The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #2086 - Jim Norton
EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,033 words- 0:00 – 15:00
(drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast.…
- JRJoe Rogan
(drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast. Check it out.
- JNJim Norton
The Joe Rogan Experience. Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) Speaking of cold in New York. How about these fucking Jewish folks?
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
With the tunnel they're making under? Well, I- I'm reading about that. I don't even know what it means. Why would they hire people to dig a hole?
- JRJoe Rogan
(sighs) Um, I don't know exactly what's happening. All I know is very short clips that I found on the internet. But the funniest thing is this one guy on Twitter that was saying a while back, uh, "I live on a f- a ground floor apartment, and I hear Jews underneath me." (laughs) And everybody's like, "You're out of your fucking mind."
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, that's anti-Semitic.
- JRJoe Rogan
Exactly. And now he's like, "I told you I wasn't crazy!"
- JNJim Norton
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
But this guy's just too much. (laughs)
- JNJim Norton
But what are they doing? Like, I- I heard that they hired people to build, like, this tunnel, and they were hanging out. And like the people would live there for like three weeks, these like migrant workers, were just digging this tunnel, and they stayed there for three weeks. But what's the purpose of it?
- JRJoe Rogan
I have no idea. I have no idea. I don't know anything. I just know that there's tunnels and that there's- there's this one video of this guy coming out of the sewer. So, he lifts a manhole cover, comes out of the sewer, and then he's fucking wandering around, this Hasidic Jewish guy. And everybody's like, "What the fuck are you doing down there?"
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, that's really bizarre. They wouldn't come out too. The cops had to get them out. Like, they were like, "We don't wanna come out." And they were like charged with disorderly conduct or something. I- I don't know. The whole fucking world is just weird.
- JRJoe Rogan
What do you know about this, Jimmy? Anything?
- JNJim Norton
Zt.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs) I haven't heard anything.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
The best I've gotten is that they started making them during COVID, but that like, it line, it makes sense, but it also when you see the tunnels, you're like, no way. That's not... They didn't do that in two years or a year or six months, whatever it was.
- JNJim Norton
They weren't exactly nice tunnels either. They were just kind of shitty, rudimentary, basic holes.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right. Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
Like were they, were they doomsdayers? That was, they thought the world was gonna end?
- JRJoe Rogan
I... Wait a minute. The tunnels are so big that you don't think they could make them in two years? Is that what you're saying? Some of them look big. Really? It's like, how do you... I mean, some of them are saying they go mult- they're going to multiple different buildings. It's like a-
- JNJim Norton
Oh.
- JRJoe Rogan
... series of tunnels. It's not just a tunnel. Well, let's, let's look into this. Let's see. I, they're still looking into it. I don't know, like the way they did the mapping of it. When was this discovered? Was it yesterday? It's only been discovered a couple years ago, and I forget how they- Couple years ago? Rea- days ago. Days ago. And, uh, some... I forget even how they discovered it. I think they were looking, um...
- JNJim Norton
Probably that guy complaining. He probably heard something and then maybe they saw somebody coming out of a manhole cover and somebody put two and two together.
- JRJoe Rogan
I have no idea what happened.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, it's strange.
- JRJoe Rogan
But it's very bizarre. And then, of course, there's conspiracy theories and what are they doing down there and evil, evil theories. They immediately want to pour concrete in it, which makes sense 'cause it's probably not safe. You gotta... It's not supporting the weight of the, you know, of all the buildings above it.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, you don't think of that when you move into an apartment building that some asshole might build a tunnel-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
... underneath and collapse the fucking, collapse the building on you. (laughs)
- 15:00 – 30:00
Wow. …
- JNJim Norton
through Thursday, get in the car, drive six hours, spend the weekend with her, drive home.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- JNJim Norton
Um, 'cause immigration was a fucking nightmare. And I got a call from my producer one day, this is, like, right after the pandemic started. And he goes, "Hey, by the way, uh, they might close the Canadian border soon." So an hour later, I was in my car. I packed a bag, I jumped in the car. An hour later, March of 2020, I'm headed to Canada. I get to the border, and I'm afraid they're not gonna let me in. I'm like, "Hey, my fiance is having a panic attack." I figured I'd be there for two or three weeks. I didn't come back until July of 2021. So I was out of the country for 15 months, and I didn't say it publicly, I didn't tell fans. I just ... We lived together. It was my first time living with anybody. I'd never lived with a woman, I'd never been engaged. And, uh, we were kind of trial by fire, like, "Is this gonna work or not gonna work?" And it was great. Like, it was a blessing for me to have that pandemic happen the way it did.
