Almost as equally known for his stylish, yet loud, wardrobe, Norton ran into some problems when transporting his clothes here.
“My entire wardrobe has been impounded in Customs,” he bemoaned from his current home in Midtown Manhattan. “The fashion police stopped it at the border.”
The problems seemed to have stemmed from a jacket made of a crocodile-like material. Agents wanted to know what it was if it wasn’t real crocodile.
“I don’t know; it’s plastic,” he said, laughing.
Norton is not sure when he’ll be reunited with his clothing, but one thing is for certain: he’s not your average late-night talk show host.
“I couldn’t imagine being on a network,” he said. “I would just sit there in a chair tapping a pen.”
True, Norton is not cut out for standard TV fare. He offers a much more high-energy and interactive brand of comedy. The formula works, if his countless awards and successful TV shows are anything to go by.
Known for on-air treats such as trolling dirty Web sites and picking on audiences, Norton is hoping his humor will translate to American audiences.
“I’ve always been kind of more drawn to American than anywhere else,” he said.
The deal that put him on Comedy Central, after a bidding war with the networks, NBC in particular, has Norton feeling at home.
“They’ve been treating me really well, just by putting all the posters of me up all over Manhattan. It makes me feel welcome.” Norton said.
Comedy Central, which still manages to stun conservative viewers with shows such as “South Park,” will be a better fit, he predicts.
While cable is more relaxed than network TV, will he still be toned down?
“Well, we had a standards lady come to the taping, and she explained how you can show that, but you can’t show that,” he said, seemingly taking it in stride.
Norton, who also produces the show, likes the creative control it offers, no matter how things go.
“Not that I am a control freak,” he said, “but this way I’m the one out there, and it will be my fault.”
He added that “people have been really, really supportive,” citing Jon Stewart and Colin Quinn as two comics who have welcomed him to comedy central.
Norton, known for his antics and energy on his shows, says he is not as manic in everyday life.
“If I was the way I am on the show 24/7, someone would stab me with a fork,” he said..
Guests are usually paraded in with much fanfare on Norton’s shows, and he understands the integral part they play in shows like his.
“I have a long list of people [I’d like to have on]: Madonna, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Meryl Streep. . . . I’m a big fan of those types of guests,” he said. “But we never tend to announce the guest, so it’s kind of pot luck who you get.”
Comic Sandra Bernhard and actor Marlon Wayans are Norton’s guests on the Thursday premiere.
For Norton, New York City is where he believes he belongs right now.
“I love New York,” he said. “Maybe it’s the Irish thing. I grew up in Ireland in the late ’60s and ’70s. TV was a window on the world to us, and that world was American.”