Norm McDonald - concentrated funny

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by noa

Has anyone watched his Netflix comedy special yet? He supposedly said he would do it differently in retrospect, but it still had me cracking up. Had plenty quintessential Norm jokes.

What! what, are they, . . golfing?!?!


A DUNE BUGGY?!?!

[Fishpicker]

the new special is good but I was surprised by how much of it I had already heard

[noa]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

What! what, are they, . . golfing?!?!


A DUNE BUGGY?!?!

Harrison Schmitt?! Who the **** ever heard of that guy?

I know that's a Norm oldie, but it still got me.

[Baby Lee]

Have it queued, but the house/yard is taking up free time, along with the awesome series going on right now [Better Call Saul, Leftovers, Fargo, etc.]. Looking forward to it, though.

[eDave]

ever time:

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by eDave

ever time:

One of my all-time favorites.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by eDave

ever time:

Uhggg... Norm is pretty hit-and-miss with me. That missed. I understand what he was going for. But that just wasn't funny for me...

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Fish

Uhggg... Norm is pretty hit-and-miss with me. That missed. I understand what he was going for. But that just wasn't funny for me...

Norm is one of the last few that truly doesn't give a ****.

[Fishpicker]

[EPodolak]

Originally Posted by Fishpicker

I remember that episode, thinking Norm was particularly docile and disjointed. I remember also thinking who is that gorgeous girl in the red wig.

[eDave]

Originally Posted by Fish

Uhggg... Norm is pretty hit-and-miss with me. That missed. I understand what he was going for. But that just wasn't funny for me...

Yea for sure. I love dry humor. I use it here all the time. They don't get it in DC.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Fish

Uhggg... Norm is pretty hit-and-miss with me. That missed. I understand what he was going for. But that just wasn't funny for me...

I think you have to be prepared for what he's doing to make it funny for you.

He's subverting the menace of his reputation, and committing to a straight recitation of crap material. It's not funny in a punchline way, it's funny in a WTF/disorienting way. And the humor creeps up on you. At first you fake laugh to be polite. Then you chuckle because you think you see where he's going. Then he delivers a lame joke [like the 'for the birds' line] in a way that tells you he knows how to deliver and is purposefully sabotaging that ability. And then the longer it goes, you laugh out of 'he's sticking with it' bemusement.

He's taking the long view. He has, and has had, his whole life to establish that he can kill a room. But in this friendly environment where people respect and admire that ability, he mortgages it on something odder and more memorable.

Reminds me of a bit I've heard described, but naturally never saw in person. A couple of titans when they were first starting out [I want to say Albert Brooks and someone like Ed Begley Jr. or Michael McKean, of that age and stature]. They would go up to an open mic in LA and with no esposition or explanation, they'd put on the appearance of a folk duo, or a comedic song duo, each with guitars. And for the next 12-15 minutes, they would just try to tune their guitars. They wouldn't address the crowd, or apologize, or explain. Just deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE, . . . . Dut, dut, dut, DUT, DUUUUUUH, . . . . . .[fiddle with bridge] . . . . . [whisper something to each other] . . . . . deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE, . . . shake their heads, . . . fiddle with the bridge some more. . . . . . Dut, dut, dut, DUT, DUUUUUUH. . . . [walk around the stage looking down], . . . [come back and whisper some more] . . . . deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE

Audience, 1-2 minutes, silence, 2-4 chuckles, . . . 4-6 minutes murmurs, then anger, then people walking out . . .. . . then more and more laughter, . . until the whole place was rolling about 8-10 minutes in.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Reminds me of a bit I've heard described, but naturally never saw in person. A couple of titans when they were first starting out [I want to say Albert Brooks and someone like Ed Begley Jr. or Michael McKean, of that age and stature]. They would go up to an open mic in LA and with no esposition or explanation, they'd put on the appearance of a folk duo, or a comedic song duo, each with guitars. And for the next 12-15 minutes, they would just try to tune their guitars. They wouldn't address the crowd, or apologize, or explain. Just deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE, . . . . Dut, dut, dut, DUT, DUUUUUUH, . . . . . .[fiddle with bridge] . . . . . [whisper something to each other] . . . . . deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE, . . . shake their heads, . . . fiddle with the bridge some more. . . . . . Dut, dut, dut, DUT, DUUUUUUH. . . . [walk around the stage looking down], . . . [come back and whisper some more] . . . . deet, deet, DEET, DEET, DEEEEEEEEE

Audience, 1-2 minutes, silence, 2-4 chuckles, . . . 4-6 minutes murmurs, then anger, then people walking out . . .. . . then more and more laughter, . . until the whole place was rolling about 8-10 minutes in.

EDIT: Remembered, it was Craig T. Nelson and Barry Levinson.

[Pepe Silvia]

His Scottish/Irish accent in Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo was kind of funny.