Comedian Norm MacDonald reveals what he thinks is funny

When staff at Zanies comedy club at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles began planning the venue's 20th anniversary celebration show, there was one comedian who quickly came to mind as a headliner: Norm MacDonald.

"We wanted a great performer to help us usher in our 20th anniversary," said Rick Gieser, publicist for Zanies. "We have worked with Norm in the past, and the audience loved him, the staff loved him - and he was as funny as heck."

MacDonald has made his mark not only in stand-up comedy but on television as a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" and with his own sitcom, "Norm." The 45-year-old comedian has written for comedy television shows including "Roseanne" and has been a voice actor in both feature films and television - even voicing the character of Death in an episode of television's "Family Guy."

I caught up with MacDonald in a telephone interview where he talked about the anniversary show at Zanies and his upcoming projects - and discovered what he likes to do more than play poker.

Q. You were chosen to be the comedian to celebrate Zanies 20th anniversary. How do you feel about that?

A. Congratulations to Zanies. I'm very pleased with that - my favorite thing to do is stand-up. That's what I put on my W-2 form.

Q. Will you be doing any of your celebrity impressions in your Zanies act? You are famous for imitating celebs like Burt Reynolds, David Letterman, Larry King and others.

A. No. I don't really do impressions in my act. It's not part of my real life, and I don't do anything in my act that I don't do in real life. I did impressions on "Saturday Night Live" because they asked me to.

Q. What's funny these days? What are the hot topics for comics?

A. I don't know. I don't know how to answer that. Whatever occurs in my life, I talk about that. I don't write my material too far in advance. About a week before a show, I come up with a skeleton act - then I totally improvise the rest onstage. And I always know the end of every comic premise. I don't need to memorize anything else, as long as I know what the end is. I learned that from Ernest Hemingway. He said that you can't tell a story unless you know the end. So I said, 'That makes sense. That's all I need. I can do the rest of it.'"

Q. Are you a funny guy all the time, or are you pretty serious?

A. I'm a pretty quiet person.

Q. So being a quiet guy offstage, do you like it when fans recognize you and approach you for an autograph?

A. Sure, yeah. It's a way for fans to talk to you. I always wonder, 'Who is going to keep a napkin that I've signed?' Well, maybe they keep it for the first week or so.

Q. My 7-year-old laughs hysterically when he watches the episode of "Family Guy" where you portray the character of Death, falling and spraining your ankle.

A. When little kids laugh, that's the best - because they can't lie yet. They can't pretend to laugh like other people.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. I like to play poker to kill time (MacDonald played in the 2007 World Series of Poker). But I really like to read. I wish I could play less poker and read more - I can't read enough. I love books so much. I want to read all of the great books, but I'm a pretty slow reader. I read about 12 books a year.

Q. Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?

A. I've got stand-up dates until the end of May. I am going to be in a comedy film with Adam Sandler. We'll be filming in Boston. And I'm taping a pilot for a TV series for the FX network.

Q. What role will you play in the sitcom?

A. I play myself, and something extraordinary happens.

<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p> <p class="News"><b>What:</b> Norm MacDonald at Zanies 20th Anniversary Show</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 8 and 10 p.m. Friday, March 20</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Zanies at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. Tickets are $30, plus a two-item food/beverage minimum. (630) 584-6342 or <a href="http://www.zanies.com" target="new">zanies.com</a>.</p> <div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=279467">20 years of Zanies-ness <span class="date">[3/19/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>