Norm Macdonald, Prominant Counter-Cultural Comedian, Dies at Age 61

by sam

Samuel Case, FISM News

 

Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” icon Norm MacDonald died on Tuesday after a private nine year battle with cancer at the age of 61.

MacDonald rose to fame during the 90’s for his role on SNL’s weekend update and throughout the years became a beloved staple on the late-night comedy show for his dead-pan delivery and impersonations, including the likes of presidential candidate Bob Dole. Apart from SNL, MacDonald enjoyed a successful stand-up career and has often been regarded as a “comedian’s comedian,” for a comedic style that fellow comedian Bob Saget described as “uniquely prolific, brazen, dark, hilarious, and heartfelt.”

In a rare moment of cultural unity, public figures from across the political spectrum, including Dole himself mourned the loss of MacDonald.

MacDonald emerged as an important cultural voice following the election of Donald Trump, as he was often a critic of his colleagues who were basing their career on mocking the president. During a 2018 interview with CTV MacDonald remarked that Trump was low-hanging fruit for bad comedians.  “You don’t have a worldview by just saying that you don’t like Trump, you know what I mean? That doesn’t count. You can’t just say ‘I hate Trump’ and that makes you a good person,” MacDonald said.

In the same interview the late comedian was also critical of Alec Baldwin’s harsh impersonation of the 45th president on SNL, observing “if you do an impression of someone, you have to like the person, because you’re playing the person and people like themselves.”

MacDonald continued to buck the trend that year by starting a late night talk show on Netflix plainly named Norm Macdonald Has a Show, where he refused to discuss politics at a time when late-night comedy became synonymous with political punditry. 

MacDonald was counter-cultural in nearly every facet, including matters of faith. MacDonald was by all accounts, both by those who knew him and his own admission, a devout Christian; though his comedy was often as vulgar and offensive as his colleagues, which some Christians say harmed his witness. MacDonald told Larry King during an interview, “I’m a Christian, it’s not stylish nowadays.”

In 2015 Macdonald was a judge on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, where he criticized a contestant for mocking the Bible, while his fellow judges praised the joke’s “bravery.” In a following interview MacDonald had even harsher words for “smug” atheist comedians.

“Oh, just the smugness. There are a lot more hack ‘smart’ comedians nowadays and atheist comedians. It’s so dull. To be talking about being an atheist living in West Hollywood is not the bravest stance to take,” Macdonald remarked.If a guy went up and said, ‘Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior,’ I’d say, ‘d***, that guy’s brave!’”

Following his passing, conservative pundit and devout Catholic, Michael Knowles, revealed he had long private discussions with Macdonald on matters of faith, and said “I am convinced the man had, not only incredible wisdom, but a deep, profound, abiding, lifelong faith. I am 100 percent convinced of that.”

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