It's not good. He's a hard worker, and one of the quickest on radio, but here is why his stand-up stinks:

• He obviously spent way more time obsessing over celebrity paraphernalia / signatures, and getting escorts and massages, than writing new material over the years. I'm not saying he doesn't write new stuff for his shows, but that he hasn't written enough over the years to develop a more unique style

• His material and delivery in particular sound like they haven't developed since the early 90s. Sure, he uses current references, but the jokes still all sound like a hacky 90s comedian style. I feel "good" comedy has mostly moved past that type of cadence, which brings me to:

• He doesn't listen to other comics. That's a negative Jimmy, not a positive. Bill Burr, Louie, Patrice, all their material was light years ahead of Jim, with similar subject matter / language. Their style, and the style of nearly every major comedian (Except Seinfeld types) has advanced

• In his specials he has a really weird / terribly over-eager cadence. There are lots of excitable comics, but they have much better timing and rhythm to the excitement coming out at the correct times. He reminds me of a retarded kid they just handed a talent show mic with his eagerness

• He blinks like a motherfucker. I mean, it's not a huge deal, but it's distracting

• His intros to the last two specials reeked of try-hard cringe, but it didn't come off as funny or shocking, just juvenile and gross

All that being said, his books were fantastic, and I enjoyed the writing style he used both there and in the Time Magazine articles. I really feel if he developed his act to be a lot more honest and long form, punctuated with jokes, it would be more effective. All of those pieces sounded well written and were funny (or poignant) in the right spots. He's made me laugh thousands of times on O+A, but not more than chuckle in 2-3 stand-up specials. Jimmy seems to have an issue thinking he's being honest and open about trannies and addiction, when to me it comes off like he's using the shock value to really cover what I would consider to be honestly funny Jim. I wish him the best in his career, but after seeing his specials, I'd only go see him if he was with someone else I've wanted to see for a while.

I agree with most of this

The parts that made me laugh the hardest on his specials were side remarks and seemed far more natural

I think the O&A community, while supporting him, actually hurt his stand-up. Crowds go fucking nuts for some jokes that aren't that good (like fingering a girl puking out his car window...then he goes, "But if I was in England" and he mimes fingering her from the other side. The crowd goes ape-shit, but it is pretty hacky)

A lot of comics talk about getting too comfortable in front of specific crowds will stunt your growth as a comic. I think the O&A fans have given Jimmy a sense of security and he's grown too content.

I love Jimmy though, I hope he continues to progress in his stand-up

I think the O&A fans have given Jimmy a sense of security and he's grown too content.

That's a great point. He's mentioned that himself and that if the show was gone, his crowds would be too. I really hadn't even considered another reason his comedy hasn't changed a lot was because it's still the same show based fans he's playing to a lot of times.

"Burr, Patrice Louie...are light years ahead of Jim."

I agree with this, to a point. I just believe those guys are more worldly and have had more mature experiences than Jim.

For example, of course Louie and Burr's material on relationships is advanced - they each had long term, adult relationships with real people. Jimmy...not so much.

But, Burr and Louie probably have awful routines about hookers and Cleveland steamers. So, it all evens out.

That's a fair point, but Burr's comedy has been hysterical on at least 3 specials, if not more. He wasn't married for most of that. If anything, Nia has probably chilled him out some. Louis I feel was more advanced from writing scripts and pilots, plus being married so far back. Still, there are single guys that write perfectly mature comedy without being juvenile.

I can't vouch for Burr but Louis has never had a bit about Cleveland Steamers. Now a C.K. bit about Cleveland Steamers is all I want in my life.

It's his energy, it's the "I don't know what to do with my hands" thing. Loius, when he's onstage, he could be in his living room, he's comfortable, and his act sounds like he's just having a conversation in a bar or at home. Burr, who I'm appreciating more and more as a stand up (the stuff about his dog on the special on Netflix is hilarious, and the callbacks to it later on), is a different energy, he goes from comfortable to rant, and then back to comfortable.

Jimmy onstage is...awkward. That's the vibe I get. I think he's funny, but he's not comfortable, and he's fighting between introducing himself to people that have never heard of him, and appeasing the O&A crowd (or waiting for Bobo to fuck up and get loud). He's jittery, he paces too much, and he's a blinky motherfucker.

He's still better than most of the standup hacks out there.

Personally, I think he should try and get on SNL or a group outfit like that, and develop his characters, and being more comfortable on stage and in front of a camera. I think he works better with other people to bounce ideas off of. There's a reason people who do SNL or Groundlings or Second City go on to bigger things.

Yes, because SNL is just dying to hire creepy nearly 50 year old political conservatives

I could see things looking up more for him if he did take some improv, although he's not really that type of comic (per things he's said on air). It feels to me like it's a lot more comfortable to do the O+A style humor and crowd until it peters out, and try and work on things on the side. Most of the stuff Jim gets involved with though, isn't a big payout for him, or doesn't pan out. Hopefully if he keeps plugging away at various projects, he can mature, because he's a funny guy for sure. I just don't think his specials are good, and I don't like his writing or pacing. I agree that he's better than hack comedians, but I disagree in that most any comedian I'd actually pay money to he would be shown up by.

