by Lynn Mandaville
His name was not a household word.
His was not a delicate mainstream comedy.
Those of us who were familiar with his work had not heard much of or from him in quite a long time. Almost a decade, in fact, though he was working on various projects throughout that time.
So I was taken aback this week, when Norm Macdonald died, that so many of the mainstream comics had so much, yet so little, to say about Norm, about what he had contributed to his art, about what he had meant to them, and about what his death meant to both.
If you know Norm Macdonald, it is probably from his time on Saturday Night Live, where his tenure lasted from 1993 until 1998. He appeared most memorably in sketches called Celebrity Jeopardy and Million Dollar Password where he parodied Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds, Bob Dole (who thoroughly enjoyed the ribbing), David Letterman and Charles Kurault.
I said he was not a mainstream comedian, yet his being on SNL certainly seems to belie that. It was his other work on SNL, as anchor of the segment Weekend Update, that showcased his unique, non-traditional black humor.
Norm had a very dark side, and it came out on Weekend Update. He harshly lampooned O.J. Simpson following Simpson’s acquittal in the murder of his wife and her friend, and he frequently referred to Simpson as a murderer (not “alleged” or “acquitted” but simply a “murderer”). Norm’s humor was so relentless, and so mean-spirited, that it was probably the reason for Macdonald’s removal from the Weekend Update desk, and, ultimately from SNL. (Macdonald believed this was true and that it was spurred by Don Ohlmeyer, NBC’s president of the west coast division, who has been a close, personal friend of Simpson.)
Macdonald’s condemning unkindness was unleashed on other prominent people such as Michael Jackson. His comments on Weekend Update included topics like prison rape, crack whores, and the seeming preoccupation with Baywatch star David Hasselhoff by the people of Germany.
Among the things that have been said about Macdonald since his passing was the recurring theme that Norm performed for Norm. His jokes were often so esoteric as to go over the heads of most listeners, but he didn’t care. If Norm liked the joke Norm did the joke. You could almost see the glee in his face when a joke bombed.
Another thing said about Macdonald that struck me was from Bill Maher, another rather dark humorist with a similar belligerent streak. When asked if he knew Macdonald well, he replied “No. But no one did.”
Macdonald was a private man. He believed his job was to entertain people, not to burden them with his own personal life. Which is probably why very few folks knew that Norm had been fighting a nine-year battle with leukemia, to which he finally succumbed.
All the late-night hosts opened their shows last week with tributes to Norm Macdonald. They spoke of his influence on their own comedy. They spoke of his generosity in supporting their own efforts in the biz. They admired his independence in presenting his own take on things despite whatever toll it might take on his career.
Norm Macdonald’s humor was unique. It was cringe-worthy, dark, filled with non-sequiturs, and funny. Very funny.
I wouldn’t have listed Macdonald among my top ten favorites, but I certainly liked his humor. He spoke to my own dark side, and for that I will miss him.
Rest in good humor, Norm.
