RE: Based on a True Story By: Norm Macdonald
A Book that I Just Finished
From: Travis
September 7, 2020
So, a couple of things to state right at the top.
Point One: I'm a long-time fan of Mr Macdonald's. I really enjoy his brand of Shaggy Dog / the-premise-is-the-joke type of joke telling. I can't help but feel that if you aren't at least familiar with his style, his delivery cadence, then you might not get quite as much out of reading this book in print. I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Mr Macdonald, which ended up feeling a bit more like an extra-long stand up set, and it is the version of the book I would recommend, even if you think you can read the book with his voice in mind.
Point Two: I've said as much on the podcast before, but I am frequently very slow to pick up on things said ironically or when a book is told by an unreliable narrator. I'm not exactly ashamed to admit that it took a little while to pick up on the quote unquote gimmick of this quote unquote memoir, but if you see Point One, above, I really should have expected it.
Point Three: I didn't really know much about Mr Macdonald's actual life story going into this book.
Point Four: I'm not exactly sure that I know much more about it now that I have read it.
What I do know is that this was a really interesting take on the idea of the (semi) celebrity memoir -- being a series of remembrances told throughout a frame story of a literal life-and-death gambling binge in Vegas with his compatriot (the always fully-named Adam Egot) while the book (which is being written in real-time during the frame story), is completed by a ghost writer, who uses the blank spaces to interject a story of his own.
So, because of Point Three, above, I can't really say this with too much confidence, but the impression that I got was that the memoir pieces were (probably) based on at least a kernel of truth - I mean, I'm fairly sure he was, in fact, born in Ontario - and then the narrative that follows is not so much twisted, per se, as left alone to come to its own kind of conclusion; supplanting actual history to be true to the spirit of what happened if not the real life events.
In this method, not only are we (probably) given a funnier version of what happened, I feel like Mr Macdonald found spots to step aside from simply telling a ridiculous anecdote and say something truer than the true story; speaking very sincerely about his gambling issues and the crippling lengths it can take him; the true addiction in the act of risk huge amounts of money; discussing in earnest how humbling it can be to still be recognized for being on Weekend Update for about 2 years way back in the 90s, even while poking fun at himself by always being dressed in his Dirty Work hat, his SNL jacket and his Norm Show tee shirt.
Unsurprisingly, I found this book to be really damn funny (see Point One, above). I listened to it during a recent road trip and found myself laughing enough to consider pulling over from time to time - it certainly made the two lane highways of western Arkansas pass by more enjoyably.
The thing that DID surprise me (maybe more than it should have): Norm Macdonald is a really good writer. For all the silly digs at Adam Egot, the drug deals with Lorne Michaels, the repeated callbacks to his Answering Machine joke, he is a fantastic story teller. And I guess you would need to be in order to do his brand of comedy successfully. He does such a great job in painting a picture of a place or a person; of dipping in to a certain high brow cadence to (maybe) poke fun at all those serious memoirs. More than a few times, I found I was enjoying the Shaggy Dog story telling, laying the groundwork for the punchline, just as much as when the joke finally landed. I loved the way the story slowly moved from standard celebrity memoir to a Fear and Loathing level of hyperactive desperate quest for redemption, the repeated call back jokes and throwaway lines that not only reinforced one another but also have a kind of pay off of their own as we move towards the conclusion.
It probably goes without saying, but if you've enjoyed Mr Macdonald's other work, you will have a good time with this book. If you haven't run across him before, you might think about checking out one of his stand up specials before diving into this - get a feel for his style and see if it's your kind of thing. I really enjoyed it and will likely listen back to it again in the near future.
PS - one last thing I want to call out: a joke I didn't pick up on until I sat down to write this. On the book's cover; a road-side motel sign, 'Based on a True Story by Norm Macdonald' in neon lights.. Except the D is burned out. When the standard audiobook opening is read aloud, the title is proudly announced as 'Based on a True Story... by Norm MacDonal.'