There's a Tough Crowd episode where Greg Giraldo (I think) was describing the perfect TV role for Marc: "He has a talk show where he clones himself so that he can do what he really wants to - talk to himself"
Yep, he was making fun of Hicks, Janeane Garofalo and that awful poet/philosopher style of "comedy". Norm clearly isn't a fan. He also once compared Bill Maher to David Letterman, saying that he dislikes Maher because he feels the need to show he's the smartest guy in the room, whereas Letterman (who usually IS the smartest guy) sees the comedic value in playing dumb.
Letterman's funny comes across as natural whereas Maher's is forced. Even in regular conversation listening to Maher, it's easy to go "here's the setup". When Letterman talks, he hits you out of nowhere with a left jab.
Letterman gives off the vibe he's only trying to entertain the person he's talking to (like in an interview) and doesn't give a shit about his audience. Maher seems like he couldn't give a shit who he's interviewing as long as at the end of the night, he still has fans.
That's what was great about Norm's podcast. A successful show was making the two other people laugh and not worrying about the fan mail complaining they didn't like a certain joke.
Being funny and bein profound/a good performer are two seperate things. I agree he wasn't all that funny, but it was fun to watch him the first few times I saw some clips.
How? You have to control your audience. When they step out of line you must proverbially kick their shins until they either leave, or start walking single file again with the rest of the crowd.
Norm calls those types of performers "Journalists" rather than comedians. I haven't listened to Bill Hicks in years. I did like him when I was younger, and I remember there being some genuinely funny bits in there. "This is Keith Richardson's brain on drugs" comes to mind. But people have started to point out recently that there are comedians like Bill Hicks who you might laugh along to because you agree, rather than because he's really funny.
I think Norm also said that Carlin and Lenny Bruce are journalists. "Name me 5 Lenny Bruce jokes. Unlistenable." I've never really listened to Bruce but I'm inclined to agree.
I don't think that is true of Carlin though, because he has so much material from over the years. He certainly does have plenty of bits where the ideas are more central than the jokes, but he's also written more straight up funny jokes than most comedians' entire catalogs.
"Out at the lake in city park today, police arrested a one-armed man who was annoying the other boaters by continuously rowing in a circle."
I'm gonna enjoy that joke for the rest of my life, that's just good-natured fun.
I was probably 16 when I first listened to Bill Hicks, and so I thought things like his, "If you work in advertising, kill yourself" bit were hilarous, because I'd never heard anything like that before. But it's not really something that stands the test of time, that you would want to listen to more than once. I'm inclined to agree with Norm that actual funny jokes are much more timeless than personality-bits. Not to mention that they require so much more talent to write. Anybody can go rant about politics or society, but the laughter is fleeting, while someone like Hedberg stays funny for years on end.
Bill Hicks does deserve credit for being an originator, though, and there have been a million people trying to copy that style since.
As Carlin got older, he became more like Norm said. It always made me sad how Carlin became just super bitter and preachy in his last few specials. I'll always love him though.
Agree mostly, but Bruce was, even more so, great for his time than Hicks, and he had some really funny bits, it's just they aren't one liners, and some of the sound quality isn't great. This was over 50 years ago so it's easy to think how quaint it seems.
Carlin was a Lenny Bruce fanboy, but you're right, there are some non-comedy reasons why he's loved. He kept doing his act after being arrested repeatedly for obscenity, and I think directly because of his experience, comics since then can (legally) say what they want. Very few comics ever would have the same integrity. At the same time, he was very silly too (he came all the way to Australia to perform, said cunt in his first line and was hauled off stage). He had great jokes about divorce, why Jews & Blacks are in showbiz, drugs, etc.
Norm and Gilbert together are really funny. I mean, imagine how a guy like Norm must really feel about a guy like Marc Maron. Marc Maron is the whiniest cunt
37 comments
30 RSC-Tuff 2016-01-29
There's a Tough Crowd episode where Greg Giraldo (I think) was describing the perfect TV role for Marc: "He has a talk show where he clones himself so that he can do what he really wants to - talk to himself"
23 AmyBethSchumer 2016-01-29
In my show I said that Marc Maron should get a ,like a show where he clones himself and then..he talks to HIMSELF!
10 DeafandMutePenguin 2016-01-29
That's some great parallel thinking.
10 BoardroomBimmy 2016-01-29
You go girl!
5 Phantas_Magorical 2016-01-29
Go Amy Go!!!
6 Joshua_Goodnaturedly 2016-01-29
Maybe they could call it Slap Jew
3 SickleSellout 2016-01-29
If this was really Amy, there would be no pause before the punchline.
20 mogerroor 2016-01-29
In one of the episodes Norm said he watched two hours of Bill Hicks material and did not laugh once.
36 LouieBeanz 2016-01-29
Yep, he was making fun of Hicks, Janeane Garofalo and that awful poet/philosopher style of "comedy". Norm clearly isn't a fan. He also once compared Bill Maher to David Letterman, saying that he dislikes Maher because he feels the need to show he's the smartest guy in the room, whereas Letterman (who usually IS the smartest guy) sees the comedic value in playing dumb.
29 Wellshiteinabucket 2016-01-29
"Did you hear about this guy Bill Maher? He knows all the answers... And he's giving them away for free! "
6 Evilblueyoshi 2016-01-29
HBO ain't free!
7 breadmoccasin 2016-01-29
Norm is a fucking genius guy but is compelled to be humble and he HATES when people smell their own ass and put themselves above others.
He's one of the funniest guys in the world but also one of the most likeable.
