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Based on a True Story
by Norm Macdonald
For those of you who aren't familiar with Norm Macdonald, he's "that guy from SNL" who used to do Weekend Update in the 90's and got fired, or "that guy from Dirty Work", or "that guy in the background of all those Adam Sandler movies". He's spent his entire career being "that guy", but never "the guy", which is what he absolutely deserves to be.
To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this book. I love Norm, but "celebrity memoir" is a genre that's hard to get excited for. Other former members of SNL (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, etc.) have written books about their lives that were decent at best, but none of them have been very memorable (or worth the $28 that they costed when they came out). Norm, however, has written a book that not only spoofs the genre entirely, but excels when it sticks within the typical limits of it.
Many of the stories in here are completely untrue. Only extremely gullible readers will believe that Norm went to a maximum security prison for attempting to have someone assassinated, or took a Make-a-Wish kid to Canada to fulfill his dream of clubbing a baby seal to death, or that Adam Eget jerked off a bunch of punks under the Queensborough Bridge for 12 dollars a man (Okay, that list one is actually pretty believable). But how much more unbelievable are these stories than the anecdotes that we find in other celebrity memoirs? And which stories would you rather read?
Norm also pokes fun at the idea that celebrities never write their own books by having his bitter "ghostwriter" insert notes in between chapters, and his story coincides with Norm's in a hilarious way. Norm's story, by the way, consists of him and his assistant, Adam Eget, gambling away millions of dollars to win big and buy a ranch; or, if Norm loses it all, to inject a lethal dose of drugs into his bloodstream and die a slow and beautiful death. Yes, you read that right: that's the plot.
Hidden within these hilarious stories are genuine gems of knowledge and wit. I found myself shocked at Norm's sincerity and impressed with his prose quite a few times over the course of the book. Also, there are some real stories in here, too. but don't expect too many.
While I would highly recommend this book, I would suggest making yourself familiar with Norm's work before picking it up. He uses a lot of his trademark jokes and characters, and if you're only a casual fan, you might not recognize them. A good place to start is the hilarious Norm Macdonald Live podcast, which is free to watch on YouTube and is currently in its third season. If you enjoy his brand of humor, this book is a must-read. I can't recommend it enough.
To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this book. I love Norm, but "celebrity memoir" is a genre that's hard to get excited for. Other former members of SNL (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, etc.) have written books about their lives that were decent at best, but none of them have been very memorable (or worth the $28 that they costed when they came out). Norm, however, has written a book that not only spoofs the genre entirely, but excels when it sticks within the typical limits of it.
Many of the stories in here are completely untrue. Only extremely gullible readers will believe that Norm went to a maximum security prison for attempting to have someone assassinated, or took a Make-a-Wish kid to Canada to fulfill his dream of clubbing a baby seal to death, or that Adam Eget jerked off a bunch of punks under the Queensborough Bridge for 12 dollars a man (Okay, that list one is actually pretty believable). But how much more unbelievable are these stories than the anecdotes that we find in other celebrity memoirs? And which stories would you rather read?
Norm also pokes fun at the idea that celebrities never write their own books by having his bitter "ghostwriter" insert notes in between chapters, and his story coincides with Norm's in a hilarious way. Norm's story, by the way, consists of him and his assistant, Adam Eget, gambling away millions of dollars to win big and buy a ranch; or, if Norm loses it all, to inject a lethal dose of drugs into his bloodstream and die a slow and beautiful death. Yes, you read that right: that's the plot.
Hidden within these hilarious stories are genuine gems of knowledge and wit. I found myself shocked at Norm's sincerity and impressed with his prose quite a few times over the course of the book. Also, there are some real stories in here, too. but don't expect too many.
While I would highly recommend this book, I would suggest making yourself familiar with Norm's work before picking it up. He uses a lot of his trademark jokes and characters, and if you're only a casual fan, you might not recognize them. A good place to start is the hilarious Norm Macdonald Live podcast, which is free to watch on YouTube and is currently in its third season. If you enjoy his brand of humor, this book is a must-read. I can't recommend it enough.