- JRJoe Rogan
Were you doing the radio show remotely?
- JNJim Norton
Every day. But that was serious. Like, it wasn't like I didn't show up for work. They weren't letting people in the building.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- JNJim Norton
We had been remote for about a week or two, and they're like, "We don't know when we're gonna allow you back."
- JRJoe Rogan
So how did you do it? W- w- ... Computers?
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, yeah, just on ... They hook- ... Came and hooked up ISDN lines, and, and, and, like, uh, all the things they do to make audio better. Uh, and we had a guy in Montreal who did it, and I did it from the kitchen in, uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
No shit.
- JNJim Norton
... in this apartment I rented for us in Canada.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow. So you just had a dedicated ISDN line?
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So that it couldn't go down?
- JNJim Norton
No. And it, it ... You know, once in a while, it would get, like ... But even if I was in New York, we still would have been doing it remotely. Like, they wouldn't let us in the building. Um, nobody was broadcasting from Sirius.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm.
- JNJim Norton
But it was like ... It was so bizarre to never have lived with anybody, and now I am in Canada with my fiance, and we're together every day. And they were fucking worse in Canada than the US. Like, they were way stricter, curfews at 8:00, everything closed. So it was just kind of we're stuck in the house together, and are we gonna make it or are we not a good couple? So that kind of told me we were okay.
- JRJoe Rogan
What a fucking weird time.
- JNJim Norton
Mm.
- JRJoe Rogan
It w- ... I think it's so traumatic to us that we're sort of like pretending it didn't happen now. I see a lot of people do that.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
They almost like don't address that just two years ago, the world went insane.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, it was cr- ... It was, it was ... The whole thing felt like a dream state in a, in a weird way.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
Like, I look back at stuff ... And you know what's really funny? Is, is like I, I did Chip. I stopped doing Chip for a while. Uh, I just got bored with it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Chip Chipperson, your character?
- JNJim Norton
I know. I really shouldn't say that like the public at large knows who this asshole character is.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
I'm saying Chip like he's a member of the zeitgeist. Uh, I stopped doing it, and then they asked me if I would do this TBS thing, uh, this Laugh thing. And I won't ... I hate competitions. I said, "No." I'm like, "But Chip will do it."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- 30:00 – 45:00
Yeah. (laughs) …
- JRJoe Rogan
the guy, is the guy that sold out Madison's Garden, Madison Square Garden, like, 100 times.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs) And he's wandering around the l- the luggage cart area at an airport pretending that this poor lady is there for a meet and greet, this grandma.
- JNJim Norton
Where he'll pretend somebody as somebody else. He'll go up and go, "Mike." Like, and just, he just... That's, by the way, you know Dice, that's the purest form of Dice. This is Andrew.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
This is what makes him laugh, is just bugging people.
- JRJoe Rogan
Look at him at the airport.
- JBJim Norton (playing another character in a bit)
Excuse me, you with the ladies.... that wanted a picture. I've taken a lot of them-
- JSJoe Rogan (in a later segment/overdub)
(laughs)
- JBJim Norton (playing another character in a bit)
... but I would... You s- seemed like you were bothered and wanted the picture with me.
- JBJim Norton (playing a character in a bit)
No. I definitely want a picture with you. I don't even know who you are, sir. But thanks anyway.
