Well, as most were back in January of 1998, I was shocked to hear Norm Macdonald tell the world he'd been removed as "Weekend Update" anchor. After hearing the news, I established a web page to keep folks up-to-date on the happenings of The Crisis and, more importantly, to provide a platform for the expression of frustration toward Those Weasels at NBC. The battle cry then was, "WE WANT NORM!" Later, when Normy expressed his desire to leave "Saturday Night Live," the focus changed to "SET NORM FREE!" I'm proud to say we generated more than 3,400 emails in support of Our Hero.
The Crisis is over. Now what? Well, given the overwhelming enthusiasm shown by other fans, it only made sense to morph the page into a fansite ... an online magazine for Norm Macdonald fans. The site also serves my own desire, as a graphic designer, to learn more about designing for the web. Besides, I'm a fan.
I ran across Norm, several years ago, on a standup comedy special. What struck me most was his delivery. He seemed almost unaware of the audience -- just starred off into the blackness and plowed forward -- laughs or no. Not yukking it up, just solid, sharp ... and extremely funny.
In 1993, I was glad to hear Norm was joining the cast of "SNL." Unfortunately, he sucked. In a show utterly dependent on character-based comedy and catch phrases, he just didn't gel. It wasn't until he landed in the "Weekend Update" anchor chair that he began to shine. Well, you know the rest.
There are bigger fans out there than myself. And, in doing this tribute, I've learned something, along that line ... I was totally unaware: Chicks dig Norm. For pastey, white guys everywhere that's reassuring news. ;-)
So, as long as it's entertaining for me, and is of enjoyment and service for fans ... The Fake News will cling to the web.
Yours in Macdonald,
G. Noel Gross is a graphic designer in Dallas. In another life, he was a writer who interviewed such comedy greats as Conan O'Brien and Jim Carrey. Oh, and Joe Bob Briggs is a genius.
