Matt Levy
Over the past few years, when asked who their favorite up-and-coming comedian was, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr and Roy Wood Jr. all had the same answer.
Normand, 40, isn’t new to the scene, though. The veteran comic cut his teeth performing multiple sets a night for years at bars, clubs and theaters all over New York City.
And now, the hardest working comic’s hard work is paying off.
In July 2023, Netflix released Normand’s latest one-hour special ‘Soup To Nuts’ and next he’s embarking on his nationwide ‘Ya Don’t Say Tour’ this winter which includes back-to-back shows at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on Friday, Jan. 26 and Saturday, Jan. 27.
Of course, he already has new material ready and raring to go.
“I got a hot new hour, Normand told the New York Post in an exclusive interview. “We’re cooking, baby.”
To make sure he’s polished, he isn’t slowing down ahead of the tour.
“Last night, I did six sets. I’m such a whore for stage time,” he smiled. “When I was in Baltimore, I did the 2500-seat Lyric Theater and had a good set.”
“Then, my buddy goes, ‘I know this bar show we can do’ and we did it.”
To Normand, it’s not just about getting up and telling the jokes. He knows how much of an effort audiences make to go out and see live comedy and wants to deliver an amazing experience.
“You’ve got to give the people a show. They got a babysitter, they put on a collared shirt. They’re trying to get laid. So you got to bring it, baby.”
“Plus, I got a hot chunk on cultural appropriation that’s really cooking,” he continued. “To me, if I can get laughs a dicey topic, that’s what comedy’s all about.”
If you want to see what else the tireless jokester has up his sleeve this winter, we’ve got everything you need to know and more about Normand and his ‘Ya Don’t Say Tour’ below.
The interview above was lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Mark Normand 2024 tour schedule
A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets for all 33 shows can be found here:
Netflix Is A Joke Festival 2024
From May 2-12, 2024, the Netflix is a Joke Festival is returning to Los Angeles for over 300 (!) shows spread out across 35 venues.
And yes, one of your favorite comedians will probably be there along with Normand.
Just a few of the mega names on this year’s lineup include Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Burr, David Letterman and controversial crowd work wunderkind Matt Rife.
They’ll be joined by household names John Mulaney, Jon Stewart, Ali Wong, Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman.
Best of all, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady will be on hand for ‘The Greatest Roast of All Time,’ where Jeff Ross and celebrities will poke fun fun at the former NFLer.
As of now, over 100 acts have been announced for the sprawling, mega event, the first since 2022.
You can get tickets for the show of your choosing here.
‘Soup To Nuts’ on Netflix
On July 25, Normand dropped the joke-heavy ‘Soup To Nuts’ on Netflix.
Over the course of 53 minutes, the New Orleans native tackles familiar subjects like drinking, relationships and male strip clubs, but makes each all his own.
“I drink too much. I gotta cut back,” he notes in his opening bit.
“Ya know, they say 2.5 million die from alcohol every year which is sad but think about how many people it produces. If my parents didn’t drink, I might not be here.”
And while Normand is a true original packing punches in at lightning speed, he’s quick to note that he’s “a big Chris Rock, Norm McDonald, Seinfeld guy.”
However, his biggest influence dates a bit further.
“George Carlin had a special called ‘Back in Town’ where he runs in off the street, which I did in my special,” Normand explains. “That was definitely a bit of an homage.”
Hooked?
You can stream “Soup To Nuts” here.
Mark Normand comedy specials
Normand has been performing stand-up since 2006. Over the past 18 years in the game, he’s dropped three specials as well as a Netflix half hour. Here’s where you can see them:
“Still Got It” (2014) streaming on Spotify
“Don’t Be Yourself” (2017) streaming on Paramount+
“Out To Lunch” (2020) streaming on YouTube
“The Standups” (2021) streaming on Netflix
As Normand is quick to point out, an hourlong Netflix special doesn’t happen overnight.
“I had to do an hour on Comedy Central, a half hour on Comedy Central, a half hour on Netflix. Then I had to do an hour on YouTube and eventually they’re like, ‘Alright, fine, we’ll give you an hour,’” he explained.
“You have to put in so many years and deliver so much material before they trust you.”
Mark Normand special guests
At all shows, Normand will be bringing along a few funny friends to warm the crowd up.