- JSJoe Rogan (in a later segment/overdub)
(laughs) It really is hilarious. It's performance art. Yeah. It's brilliant. Yeah. Do you know how hard that is to do? It's in- I would- (laughs) 'Cause he's had other people do them, and I said I wanted to do one and, like, tag him in it, but I just, I get too embarrassed. Like he doesn't give a fuck. Like you've been out with him, though. Like he really is like that. Yeah. Like he's unafraid of looking bad in front of people. Yeah. He doesn't mind making a fool of himself. Like that's what makes him so funny- It's- ... is his ability to do that. He's a, a really misunderstood artist. And I always tell people that. I go, well, o- o- one of the things that, when I realized he was very different was The Day the Laughter Died. Mm. This guy put out, in the prime of his career. You have to understand what it's like, first of all, for someone to go from being a comic and hustling and trying to make it like everybody else to all of a sudden you're on Rodney Dangerfield's HBO show, which blew him up, to all of a sudden he gets this one-hour HBO special, which blew him up. And then this guy's selling out Madison Square Garden and decides, at the same time, to stop into Dangerfield's unannounced and record an album with no material. Of, first of all, a double album, and not only to record an album, but to ruin their nights. Yes. He walked in there with zero prepared material and just fucking let himself talk. Didn't even try. No, it was great. Didn't even try, and was having a great time the entire time. Yeah, Rick Rubin produced those- Yeah. ... I think. And it's... Me and Florentine became obsessed with those early on. And it was, there's so many great... Like the couple that heckles him? Yeah. Like he's talking- "You're about as funny as a glass of milk." "Yeah, you're funny as a bottle of milk." (laughs) And the great part of that was Dice was talking about, like, spilling milk like it's somebody's load, and the guy was so mad. He took what Dice had just said and tried to he- like he was so flustered. You know, "You're as funny as a bottle of milk." And him and his wife walked out. (laughs) They- Oh, it was great. ... had no idea there was gonna be a recording. (laughs) There was maybe 20 people in the audience. (laughs) You have to understand, like Dangerfield's back then, par- par- particularly on like a Sunday or a Monday night, there's nobody there. I did shows there in Dangerfield's. You remember Bobby, the big door guy? I, I remember Bobby 'cause Otto used to talk about him. But I re- he was gone by the time I started working there. Well, I got there, it was like, I think I had maybe a 9:30 spot or something like that. And I got there at 9:00 and everyone was sitting at the bar. And I'm like, "What's going on?" They're like, "There's no audience." I go, "There's no audience at all?" "No, no one." And then, at that moment, a couple walked up and, uh, they said, uh, "Oh, could we get tickets to the show?" And they said, "Sure." And so they, they got 'em and Bobby went and sat 'em down, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Dangerfield's." They sat down- Yeah. ... and it was just them. Yep. And we all did a show for two fucking people. Like five comics did a show for two people. Yeah, I've done that before too, where they, they... There was even times where they would have you go up there, and if nobody was in the, in the place, they wouldn't let you leave until your spot was over for that exact reason. Right. If somebody came in- Yep. I've been on there with two people before. Um- Weird, right? You would think New York City, everything's packed. Yeah. Like people that don't live in New York... But there's so many different things to do. So the point is, Dice chose those days- Yeah. ... to go up. Like a Sunday and a Monday, I think it was, where he goes up and records this fucking (laughs) - Yeah. ... double album, and it's insanity. And it's a really great comedy album. Like it, it's, it's great to watch this guy just working through material, to watch where he goes. He's unafraid of, of hitting and missing. Like, it was really... It's one of my favorite things anybody has ever done, is Da- Dave- Part Two is great too, if you ever heard Part Two. What's Part Two? Day After Died, Part Two. He we- Oh, he did another one? He did another one. Where? Um, Dangerfield's. I d- I believe it was Dangerfield's. He went in there again and did it. Um, and I- I must have forgot about that. It might have been a single album, um, I don't remember. But that was just as ridiculous- (laughs) ... as the first one. Absolutely ridiculous and hilarious. But it's amazing that he di- he had the confidence to do that. Yeah. This is what you have to understand, like when you're just starting to make it, you're so fixated on making sure that it doesn't f- fall apart. It was h- so hard to attain, and then all of a sudden you're, you've made it and you wanna just do the best show every time. And instead, his instinct is to just do something completely ridiculous. Yeah, you, you, you're terrified of i- them, it being taken away. Yes. Like a little bit of success, I'm like, "What, what am I gonna do that's gonna fuck this up where they're gonna realize I don't deserve this success and take it?" Right. And he just didn't care. Like he just was... This is what he wanted to do and this was what he went and did. Just so nutty. What a fucking nutty move. He's very underrated. Like 'cause people dismissed him because of a lot of the language and the