Norm Macdonald Returns to Television!

hicks good to read, terrible to listen to or watch imo

hicks good to read, terrible to listen to or watch imo

This is maybe 80% of all standup/sketch comedy for me

Otm

How much does a comedian need to be political, ask that to you fine folks. I like escapism at times cuz the world is tough but is that a pre req

in this particular moment it seems fairly important

I used to listen to a lot of stand-up from like 2002-2004, back then it was kinda weird when stand-up sets didn't mention 9/11 in some way. I know Norm is bemoaning late night hosts having to do a lot of anti-Trump political comedy now, but what else are you supposed to be talking about right now? Trump has been the biggest news story in the country every single day for the last 3 years.

Fair

I know Norm is bemoaning late night hosts having to do a lot of anti-Trump political comedy now, but what else are you supposed to be talking about right now? Trump has been the biggest news story in the country every single day for the last 3 years.

Comedians can comment on literally any aspect of human existence. Why are they obligated to comment on the news, is the question, and "they just are" is not really a helpful answer.

i love norm, but dismissing mort sahl as "not really a comedian" is risibly ignorant -- sahl's style was not at all similar to hicks or later bruce, and norm throwing him in the list makes me think he's either ever never listened to him or just dislikes political comedy that he doesn't agree with

I think the real issue is that we live in an era with an unprecedented volume of commentary on the president -- twitter, facebook, 24 hour cable news, every level of news and blogsite, etc., and when it comes to Trump, EVERYONE has a take, something "funny" to say, etc. So it's kind of unreasonable to expect a comedian to just have even more to say about such an overtrodden subject just because it happens to be "important."

disagree even with that.

it simply isnt a necessary part of the brief

xxp tbf to Norm, he wouldn't be the first to throw Sahl and Bruce together. Sahl, Bruce, Hicks at least all pieces of Maronicana.

Where are you people reading your stand-up comedy

Bruce and Sahl bits appear back-to-back in the anthology The Cool School (which was gifted to me because I am not cool, I guess)

the argument has changed from "late night talk show hosts talk about the news" which is mostly true but also not a new development to "stand-up comedians all talk about the news" which is insanely untrue

also where are you people all reading sketch comedy?

x-post but more salient!

(I've read a couple hundred pages of Bruce, heard a few seconds, seen no footage)

ive a hicks collection of routines i picked up somewhere way back when

Anyone like the norm show? It’s funny

Comedians can comment on literally any aspect of human existence. Why are they obligated to comment on the news, is the question, and "they just are" is not really a helpful answer.

I'm talking about late night talk show hosts here - for example I don't think Jimmy Kimmel's show was all that political until recently

stand-ups, yeah, you can talk about whatever

reading an entire book of standup routines sounds insanely boring

lenny bruce did write an actual book which is pretty funny, iirc

now that I think about it, Stewart Lee's annotated book of his routines is actually pretty good (but it's the additional commentary that makes it interesting)

the hicks book had early and evolving versions of the routines which was interesting

'squilgee your third eye'

Jane Fonda was so dope

omg the bit where he pretends to read from david spade's memoir had me rolling

hicks has said some truth bombs but as comedian hardly anyone beats delirious/raw era murphy

Raw is trash.

youre trash

^he says, borrowing Trump's favorite playground retort. Subtle irony?

i mean i dont mean it literally

sic is a homie but u kno its just tastes

Eighties Eddie Murphy specials are phenomenally funny

Raw has Umfufu and the McDonald’s bit, fuck outta here

thas wassup

ha but newayz

i just finished watching the first episode of the norm show and it is p entertaining

learned abt hybrid hookerz and skeet

Jane Fonda episode really is magical

was referring to the norm macdonald has a show show

had no idea he had a show called "the norm show" in 1999

that had exactly one funny thing in it, but I remember that thing after 19 years: Norm tying a carpet swiffer to a sausage dog in order to avoid cleaning under coffee tables.

I remember the joke from the Norm Show where he couldn’t do something because of his old war injury, and Laurie Metcalf was like “I didn’t know you were in Vietnam” and Norm is like “No, the card game, War”

Anyway the whole Norm feature wave is kind of built on him being this comedy nerd secret but there was a time that I lived through but barely remember when he was famous enough to host SNL and carry a sitcom for three seasons

And even then it felt like a little joke we were in on

Or some kind of hip secret we were in on, it’s crazy!

The Rolling Stone profile of like the 1995 cast really has them focusing on Norm as this breakout star and not, like, Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon

I don't think Jimmy Kimmel's show was all that political until recently

Kimmel always on the cutting edge of progressive politics iirc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obz-O3CcP2I

I like the casualness of the new chat show but it takes some getting used to - I don’t listen to much radio, is this a talk radio aesthetic?

At one point, Norm rests his hand over his whole face while he’s turning to the right to look at Jane Fonda, and it looks so clumsy and strange, but there’s power in its unfussiness. He’s a lousy interviewer but it’s almost like a deliberate tactic to make the interviewee take over. The Fonda one’s fun.

Almost all TV interviewers have this neediness to be the voice of authority in an interview, and it’s interesting to watch an interviewer happy to cede his power.

Anyway the whole Norm feature wave is kind of built on him being this comedy nerd secret but there was a time that I lived through but barely remember when he was famous enough to host SNL and carry a sitcom for three seasons

― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 18 September 2018 07:27 (six hours ago) Permalink

Yeah but he was never a Chris Farley or even a David Spade level of popularity. I mean, Kevin Nealon hosted Weekend Update. nb I think Kevin Nealon is v funny and underrated.

Watched the first episode of this last night and loved it.

A few minutes in he mentioned Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show, and that absolutely makes sense: the kind of weird after-hours talk show that is halfway between public access (no studio audience) and something more legit.

Funny that in the Vulture interview he knocks Eric Andre, because this feels like Eric Andre but using only words and conversation to knock the guest out of their comfort zone.

I mean, I love the part where David Spade tells a long story and then he says "And we're back" and makes Spade tell the story over again.

I swear for all these people who talk about how they're breaking boundaries with talk shows, it's like Craig Ferguson never existed. That dude was a goddamn genius.

cheeky monkeys

ppl enjoying the netflix show (me included, streamed it all in a few days) he's basically done this exact same thing on youtube for a while i assume those are all still up

Yeah this is a take on those web episodes on youtube