Jim Norton's 'Mouthful of Shame' heads to The Grand
When Donald Trump announced he was running for president in June, comedian Jim Norton wasn't snickering, unlike many in the world of political punditry.
The day after Trump's announcement, Norton was on his SiriusXM radio show with Gregg "Opie" Hughes saying voters were tired of Bushes and Clintons, adding, "[Trump] has a better shot than people think."
Fast-forward nine months and it's clear that Norton got right what a lot of politicos got wrong.
And even though Trump has gone on to offend large groups of minorities and women along the way, Norton has another against-the-grain thought about Trump in some eyes: he's not racist.
"Trump's problem is this: I don't think he's a hateful racist. He's an insensitive ass," Norton tells The News Journal ahead of his Friday night show at The Grand in Wilmington. "If he was an experienced politician, he would say these things much different."
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Norton points to Trump's current and former opponents, politicians like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, whose more refined presentation of controversial viewpoints are more insidious in his eyes.
"Trump is talking about putting up a wall in blunt, insensitive language, but these creeps can't stand the thought of gay people. They are true bigots and would never admit their bigotry. I think Trump's bigotry looks worse than it really is," says Norton, 47.
In addition to his daily radio show, Norton has made his mark on stage as a pit bull of a stand-up comedian – someone who says what's on his mind at all times with little regard for those who might be offended. He's also been a regular on television, appearing on "Louie," "Inside Amy Schumer," "Lucky Louie," "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" and more.
Norton grew up in neighboring New Jersey. And while he logged plenty of hours in New York City clubs, Norton says he also played bars and clubs in Delaware as an up-and-coming comedian.
"I played there my whole career, but to be honest, it's been a while. So I'm happy to finally get back there," he says. "This is a nice, real venue."
On Friday – April Fool's Day – Norton will step out on arguably the state's most vaunted stage – The Grand, the same stage that has hosted touring comedians like Louis CK, Amy Schumer, Hannibal Burris, Artie Lange and Colin Quinn in recent years. (Tickets, $29.50-$35, are still available.)
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The show is part of Norton's 31-date "Mouthful of Shame" tour presented by SiriusXM, where he is heard on "Opie with Jim Norton." Norton was an on-air sidekick to radio hosts Opie and Anthony Cumia in 2014 when Cumia was fired by SiriusXM over a series of "hate-filled" tweets. Norton's role on the show has since expanded.
The News Journal spoke with Norton about his radio show, pushing the envelope in the face of political correctness and Axl Rose possibly fronting AC/DC.
Q: It's coming up on two years since you took over the co-hosting duties from Anthony Cumia. You were on the show for a while before that, but how has the show evolved over those two years or so?
A: To be honest, I don't feel like I took over for Anthony. They aren't paying me Anthony money. It's Opie's show and I'm on it. I would gladly have him step back in. Look, we have a gig and I'm happy to be doing the gig, but I miss Anthony.
Q: Even though your name is in the title of the show, you still say it's Opie's show?
A: It's "The Opie Show." When they call it "Opie with Jim Norton," I don't like that.
Q: You have a pretty devoted fanbase and they know what they are going to get when they come see you. [Norton's show comes with an adult content warning.] But you must bump into the ever-growing p.c. police from time to time.
A: I actually don't have any problems. At all.
Q: When you're in the clubs, you don't run into any people who get offended?
A: No and I don't care if they do. I've written enough articles about language policing and spoken about it enough in my set. I'm not afraid of getting in trouble. That's the beauty of only having achieved mediocrity – there's nothing they can take away from me. What do I have? That's the best part.
Q: How should comedians take control of their art against forces of censorship? Do you just do it and ignore those who are yelling back at you?
A: No. it's addressing them with revulsion and not fear. It's addressing the dishonesty of their offense. If they are offended, I think they are just looking for some attention. And I find them fairly repulsive, so I address them like that.
Q: So you don't think they are really offended? You think it's part of this fake outrage that we particularly see in politics a lot more these days?
A: The majority of it is fake. I'm not saying it's never real, but even if it is real, OK. I've been offended by things. That's it. Go home and that's the end of the day. Get a hold of yourself. No one needs to be penalized because you're hurt.
Q: What would you tell young comedians who are maybe getting their start playing college campuses and receive push back?
A: I'd tell them to learn a way to do it that's comfortable for them. And know why you're doing it. Being offensive for the sake of being offensive is [baloney], too. You have to be able to defend everything you say. There is nothing I say on stage that I would not be comfortable defending. I don't go up there and drop n-bombs or say, "Hey, it's funny when gay people get beat up." I feel good because I'm true to what I think. I can always defend it and if people accept it, it's up to them. I want them to laugh. I'm an entertainer. Their opinion does matter to me, but I'm not upset if they are offended.
Q: You're a big George Carlin fan, and I was thinking today about what he would be saying about this if he was alive today.
A: We talked to Carlin before he died on the radio show and he said, "Man, I hate to say it, but all the censorship is coming from the left and the college campuses." Even Obama says college students need to be less sensitive. You don't have to hide from opinions you don't like. The bottom line is that Carlin would address this stuff with the same disgust – a brilliant laser beam intellect. He wouldn't be surprised because he knew what a full-of-[crap] culture America was. He and Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor were calling out our culture long before a lot of other comedians.
Q: And that was without them having Donald Trump jokes to go to.
A: [Carlin] would mock Donald Trump, of course. But Trump is one of those easy targets. People think they are getting something done by mocking Trump. It's like, "Why don't you stop it? Why don't you look at the real inconsistencies like the way college campuses look at hate?" [Author] Christopher Hitchens gave a great speech about how full of [baloney] college campuses are. They protect religion, the Bible, the Quran – and all these things have anti-woman and anti-gay things in them. They are protected. But if you say something anti-woman or anti-gay, you're punished by the college. What he was saying is if you really want to stop hate speech, get rid of these religious books. It was a brilliant point.
Q: I have one last question for you. I know you're a hard rock fan and there are rumors swirling about Axl Rose possibly fronting AC/DC. The band's spokesperson wouldn't confirm or deny the report so that meatball is still hanging out there. What do you think about that possible pairing?
A: I was hoping for Darryl Hall or John Oates. Those are the rumors I heard. I hope I got those names right. [Laughs.] I actually believe it. He has an AC/DC voice and it's only for 10 gigs. People understand why it's happening – Brian [Johnson] has a medical issue. It would be a [crap-load] of money for Axl and a [crap-load] of money for the band.
Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).
IF YOU GO
What: Jim Norton
When: Friday, 8 p.m.
Where: The Grand, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington
Cost: $29.50-$35
Tickets: thegrandwilmington.org or 652-5577