jokes, but- Mm-hmm. ... he is very underrated with his commitment to doing something different. Like that album was different for- Yeah. ... a comic to do. This shit he does on Instagram, it's different. It's- Yeah. No one else is doing that. And to see... The, the thing is like, the thing that people criticized him for was, first of all, there was one thing, and that was that his comedy was... It wasn't, I don't even think, something you can criticize. But that it was, his comedy was different because everybody knew the jokes and they wanted to hear him. Yep. It's the only time ever, "What's in the bowl, bitch?" Yeah. "Oh!" The whole audience is doing it with him. Like they know the punchline and they're so pumped when he goes, "Hickory dickory dock." They're like, "Yeah!" There's no other comedy like that. No. No. It literally didn't exist before that. That kind of comedy where the audience wants to repeat it with you like a song. Yeah, there's bits people like, but no one like... Like he had- Not like that. ... like a rock star fucking... Like it's like Welcome to the Jungle- Yeah. ... effect on people. Yeah. Which the- I can't think of any other standup that's ever had that. Never. So the guy goes from that to doing this. Yeah. Voluntarily. But he can still do those shows. He still packs 'em in. Yeah. If he wants to do a live show, he can pack 'em in. That's not what it is.
- JRJoe Rogan
... it's like, this bizarre guy likes to wear gigantic grandma glasses-
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, yeah, and giant hoodies.
- JRJoe Rogan
... and go and make, and make people super uncomfortable-
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... and just act weird.
- JNJim Norton
It's the funny part of Dice to me, besides the, the jokes, is the fact that, like, when you're with him, like he likes wearing giant, uh, comfy hoodies, and like, he likes... He always gets a sore throat and he's gotta put a little honey in it.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
You know? And he's like my aunt.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
Like, people have no idea. (laughs) We used to go on the road and I'd be like, "Ah, it's gonna be nothing but pussy," and then we're in the hotel and he's like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Ugh.
- JNJim Norton
... "Ah, my throat's bothering me." And he would have Kenny put the fucking pillow over his ass and straddle him on the bed and massage him. And I had to just sit there and watch him get a back rub.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
I was hoping we'd go out and get laid, but he would always put the fucking, the pillow over his ass-
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- JNJim Norton
... so there was no contact.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's hilarious.
- JNJim Norton
And have, yeah, have Club Soda Kenny or Happy Face massage him. But, um, I've said this before too, I love him. Like, he really... He changed my life and I was just, you know... Again, 1997, he, he took me on the road and it just, it built my confidence. And, uh, it did, it did so much for me at that part of my career. So I love Andrew. Like, he changed everything for me.
- 45:00 – 1:00:00
Yeah. …
- JNJim Norton
a person.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
Don't start ever thinking, because you have fans, that you're this larger than life gu- Y- You know, it's just... You gotta stay grounded or you're gonna really fall into kind of that type of a trap.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, I d- It's also like, for a woman... I mean, how many women dress sexy on stage and are really... Well, Natasha Leggaro pulls it off. But how many other women dress, like hot on stage and do stand up? Most of them, they kinda like... Whitney will dress down.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
You know, most of them dress down. They wear like slacks and a jacket and a shirt or something like that, or something comfortable.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
They're not trying to look hot.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah, I find th- Like when I see good-looking people on stage, if I think someone is naturally... Like, that's how that person dresses. But like you said, if it feels genuine.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
If it doesn't feel genuine, if I feel like someone is trying to sexy it up on stage-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
... male or female, I don't like it. Like I just-
- JRJoe Rogan
No.
- JNJim Norton
It's a different emotion for me. And maybe if I had any sex appeal, I would do it, but I don't.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, but it's a different emo- It's, it, it count- You get something different than you're getting funny.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's like, like the... You're not getting funny out of that. You're getting something different, and now you have t- You can- might add funny to it, but it might be taking away from funny with this, like extra effort that you've put in to looking hot.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah. Like, and, and I may, again, I can only look at my own self-image, and it's like I've never s- thought of myself that way. So it's never been tempting for me. So maybe if it was tempting or if I had like a half a fuck ability, I might like wanna do that. But it's never been how I saw myself, so it's never been tempting to even think that way.
