Norm

He was my favorite comedian. I think he was actually everyone’s favorite. Like if you don’t think Norm is your favorite comic, well you just haven’t watched enough Norm and that’s really just on you AND you need to stop blaming other people for your own short comings. —But for real, no one could claim that someone’s funnier than Norm. It’s just not possible. Maybe “as funny as” on a good day, but not “funnier.” Not a fucking chance. He was the funniest person who has ever lived. Any of the greats would say the same. He was the true definition of a comedic genius with no hyperbole. Also, he was just an actual genius. Not like just an actual genius —but like he was a genius of the non comedic variety as well. His encyclopedic mind and sheer intellect is what allowed him to be the comedic genius we all know and loved but his mind was something to marvel at on its own outside of comedy. I loved Norm so much I had to stop watching/listening to him because as a newer comic I’d bite his style/voice …hard. I still keep some Normisms with me (“good lord” for instance) and I’m sure there are more that I’m less aware of. He operated on a completely different wavelength than everyone else. A comedic renegade. That’s why he was always so memorable on his late night panel appearances, the Saget roast, his specials, his shows, his podcasts, or his book! —my word! (another Normism) —he was an unstoppable force and just plain fearless. No one has ever been funny like him and as a result he always stood out regardless if you’re a comedy obsessed weirdo like myself, or a person who just had the TV on “whatever” and Norm happened to be on because by this point he’d become ubiquitous. He was a true original and someone who understood his own role as a fully evolved comedian. He was a philosopher that communicated with the world through comedy using bullet proof logic. Norm was a living legend so I guess that just leaves him as a legend now. As a testament to his legacy Norm literally had a joke for everything, including his own circumstance that resulted in his departure from this state. We truly were blessed to have had him while we did and wherever he is I hope he’s at peace. Us mere mortals down here can at least take solace in the plethora of work he’s left behind for us to laugh/cry at.

Rest In Peace.

“I’m pretty sure, I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure if you die, the cancer dies at the same time. That’s not a loss. That’s a draw.”

-Norm Macdonald