"A joke should catch someone by surprise--it should never pander."
That's a quote from the now late Norm MacDonald. Seems like wise words for someone wanting to make people laugh.
One thing that I've been thinking about lately is that while Johnny Carson almost certainly voted for Jimmy Carter when he was running for reelection in 1980, he didn't break a sweat trying to boost him. And for the host of The Tonight Show, that was the right choice. Similarly his protégé David Letterman stayed detached from politics, and probably had a better relationship with his audience because of it. You could look down on this as cowardice or lack of commitment, of course. But look at now. Kimmell, Colbert, mostly everyone on The Daily Show: they're taking a stand, but they've all taken the same stand. Activism is the new conformity. So MacDonald looks better for not chasing after votes.
I actually wasn't sold on him when he was doing the news on Saturday Night Live. Partly because the news was already all OJ all the time and I didn't need my comedy to follow suit. You know, the Simpson case, where the prosecution tried to out-grandstand the defense--with predictable results. But it might have been too hot a spotlight too. As it turns out he was funnier on a lower key. Meaning he was Canadian after all.
Warning, the following clip is not safe for work. If you're not canceled already you will be just for listening.
2 comments:
Since we haven't watched SNL since much earlier days neither of us knew anything about Norm MacDonald until his death notices were published and even then we didn't read them. So it's been interesting reading your observations about him that include his differences with other famous comedians. You're right that the ones who have become politically active are less funny - at least that was our impression when John Oliver, for instance, went off the track when he began his rabid attacks on Donald Trump rather than the rich and powerful in general. Pretty much the same can be said for the comedians you mentioned. Making fun of people who are already unpopular makes only for cheap laughs. Norm MacDonald is correct in his assertion that jokes need to catch people by surprise. The Daly Show died with Jon Stewart's departure.
The video was funny enough even though it wasn't what I'd call brilliant. Carlin and Pryor were both brilliant but that kind of timing and ability to mimic are rare qualities that came about after much practice (and bizarre life experiences in Pryor's case). But you know all that.
He's most definitely correct about what one can be righteously proud of in life are those accomplishments that have taken effort or acts of extraordinary bravery rather than simply being proud of one's natural inclinations. As Jer mentioned earlier, can anybody be proud that they prefer cornflakes to cheerios? You can be satisfied but hardly proud.
Considering how hard the audience was laughing at his jokes about gays made me think he struck some home truths. Had they not agreed at some level they wouldn't laugh. Some things just can't be legislated - behavior can be but core beliefs remain.
Time will tell. Now that I've seen him in concert I'm sad Norm MacDonald is gone.
I think if a comedian--or anyone else, really--goes to the mat for something that isn't popular, that's something you can respect. But also, if they're a comedian, harping on it too much will make them less funny, because again, being that obvious and predictable kills comedy. And realistically anyone who has an hour to tell jokes on network TV isn't going to be truly antiestablishment. They're more likely to launder the establishment's interests to make them sound edgy.
I didn't really think it was brilliant, as such. There were reasons I picked that clip, though. For one I thought a club appearance would be more illustrative than something from SNL or a talk show. Also it seems like a safe bet that there were gays in the audience, especially if he was actually performing in San Francisco. So the fact that the audience was laughing kind of proves his point, as well as showing how disarming he could be.
I can see why the organizers would go with "Pride." It sounds aggressive. "Acceptance" would give an apprehensive impression, as if the marchers were still half-ashamed. Still, it does begin to lose meaning past a certain point, especially as the sponsors pile up.
Society does go into hard periods of trying to legislate beliefs from time to time. It often seems like this is one of those times.
Humor is a valuable thing, and worth reflecting on from time to time.
Post a Comment