Macdonald a ‘master at work’

HERE’S what I learned from Norm Macdonald: “Germans love David Hasselhoff.” That, for me, was the classic offkilter Macdonald remark during his remarkable, too-short run on “Saturday Night Live” where, from 1993 to 1998, he was one the brightest stars on a show already nearing its 20th season — and going through one of its sporadic “dark times.” (Translation: It was rarely funny . . . save for Norm and a few others including Will Ferrell, Kevin Nealon, Tim Meadows and Cheri Oteri).

Macdonald, who died Tuesday at the age of 61, was reportedly battling cancer for the past decade but never wanted to go public with his diagnosis, for fear people would laugh with him because of his personal situation — and not because of his jokes, which more often than not, hit the comic bullseye. You waited for Norm to fire off another gem in his trademark biting, dry, snarky style — with a glint in his eye that said, “Pay attention. Master at work.”

“He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him,” Macdonald’s producing partner and friend, Lori Jo Hoekstra, told Rolling Stone. “Norm was a pure comic.”

He sure was, and if you need validation of his cutting-edge comedy style, go back and watch him behind the “Weekend Update” anchor desk.

Or segue to one of his on-target celebrity impressions, whether as an angry Bob Dole or a flippant, bored, gumchewing Burt Reynolds on those classic “Jeopardy!” takeoffs.

He kept a lower profile after leaving “SNL” on bad terms; a network sitcom, “The Norm Show,” ran for three seasons on ABC but failed to capture Macdonald’s acerbic style — like Don Rickles, he wasn’t meant to be a sitcom star — but he was always a welcome latenight guest. His Netflix series, “Norm Macdonald Has a Show,” ran one season in 2018.

The great advantage of the digital age is that, with a keystroke, you can watch Norm Macdonald in the many genres in which he left his mark — but his death leaves a major void in the world of “smart” comedy, the kind of humor that makes you think and laugh at the same time. Norm Macdonald didn’t

just perform in this style — he owned it.