“But anyways. I’m old now. I was young. Now I’m old. Yep,” mutters Norm Macdonald in his new stand-up special, Hitler’s Dog, Gossip & Trickery, which was just made available for streaming on Netflix this past Tuesday, May 9. Macdonald points to his age on a number of occasions throughout the hour-long, using it as a basis to deliver a series of punchlines, observations and anecdotes about everything from his favorite childhood pastimes to his deepest fears as an adult human being. Hitler’s Dog marks Macdonald’s long-awaited followup to 2011’s Me Doing Standup and, incorporating material both old and new, it sees the comedian incredibly on point and, for the most part, downright hilarious.
Hitler’s Dog, which was taped at The Wilbur in Boston back in January, wastes no time getting to the jokes. Unlike the slew of recent form-bending specials, many of which open with a vignette (Jim Gaffigan: Cinco, Dave Chappelle’s The Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas) or even a short film (Kevin Hart: What Now?), Hitler’s Dog sees Macdonald riffing material from the hour-long’s opening frames. And while there is a certain excitement in seeing the lines of the stand-up special blurred (think Reggie Watts: Spatial or Maria Bamford: Old Baby), there’s something to be said for good old fashioned traditional stand-up comedy… something Macdonald gives us here in spades.
While the form of Macdonald’s special is time-honored, the material within it is anything but — one of the many reasons fans have come to love him. His dry observational humor and oftentimes blunt delivery make for a style that’s completely his own. Take for example his frank assessment of the Las Vegas slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” or his examination of suicide, the latter which sees the comic injecting humor into the idea of hanging oneself. “There’s two reasons guys will hang themselves from the neck,” he declares. “One is to escape this worthless masquerade of a life we pretend we have and the second …is to whack off.” His subsequent bit on Autoerotic Asphyxiation, something Macdonald says doesn’t have a good enough risk to reward ratio, is utterly hilarious.
Macdonald covers a lot of ground in Hitler’s Dog, from his fondness for those little triangle party sandwiches to his master-like exploitation of the sarcastic accent. Some of the special’s funnier moments, however, come from the comedian’s one-of-a-kind social commentary. His examination of fame, comparing people like Harrison Schmitt (one of the few people to have walked on the moon) to the Kardashians, is absolutely hysterical, as is his exploration of physical beauty, which he likens to an “optic trick.” His bits involving historical figures like Abe Lincoln and George Washington are also among the special’s highlights.
Whether weaving a story about his knowledge (or lack thereof) of Claude Monet or doing an impression of his bewildered great grandfather posing for a photo, Macdonald always manages to pull solid laughs from his audience. His deadpan delivery, seemingly unpredictable nature and oftentimes rambling manner of speech — all of which contribute to his idiosyncratic style — will surely make Hitler’s Dog, Gossip & Trickery great for years to come.