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BACK ISSUES INTERVIEWS Stand-Up Comedians Jim Norton Robert Kelly Donnell Rawlings Brad Stine Tammy Pescatelli Leighann Lord George Sarris Nick DiPaolo Russ Meneve Shang and more By Tasha Harris, NYC Comedy Journalist STAGE TIME The Magazine That Stands Up For Comedy |
EXCLUSIVE COVER STORY
THE PASSION OF JIM NORTON
Opie & Anthony Star Opens Up About
His Passion for Stand Up and Sex
THE PASSION OF JIM NORTON
Opie & Anthony Star Opens Up About
His Passion for Stand Up and Sex
By Tasha Harris, Editor-in-Chief
| Jim Norton is on fire. As co-host of XM Satellite Radio's Opie & Anthony and star of his own HBO One Night Stand, his career is flying into high gear. The acerbic comedian made lasting impressions as a favorite on Last Comic Standing 2 and a regular on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. He has appeared on The Tonight Show twice in a single year and, most recently landed a supporting role on Louis CK's new HBO comedy series, Lucky Louie. STM tracked down the comedian at the Comedy Cellar to discuss his relentless passion for stand up. He opens up about his personal sacrifices, addiction to sex and has some choice words for comics who don't write. |
How did you get started doing stand up?
I got started in 1990 in a bar in New Jersey. I was awful. I’ve always wanted to do it since I was 12...
I sucked for a long time.
Who were some of the comics that you started out with? Which rooms did you work?
I worked five years [doing] Jersey gigs – Pennsylvania, Maryland – all these hellholes, bars. The guys I
started out with was Jim Florentine, Bob Levy. Those are the guys I came up with. They were kinda my
peers. It was all shit-hole work…Bars that were trying a comedy show on a Tuesday, biker bars.
Biker bars? What was that like?
Better than you think. Not great but tolerable. Strip clubs-
How was that?
The worst gig ever. It was a three-night engagement. We’re there for four hours and we did four 10-minute
sets in front of the same audience. 7 o’clock, 8 o’clock, 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock - we’d go up. We totally knew
that “bring your own alcohol” really attracted people from Phillipsburg, New Jersey - the worst place ever.
How would you describe your creative process for getting ideas? Do you write onstage?
Yes. I write every night. Sometimes, I’ll be inspired and I’ll jot some things down. Normally, I’ll tell a story
onstage. I try to keep it to my life, mostly.
When was the last time you bombed?
Oh Jesus! I didn’t do that well last night. I still bomb. Tonight was great. Last night, I didn’t have a real bad
bomb. After a while, you kinda know how to get out of it. Last weekend, I actually had the first two or three
shitty sets too. I normally don’t get total silence anymore but I still bomb. I always will throughout my career.
So what happened in those two sets?
I’m working on material now. I have a half-hour coming out in October, so I wanted to replace that half-hour...
I work out that half-hour in public. Some nights, it’s great. Other nights, it’s stinks. That’s the way it is when
you’re working on material. Any comedian who does well all the time is probably a hack who sucks. If you’re
constantly a crowd-pleaser every night, you’re probably shit. You’re probably even stealing material or you’re
doing the same old generic nonsense.
Have you ever had material stolen from you?
Things here and here...My stuff is pretty specific. I tell a lot of my dumb celebrity stories...tell about my awful
body, my prostitute story. You know all that stuff is true to my life. I’m sure some things are taken but not
that much. Some guys will take your style—
I got started in 1990 in a bar in New Jersey. I was awful. I’ve always wanted to do it since I was 12...
I sucked for a long time.
Who were some of the comics that you started out with? Which rooms did you work?
I worked five years [doing] Jersey gigs – Pennsylvania, Maryland – all these hellholes, bars. The guys I
started out with was Jim Florentine, Bob Levy. Those are the guys I came up with. They were kinda my
peers. It was all shit-hole work…Bars that were trying a comedy show on a Tuesday, biker bars.
Biker bars? What was that like?
Better than you think. Not great but tolerable. Strip clubs-
How was that?
The worst gig ever. It was a three-night engagement. We’re there for four hours and we did four 10-minute
sets in front of the same audience. 7 o’clock, 8 o’clock, 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock - we’d go up. We totally knew
that “bring your own alcohol” really attracted people from Phillipsburg, New Jersey - the worst place ever.
How would you describe your creative process for getting ideas? Do you write onstage?
Yes. I write every night. Sometimes, I’ll be inspired and I’ll jot some things down. Normally, I’ll tell a story
onstage. I try to keep it to my life, mostly.
When was the last time you bombed?
Oh Jesus! I didn’t do that well last night. I still bomb. Tonight was great. Last night, I didn’t have a real bad
bomb. After a while, you kinda know how to get out of it. Last weekend, I actually had the first two or three
shitty sets too. I normally don’t get total silence anymore but I still bomb. I always will throughout my career.
So what happened in those two sets?
I’m working on material now. I have a half-hour coming out in October, so I wanted to replace that half-hour...
I work out that half-hour in public. Some nights, it’s great. Other nights, it’s stinks. That’s the way it is when
you’re working on material. Any comedian who does well all the time is probably a hack who sucks. If you’re
constantly a crowd-pleaser every night, you’re probably shit. You’re probably even stealing material or you’re
doing the same old generic nonsense.
Have you ever had material stolen from you?
Things here and here...My stuff is pretty specific. I tell a lot of my dumb celebrity stories...tell about my awful
body, my prostitute story. You know all that stuff is true to my life. I’m sure some things are taken but not
that much. Some guys will take your style—
