Name: Norm Macdonald Interview- Bennington Unmasked (9/14/18)
Uploaded: 2021-10-09T20:16:40.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Norm Macdonald Interview- Bennington Unmasked (9/14/18)' from bubbyberry on Comedy Buff. Published 2021-10-09. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Norm Macdonald Interview- Bennington Unmasked (9/14/18)' from bubbyberry on Comedy Buff. Published 2021-10-09. Transcript available.

Norm Macdonald Interview- Bennington Unmasked (9/14/18)

I know it doesn't sound like much because we're like
where are my cans no I don't get cans no no cans for you this you know you don't
work with
cans you don't know what cans man no of course well explain to the folks you
would call them
headphones but in the 1950s radio we called them cans uh norm mcdonald has a
show that premieres
uh on netflix friday september 14th and I know you're out doing some publicity
were you were you able to
get any was anybody paying attention to what's going on here
well isn't it always funny when whoever it is ends up in the barrel for a
little while I mean
when it's not you it's always really really interesting that suddenly the press
is paying
attention to you you know it's you mean that's a good thing yes well I I wonder
do you think do you
view it as a good thing or no I've never believed that all press is good press
yeah because um
of hitler
I feel it hurt I feel it hurt his career
you know what the thing is like with everybody it worked for a while you know I
mean for a while
like people like hey I'm hearing a lot about you hit and then uh then it turns
bad you know
but it always does turn bad at some point no matter who the the person is
everybody you know has to be
that that guy for a while I suppose yeah you're saying I'm that guy you're that
guy for you know
for at least a couple days and it'll go away but you have to today with social
media
be in lockstep with the mob that's the thing you know you're saying that's a
good thing no it's the
only way to survive we're like uh we're antelopes in the jungle and you just
want to move find out
where the lion is that's you know and then move in the other direction well uh
what do you feel ron um
um um the uh conventional wisdom always used to be if you do something wrong
then you uh apologize
you show contrition and uh the public uh forgives you now that's out the window
right and now
uh trump said it to his friend apparently the other day deny deny deny deny so
the people who've done
bad things um just deny it and that's their own and I don't think that's a good
idea right you know
what I mean um by the way I never did anything bad that's the perfect angle to
have and I'm as
outraged as everyone else and let's keep moving along yeah you know what's
really funny funny about
this I've seen a couple episodes they sent me a couple episodes of your show it's
the exact
opposite of controversial it's a really funny uh sweet show you're on there I
watched the Jane Fonda
one uh-huh probably the most controversial person of our lifetime sure and yet
it was just a fun
sweet half hour yeah yeah I'm not you know I'm not interested in that yeah that's
the funny thing
is that I'm I have no interest in politics or you know I'm just a clown you
know what I'm saying
and what I think happened was um um John Stewart you know who was a great
friend of mine and still is
wonderful comedian you know fantastic comedian and uh became uh uh a political
figure of uh not
inconsiderable weight in this country for the good I think you know but he was
a very uh peculiar
you know he's had massive intellect you know strong viewpoint well informed and
funny hard to find
those you know and uh he had a fantastic show but what he spawned sometimes
original geniuses spawn a
bunch of fucking shit right right and so suddenly every talk show had to be uh
uh uh every talk show
host had to be a political pundit you know and uh the last time I did um the
Jimmy Fallon show
uh Donald Trump was the host and it was a guest rather and Jimmy must up his
hair Jimmy Fallon right
and I remember we were watching from backstage and we're like oh I didn't think
of anything of it
and then it was a big thing how dare Jimmy Fallon must up as if Jimmy Fallon is
Tim Russert
yeah it's not it's not a not a timely reference since he died 15 years ago
he's no Douglas Edwards so uh uh I said well that's Jimmy it's absurd you know
yeah and you know
I didn't watch uh Johnny Carson I was too young but I don't think Johnny Carson
addressed Vietnam or
Watergate you know things way bigger than than nowadays but that that's the way
comedy has turned
so uh and it's fine you know but I'm just but I'm no good at it because I don't
know anything about
politics and so yeah it is a little ironic I don't like using the word ironic
because it turns out
I always use it wrong sure yeah but uh but uh you know we we you know I I Ted
Sarandis who's the head
of the Netflix and became a friend of mine in the unlikeliest of ways but uh I
talked to him all the
time about the show and uh I said Ted I want to give you a show that people can
watch 10 years from now you
know I really and I do that with my specials also you know I don't do very many
specials but I want
them to be about themes that will live on and and you know I don't want to make
fucking Murphy Brown
and you know because those Dan Quayle jokes yeah not so funny although she's
back now she's back
yes and I think it'll work because now uh sitcoms have turned into this uh you
know when I was a kid
a sitcom would have once in a while a very special episode of family to the
ties everybody make jokes
about it and now uh a sitcom every motherfucking episode is special yeah very
yeah anybody could die
at any time at any time no one is spending their money if they're on a tv show
um it's like Lenny
Clark I remember yeah yeah I got the show Lenny yeah funniest motherfucker yeah
you know Lenny and I
we were at the Montreal Comedy Festival I met him and everybody had their five
minutes of going up on
stage trying to get the perfect five minutes and meanwhile none of the agents
or managers were there
they were all at strip clubs and so then at night everybody's there the Delta
Hotel and Lenny Clark
