Norm Macdonald’s been dubbed a comedic genius for his subversive brand of comedy, but penning his forthcoming memoir reminded him that he’s had “no education.”

“The scariest [part about writing a book] is I have no education and so I really feel like to be a good writer, you need education,” the comedian, who never graduated high school, told Page Six on Thursday after hosting “Gotham Comedy Live.” “My son has [an] education. He’s a much better writer than I am, and he’s only 20.”

Starting from when Macdonald was born in Quebec City, Canada, and spanning his storied career — writing for “Roseanne,” appearing on “The Drew Carey Show,” becoming a household name as an anchor on “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live” to ultimately being fired in 1998 from the Lorne Michaelscreated show — the 52yearold certainly has plenty of material to work with.

“I’ve never worked so hard. It was very hard for me to keep a whole book in my head. I could keep a sketch in my head or even a movie … but a book. It’s so hard to keep that whole thing at once in your head,” he explained.

‘[I] feel like I’m losing my mind when I’m writing.’
Norm Macdonald
“If you like a good oldfashioned tellall bombshell about sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, and if you like an unflinching account of how the dirty little business of bigtime comedy works, then you will love ‘Based On A True Story,’” Macdonald wrote in the publisher’s announcement last December.

“OK, one time I do flinch. But only once. The rest of the time, unflinching. Also, there will be no mention of rock ’n’ roll. I was lying.”

The 250page, 100,000word book was “supposed to take a year” to pen, but it “took five years,” Macdonald revealed. “I’d read it and then as soon as I read it, rewrite it. Read it, rewrite it. Read it, rewrite it.”

But for someone who struggled with telling his own story, Macdonald’s found solace in the work of the greats.

“I just read the Russians. I don’t read anything modern. I haven’t read anything modern ever in my life. People try to turn me on to stuff and I go, ‘Well, I don’t know,’” he said. “If it’s happy, you call it classic. They call it classic if it’s around for a couple hundred years, so I’ve gotta catch up. It’s going to take me my whole life.”

Jack and Jill
Funbucket
2011 Hollywood & Wine
2010 Grown Ups
2009 Funny People
20072009 My Name Is Earl
Little Chubby
2008 The Flight Before Christmas
Julius (English version, voice)
2008 Senior Skip Day (Video)
Mr. Rigetti
2008 Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (Video)
Lucky (voice, uncredited)
2007 Christmas Is Here Again (Video)
Buster (voice)
2006 The Fairly OddParents in Fairy Idol (TV Movie)
Genie (as Norm McDonald)
2006 Dr. Dolittle 3 (Video)
Lucky (voice, uncredited)
2006 Farce of the Penguins
Join Twosomes Penguin (voice)
2005 Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
Earl McManus (uncredited)
2005 Back to Norm (TV Movie)
Various
2005 The Fairly OddParents (TV Series)
Norm the Genie
Stan Hooper
2004 Oliver Beene (TV Series)
Hobo Bob
Girly Dad (2004) ... Hobo Bob
2002 People Are Dead (as Norm McDonald)
2001 Dr. Dolittle 2
Lucky (voice, uncredited)
19992001 Norm (TV Series)
2000 Screwed
Willard Fillmore (as Norm Macdonald)
2000 Family Guy (TV Series)
Death
Lucky (voice)
1998 Dirty Work
Mitch Weaver
1997 NewsRadio (TV Series)
Roger Edwards
1996 The People vs. Larry Flynt
1995 The Larry Sanders Show (TV Series)
Billy Madison