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, it used to be also that a lot of people would dress that way because what they were really trying to do is get a sitcom. That was the big thing-
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... right? Like there was... It was like if you dress sexy on stage or you dress hot or attractive on stage, it was... What you were trying to do is you're trying to like convey your comedy c- success into the big prize.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Which is, you could be Seinfeld or-
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... you could be Roseanne or... Y- That was, that was our thing when we were coming up. Like, when a guy like... When... I remember when Greg Giraldo got his show, everybody's like, "Wow, Greg's got his own show." It was like that w- that was the ultimate brass ring. And-
- JNJim Norton
Yep.
- JRJoe Rogan
You know, and, and also we all knew that only a certain percentage of those actually lasted and, and they'll stay on the air a few years.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Most of them, they kinda went away quick and then it became a problem 'cause then there's a stink on you of failure. So you really had this like one shot as a rookie.
- 1:00:00 – 1:04:06
It's also weird when…
- JRJoe Rogan
But there's that too that the audience is seeing. So if they see you retake a, a s- a scene, but at least you're adding new lines, so now it doesn't feel like they're burdened by seeing the same thing over again. Now it's like, "Oh, wow, this is how they do it." So they just, sometimes they just come up with new stuff on the fly.
- JNJim Norton
It's also weird when I don't look at the audience. Like, as a standup, you wanna just look at the crowd.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- JNJim Norton
But if we were shooting something on the side stage and the crowd would just watch it on a monitor or even s- I do Gutfeld! on Fox, and I'll, I'm usually sitting next to Greg where I see the audience. But once in a while, if I sit in the seat where I, the, the audience is here, it's so hard to just live in this environment without just turning and looking at the, the crowd. I hate-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
... not seeing the crowd. It's, i- and with other guys, it doesn't bother, but it drives me crazy to not be looking directly at the audience.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, it's an extra level of fake, right? 'Cause you know it's fake 'cause you're not really in an office. You know it's fake 'cause there's no wall. You know it's fake 'cause there's a whole audience of people. And you're trying to act normal.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So you're trying to act normal in a, in an environment where everyone knows it's fake.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah. You're trying to make it real.
- JRJoe Rogan
But at least if you're on a single-camera show, you know, if you're doing s- like Modern Family or something like that, you get a single camera, and, like-... it's just like you're filming a movie. There's no audience that you have to please, so you can be real in moments, and you're not worried about not looking at the crowd that's laughing at you.
- JNJim Norton
Right. And if it- you have to redo it, it doesn't matter-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- JNJim Norton
... because it's not a bunch of people who you need a reaction from.
- JRJoe Rogan
Waiting.
- JNJim Norton
Waiting.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
Yeah. I, I just, that whole world, I just, it became so exhausted trying to be in it, and I'm so happy that I don't have to exist in it. And again, has nothing to do with me thinking I'm too good for it. It's just, I wasn't good in it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- JNJim Norton
Like, it's not where I'm comfortable. I don't feel funny there. I don't feel welcome there.
- JRJoe Rogan
Weren't you on Lucky Louie, though?
- JNJim Norton
That's what I'm saying, but look, that was the one that-
- JRJoe Rogan
That was fun, though, right?
- JNJim Norton
That was a great... It's one of my favorite things I ever did. But again, it's Louie's writing.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right, right.
- JNJim Norton
So, I mean, the jokes were pretty fucking rough. And, you know, he would go really hard, and, uh, the crowd, they had never seen any of the episodes. Like, the whole thing was shot before any of them aired.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm.
- JNJim Norton
So, there was no week-to-week growth-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- JNJim Norton
... with familiarity. Uh, we had to shoot all... We shot 13, actually, and then they just aired. Um, so the crowd, we were resetting with each crowd. They had no idea who we were, no idea what the characters were, but it's one of the most fun things I ever did. Loved Lucky Louie.
Episode duration: 2:40:31
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