I hear what you're saying, but the reason he doesn't like improv is, he doesn't like it. It's not his comfort zone. He needs to break out of that, to grow. I won't say he's lazy, because he does work his shiny little boy ass off, but he's getting too...comfortable, maybe?

Anyway, just a thought. All of the people he reveres didn't do improv, which is why I think he avoids it. I think he's too focused on Carlin and Pryor, and needs to expand his repertoire. He might get more acting work if he gives improv a shot. God knows he's quick enough for it, he's one of the quickest comics I've ever seen.

Oh, I'm extremely pro-improv, I was just saying that I know he's ragged on it, and they all have ragged on alt / indie / improv comics over the years, but those are the guys getting movie / TV gigs. I'd love to see Jimmy suck it up and do it, but getting in on the ground floor of one of those groups is a young mans game, he's a bit past that in the comedy world. I can see him working with some other people though, on a sketch show or on a movie and learning as he goes along. He would have been a great character on Reno 911 for example, which is all improv.

Absolutely. Or on a Kids In The Hall, or Whitest Boys You Know kind of show.

Ding-ding-fucking-ding. Your bullet list is perfect. I've mentioned his on-stage idiosyncrasies before and gotten buried because "He's good on radio!". Of course he's good on radio, but he's simply unable to translate that to an equally-funny standup set. Whenever I've seen him walk on stage, blinking, bug-eyed, mouth pinched shut... it's cringey. He's just flat-out uncomfortable in his own skin when he barks out, "How's everyone doing tonight?". His stage-material is sadly dated and predictable. "Shit on a celebrity or news figure, sex joke, handicap joke, 'dangerous' religious observation, repeat."

Does tranny joke fit into the sex joke category??

I agree with you with respect to his hour long stand up specials. But in a smaller comedy club, even like Caroline's, he's seriously one of the best stand ups in the world. He's completely relaxed and natural, not delivering wooden performances like in his specials.

That's also a good point, I haven't seen him live to judge that part. I was more thinking of his specials. Now that I think about it, I probably would see him if I was near somewhere he performed. I just saw Stanhope and he was unreal.

Here's what I don't get...Jimmy is easily the funniest guy on the show by a mile, so why is his stand up so bad? To me, it's because being on the radio is so natural and its an actual conversation going on. ON STAGE, his delivery is overly rehearsed, nothing that comes out of his mouth is natural, he might as well be reading cue cards.

Patrice on the other hand, I wasn't crazy about him in studio but definitely enjoyed him a lot. His stand up is so natural that it looks like he's just improvising the whole thing. His delivery is great and in his 'Elephant in the Room' special you can feel his energy. He was genuinely excited and loved fucking with the people in the crowd.

It's weird, because it almost comes off like he's doing a pervert character on stage when he really is a deviant. Even with my Jimmy the radio guy bias, he's still nowhere near my top 10 favorite stand ups.

I have seen Jimmy live, and I have watched his specials on TV. There is no comparison.

Every time he is doing an open mic, trying out new material - he is great. He knows how to work a crowd. Plus, since it is all new material, he doesn't have a chance to over-rehearse. He once came into Dangerfield's at the end of the 12AM show and killed with material I had never heard before or since.

His taped specials aren't awful, but they seem stilted. He doesn't have a great flow and it appears like he has memorized his material, and does no off roading with it. It's story, setup, punchline (wait for laugh) repeat. His last special was particularly bad with this.

TL;DR - His live stuff is great, his taped specials are disappointing. I really believe he overthinks the taped specials. He is super talented, he doesn't need to that.

Agreed. I like his specials, but they are way more refined than his live act. I think he tries to polish too much and build up an act over way too long when he's a current events comedian. The issues he talks about when his specials drop are already old by then and it's less funny because we've heard similar jokes or ideas thrown around.

It's terrible. The only people who like it, are people who worship him on the show. If Opie didn't handpick Norton(it was discussed during that infamous Jerry call), Jimmy wouldn't get as many gigs, since he wouldn't be on a show because his stand up isn't very strong. He would probably be out of the comedy scene by now. Truth hurts, so I know his biased loverboys are going to talk ish to me, but I only speak the truth.

Ive laughed the hardest, ever, because of some things Jim has said on the show. I didn't laugh during any of his stand ups once. It felt weird watching his stand up and not thinking any of it was funny, at all. I enjoyed 'I Hate Your Guts' quite a bit, though.

