Name: Norm on San Francisco Radio
Uploaded: 2022-02-13T06:00:02.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Norm on San Francisco Radio' from TickleMeNorm on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-02-13. Transcript available. Be Sad Now #normmacdonald #norm.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Norm on San Francisco Radio' from TickleMeNorm on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-02-13. Transcript available. Be Sad Now #normmacdonald #norm.

Norm on San Francisco Radio

KCBS entertainment reporter and Kron Ford, movie critic, Bay Area legend.
Oh, and I've been with this guy before. We've done television before, haven't
we?
That's right.
And Norm McDonald's here. Hey, Norm.
Hey, Norm.
What's going on, dude?
Not too much. Just doing some stand-up.
Yeah, the San Jose Improv. Dude, you're working your ass off.
Most guys come in, they do like maybe one Friday show, and then like a couple
on Saturday, and they're done.
He's got two tonight, one at 8 o'clock, the other one at 10, and then tomorrow,
three.
Three. Yeah, seven, nine, and 11, and then Sunday, a 7.30 show.
Yeah, I like doing a lot of stand-up.
You need some money, Norm?
No, I get less money. I get less money doing it, but, you know, you can go do
like a theater for one night and make more money.
But I just like a volume. I like doing lots.
Yeah. So are you doing like, do you have multiple acts, or are you just doing
the same one?
No, I have a lot of different.
Of course, Norm has been on Saturday Night Live. You were a staff writer on
Roseanne?
Yeah, I was.
What was that? Wow, how was she?
She was fantastic.
Because Jan, at one point, worked for a network, and it was her job to...
Put in laugh tracks.
Put the laugh tracks, yeah.
I was an AD, an associate director, and I used to put in laugh tracks, yeah.
Sweetening.
Yeah, titters, guffaws, sweetening, yeah.
And why do you say Roseanne was fantastic? Because she got a lot of bad press,
you know?
Well, the thing is, she would be tough on the writers, you know? Actually,
there was two of us that were stand-ups. That was me. There was two of us that
were stand-ups that she liked, and she hated, like, the Hollywood writers, you
know? But she'd come in and she'd say, like, it's all wrong. But she was always
right. She completely understood her own show, you know?
Mm-hmm. If it had been a guy, do you think she would have gotten the kind of
hassle she got?
No, probably not. But she would say, like, too many jokes, too many jokes. What's
with all these jokes, you know? There's too many jokes. We don't, you know, I
don't want to just have people saying punchlines all the time, you know?
Yeah.
How long did you do it for?
I did it for a year and a half.
Like, towards the end or towards the beginning? Because it got real serious
towards the end.
Yeah, yeah, no, it became bad at the end, no. I was there in the good years.
Good.
And, of course, you know, we're talking about comedies today, because, let's
face it, all the movies coming out this week suck.
So, yeah, Jan wanted to come in and just talk about comedies that make you feel
good.
This is a time when they dump a lot of bad movies. I mean, there's some
interesting small ones like Illusion, but basically they are dumping a lot of
bad movies out right now.
My favorite movie of the year that I thought was a comedy and other people didn't
was Squid and the Whale.
Oh, you thought that was a comedy?
Well, it got...
I thought it was hysterically funny.
Yeah, yeah. I've heard that. My sister's a divorce lawyer, right? And she
thought it was funny also. She also found it extremely, the kind of comedy that's
played for truth.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was incredibly truthful.
Hey, Norm, you want to talk to the president of your fan club?
I'm serious.
He's listening online in Boston, because we're streaming on the internet,
finally. Live105.com.
Steve in Boston. That sounds weird here in San Francisco. Good morning, Steve.
Hey, good morning.
Hey, you're on with Norm MacDonald.
Hey, Steve.
Awesome.
Say again?
I said, hi, Steve.
Hi, Steve.
He's the president of your fan club, babe.
That's cool.
Do you have anything? Are you starstruck, Steve?
Steve, are you there?
I'm there.
