Day Tripping: October 17
Canadian Content
Norman Gene MacDonald was born in Quebec City in 1959 and raised by his teacher parents who worked at a military base. His older brother Neil was a news correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Norm began doing standup comedy in Ottawa nightclubs before getting a spot at the Just For Laughs Festival of 1986 in Montreal. His big break on an international stage would lead to writing jobs for sitcoms in the United States.
“Comedy is surprises, so if you’re intending to make somebody laugh and they don’t laugh, that’s funny.”
In 1993, MacDonald joined SNL doing impressions of Quenton Tarantino, Larry King, and David Letterman among others. The following season he was a regular at the Weekend Update newsdesk, the place where his talent for glib observation was able to shine.
Five years later, MacDonald was replaced at SNL under circumstances Norm felt had more to do with his commentary about O.J. Simpson after the trial. It seems the network’s president was a friend of Simpson. Norm was brought back as a guest host the following year.
Norm MacDonald enjoyed a voice and acting career after stints on the late night circuit. He also continued to write through an eight-year battle with Leukemia until his passing last month.
Musical Ride
Mick Fleetwood held a charity auction in 2000 where singer George Michael paid £1.5 million for the upright piano where John Lennon wrote Imagine.
Interesting Notes
In 1998, the Barenaked Ladies song One Week reached number one on US charts for, you guessed it, one week.
Gone But Not Forgotten
Singer, songwriter, poet, and founder of the band The Tragically Hip, Gord Downie passed away in 2017. He was 53 when he succumbed to brain cancer, but left a legacy that went far beyond his musical genius.
Almost one year previous to the day, Gord released a solo album called Secret Path which tells the true story, Chanie Wenjack. The album follows the trail of an indigenous boy who escaped from a Canadian Indian Residential School and dies while walking 600 miles to his home.
Downie’s influence brought to light the horrors suffered by native families during the early 20th century. Residential schools' histories are now prominent Canadian news items.
Notable Births
1915 — Arthur Miller said, “No one wants the truth if it is inconvenient.”
1918 — Rita Hayworth said, “I never really thought of myself as a sex goddess; I felt I was more a comedian who could dance.”
K. Barrett Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr. Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, Ph.D. Terry Trueman Dr. Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora Thewriteyard David Perlmutter Joe Luca Holly Kellums Michael Burg, MD Lucy Dan Dave Logan
All previous Day Tripping entries are available at the following links:
The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present
A comprehensive directory for Day Tripping
