Video Spotlight: Norm MacDonald's Bruce Springsteen Impersonation

Last month, OB spotlighted Robin Williams' Springsteen impersonation, and tossed in a little shot at this video at the end.  Being a die-hard Norm MacDonald fan, and subsequently being light on content since Bruce has not released an album recently nor has he been touring North America, I felt I should step up to the plate and take a deeper look at this video.

Here, we have Norm MacDonald, in early 2009, at the end of a set at the Snoqualmie Casino in Washington state.  Norm was never known for his dynamic range of impersonations (Burt Reynolds being more-or-less a snappier version of him), yet, he decided to take a shot impersonating the Boss.  Oddly, he chose to have Bruce singing the theme to Gilligan's Island to the tune of "My Hometown".  Given that this is amateur video footage, as well as the fact that I've never seen Norm do this elsewhere, it clearly looks like he was trying out a bit that he didn't quite feel was strong enough to keep in his regular act.  However, the bit gives off a strangeness that just gets weirder and funnier with each subsequent viewing - this is a quality not uncommon in many of Norm's bits.  While this bit is completely taken out of context, it's a fun mental exercise to imagine the set up that led to Norm singing the theme to Gilligan's Island as the Boss.  Perhaps it was part of a larger bit discussing what theme songs Bruce should have sang.  If that were the case, my money is on Charles In Charge.