete sabotages the whole thing in pure Kaufman-esque style by constantly winding up Barbara Walters ("Filthy old bag") by going on and on about Bill Clinton being a murderer. When The View hosts try to get him to talk about his hero Bill Cosby at the four minute mark, Norm says "There has never been any accusations  towards Bill Cosby, about ANYTHING". Is he simply continuing the joke about Clinton being a murderer, or is there an added under-current that he might have known about Cosby or at least heard showbiz rumours about him?

Either way, it's a brilliant clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3PP_SWHUQQ

[Sin Agog]

That appearance always dredges up my fantasies about going back into the principal's office with all my adult insouciance and completely undercutting all his barefaced attempts at frightening me. Barbara Walters totally has that same small-town sheriff vibe.  "You're dead, Norm."

[Dusty Substance]

That appearance always dredges up my fantasies about going back into the principal's office with all my adult insouciance and completely undercutting all his barefaced attempts at frightening me. Barbara Walters totally has that same small-town sheriff vibe.  "You're dead, Norm."

Haha! Totally.

[shagatha crustie]

Can't remember if this has been discussed on the Norm thread, but what do we make of this clip of him on The View?

He complete sabotages the whole thing in pure Kaufman-esque style by constantly winding up Barbara Walters ("Filthy old bag") by going on and on about Bill Clinton being a murderer. When The View hosts try to get him to talk about his hero Bill Cosby at the four minute mark, Norm says "There has never been any accusations  towards Bill Cosby, about ANYTHING". Is he simply continuing the joke about Clinton being a murderer, or is there an added under-current that he might have known about Cosby or at least heard showbiz rumours about him?

Either way, it's a brilliant clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3PP_SWHUQQ

He discusses it at length with Tom Green here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTrj0oWL_mA

Apparently he was pissed off that he'd been publically made to look like a Bush supporter at the beginning of the segment when he's actually apolitical, so he just decided to lean into the anti-Democratic sentiment to tank the interview/annoy Barbara.

The Cosby thing, I think he's deliberately invoking the showbusiness 'open secret' of Cosby's misdeeds as a parallel to the Clinton murder to poke the bear even harder.

[Twit 2]

This is one of the best Norm bits ever, isn't it?

https://youtu.be/h8h-xeuC1L0

The sheer tastelessness, the joy on Norm's face, the host's horrified yet delighted laughter. Can't sleep because of the fucking universe being a cunt and Norm makes it better, the beautiful bastard.

[lankyguy95]

Poor Jon Stewart, there. He can't do anything but laugh. Norm's an evil genius.

And yeah, it's one of his greatest moments. Literally a week and a half after Irwin's death.

[DeGrise]

Completely agree, even with the uncomfortable homophobic dogwhistles of "Remember, Michael Jackson is a homosexual pedophile".

I don't know about that. It may have been that, but there were also a number of jokes about how Michael Jackson didn't touch little girls. I remember one particular joke about when his wife was pregnant, and he said "if it's a girl, he's going to call it X, and if it's a boy he's going to fuck it."

To me, it was not homophobic. It was just calling out specifically what Michael Jackson was and did. As if everyone knew it. I always felt the jokes were also mocking the world that allowed a molester of small boys to continue to operate in the public eye.

But, as I say, I maybe wrong. I haven't spoken to Norm nor am I a qualified arbiter of what is and isn't homophobic.

[Dusty Substance]

But, as I say, I maybe wrong. I haven't spoken to Norm nor am I a qualified arbiter of what is and isn't homophobic.

Neither have I and I may well be wrong. Maybe it was more often down to the reaction of the SNL audience rather than the joke itself.

This is one of the best Norm bits ever, isn't it?

https://youtu.be/h8h-xeuC1L0

The sheer tastelessness, the joy on Norm's face, the host's horrified yet delighted laughter. Can't sleep because of the fucking universe being a cunt and Norm makes it better, the beautiful bastard.

"Some fruity fish" being the highlight there.

Also, "It was tragic... at the time". I assume this episode of The Daily Show was, what, just a couple of days after Irwin died?


The ninth and last episode of The Sports Show are now all up on that channel. I've watched them all now and there does seem to be a bit of a drop-off in quality in the last three episodes. Difficult to tell really, as so many of the jokes were topical and from across the pond, so they're either dated or I didn't really get the reference. Still, there were good jokes in every episode.

[lankyguy95]

Also, "It was tragic... at the time". I assume this episode of The Daily Show was, what, just a couple of days after Irwin died?

Ten days.

The shit he'd get for that now with social media...

[Dusty Substance]

Ten days.
The shit he'd get for that now with social media...

Speaking of which, here's Norm on Chadwick Boseman*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG-D2MIPzng

(* It's from 2013, so not really)

It's great how Larry King clearly loves Norm so much - The way he flicks the card at him after reading the daft joke.