Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - 16.5 Jessie Gaskell and Mike Sweeney

Episode Date: March 7, 2019

Writers Jessie Gaskell and Mike Sweeney feel hungry and starving, respectively, about being Conan O’Brien’s friends.Jessie and Mike sit down with Conan to talk about their new show ’Inside Conan...: An Important Hollywood Podcast,’ moving to the second floor, office snacks, and Gene Simmons.Got a question for Conan? Call our voicemail: (323) 451-2821.For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com.This episode is sponsored by Simple Contacts (www.simplecontacts.com/CONAN code: CONAN), Fracture (www.fractureme.com/CONAN), and ButcherBox (www.butcherbox.com/CONAN).

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, my name is Jesse Gaskell, and my name is Mike Sweeney. And I feel hungry about being Conan O'Brien's friend. I'm just hungry right now. Oh, I'm starving about being Conan O'Brien's friend. Hey, Conan O'Brien here and welcome to a very special bonus episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. I'm being joined today by two of my terrific writers. They're all great, but these two are just a little bit better, which will make the other
Starting point is 00:00:56 writers hate them. And that's why I did it. I'm talking about Jesse Gaskell and Mike Sweeney, and they have a special podcast that they're doing, which is called Inside Conan, a very important Hollywood podcast. And it's all about the inside workings, the sickness, the madness that goes into making the Conan show. It's a really wonderful idea. They're the perfect people to spill the beans.
Starting point is 00:01:23 And of course, assisting me as always is the trustee, Matt Gorley. Hello, Matt. Hi. I love the way you're dressed today, by the way. Well, this is the medium for complimenting people's clothes. I'm sorry. Really good job. I'm sorry.
Starting point is 00:01:37 Really good job. It's like commando casual. You look amazing. What are you talking about? I'm just wearing sort of an RAF green sweater, and I'm wearing a vest, sort of a down vest. See? We got it explained. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:01:50 Also joining us is someone who gives the full 20% every time she helps me. Sonam Obsession. How are you, Sonam? Why do you, why would you introduce me that way? Oh, come on. Why would I want to be here? Because you say that I give, what is the incentive? Sonam, people love you because you are a chill millennial.
Starting point is 00:02:08 You're just a chill millennial. I'm chill. Yeah. But also you're a... Bong Toten, surf riding, you know, taco chomping, you know, you just are, you have a good time. It's all... You hate me for that, though, right? I don't.
Starting point is 00:02:29 I'm envious. Today you even said, you're happy. Stop being happy. What is that like? I am jealous. You know that I'm jealous of you because you're happy all the time. I like it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:40 I like life. I'm sorry. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that? Did I sincerely tell you I was happy that you were happy today? You don't ever tell me anything sincerely. Oh, right. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:50 There's always... You know what? I forgot who I was for a second. Yeah. I literally forgot who I was. Yeah. I thought for a second I was the father on a 1950s sitcom. You're really bad at positive reinforcement.
Starting point is 00:03:02 I'm going to say that. Not interested in it. No. Doesn't interest me. Doesn't interest me. Doesn't interest me. 20 percenter. How is that going to make me want to do any better in this job?
Starting point is 00:03:10 Well, I actually notched you up to 20 percent. Oh. I thought I was... Goorley, you know that I love Sonya, don't you? Yes. Thank you. What was that noise? Oh, sorry.
Starting point is 00:03:20 Are you straining at stool? What are you doing over there? Are you all right? I'm doing okay. Hey, Goorley, I just love what you're doing today with your look. You imagine the rest, everybody. I'll send you a drawing through the mail. I'm going to quit on air.
Starting point is 00:03:35 Okay? Oh, please. What? And go back to Long Beach? You sold your house there. What? You told me that you sold your house at Long Beach. I don't forget a thing.
Starting point is 00:03:45 When someone reveals... Actually, I told that to Julia. You were eavesdropping. Yeah. I heard that you say that you sold your house at Long Beach, but you didn't finish what most people say is because I moved here and then got a house there. You didn't say that part, which makes me think you're wandering the beach picking up cans and then building a house and living in them at the end of the night.
Starting point is 00:04:03 Anyway. You look great. Thank you. I feel good. You should. I'm wearing my... What did you call it? Do you look like Roger Moore and for your eyes only, you know, when he climbs the mountain?
Starting point is 00:04:14 Yes. I don't think you look like Roger Moore. Can I say something? Yeah. When Roger Moore... I want to get this off my chest. Okay. He stayed being Bond probably too long.
Starting point is 00:04:23 He was 57 when he stopped. When he stopped, he was 57 and there's actually a scene in, I think in the last Bond movie and it might be view to a kill. It is. Which by the way has the most awkward insert of the name into the dialogue that you've ever seen in any Bond movie. Most Bond movies, they call it Casino Royale or they call it Thunderball but they never say Thunder...
Starting point is 00:04:43 You don't have to. It's just the name of the movie. Yeah. And if you do a kill... We can re-enact it right now. Christopher Walken is in this zeppelin that's going to destroy the world and he's with Grace Jones and someone says they go over this mountain and they look at the city they're going to destroy and someone says, what a great view.
Starting point is 00:05:01 And Christopher Walken says, yes, a view to a kill. You're like, what? Yeah. What does that mean? But the only reason I bring this up and this is the beauty of the podcast format is you can follow these wonderful, Gossamer Threads I spin, is that he hung on too long and I forget what the name of the last one he did was. View to a kill.