would just be running around the room you know grabbing the telephone going hey
uh it's the
president of the show business he wants to talk to you over here and then he
got the show yeah but
his agent uh told him about a giant house you know because uh so he bought a
big fucking giant house
and uh he uh he told me he he got uh he paid two uh what do you call a mortgage
yeah
so well I'm doing
he but he paid two months of his mortgage and then he had to sell his house
yeah he's a good guy Lenny Clark god damn
I just seen him you seen him you know I haven't seen him in a while but yeah he's
he was like yeah one of the best just naturally funny guys yeah but I saw him
he was dressed real
nice I said god damn he looked good uh he lost weight and shit he goes I
married rich
uh Norm Macdonald I like you by the way oh thank you very much I've always been
a fan uh
Norm Macdonald has I don't know if you remember meeting me or not but go ahead
no I don't remember
meeting you okay where it was at the Boston Catch a Rising Star yeah oh I'm
sorry the New York Catch a Rising
Star yeah apologies but go back to your paper no no no I just suddenly is
everybody impressed that I
don't remember meeting Norm they're like hey by the way this is paper yeah that's
the whole thing
the same guy who set up the sound for this room yeah gave me this paper I'm
gonna bring this up though
because you know now we're ball busting a little bit when you had Jane Fonda on
and you have your
little blue cards yeah you had a little shake going oh you were a little
nervous nervous yeah do you
really oh fuck I was really really surprised to see that so you're a giant fan
of of hers yeah you know
how it is it's like anybody that was a celebrity before I got in show business
exactly right I'm
oh my I can't believe it yeah and then anybody since they could be the biggest
star in the world
I go right the fuck do I get that is 100% true I've had that experience so many
times here but I
had I talked to OJ one time he's like and he said uh he said you know they're
still the haters yeah
but he said 99% people love the juice yeah and I I was thinking he's not lying
yeah he's not lying
because uh you know you think if you saw the juice maybe you think I know I
wouldn't that you go up to
him yeah you murderer you yeah people don't do that no you know that takes a
special type of person uh
what you do is like selfie yeah so in his head he thinks everybody likes yeah
well I would you know
obviously when he played football he was unbelievable yeah and then I didn't
follow much after that oh
yeah yeah I didn't keep up when you're asked you said the only thing he's
guilty of is being the best
running back in the history of the NFL as far as I know uh Adam is here with
you today
Adam Egan my trusty sidekick he is your sidekick and Adam here's Mike your part
of the desk is just a
little lower than everyone else's that was a very nice touch yeah the kids
table yeah yeah so how have
you felt about the last week of publicity have you I mean you're inside and
outside at the same time
oh you mean you mean the last day of yeah uh yeah you know it's it's I think
that that nor we you
know norm just did stern and and I think uh he he said everything he he needed
to say and that he
truly believes and feels and and all the people that are close to him know you
know that he he just
doesn't have the capacity to to to feel uh certain ways that I'm hearing um
conveyed on on twitter and
in some other places and I think that uh norm really did a great job you did a
great job clearing the
air today I never got into comedy to to hurt anyone's feelings yeah and
sometimes people go at a show
they'll go please attack my brother make him feel like a piece of shit you know
because it's his
wedding day yeah and I go I don't really like to do that and uh and then one
time I did this roast
uh Bob Sagan it became a sort of a thing because uh because I didn't do roast
jokes because I
I don't like I don't like insulting people you know and I certainly
uh never going to show businesses to ever hurt anybody and it just made me
really really sad when
this uh when this thing happened uh where you just ask question after question
after question
and then I I I guess I slipped up and uh maybe said something that that people
took wrong but
you know I apologize to them and uh you know it's the last last reason I want
to be on this earth
sure sure and you know uh this kind of backlash happens so fast now because of
social media and
you know Adam I know you've been involved with the comedy store for a long time
but
when Louie jumped up at the comedy cellar the other night a couple weeks ago
the cellar's taken a lot
of heat from people who were not necessarily customers right you know people
yeah on you know the other
side of the country or whatever and we didn't you know we never had that kind
of thing happen before
no I'll tell you this and I did not know this and maybe you do comedians have
gone up against Louie
yeah yeah well I mean I was talking to some comedians have said he this guy
should not
be able to ever perform again yeah I mean I taught you know they all know if
you're a murderer
I'm sorry no no no I'm sorry I'm sorry but if you're a murderer you go to jail
you know and they let you off whatever 20 years later and you try to get a job
as a busboy
and if the guy says I'm not hiring that guy he murdered you know and you go but
but he did his
penance you know and now you give him a job that's the humane thing to do and
people go well what about
the murdered person and you go well of course he he got worse he yeah the guy
that lost his life
he's he's doing worse but it doesn't mean you you're you can't forgive or it's
impossible to forgive
I also don't feel um anyone owes me an apology in in in public you know um
I I I I think personally that you owe an apology to anybody that you did ill to
you uh owe an apology
to uh people that uh your um uh actions hurt in a financial way or in an
emotional way
uh but nobody owes me an apology you know uh so that's that's where your shock
about comedians
uh comes from yeah yeah yeah because uh because uh because I don't understand
why they're so uh
uh you know I guess I just I guess I j