Norm Macdonald’s Protective View of Comedy

One of Norm Macdonald’s most famous comedy performances came at the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget in 2008. Macdonald, probably best known for his dry, prickly demeanor as the host of Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” for three years, took the stage at an event known for cruel ribaldry and read a list of charmingly innocuous lines from an old book called Jokes for Retirement Parties. “Bob has a beautiful face, like a flower. Yeah, like a cauliflower!” Macdonald barked at the crowd, a blank grin on his face. It was a brilliant, form-busting piece of stand-up “anti-comedy” (a label Macdonald despises) that drew laughs because of how shockingly leaden and unfunny the material was.

Macdonald, like so many other comics,, which he’s following with his upcoming Netflix series, , debuting September 14. But he actively resists the label of “anti-comedy,” which is rooted in the hugely influential, brilliantly grating work of Andy Kaufman. In a recent