“I’ll have some people joining, but it won’t be that big,” he said. “I’m going to ask Seinfeld. I’m sure he’ll find it wildly insulting and maybe even stop talking to me after that.”
While we can’t say for certain who will be joining him, he did share that the comics taking the stage with him at the Beacon will be “prominent figures in the New York City comedy scene.”
On the road, he brings brings Sean Murphy, Mae Planert, Anthony DeVito and Marcus Monroe among others.
And yes, like the comics that shouted him out to help make his name, he wanted to pay it forward, too.
“I like Ian Lara,” Normand noted. “I think he’s solid but he’s already got some credentials so I want to really help out a guy who’s got nothing going on. I’ll go with Anthony DeVito.Very underrated.”
DeVito’s 2023 special “Brain Noise” can be streamed here.
Mark Normand podcasts
In addition to hitting the stage on a daily basis, Normand is also a seasoned podcaster.
He currently hosts ‘Tuesdays With Stories’ alongside co-host Joe List as well as ‘We Might Be Drunk’ with fellow comic Sam Morril.
Mark Normand NYC history
Amongst New York comedians, Normand is known as a prolific workhorse often dropping into small shows to tighten his act.
There’s a method to his madness, though.
“New York audiences are the most impatient, which cuts a lot of fat off your act,” he said. “Now when I go to Cleveland, they’re like, ‘Man, this guy’s rapid fire.’ If I wasn’t, New York crowds would spit me out.”
While honing his punchlines, Normand dreamt of playing the legendary Beacon Theatre.
“Playing the Beacon is such a crazy thing because I used to go do Stand Up New York, which is a tiny little club about three blocks uptown of the Beacon,” he explained. “To get there, I would walk past the Beacon every night and I’d see Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan or Bill Burr on the marquee and I wondered ‘what would that be like?’”
These shows won’t be his first rodeo there, though.
“I opened for Seinfeld there a couple of years back. It’s an amazing room. The fact that I get to do it myself, the whole thing’s bananas.”
Mark Normand comedy stories
Over the years, Normand has amassed many hours performing with many of the biggest headliners in the industry.
“They all gave different advice and it was all very valuable,” he shared. “Schumer taught me a lot about the business, Seinfeld taught me a lot about how to perform in a theater. You got to be bigger, you gotta project, the whole thing. As for Louis CK, I found out that he doesn’t like farting.”
“I farted on the road with him. I thought he’d think it was funny, and he got annoyed.”
This past summer, he joined Bert Kreischer for his traveling ‘Fully Loaded Comedy Festival.’
“We took a bus everywhere for Bert Kreischer’s summer tour and I slept on a bus with Shane Gillis, Big Jay Oakerson, Joey Diaz and Kreischer. It was like a sleep apnea convention,” Normand quipped.
“On the tour, We did an arena in Oklahoma City, and I opened by saying,
‘Hey, it’s good to be back. Last time I was here, it didn’t go that well, but that’s not the worst bomb you guys have seen‘ and I got collectively booed by 20,000 people.”
This past year, Normand took his act overseas to Europe and Australia. While most audiences are the same, he did note that one was rather unusual.
“In Amsterdam, they applaud more than they laugh,” he said. “You think you’re bombing and then they’re just like on their feet applauding like crazy and you’re like, ‘maybe they don’t hate me. That’s just how they do it here.’”
Mark Normand’s Kevin Hart connection
Off the top of Normand’s special “Soup To Nuts,” you may have caught that he was introduced as Kevin Hart.
That was no mistake — Normand has been closing his sets for years with “Thank you! I’m Kevin Hart!”
“I was always hoping he’d catch on but he never noticed,” Normand noted.
“Anyway, the back story is that I used to bomb so much I was embarrassed to say my own name. I was like ‘Screw this, I’m not going to tell you who I am,’” he laughed.
“Eventually it just kind of stuck. I did it on ‘The Tonight Show’ and my special and people seem to like it.”
Comedians on tour in 2024
Hundreds of big name headliners will be on the road next year.
Here are just five of our favorite comics you won’t want to miss live in the near future.
• Joe List
Who else is out and about? Check out our list of the 107 biggest comedians on tour in 2024 here to find out.
This post was originally posted by NYPost
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