Norm MacDonald live

I've seen a handful of episodes and tidbits here and there.

Just starting this episode with Letterman. The first 5-6 minutes where they talk about therapy is pretty off the charts good. They normally don't zoom in like they do here and it adds to the intensity of what they're saying. MacDonald is a deeply flawed and interesting dude.

 

Not sure if he gets into it with Letterman, but one of the many interesting things about Norm MacDonald is that he lives in LA and doesn't have a driver's license. He takes car services everywhere.

Speaking of Norm and Letterman, the Artie Lange-Norm MacDonald-Bob Uecker talk show arc is one of the all-timers:

 

The respect Dave, Conan and a bunch of fellow comedians give him is amazing

 

One of those guys who never got the following I would have expected. He might not be as popular as other comedians, but he's a perfect example (IMHO) that popularity doesn't mean jack shit to me when it comes to artists and entertainers. Example: Markie Mark just beat the Rock as the world's highest-earning actor.

 

My favorite Norm bits are the ones I don't get at first, the ones I think bombed. I'll then go back and read or watch them months or years later and they'll be incredible. I suppose that says more about me not being the brightest, but I also think there's a subtlety and recognition of what's absurd before the rest of us realize it.

 

And Marky Mark plays the same character in every fucking movie he makes. He's got the range of a turnip.

 

He went through a phase a couple years ago where he would just tell the hackiest, oldest jokes on Conan, and it was still incredible because it was just so fucking different. Same with his "roast" of Bob Saget.

I love his podcast, although this "season" he's seemingly been more focused on actually interviewing people vs. just telling jokes. He gets quite a few guests that don't do a million appearances - Letterman, Dana Carvey - but he'll also just have weird bookings like Mike Tyson. From his past episodes, I don't think I've ever laughed harder than when he had Nick Swardson on, and they were doing X-Rated "Three's Company" riffing. And THEN, they went straight into a Mangrate commercial read that basically lost them that ad account. ("You can give this to your dad for Father's Day! Nick, is your father alive?" "No, he's dead." "Well fuck!")

 

Dirty Work is a criminally underrated movie.

 

Unlike the Rock.

 

Hacky? How dare you! I love the moth joke.