Since the posting of this weeks Quotables submissions, it was announced that comedian Norm MacDonald passed way. I’m a Norm fan. He’s my favorite comedian and, to say little else, I’m saddened to know there will be no new #content from him. I’m glad I got to see him live a few times (as someone who doesn’t really go to concerts or shows, comedians are about the only performers for which I buy live tickets) and will always have my well obviously, Norm story of talking to my then-girlfriend on the steps outside of the Improv in Tempe, AZ before a Norm show when he walked up and I was like, “There he is, in fact,” and I told him this was my girlfriend’s first time seeing him live, you know, and I hope it’s a good show and he gave me that Norm mumbling followed by a, “….Yeah! Me too!” Probably his canned response to thousands of people over the years but it was special to me. I assume it’s the equivalent of you Canadian [DFO]er’s going to the Chris de Burgh concert and catching the encore of Don’t Pay the Ferryman instead of getting phone calls about stolen shopping carts.

Sorry — I had to go have little cry there. But we’re back now.

So my REAL Norm story is from my youth when I joined the Army at 19 and was the only member of the Blax family to serve in the armed forces since my then-18 year old grandfather became a Marine after wedding my then-16 year old grandma some 50 years earlier. It was the early 2000s, a time when the internet was still a secondary-method of communication and nonexistent to people over 40. So, to make a long story short, my grandma knew I liked Norm and wanted to get me an autograph of his. She started with a call a local casino in Vegas where Norm had performed. “Oh I’m a grandmother and I like Norm’s comedy and I have a grandson who loves Norm too and he’s deployed to Afghanistan and I’m just trying to get in touch with a contact who could help me.” The casino gave her an agent’s number that, once reached, informed my grandma that he no longer represented Norm but provided her with another number. About five degrees through this hunt later, she gets Norm’s agent on the phone and ends up getting them to send her a handwritten “To PFC Sebastian Blax, Keep kicking ass. Norm MacDonald” photo of Norm advertising his A Minute With Stan Hooper show. That it was his like shortest-lived venture really makes me appreciate it even more.

So not an especially interesting story but Norm was always the bond my grandmother and I shared — something I honestly hadn’t thought much about since she died in 2005. Anyways, I don’t have much of a voice in the world but, as I do here, I just wanted to use it to recognize a man who played a great deal in molding my sense of humor, which is really one of the few things I truly have dragging me through this life. I am going to miss Norm MacDonald and think the world is worse off not having Norm living in it.

Anyways, this really understates just how wrong it feels to hear of his passing but I obviously never had a personal relationship with the man and it isn’t like I’ve dealt with much tragedy/ death in my life so that may be a factor here but, it’s fucking 2021 so everyone needs to adjust to how I feel or else your a radical snowflake racist!

Now I haven’t been enjoying the Norm memorials I know many #contentproducers are posting these days but below is a link to Conan and guests discussing Norm’s passing if you’re interested. I thought it was honest and touching, as I always could tell Conan appreciated Norm too.

https://omny.fm/shows/conan-o-brien-needs-a-friend/conan-talks-about-norm-macdonald

Your Week 1 Quotables results are below.