(Michael Keegan/Netflix)

Canada, along with the comedy world has lost a legend. Norm Macdonald passed away on Tuesday September 14^th, 2021, after a private, near decade long battle with cancer. His approach to his craft made him one of the most unique and irreplaceable voices of modern comedy.

 

Born on October 17^th, 1959, in Quebec City, Macdonald got his start in comedy working clubs such as Yuk Yuk’s in Ottawa in 1985. In 1986, after competing at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, the Montreal-Gazette touted him as “one of the country’s hottest comics”. By 1990 he performed as a contestant on Star Search. Building on his momentum, he was hired on as a writer for TV sitcom, Roseanne. He would later quit and make his way over to Saturday Night Live.

 

Early on he would perform impressions of celebrities such as Larry King, Burt Reynolds, David Letterman, and Quentin Tarantino. His time at SNL is remembered, most notably, for anchoring the Weekend Update segment which is the shows longest reoccurring sketch. For those of you who do not know what the sketch is about, it was a fictional news program that comments, and parodies on current events. Macdonald’s version of the sketch involved punchlines about Frank Stallone (Yes, Sylvester had a brother), and the Germans love for David Hasselhoff. In his final two seasons, Macdonald started a new gag, where he would read a news story, and then record a note to self on a tape recorder about the story he had just read. In 1998 he was removed as the Weekend Update host and replaced. The true reason for his dismissal was debated for many years after.

 

In the years after his time on SNL, Macdonald would do lots of TV and movie work, being involved in the Dr. Doolittle franchise, and starring in his own sitcom “The Norm Show,” later trimmed down to “Norm, which lasted for three seasons on ABC. He also played the role of Frank in “Billy Madison.”

 

Now, I did not discover Norm Macdonald until I saw the Roast of Bob Saget. I was caught of guard. At first, I was watching this comedian, who looked like he was bombing his bit. Later, I realized, that was the beauty of the whole thing. One instance, he mentioned that “There are times when Bob had something on his mind- when he wears a hat!” The crowed went silent, and Bob Saget laughed, but looked confused and extremely uncomfortable. Norm decided to go all in with his dud of a joke and said, “No thoughts at all-JUST A HAT!” He went on with it, and the crowd laughed soon after. Now you may read this and think to yourself, where is the beauty in that? Let me break it down for you. Norm Macdonald thrived in situations where there were moments of silence, and pure discomfort. Whether it is a stand-up act, or during a roast, most comics use their position as an excuse to bully or put someone or something down. Macdonald’s ways were odd, but they worked. Sure, he threw insults in during his bit, they were simple, and baffled the crowd. It was “anti-humor” in its purest form, and Norm Macdonald was the best at it. If you watch his bit during the roast, you can tell he knows exactly what he is doing and enjoying every single second of it. He could execute one liner’s and have the room howling like no one else.

 

Being from Quebec, Norm Macdonald grew up a huge hockey fan. He was a big supporter of the Montreal Canadiens. In 2018, he told the Toronto Star’s Garnet Fraser which Canadian team he hated the most, the Vancouver Canucks. His reasoning was simple and hilarious:

 

“I would love to see any Canadian team win, except Vancouver. I don’t know why I dislike them so much. I think when they first came out, they got my wrong side because their logo was a F*****G hockey stick and that drove me crazy.”

 

In 2011 he did show support to Vancouver and picked them to win the Stanley Cup.

 

Here's a clip of Norm MacDonald talking about the Canucks – "a derogatory term for Canadians😏" pic.twitter.com/3WQUoQdqRN

— Pucks On Net (@Pucksonnetca) September 14, 2021

(Twitter/@Pucksonnetca)

Now if you do not know who Norm Macdonald was, or you know him and want to watch some of his comedy gold, check out some of his best moments on TV.

 

Norm’s portrayal of Letterman

It was noted that Norm Macdonald idolized Letterman. So, it must have been a huge honor for him to portray one of his idols in one of his skits. Now this portrayal was nicer and not as savage as his portrayal of Tarantino (check that out as well). Yet, he impersonated Letterman to near perfection.

 

Cobras vs Panthers

Norm Macdonald was the leader of a street gang. SNL’s skit of Westside Story had me laughing hysterically. You may notice an appearance from Robert Downey Jr, and SNL mainstay Will Ferrell. This skit had numerous dance numbers, with Macdonald’s portrayal of the Cobra leader being dumbfounded at the fact that all these dance numbers were extremely well rehearsed and continues to get angrier as his gang cannot help themselves from continuously breaking out into song and dance.

 

Turd Ferguson

SNL’s version of Celebrity Jeopardy. Macdonald plays Burt Reynolds, who changes his name to Turd Ferguson during the game. Throughout the skit Turd Ferguson continuously taunts and insults Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek. I will not say more but find the skit if you want to laugh.

 

The Moth

In a 2009 appearance on Conan, Macdonald mentions how he sometimes gets material from the strangest of places. He proceeds to tell a story about a joke he heard from the driver he had that brought him to the studio. I am not sure if I was lost, or just straight up confused when watching the clip, but again in his own unique way, by the time the punchline rolled around, the crowd, and myself were laughing uncontrollably.

 

Bob Dole

I had not seen this skit until I started writing this article. As a lot of people have said Macdonald’s rendition of former senator Bob Dole, is one of the most accurate and hilarious impersonations in SNL history. After listening to the real Bob Dole, I agree. Using the third person and making fun of the senator’s catchphrases was top notch stuff. One of the biggest fans of the skit was in fact Senator Dole himself. Senator Dole would tweet out after Macdonald’s passing, “Norm was a great talent, and I loved laughing with him on SNL. Bob Dole will miss Norm Macdonald.”

 

“Norm @normmacdonald was a great talent, and I loved laughing with him on SNL. *Bob Dole* will miss Norm Macdonald.” pic.twitter.com/gPsdyJ5tS9

— Senator Bob Dole (@SenatorDole) September 14, 2021

(Twitter/@SenatorDole)

 

These days the style of comedy is much different than what Norm Macdonald was known and famous for. He was a master at his craft, and made people laugh for so many years. I urge you to check out his stuff, you will not regret it.

 

Thanks for the laughs Norm, rest easy.