To echo what everyone else has put forth hitherto, it's pretty lackluster overall. Jim's quick on his feet and is naturally a very funny guy, you won't find many people on this sub reddit who would argue the contrary. However, I feel he tries too hard to be edgy and perverse in his stand up routine. It's as if he's doing an exaggerated caricature of himself on stage, not to suggest that his material isn't genuine, it just comes across as feeling very contrived and forced opposed to some of the better stand ups, Burr, Louie, etc. who seem to have an innate ability to weave in and out of set up and punch line so their bits feel more natural and less awkward than punctuated jokes. Jim on the otherhand has a very choppy cadence and delivery, and although it's not nearly as bad as the tape they played of him on the air doing stand up in the mid 90's during his "roast", it is more or less the same now as it was then, much to the chagrin of patron and comedy compatriot alike. I was looking forward to watching Jim's "Monster Rain" special after enjoying his humor and good natured ribbings for hours upon hours on the Sirius airwaves, upon viewing it, words could not possibly express my crushing disappointment as to just how unfunny I found it to be. I think Jim has the potential to be a great stand up, as a he has a natural propensity for both banter and wit and has demonstrated that he is a modestly talented writer and thoughtful individual. However, 20 years into his career and at the age of 46, potential won't do him much good at this point.

TL;DR: You think Jim's stand up would be quite funny given his comedic prowess on the radio, however, unoriginal albeit genuine shock value premises awkwardly punctuated and delivered do not make for a good stand up act.

Jimmy is a much better comedian in a comedy club as opposed to a large theatre. His latest EPIX hour was, in my opinion, awful compared to every other HBO or EPIX special he's done. The drop off in quality and laughs between Please Be Offended (2012) and American Degenerate (2013) was stunning.

At some point someone told Jimmy he needs to smile after every laugh line in his material and Jimmy foolishly took that awful advice. It is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever seen a comedian do. If you watch American Degenerate it's all you'll notice because he does it every twenty seconds.

Jimmy was once one of the funniest, most creative and honest comedians compared to his peers but with American Degenerate he certainly was more concerned about the lighting than being funny. Jim is brilliantly funny when he makes an effort and I hope he starts to make an effort again.

The biggest problem with jimmys standup I would guess is that he avoids seeing other standup at all costs.

The last standup he was really into was Carlin and Pryor. He needs to stay silly and not try to be them.

This is one of the better discussions I've read in a while. I have nothing to add but that. Everything else is being pretty well said.

This comes up every time there's a thread like this, but just want to reiterate: See Jimmy at the Comedy Cellar and you will never complain that his standup is unfunny or irrelevant again. He is fucking hilarious.

Saw him at Foxwoods for the Anti-Social comedy tour. He killed. His opener was hilarious:

"I want to thank you all for being here in the middle of fucking nowhere. I went out on the balcony of my hotel room this morning and Jack Nicholson started chasing me with an axe."

I think I can sort of agree with what others are saying about his taped specials. Sometimes to me they just seem a bit too polished. That being said, I think each one of them is hilarious and I have seen him live a few dozen times, fucking amazing.

His specials are terrible and the closest big city he plays in two and a half hours away. Not sure if it would be worth making the trip.

I've seen Jimmy twice in a club and he was great both times.

I've never seen him in a theater.

His recorded specials are not good.

I find that allot of his jokes relating to a popular topic of the moment on his specials pretty much falls flat. I've either heard him address it on the show or by the time his special comes out they're outdated topics. I've seen him live and he's better in person but if Jim was just a comic I wouldn't really go out of my way to see him.

Long story short, On the stage he's eh-ok but on air he's great.

If you mention the name Jim Norton to 100 people who never listened to O&A I would guess maybe 95 of them have never heard of him and the other 5 would think you are talking about Edward Norton. His stand up has always been kinda shitty in my opinion but he sells out shows because of the O&A show so he never needed to improve his act. If it wasn't for the radio show he'd prob be less successful than Rich Vos or Bobby Kelly.

Saw him live and I loved it, but just watching his special on TV... not so good.

I havent watched a lot of his stand up, but the little bit i have seen i didnt like. Its pretty much what other people have said about it. I think jimmy is hilarious on the radio, but his standup comes off unnatural and contrived(imo.) That said, i find the same problem with 95% of all stand up. To me things just arent as funny when they are planned out like that.

Im not sure if it's just because Im on the west coast and only see Jim very sporadically, maybe everyone else sees him more than I do, but I love his stand up. He's my favorite comic, he's my biggest influence, I don't think I'd even be doing stand up myself if not for Yimmy.

The things a lot of you guys are saying applies to most comics in my estimation, for some reason it bothers ye in particular about James. In terms of you guys saying he doesn't change, I guess for myself I can liken him to AC/DC, or Guy Ritchie movies; maybe he has been doing the same thing forever, but I like the format and I never get tired of it. That said, I can def attest that the guy isn't for everyone, so I can understand the frustration. "Whatevs."

Agree with the sentiment that he appears way more uncomfortable on stage than he is in studio. If he could get his O&A vibe across in his standup he'd be hilarious but he's only occasionally funny on stage if you ask me. I think standups are often funnier in an O&A type environment than on stage.

That's a fair point, but Burr's comedy has been hysterical on at least 3 specials, if not more. He wasn't married for most of that. If anything, Nia has probably chilled him out some. Louis I feel was more advanced from writing scripts and pilots, plus being married so far back. Still, there are single guys that write perfectly mature comedy without being juvenile.

I can't vouch for Burr but Louis has never had a bit about Cleveland Steamers. Now a C.K. bit about Cleveland Steamers is all I want in my life.