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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Contextually Inadequate

Jim Norton

Epix · 2015 · 58 min

An argument against internet outrage anchored in extreme sexual oversharing.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Jim Norton has always leaned into his own degeneracy. By 2015, the cultural climate had shifted toward a constant state of online offense, and Norton found a comfortable groove as a skeptic pushing back against it. He anchors his arguments in his own lack of shame, making the case that society is too eager to crucify people for their flaws. The standout moments happen when he contrasts modern convenience with the struggles of the past, like a long runner about the logistical nightmare of sending unsolicited pictures to women before camera phones, which required trips to Rite Aid and a physical photo binder. He also balances the broader societal complaints with hyper-specific stories of his own sexual misadventures, including a detailed recounting of a hookup involving vegetable juice and a poorly timed finger.

Filmed at the Somerville Theater outside Boston, the hour premiered on Epix. Norton was a daily fixture on SiriusXM at the time, and the set reflects the endurance of a guy who argues into a microphone for a living. He addresses the fallout of the Bill Cosby scandal and the absurdity of hunting with a duck call, eventually taking home The Interrobang’s reader vote for the best comedy release of the year.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Bill Cosby rape allegations

    Argues that the scandal provided him personal solace by proving he is not nearly as big of a pervert as he once assumed.

  2. Licking the Washington Monument

    Describes spending an hour in a hotel room meticulously framing two apples to take a photo making it look like he is licking a 500-foot penis.

  3. Anthony Cumia firing and free speech

    Examines the modern disconnect between actions and words, critiquing corporate reactions and knee-jerk online outrage that demands punishment.

  4. Erotic digital self-portraiture

    Wishes his younger self had been forewarned about how phone cameras and digital naked photos would alter privacy and personal life.

  5. Jerry Sandusky scandal

    Mimes Sandusky in an interview describing tangled scrotums to deliver a vulgar visual metaphor illustrating the absurdity of sex scandals.

How it plays

Tone
Caustic, biting, cynical, filthy, and satirical.
On stage
Acerbic, self-deprecating, and unapologetically raunchy; possessing an alpha confidence undercut by a readiness to make himself the butt of the joke.
Pace
Willing to take half-minute stretches with no punchlines to deliver expository premises before unleashing a relentless barrage of punchlines, vulgar imagery, and insult-driven points.
About
Internet outrage and public shaming, Media sensationalism and clickbait culture, Modern technology and cell phones, Free speech versus consequences, Celebrity scandals, Human sexuality and perversion

What the critics said

Praised as a strong progression in Norton's comedy, successfully weaving biting, serious cultural critique of online outrage and media hypocrisy together with his trademark filth and extreme self-deprecation.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, vulture.com, mycomedystore.vhx.tv, themoviedb.org, avclub.com, pastemagazine.com, en.wikipedia.org, podcasts.apple.com.

Backstory

Filmed in the wake of the July 2014 firing of his longtime radio co-host Anthony Cumia, amid a climate of intensifying internet outrage, public shaming, and media firestorms surrounding figures like Bill Cosby and Donald Sterling.

Details

Released
Taped
Somerville Theatre, Boston
Runtime
58 min
Where
Epix
Director
Shannon Hartman
Topics
Before
One Night Stand (2005)
After
Mouthful of Shame (2017)

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