Jesus, Norm kept his serious side under wraps, and that's a loss. That right there is maybe the most brilliant statement on art I've ever seen. It really captures the paradox of art.
He was a brilliant guy. His whole self-deprecating "not a smart man" comedy persona was so intentional.
There's probably a term for it, but the best comedians have always had a way of positioning themselves "below" the audience in order to deliver jokes about them without it coming across as mean.