Jim Norton's 'Mouthful of Shame' tour is coming - twice

By his own admission, Jim Norton has a hard time meeting folks who share his interests. But when those interests include illicit massage parlors, urolagnia, and transgender prostitutes, maybe some difficulty is to be expected."It's very common to not have the same interests as Jim Norton," the stand-up comedian said during recent phone interview. "A lot of people don't have the same interests as me."

They do, however, seem to like watching him do stand-up.

Norton, a New Jersey native, started as a comic in 1990 and quickly became known for his politically incorrect humor. He can be heard daily on Sirius XM's Opie With Jim Norton. He has three stand-up specials streaming on Hulu, and his latest project, the animated The Chip Chipperson Show, is on YouTube.

This week, Norton brings his Mouthful of Shame tour to the area with stops at the Fillmore on Thursday and Wilmington's Grand Opera House on Friday. The Daily News recently caught up with the comic to talk about his new set, the Philly dating scene, and why he plans to vote for Donald Trump.

You grew up in central Jersey. How did living there influence the way you think about the Philadelphia area?

I always loved Jersey and Philly. I just relate to the mentality. You didn't have to be really polite for them to like you. As long as you were funny, they were great, you know? They weren't politically correct.

So, Philly is a good comedy town in your experience?

Amazing. Philadelphia is an amazing comedy city. It's one of my best markets, and it's very similar to Boston in that they're just really angry and aggressive white people. Such a fun place to work.

Other aspects, however, don't go so well. Last year, you told the Press of Atlantic City that you do "horrendous" here when it comes to dating.

Philadelphia girls, they're like Catholic girls who actually take it seriously, so they're teases to me. They'll lead you on, and they just don't sleep with you quickly, whereas Boston girls are everything that Philly girls claim to be but aren't. Terrible, terrible luck.

Why do you think that is?

That is the mystery. You crack that one, and Norton's in good shape. I do very well with comedy stuff, but as far as women are concerned, not too good.

As far as that comedy stuff goes, it's typically pretty personal. What can we expect to see on the Mouthful of Shame tour?

Of course, I'm talking about Caitlyn Jenner and the fact that I like trannies, and all of this stuff. I try to personalize it because I make fun of things, but personalizing them almost gives you the right to make fun of them because you really are putting yourself in it. I like the fact that I do tell on myself, and I reveal myself, and I expose myself.

It's honest, at least.

I think that's all you can do, is be honest. Try to make your point, but don't be an obsessive [jerk] about it. That's when people lose each other, trying so hard to be smart and right instead of just being honest and funny.

You're also working on a pilot for cable network IFC. What will you be focusing on for that show?

It's basically about the fact that I noticed there's a lot of stuff I don't like, and I'm going to try take an open-minded look. For the pilot episode, we're doing white privilege. I think it exists, but whenever somebody mentions it, I want to hit them in the face with an iron. I don't understand what is it that's bothering me so much.

It seems like therapy, in a way.

Yes. Because you don't want to be one of those guys who's just annoyed for no reason. That's boring. You sound like an old man when you do that. So I'm working on it.

Speaking of: You're voting for Donald Trump, right? What is it about him that you like?

I can't wait to vote for him, yeah. I like the fact that he's ruining this experience for the rest of the candidates. That makes me so happy. Can you picture Ronald Reagan being fazed by Donald Trump? Can you picture Bill Clinton in '92 being fazed? No! These guys are all rank amateurs.

Still, he seems extreme. What good could come from a Trump presidency?

Even though he's an extreme guy, he's somebody from the outside who walks into this arena and puts honest and real language in it. All of these career scumbag politicians are seeing the top prize taken by a reality- show guy, and, hopefully, that will be the slap in the face these people need to start giving us candidates that speak more honestly.

Jim Norton, Mouthful of Shame Tour, 8 p.m. Thursday, Fillmore Philadelphia,29 E. Allen St., $49 and $69.50, 215-309-0150, thefillmorephilly.com. Also, 8 p.m. Friday, Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, $29.50 and $35, 800-37-GRAND, thegrandwilmington.org.

nvadala@philly.com
215-854-2206