He had some funny bits, I thought. I recall one Weekend Update story, something like “Doctors have perfected a method of performing an appendectomy without any anaesthetic. It’s like a regular appendectomy, it just hurts like a bastard.” That one cracked me up, mostly a day or two later when I was thinking about it, for some reason.
His standup also had a bit I liked. He was talking about cliff divers. “There’s only two levels of cliff diver: Grand Champion, and Stuff On A Rock.”
What’s up with that? He’s a brilliant comedy writer- some of his one liners and jokes are hysterical when I read them (many here- especially ‘leather straps’ and ‘morse code’) but I can’t watch him. He’s more annoying than any performance artist and his ex-wife, Judy Tenuta, is even worse. (Man, I hope they never successfully mated.)
He’s my stereotypical “bad comic” whenever I need that cultural reference point but, to be honest, I actually do find him funny in an absurdist sort of way. There’s something I find captivating about him–the sheer energy he displays from routines that even he seems to know are not funny or really scratching the bottom of the barrel in punnery or sight gags. And there is a certain kind of demented genius involved in dreaming up and creating all those silly sight gags.
He also had a bit from the same show about that one old guy who can do almost anything bad to his health and still be alive. Paraphrased:
“I smoke a carton of Camels, drink a fifth of Jack Daniels, and hammer a six inch nail into my head everyday. One time I put a gun in my mouth and pulled the trigger. Blew the whole back of head out. Just a slight ringing in the ears. I’d like to die.”
I’m pretty sure Norm MacDonald didn’t start the rumor that he was fired for OJ jokes. I don’t know that he was; I just know that it’s suspicious that he was liked by fans and replaced by someone who was so painfully bad. MacDonald got off some good lines from time to time and at least seemed to enjoy his failures. Quinn is an obnoxious clod.
Norm McDonald was a guest on Dennis Miller’s HBO show, and Miller said he thought Norm was fired because of the OJ jokes. Perhaps it was Miller who started the rumor, or at least helped spread it.
He was fired because some NBC programming executive didn’t think he was funny (and we all know network programmers always know what’s right :rolleyes: ). Norm was fired, but came back later to host after that guy was fired (or quit, I don’t recall which).
Norm is a helluva lot funnier than Quinn could ever hope to be.
Thanks for that Emo link. I was right in remembering I liked his material, but never could stay with him longer than 3 or 4 jokes before moving on. There’s some funny stuff on that page.
And, I hate to admit it, but I do like Carrot Top. I don’t know why. His energy seems to be real, not drug induced (see Robin Williams), he is in a controlled spasm, and he uses props effectively. One thing I remember him doing that still makes me laugh… he used to have a big afro, and took two rubber bands, put them in his hair, and compared his look to the picture of the girl on a “Wendy’s” napkin. I don’t know why he makes me laugh, but I go with it no matter who they might be.
He’s also been around for what, 20 years or so? not too bad. And he’s kept his career going in spite of the 800-collect campaign, which seems to be the Gilligan’s Island of dead Hollywood careers.
For some reason, Norm mentioned to Dennis that, if he had to blow a guy, he’d want a guy with a penis the size of a cigarette and would come very quickly. Even Dennis seemed a bit unnerved by this comment.
I doubt many here will agree, but Robin Williams. I got one of his cds (Live at something or other) as a gift, listened to about ten minutes of it, and shut it off. he never stopped with that annoying voice. i couldnt stand it. he doesnt have jokes, he just says normal things in a weird voice.
Sarah Silverman. I do not get all the buzz about this chick-she’s basically playing the old, “I’ll make up for the fact that I suck by saying things that are shocking!” Shocking != funny. It’s not because she’s not PC, it’s because she’s just not fucking funny.
Carrot Top’s stand up CAN be funny in small doses. Like the time he stole a Crime Watch sign, just to prove a point. I kinda liked that. Although as far as prop comics go, the funniest is Joel Hodgeson.