Mark Normand proves he's a master of the quick joke in new Netflix special

Mark Normand’s ever had a peculiar marque of brutally funny, quick-fire comedy. From his New Orleans roots to establishing himself successful New York, Normand has built a estimation arsenic a relentless gag writer whose worldly is spiked with hilarity done somewhat twisted interpretations. The effect is laughing portion your jaw is connected the floor.

Normand’s thrust does not halt onstage. He besides co-hosts 2 wide followed podcasts with adjacent friends successful comedy. “Tuesdays With Stories!” with Joe List and “We Might Be Drunk” with Sam Morril. His concern with Morril besides led them to commencement Bodega Cat Whiskey, keeping the “cheers” going beyond the signifier and studio.

Normand’s enactment ethic shows up again with his latest project, “None Too Pleased,” premiering Tuesday connected Netflix. Filmed astatine the Boulder Theater successful Colorado, it touches connected matrimony and fatherhood, and not successful a household affable way. The comedian talked astir his willingness to pursuit a gag wherever it goes, his caller peculiar and more.

Not to contradict the rubric of your special, but I screened “None Too Pleased,” and it’s ace pleasing and so funny.

Wow, that means a lot. I admit you watching. Nobody wants to ticker thing now. I’m truly excited. The peculiar is simply a gag every, I don’t know, 15 to 20 seconds. So if you hatred a joke, conscionable retrieve there’s 1 close aft it. And it’s each jokes and a batch of it isn’t adjacent existent truthful if you get excessively upset, conscionable recognize fractional of this worldly is conscionable made up for the involvement of humor. Just effort to bask it and don’t outcry astatine me.

Yeah, successful 2026 you person to enactment a disclaimer connected it. “None Too Pleased: I’m kidding!” I’m ever trying to find a correlation, and I’m wondering if your peculiar comes retired connected St. Patrick’s Day due to the fact that it’s specified a immense happening successful New Orleans?

Oh my God, I privation we enactment that overmuch thought into it but no, we’re idiots. That was conscionable the day they gave me, and I’m excessively frightened to propulsion backmost due to the fact that everybody wants to beryllium connected Netflix. I really recorded my past peculiar connected St. Patty’s Day successful Chicago and that was a immense mistake. It’s similar this weird curse now.

No way, it’s your day now! I was speechmaking astir however New Orleans gets down astatine the St. Pat’s parade and did you cognize they propulsion onions and cabbage astatine people?

Oh yeah, I’ve gone to the parade astatine the Irish Channel and it’s beauteous wild. As you know, they are the drunkest people, truthful it gets crazy. But New Orleans throws down for Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, Ramadan … I mean, we’ll get drunk for immoderate reason.

“The peculiar is simply a gag every, I don’t know, 15 to 20 seconds. So if you hatred a joke, conscionable retrieve there’s 1 close aft it,” says Mark Normand astir his caller show.

(Matthew Salacuse)

I mightiness person heard that. At the precise opening of your special, a portion goes into a VCR and it’s called “Best of Gay Porn.” Were determination immoderate different moving titles for that VHS tape?

No, my dumb person edited it and enactment that successful himself arsenic a small Easter egg. He thought it’d beryllium funny, truthful I had thing to bash with that. I was a large skateboarder successful my youth, and I told him I wanted a portion successful the VCR similar an aged skate video. So that’s what helium did. Thanks for catching it!

It was the archetypal laughter earlier we adjacent got into the peculiar truthful shout-out to your dumb friend! Something other I caught, you emotion to propulsion a fist successful the air. Is it a tribute to Rocky?

I don’t cognize wherever I got it from, there’s truly nary communicative down it. I conscionable get truthful pumped up to bash comedy! I’m truthful excited that conscionable the thought of it makes my fist spell successful the aerial retired of sheer fun, excitement and gratitude. It conscionable goes up there, similar a boner, I can’t power it.

Something resonated with maine successful your special, nary spoilers, but I learned to aquatics the aforesaid way. Is that a achromatic idiosyncratic thing?

I mean, it’s gotta be. I deliberation it’s the achromatic idiosyncratic mentation of letting your babe vertebrate leap retired of the nest. I grew up successful a Black vicinity and determination was a batch of “I can’t swim, I can’t swim” from each of the different kids, truthful I assumed it was a achromatic feline thing. I gotta archer you, I’m inactive doing that joke, and it’s gotten truthful overmuch amended and truthful overmuch longer that it kills maine that I taped it already. But I thought of a cardinal different annoying things achromatic radical do. Those are the champion too, erstwhile you ticker thing and you go, hey! It’s not conscionable me! That’s the astir relatable amusive stuff.

Along with his caller peculiar and touring, Mark Normand besides co-hosts podcasts and co-founded a whiskey brand.

(Matthew Salacuse)

Fully agree! Sometimes erstwhile comics go parents, their worldly goes consecutive to “kids accidental the funniest things,” but yours feels inactive beauteous horned up and not overly kid-heavy.

Listen, that’s quality to me! No, I was conscious of that. I didn’t privation to beryllium the aww shucks dad, “kids are truthful crazy” comic, truthful I admit you noticing that. I don’t cognize astir the charged-up portion though, possibly my kid turns maine on? I person nary idea. I don’t privation to beryllium enactment connected a list! You know, Louis CK is the champion with that. He has a ton of kids stuff, but it’s still, you know, throwing your kids successful the dumpster and each of that, truthful that was benignant of my North Star.

You person truthful galore things going on, woman and kid, touring, Bodega Cat Whiskey, podcasts, a caller peculiar — however are you managing?

I’m a weirdo and I similar to work. I utilized to beryllium a janitor, and I utilized to determination furniture, truthful podcasting and stand-up is not truthful atrocious erstwhile you speech astir having a job. It is simply a lot, and I person nary escaped time, but I don’t caput it. I bent retired with my 2 friends, and we bash a pod unneurotic each, truthful that’s however we get to bent retired now. We monetize it, truthful that’s something! And past the stand-up, I conscionable really emotion doing it. Love of the game! If I wasn’t doing it, similar during COVID, I wanted to enactment a weapon successful my mouth. I felt similar I had nary self-worth, and I conscionable started drinking each time and doing drugs. Comedy gives maine immoderate meaning, which is benignant of sad, but that’s however I’m wired. If I person thing to enactment towards, I volition conscionable illness successful connected myself.

I’m gladsome you person comedy! Good God, that got dark. Now that you’re beauteous seasoned, what’s lasting retired with the newer comics coming up?

Well, I get a batch of it. Like, I deliberation comics are chasing going viral. I get it though, everybody wants the followers, everybody wants the views, but they’re not truly chasing bully jokes oregon prime comedy. I would accidental that’s a large thing, but it’s not adjacent young comics’ responsibility due to the fact that you perceive these clubs accidental worldly like, “We request a comic with a batch of followers, oregon we won’t publication you.” So they’re scrambling to get followers. But I’m aged fashioned, and young comics are going to astir apt marque amusive of me, but I deliberation the pick tends to rise. So if you’re killing, you’re penning bully stuff, and you’re getting up, the close radical volition announcement you eventually. I deliberation the aged guard, similar Louis CK and Seinfeld, these guys are each precise against the internet. They’re like, oh, get disconnected the internet, and I’m saying no! Clips merchantability tickets! Both extremes, the young and the old. I deliberation we conscionable request a small spot of readjusting towards the middle.