5 joomommyhappy 2016-01-29
Artie Lange was just busting on the fact that she literally has about a dozen "jokes" where the punchline is an eye roll.
3 rottengymshorts 2016-01-29
Letterman's funny comes across as natural whereas Maher's is forced. Even in regular conversation listening to Maher, it's easy to go "here's the setup". When Letterman talks, he hits you out of nowhere with a left jab.
Letterman gives off the vibe he's only trying to entertain the person he's talking to (like in an interview) and doesn't give a shit about his audience. Maher seems like he couldn't give a shit who he's interviewing as long as at the end of the night, he still has fans.
That's what was great about Norm's podcast. A successful show was making the two other people laugh and not worrying about the fan mail complaining they didn't like a certain joke.
16 NoirMagieGateau 2016-01-29
Bill Hicks wasn't all that funny, but he was interesting if nothing else.
4 tha_dank 2016-01-29
Being funny and bein profound/a good performer are two seperate things. I agree he wasn't all that funny, but it was fun to watch him the first few times I saw some clips.
2 mogerroor 2016-01-29
He did not take shit from heckler women. But even here he sounds pompous as if his "craft" is better than Madonna.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jzbj9wylwU&t=01m40s
4 dazwah 2016-01-29
I feel like he's got some other unresolved issues that are coming through in this clip.
-7 boring_oneliner 2016-01-29
insulting hecklers is so boring and hacky
4 nosoupforyou2116 2016-01-29
How? You have to control your audience. When they step out of line you must proverbially kick their shins until they either leave, or start walking single file again with the rest of the crowd.
-6 boring_oneliner 2016-01-29
how about doing it in an eloquent creative way isntead of just calling them cocksuckers losers cunts
also it deserves no praise as its the easiest crowd pleaser
1 TotallyNotObsi 2016-01-29
Depends. In the example above, it shows that Hicks has passion for what he does. He's not playing the "cool, uninterested" guy like our buddy Opie.
15 knownasthepro 2016-01-29
Norm calls those types of performers "Journalists" rather than comedians. I haven't listened to Bill Hicks in years. I did like him when I was younger, and I remember there being some genuinely funny bits in there. "This is Keith Richardson's brain on drugs" comes to mind. But people have started to point out recently that there are comedians like Bill Hicks who you might laugh along to because you agree, rather than because he's really funny.
I think Norm also said that Carlin and Lenny Bruce are journalists. "Name me 5 Lenny Bruce jokes. Unlistenable." I've never really listened to Bruce but I'm inclined to agree.
I don't think that is true of Carlin though, because he has so much material from over the years. He certainly does have plenty of bits where the ideas are more central than the jokes, but he's also written more straight up funny jokes than most comedians' entire catalogs.
"Out at the lake in city park today, police arrested a one-armed man who was annoying the other boaters by continuously rowing in a circle."
I'm gonna enjoy that joke for the rest of my life, that's just good-natured fun.
I was probably 16 when I first listened to Bill Hicks, and so I thought things like his, "If you work in advertising, kill yourself" bit were hilarous, because I'd never heard anything like that before. But it's not really something that stands the test of time, that you would want to listen to more than once. I'm inclined to agree with Norm that actual funny jokes are much more timeless than personality-bits. Not to mention that they require so much more talent to write. Anybody can go rant about politics or society, but the laughter is fleeting, while someone like Hedberg stays funny for years on end.
Bill Hicks does deserve credit for being an originator, though, and there have been a million people trying to copy that style since.
11 Sks44 2016-01-29
As Carlin got older, he became more like Norm said. It always made me sad how Carlin became just super bitter and preachy in his last few specials. I'll always love him though.
3 fashanoo 2016-01-29
Agree mostly, but Bruce was, even more so, great for his time than Hicks, and he had some really funny bits, it's just they aren't one liners, and some of the sound quality isn't great. This was over 50 years ago so it's easy to think how quaint it seems.
Carlin was a Lenny Bruce fanboy, but you're right, there are some non-comedy reasons why he's loved. He kept doing his act after being arrested repeatedly for obscenity, and I think directly because of his experience, comics since then can (legally) say what they want. Very few comics ever would have the same integrity. At the same time, he was very silly too (he came all the way to Australia to perform, said cunt in his first line and was hauled off stage). He had great jokes about divorce, why Jews & Blacks are in showbiz, drugs, etc.
16 Lilcumia 2016-01-29
There's a good part in one of these eps where Norm tells Maron he's a better broadcaster than comic. Maron looks physically hurt.
15 Azrael_ 2016-01-29
Gottfried is a god among men
12 TriangleDimes 2016-01-29
This was the best podcast ever made.
11 wllmweller 2016-01-29
Norm and Gilbert together are really funny. I mean, imagine how a guy like Norm must really feel about a guy like Marc Maron. Marc Maron is the whiniest cunt
9 coolguyincognito 2016-01-29
norm likes him. maron was on his show and norm was on maron's
6 RedCellOperative 2016-01-29
I really wish that podcast would come back
6 [deleted] 2016-01-29
[deleted]
3 jsmill1 2016-01-29
"what would you do if...Seth called you over to the couch?"
I fucking died. these two men are amazing.
1 aprosbro 2016-01-29
So Maron summed up perfectly is that he says "I get it" a lot? I was expecting a thing, did I not watch long enough?
7 oldchunkofcoal 2016-01-29
Were you jealous of him?
1 [deleted] 2016-01-29
[removed]
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1 damnitfred 2016-01-29
first successful transformation of man into puffer fish
0 [deleted] 2016-01-29
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