Originally Posted June 13, 2011
Having missed the original airing of NORM MACDONALD‘s ME DOING STANDUPearlier this spring, I was happy to find a copy of it’s audio companion sitting in my mailbox recently. Out this week on both CD and an extended DVD (featuring 30-minutes of unaired material), via Comedy Central Records, the 10-track set is a perfect collection of the comedian doing what he does best.
Always underrated, Macdonald is one of the finest comics to pass through the SNL stable. His deadpan delivery and wiseass charm is appreciated in any form – though I have to admit, I’ve not yet watched his latest endeavor, SPORTS SHOW with NORM MACDONALD. As he demonstrated on Weekend Update, Norm is a pro when it comes to delivering the fake news, but the “sports” aspect just doesn’t interest me.
For his standup set, MacDonald takes on DEATH front and center, kicking off with It’s Good to Be Alive andCourageous Battle. Indeed, MacDonald fends off the Grim Reaper by taking precautions against a potential attack by his own heart, and noting how foolish the “Battle Cancer” is.
Fighting the darkness that’s coming for us all remains a topic of hilarity through learning about victims of murder via the local news, the pros and cons of alcoholism, and the man that may have led to MacDonald’s own dismissal from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE – O.J. Simpson.
Having listened to ME DOING STANDUP several times over the past few days, it’s an easy call for me to declare this as one of my favorite comedy albums of 2011.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