Sam, you were having problems with some guy's cell phone before, and I was like,
what a schmuck, and then now it's me.
Oh, okay. So can you hear us okay?
Yeah, I'm good.
All right. You want to call us back? It's a very big moment for you. I mean,
you are the president of the Norm MacDonald fan club, and you're on with the
guy himself.
I know, finally, after five years, you never want to talk to me, but now,
finally, I'm on San Francisco, the greatest radio station ever, Live 105.
There you go.
And he whoops for Live 105.
So do you have a question?
So my question is, I heard Norm is writing a new movie or a TV or something. He
hired some writer to help him out. He's wondering what that movie or TV show is
about and when it's going to be in production and that kind of stuff.
Oh, yeah. I wrote a movie. I didn't hire a writer. I hired a typist. I don't
know how to type. And so I write everything on a legal pad. And so I needed a
guy that knew how to type and margin and know how to use a computer because I
don't know how. So, yeah, no, it's cool because it's the first movie I wrote by
myself. And it's real good. So they bought it.
What's it about?
What's it about?
Yeah.
It's called Court Appointed Attorney. And it's about a...
What a riot of a title, man.
Are you serious?
Well, maybe. I don't know. It depends.
He's a court appointed attorney that's an idiot. And he's like a real bad court
appointed attorney. And he gets a big case. And he does everything wrong, you
know. And a man's life is at stake.
Hilarity ensues.
Yeah, hilarity ensues.
All right.
So you're the star then?
No, I'm not. No, I don't want to be a star of a movie.
I'm not the star of a movie ever again.
Why?
Dude, Dirty Work was good. Everybody says it sucked and whatever, but I really
enjoyed Dirty Work.
Here's the thing. I like being comedic, you know. And I realize when you have
to star in a movie nowadays, you got to do love scenes.
It's got to be artsy and whatever.
You got to do like the soft moments and all that stuff. So I said, no, I don't
want to do that anymore. I'll write it for a star and I'll be the funny sidekick
that doesn't have to have redeeming qualities.
What star would you like to see, Norm, in this?
In the movie?
Yeah.
Well, a lot of guys have expressed interest in it. Some big stars, so I don't
want to say a guy in case.
I think Norm needs to make a better decision about who the director is going to
be in this movie, though.
Well, I have no decision on the director, unfortunately.
Hey, Steve, the phone screener told me that you want to request that Norm here
send you a box of hair and teeth. Is that true?
I have no idea what he's talking about.
Oh, okay. Just wondering, man. All right, well, good luck in Boston, dude.
Thank you, Steve.
All right, thanks a lot, man.
Thanks for being president, man.
Hey, Steve, how many people in this fan club?
Oh, I don't know. It's like a web page, and so thousands of people visit, and a
bunch of people post and message rewards, fakenews.net.
There you go, fakenews.net.
There you go. Thanks, man.
Very good. Thanks, Steve.
Listening online in Boston. How about that?
Sweet.
That's cool.
Norm, don't you find it annoying when you do – because I thought Dirty Work
was funny as well.
Artie Lang.
Yeah, I love Artie.
Yes, in Dirty Work.
Don't you think it's annoying, though? You just want to do a funny movie, and
something that's not necessarily a thinker movie, just something that you can
laugh and be fun with?
And unless people deem it as being Oscar-quality type movie, they don't even
give it the time of day.
It's almost like it's not good enough for them, and then, therefore, they pan
it just because it's not really, like, arty in any way.
You know, there was a writer, Michael Adonio, that used to work on Saturday
Night Live?
Yeah.
You know Michael Adonio?
Yeah.
And he told me once that if you read in a review the word sophomoric, he said,
that means funny.
I mean, I honestly –
I've seen sophomoric a lot.
Honestly, obviously, great comedies are the hardest movies to make, you know?
Mm-hmm.
You can just go to the movie store and try to find them compared to dramas.
What's your idea of great comedy?
What would be one or two?
