OnStage: Norm Macdonald takes a bite

For most of his stint in the limelight, Norm Macdonald has been labeled "Saturday Night Live" anchor, sitcom star and go-to guest on late-night TV. But for the past two years, he's been focusing on stand-up in a tour that includes his first performances ever in the Twin Cities. Macdonald spoke to us last week by phone from his Los Angeles home:

Q You didn't do much stand-up for years. Why the change?

A My son was young. Hanging out with him was much funner than being on the road. Now he's 17 and it's not so much fun for him. He wants the apartment all to himself. He's reached the point of his life where he's no longer this beautiful, young child you can carry on your shoulder. Now he's in the front yard punching me in the chest. No, he's a good kid.

Q I don't think you've ever been to the Twin -- wait a second. Are you eating an apple?

A What? How did you -- this is a newspaper interview, right, so it doesn't matter, but yes, I am eating an apple.

Q Now let me guess what kind. Red.

A Wow. That's a real skill -- which has no chance of making you any money.

Q It's a gift. This is a relatively new comedy club you'll be at. What makes a good club?

A I like it when it's located in the biggest mall ever. I'll bet it's almost impossible to find. People walk in and say, 'This is the least impressive thing I've seen all day.' I'll probably be doing a lot of material on the Gap. There must be 45 in there.

Q A lot of people who will be coming probably expect this very edgy comic. But I was surprised that your two sitcoms ("The Norm Show" and "A Minute With Stan Hooper") were quite sweet and mainstream. Are there two Norms?

A I don't know why people think I'm mean. Maybe my one eyebrow is diabolical. I mean, I'll be onstage and people will ask me to pick on their friend. What? I've never picked on friends. I'm a completely harmless person. Sometimes I'm fascinated with subject matters, like apples, but sometimes I'm interested by a serial rapist. I don't mean to be dirty. It's just the stuff around me sometimes gets dark.

Q Your comedy sounds so natural, almost like you're making it up on the spot. How do you prepare?

A I used to write down every word, get just the right rhythm, use just the right words, but I didn't like the way it was coming out. You could see the craft in it. Now it's not off the top of my head, but it's close. Let's say I'm doing Minneapolis. I'm thinking about a couple things right now and I'll scribble them down. Not full sentences. Then I'll pretty much just write onstage as I talk. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not so good.

Q Let me guess what you're doing now. You're taking a bath.

A What? No, I'm walking outside. You must be hearing the traffic.

Q OK, I'm one for two. I always loved your impressions on "Saturday Night Live" [Larry King, Burt Reynolds]. Do you miss having that opportunity?

A Oh, yeah. I wish I could do Glenn Beck. I could do him pretty easily. I know guys like that in real life, these manic-depressives. I'd love to do Bill O'Reilly. Both those guys are oversized characters. They're practically doing characters themselves, like doing Bogart or James Cagney.

Q I understand you've got a new show in development. What's the latest?

A We're doing a spoof on reality shows. I go to some stupid reality-show thing and all hell breaks loose. It's a million times better than it originally was because Garry Shandling has come on board. Oh, I probably shouldn't have told you that.

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431