I just listened to Norm's autobiography, Based on a True Story, and it's a wild ride -- very funny, very crazy, and even though half of it's not true, the stuff that is true is actually kind of poignant and heartfelt. You can see how incisive, smart, and sensitive Norm MacDonald was on the inside, no matter how sarcastic and cutting he could be in his act. His longtime friend Adam Eget features prominently in the book, and you wonder how much of the damned thing was true. Not a single dull moment in the whole thing. I caught a clip of Marc Maron talking about Norm, and he said, "Norm MacDonald is the only guy I've ever known who lost two fortunes twice." He definitely had a major gambling problem, and that's a big part of the book, too.
Really enjoyed/needed all the video posts here, though I'm still feeling sad about his last few years. Norm MacDonald epitomized something about a Canadian worldview, and sense of humour about it, for me. It's been depressing though to me to see a few people who really do not get Norm, how smart he was, and how always human in an endearing way, and think just being rude and using swear words makes them anything whatsoever like him.
RIP + Norm Macdonald One of the very best of the best.. Thank You Sir. You absolutely blew me away like Bowie did with the sad news..
Norm recorded a new one hour special (in one take) in his living room in case he did indeed succumb to cancer. 'Norm Macdonald - Nothing Special' will premier on Netflix on May 30th. Norm Macdonald left an hour of new material behind for one last special - CNN
That is going to be really hard to watch.....I'm a big Norm fan.....From what I hear they are going to show scenes from the recent Memorial for Norm. Plus, they took a few Comedians to a room (Sandler, Spade Chappelle, Letterman...I believe plus, a couple more) to watch the "final performance video" and I heard that tears were flowing. Some from laughter.....but much because Norm is no longer with us.
His final special is going to be interesting. I am not sure how much he worked on the material before it was recorded, so it could be very raw. I am very excited to watch it!
I hope they don’t overdo the sentimentality. Norm himself told no one he was sick precisely because he didn’t want anything to get in the way of the comedy and of people’s appreciation of the jokes: he didn’t want people laughing just to be nice to a guy with cancer. Also Norm was into very dark, very black humor, including on the subject of death. So I hope the special reflects that.
I don't have Netflix so I can't vouch for the veracity of this review of the special, but it's well written. Norm Macdonald’s Nothing Special: a standup says farewell
Had the day off today, so I made sure to see this special as soon as I woke up. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly intimate the special was. For the entire set, you are face to face with Norm, and he delivers his often hilarious set in one take, with no editing! True to form, his jokes meander, but always eventually landing with a great punch line. And while he often at least seemed to lose his train of thought mid-joke, he transitioned from joke to joke seamlessly. Not that every joke was great, but there was definitely far more gold than coal in this special. He stares directly at the camera through most of his set, much as he stared his inevitable fate, with an incredible confidence and courage. His energy level and focus would have been impressive for a comedian at any age, but given the circumstances, it was even more so. The whole thing was certainly surreal. A standup set with no audience, with the comic sitting down and filmed in close up. It was important for Norm to get this set down, as he was going in for a procedure and unsure if this might be his last chance to document his art. Talk about timing. Afterward, a panel of comedians and comic actors commented on the special. As always, Dave Chappelle had poignant things to say about what he saw. More importantly, he commented on how Norm had cheered him up years before while filming Screwed, just after Dave's father had passed. In true Norm form, he didn't console Dave about what had happened, he simply made him laugh the entire time they filmed together. Norm's comedy has gotten me through many difficult times in my life and I truly hope that he is at peace and in a much better place.
Norm MacDonald's Colleagues Discuss Comedian's Death in Netflix Special: We Didn't Get to 'Tell Him What He Meant to Us'
I wonder if Norm will be in any of The Orville episodes that start this week on Hulu? I'm getting tempted to add it. I miss The Orville!
I highly recommend Norm's book "Based on a True Story". It's in Norm's voice and is pretty nuts, again just like Norm.
Norm was good on season 3 of The Orville. He was in all 10 episodes. During the course of The Orville he was in was in one of the funniest scenes of them all. He was a jello creature that could make whatever shape he needed. He formed his body around the, female, ship's doctors except for her neck and head. She was moaning orgasmic sounds. He'll be missed if there's a season 4.
As long as it took to get Season 3 done, Norm could very well have gone through two cancers in the production process. Only now I'm seeing the episodes, and thinking, "man, that was great they kept him in there, that's some real respect". But then again, who knows when he recorded those lines. We still have one episode to watch, don't tell me how they use the character. Just that I know he got paid, and we're still "seeing" him on screen, is enough.
