Norman Gene “Norm” Macdonald was a Canadian stand-up comedian and writer. He is most famous for his genius, deadpan humour and irony. He was one of the most loved personalities to have appeared on ‘Saturday night Live. Named among the ‘100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time’ by Comedy Central, his influence has been far-reaching in the Stand-Up world and pop-culture in general. Throughout his career, Macdonald appeared in numerous movies and was a guest on talk shows such as Conan, Late Night with David Letterman, and The Howard Stern Show.
Norm Macdonald was born on October 17, 1959. He began his career performing stand-ups at clubs and got a chance to perform at the ‘Just For Laughs Comedy Festival’ in Montreal. Realizing that he needed a bigger platform to get the career he desired, he shifted to Los Angeles, where he wrote for the sitcom ‘Roseanne’. Macdonald was then a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL) for five years which brought him into the limelight. Paste magazine ranked him number 31 on their 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time. He passed away on September 14, 2021 after a long and arduous battle with cancer.
1 I’m trying to make sure the jokes are self-contained so they’re accessible to everyone. –Norm MacDonald
What’s the point of being an entertainer if your acts are only accessible to a small minority of people. Norm MacDonald, throughout his career made sure almost everyone, from every walk of life, could get a laugh at his jokes. That’s exactly what made him a favourite among many.
2 I almost love the fantasy world of sports more than the real world. –Norm MacDonald
Sports has this captivating energy that sucks you into its own fantasy world. It’s a surreal escapade from the mundane, dark and dull real world. Ask any sports fan and they’ll give you accounts of how sports has its own way in helping you cope with the darkness of life.
3 I love writing, it’s the best, But I really hate collaboration. –Norm MacDonald
As you pour your heart out into the white canvas of a paper, forming words that illustrate your lived experiences, your deepest fears and a plethora of personal stories, you are given an escape from the mediocrity and dullness of an uncertain life. That’s what makes writing so beautiful. But if your writing is muddled up and modified by unwarranted collaborations, there’s nothing that can irk you more.
4 I just like doing standup, that’s all I’m interested in or good at. –Norm MacDonald
In the end, all that matters is that you follow what you love the most. If you’re stuck in a profession that you neither love nor are good at, you’ll fall into a rabbit hole of despair and depravity. Find something that you love and are also good at and commit yourself wholly to it
5 Compared to politics, I think sports is funnier because it’s inconsequential. The more pointless something is, the funnier it is, you know. -Norm MacDonald
The most inconsequential and pointless things inspire the greatest of humours. Politics is serious (and a dirty) business. But sports, on the other hand, is just a futile exercise where a couple of men chase a ball around. Is there a point to it other than stroking your ego once you win? Probably not. And that’s exactly what makes it such a funny affair.
6 Comedy is surprises, so if you’re intending to make somebody laugh and they don’t laugh, that’s funny. –Norm MacDonald
Surprise is the most important ingredient in humour. Imagine a comedian on a stage trying to make his audience laugh. He delivers his punchline and all he’s met with is awkward silence and stern gazes. Now this surprising turn of events is probably funnier than the comedian himself.
7 In math, you could get 100 percent, It was very fair, That’s what I liked about math, You could figure it out, and the teacher couldn’t have a stupid opinion about it. –Norm MacDonald
The beauty of math is in the fact that it is fair. It is objective and there’s nothing much that old, grumpy teacher can do to decrease your grades if you’ve done everything right. They say everything is fair in love and war, but guess what, Math is probably fairer than either.
8 You’re trying your best to make people laugh; then if you fail, they hate you, But your intent’s the same, It’s not like you’re trying to do evil to them. –Norm MacDonald
Comedians get an intense amount of needless hate when any of their acts fail. But people fail to see that all their intention was to make people laugh and bring a moment of happiness into their lives.
9 When I hear a guy lost a battle to cancer, that really did bother me that that’s a term, It implies that he failed and that somebody else that defeated cancer is heroic and courageous. –Norm MacDonald
People do not lose a battle to cancer. All that it implies is that it was their fault for not giving it their all. They are not losers whatsoever. Rather, they are brave for giving it their all and fighting to their last breath, even if they could not make it out alive.
10 Stand-up has the best writers because it’s the hardest writing by a million miles. –Norm MacDonald
Comedy is much harder to write than any other form of writing. Humour is difficult in the sense that it is unpredictable. All you can do is guess what makes people laugh. If they connect with your material, you succeed. If they don’t, well, better luck next time.
11 I think clever people think that poor people are stupid. –Norm MacDonald
Clever people have this habit of looking down upon the less privileged. They make it seem like their poor people are inherently stupid. Poverty is most often passed down to them, and often is a result of so many other factors. The amount of dollars in your bank is not a measure of your intellect.
12 All my life’s about is cracking up people and them cracking me up and trying not to think about dying. –Norm MacDonald
Norm MacDonald fought with cancer before his untimely demise. But despite the darkness that loomed over his life, all he ever did was to bring light and laughter into the lives of others.
12 Most Hilarious Quotes by Comedian Norm MacDonald
1. I’m trying to make sure the jokes are self-contained so they’re accessible to everyone. –Norm MacDonald
2. I almost love the fantasy world of sports more than the real world. –Norm MacDonald
3. I love writing, it’s the best, But I really hate collaboration. –Norm MacDonald
4. I just like doing standup, that’s all I’m interested in or good at. –Norm MacDonald
5. Compared to politics, I think sports is funnier because it’s inconsequential. The more pointless something is, the funnier it is, you know. -Norm MacDonald
6. Comedy is surprises, so if you’re intending to make somebody laugh and they don’t laugh, that’s funny. –Norm MacDonald
7. In math, you could get 100 percent, It was very fair, That’s what I liked about math, You could figure it out, and the teacher couldn’t have a stupid opinion about it. –Norm MacDonald
8. You’re trying your best to make people laugh; then if you fail, they hate you, But your intent’s the same, It’s not like you’re trying to do evil to them. –Norm MacDonald
9. When I hear a guy lost a battle to cancer, that really did bother me that that’s a term, It implies that he failed and that somebody else that defeated cancer is heroic and courageous. –Norm MacDonald
10. Stand-up has the best writers because it’s the hardest writing by a million miles. –Norm MacDonald
11. I think clever people think that poor people are stupid. –Norm MacDonald
12. All my life’s about is cracking up people and them cracking me up and trying not to think about dying. –Norm MacDonald