I think this year, the movie that should have been nominated for Best Movie and
for Best Actor was 40-Year-Old Virgin.
I thought that was a –
Great movie.
That was really fun.
That was great.
Fantastic movie and a fantastic acting role.
But a comedy has to have serious – I guess there should be a serious comedy.
Yeah.
What about, like, when you're in a bad mood?
What would be something you'd put on?
Like, I was talking about My Favorite Year, which you agree with me.
I love My Favorite Year.
Great film.
Yeah.
But what would be something you'd put on that just picks up your spirits and
makes you laugh?
Plain Strains in Automobiles.
Ah, definitely.
Another vote for that one.
Yeah.
His character comedy.
John Hughes was very, very good at mixing comedy with heart, you know.
Norm's been in a ton of movies that we all love.
Well, except for Ravy.
He was in both Deuce Bigelows.
Well, Ravy's one of those movie snobs, Norm.
I would write sophomoric in a review.
He was in Billy Madison.
He was in both Deuce Bigelows.
He was in The Animal, which I loved.
People vs. Larry Flint, you were in that?
Yeah, yeah.
I was doing Saturday Night Live at the time, and Milos Forman liked me, and he
would have lunch with me.
He'd always eat together.
I liked him.
He was a good guy.
And he was like, I get you.
I put you in that movie, you know.
And I'm like, nah, I'm not a dramatic actor.
I don't know how to act you.
Ah, I get you.
So I didn't really want to be in him, but he kept, you know, making me.
Norm McDonald's in the studio.
He's going to be at the San Jose Improv this weekend tonight.
Two shows, 8 and 10 o'clock tomorrow, 7, 9, and 11, and then on Sunday at 7.30.
Tickets are available there at the door, and by going to their website.
Let's go to Robert in Castro Valley.
Good morning, Robert.
Oops, I'm sorry.
Robert, are you there?
Yeah, I'm here.
Can you hear me?
Yeah, we can hear you.
Coming at you, Robert.
How's it going?
I love your show, guys.
Thanks, man.
You're on with Norm McDonald.
Norm, Norm.
How's it going, man?
I'm a huge fan, bro.
That's sweet.
Hey, I just had a quick question for you.
You were the voice of death for one episode of Family Guy, right?
Yes, I was, yeah.
What happened with that?
Why'd they replace you with Adam Carolla?
I couldn't do the second one because I was doing stand-up, which was my first
love and
everything.
So, yeah, they got Adam to do it.
Well, I thought you were awesome, man.
You were definitely the better of the two.
You were the better voice of death.
Way to go, Norm.
Yeah.
And for me, nothing represents death better than Adam Carolla.
All right, guys.
Well, keep up the good work.
I love the show.
Excellent, Woody.
Good points.
Well, no, because Adam's like, I think he could be really funny or he just
falls flat on his
face.
Like, that TLC show he did, very funny, and then this late night thing he did
on Comedy
Central was a frigging nightmare.
Like, you could hear the pin drop after he'd, like, lay down the worst joke in
history, and
he's sitting there, uh, yeah, uh, so, uh, yeah, back when I was a carpenter,
see, uh,
like, he's trying to recoup, but he couldn't, and then his old fallback was
telling some
story about him and Jimmy Kimmel hanging out.
Like, that's the whole show.
Yeah.
I love the TLC show, too.
Yeah, that was pretty good.
Speaking of Comedy Central, is Back to Norm, was that a show, or is it just
like a one-off
special?
Well, uh, no, uh, that, uh, I said I wanted to do something like the Chappelle
show.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I figured.
And so they said, uh, they said, why don't you do a special?
And I said, I don't want to do no special, you know.
Uh, I don't want to do no half-hour stand-up special, because I don't like
doing stand-up
on television, you know.
Right.
So, uh, so they said, no, do a special.
I said, I don't want to do a special.
So I want to do this thing.
And they finally get the idea you didn't want the special.
So they said, okay, you can do this thing, you know.
So they did this, you know, they did the pilot for this thing, and then they
put it ou