Based on a True Story Audiobook By Norm Macdonald cover art

Based on a True Story

A Memoir

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Based on a True Story

By: Norm Macdonald
Narrated by: Norm Macdonald, Tim O'Halloran
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Driving, wild and hilarious” (The Washington Post), here is the incredible “memoir” of the legendary actor, gambler, raconteur, and Saturday Night Live veteran.

When Norm Macdonald, one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time, was approached to write a celebrity memoir, he flatly refused, calling the genre “one step below instruction manuals.” Norm then promptly took a two-year hiatus from stand-up comedy to live on a farm in northern Canada. When he emerged he had under his arm a manuscript, a genre-smashing book about comedy, tragedy, love, loss, war, and redemption. When asked if this was the celebrity memoir, Norm replied, “Call it anything you damn like.”

©2016 Norm Macdonald (P)2016 Random House Audio Entertainment & Celebrities Celebrity Comedy Funny Memoir Witty

Critic reviews

“A driving, wild and hilarious ramble of a book, what might have happened had Hunter S. Thompson embedded himself in a network studio.”—The Washington Post

“Dostoyevsky by way of 30 Rockefeller Center . . . the best new book I’ve read this year or last.”—The Wall Street Journal

“This book is absurd fiction. . . . Scathing and funny.”—The New York Times

Editor's Pick

An incredible experience
"There's a reason why Norm MacDonald is revered by so many other comedians, and it's not just because he is a truly hilarious and original comedic voice. It’s because he is, above all else, an incredible storyteller whose love for language and knowledge thereof allows him to do comic cartwheels around his peers. This is a memoir that somehow manages to blur fact and fiction (although, I'm sure MacDonald would take issue with this point) and blends some of the best, most lyrical writing (no joke) with some of the funniest writing I've ever come across. To hear him tell it is an incredible experience."
—Doug P., Audible Editor

Unique Storytelling • Sophisticated Writing • Authentic Narration • Clever Literary Devices • Dry Humor
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If you like Norm's sense of humor, you're going to love this book. Much more than a breezy comic memoir, this story doesn't just hop from ha-ha to ha-ha (although there are plenty of belly laughs), but is carried by an undercurrent of deep existential humor and a real writer's talent for observation -- of the world, society, the entertainment industry, and the self -- much more revealing and profound than one might expect, all of it buttressed by MacDonald's trademark gift for an effective absurdity which is at full-throttle throughout.

Based On A True Story is a work of true literary inventiveness and skill that stands apart from other celebrity autobiographies, if one could even call this an autobiography, as it can be difficult to tell at times whether you're reading truth, narrative device, or simply being fucked with; but it doesn't matter, as the ride may be better for its nebulous, HST-influenced mishmash of fact, fiction, and surreal imagery.

The ghost-writer idea was a stroke of genius. I highly recommend listening to the audio version. Some books suffer from it, this one benefits.

Classic Norm, refined

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I am not sure if norm is a genius that overlooks the obvious and sees the world from outside the normal confines or the luckiest man this world has ever seen.

After listening to this I am still puzzled ...

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We just lost Norm McDonald today. I just heard about it and i keep thinking how i recommended this book to anyone i know said they enjoyed his humor...which is a small amount of people since Norm was so caustic. I loved to hear his stuff and now we wont have any more new material. This book exemplifies the man's humor and it is all completely one hundred percent true....even the lies, especially the lies.

One of the best examples of Norm;s style...

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It’s amazing how many cold, hard facts Norm spits about the dark recesses of Hollywood and the Canadian comedy circuit. There is hardly a more humble (or humbling) account of one man’s rise to fame and the treacherous forces that connive to destroy him and his reputation. This book is not for the faint of heart! It will make you glad you’re not a celebrity—and if you are a celebrity, it will make you very sorry.

Note: “Superbest” should not be pronounced “super-best” but rather “superb-est.”

The Superbest Audiobook of Them All

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RIP Norm you were a real one, dig it. adds a lot thst he reads most of it.

RIP

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if you've ever listened to some of Norms long form jokes and enjoyed them, you'll love this book!

Perfect Norm

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Don't read this...Spoiler alert. He lies. made just about everything up! But the stories he's constructed! the masterful writing and outstanding performance make this a great work!

Oh he got me!

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Norm proves, yet again, that he's the funniest man alive.
Thank God he narrates it. No one else could have delivered it with his nuance and brilliant comedic timing.

Hilarious

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I have absolutely no idea what parts of this book were true. and that's not because it's awful. those two things are unrelated.

just kidding.

well then.

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I literally laughed out loud constantly. It's a little silly and dark at times, but very clever with plenty of surprises

Hilarious

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