Starting point is 00:05:22 Was it View to a Kill? Yeah. And in it, there's this sexy girl and instead of having sex with her, she falls asleep and he puts his jacket over her. Yeah, Tonya Roberts. Yeah, Tonya Roberts and she and he takes care of her the way an old woman would take... You know what I mean? What? James Bond became this guy who was like, well, not for me, I've had my fun in earlier
Starting point is 00:05:41 times. I'll put this jacket on her to warm her and hope a suitable bow with some amount of testosterone can come by and satisfy her, but in the meantime, I'll just go make some cookies in the next room. Do you know why that is? On this set, they realized that he was literally older than Tonya Roberts' mother. So they... Yes, you can...
Starting point is 00:05:59 And he felt bad about it. You can tell that they made a change. Yeah. In the scene, view to a kill and watch Roger Moore as James Bond take what's supposed to be the sex interest, I think, and instead of moving on her, just she falls asleep and him just putting his jacket over her. They have sex in the end. They're showering in the end of the movie and the robot comes in and spies on them.
Starting point is 00:06:21 You're asking the right guy. I'm sure. You mean a robot spies on them? Well, I'm not the right guy about robot spying and showering, I mean about James Bond. Okay. So anyway, that's probably why you were kicked out of Long Beach. Did they ask you to leave because you were looking at people in the shower? They did.
Starting point is 00:06:36 Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Great. You guys have really cool hip references. I just wanted to add that in there. There's the old sarcasm. All I'm saying is you said a lot of names that nobody knows.
Starting point is 00:06:47 And... No one knows Chris Walken anymore? No. I mean like... Tonya Roberts. Tonya Roberts. Wait, Grace Jones. Grace Jones is big in the clubs right now.
Starting point is 00:06:55 Is she? Yeah. I don't think we've met, but my name's 1983. I just saw Grace Jones at the Hollywood Bowl. Oh really? Yeah. Yeah. She was taking tickets.
Starting point is 00:07:04 Oh! Come on! Woo! Uh-oh. We're gonna get an email now. See, I knew about email. Oh, cool. Cool.
Starting point is 00:07:12 I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry too. I should... No, no, no. You guys should talk more about movies that were made before most of our audience was born. And what was the movie that you were watching today at work? Come on.
Starting point is 00:07:22 What was it? It's called She's Out of My League. What year was it made? What year was it made? I think it was made in like early 2000s. Oh, you're on the cutting edge. Good for you, Sona. Oh, okay.
Starting point is 00:07:33 Oh, okay. Good comeback. I have no comeback. I don't know. Do you know what Netflix is? Yes, I do. Okay, just checking. It's that thing that comes up on the screen that I haven't figured out yet.
Starting point is 00:07:43 It drifts by and I get confused. I sometimes don't know which side to pick. You should always pick my side. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. We need an alliance. I know, but I'm sometimes afraid if I don't pick his side. You don't fear me.
Starting point is 00:07:57 You don't think so? No. You're an imposing figure. You're an imposing figure. How am I imposing? I'm a gentle fellow with maybe the quickest mind anyone's ever seen. Oh, boy. This is when I don't fear you.
Starting point is 00:08:08 I just put myself to sleep. Hey, should we do a podcast? Are we doing one now? Yeah. I think we could. It's the intro. Who's the guest today? It's Mike Sweeney and Jesse Gaskell.
Starting point is 00:08:22 Oh, that's right. I forgot. You're whipping this ox in so hard that sometimes I forget which trail we're going now. Oh, boy. Yes. How could I forget? They're sitting right here. We're talking about Jesse Gaskell, Mike Sweeney, two writers on the show who've taken
Starting point is 00:08:47 on this great new endeavor inside Conan where they are going to expose the deepest, darkest secrets about our show and welcome Jesse and welcome Mike Sweeney. Thanks, Conan. Hi, Conan. Thanks for having us. Wow. In the building where we spend all day together. So, Jesse, Mike, I've been at this a long, long time.
Starting point is 00:09:08 I think it's been... Three months. Three months. Now, it's been three months and I can't say I know anything about doing a podcast. Conan, do you think you really know how to do a podcast? I don't. Seriously, are you high? Are you high?
Starting point is 00:09:28 I'm not. I swear I'm not. You always ask me that when I'm a little slow and I'm not. Right. And how many times am I right when I ask you? You've been right twice. Okay. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:37 Both professional situations. Three times. Yes. But right now I'm fine. Can I have some? Yeah. This is... Podcasting, I don't really know.
Starting point is 00:09:46 I think we need specific questions. I'm very glad that you guys, I've worked with you both for such a long time. You've done all the travel shows with me. We're all very close. I think we can all finish each other's sentences and probably will to an annoying degree. And I think you guys can probably explain how the show works very well. So I think this is a good idea for a podcast. Are you guys excited?
Starting point is 00:10:07 Mike, you excited? Very excited. Okay. It's helping me. It's going to help me stave off dementia. Okay. We need to get an insincerity filter for the microphone. And how about you, Jesse?
Starting point is 00:10:22 Yeah. No, I mean, I think a lot of people ask me often about the show and the sort of inner workings and how the sausage gets made. And so this... I know that there's a market for this. Oh, listen to you. Oh, there's a market. She's good.
Starting point is 00:10:40 Oh my God. We'll sell some merch. An international market. Yeah. Well, I think... Listen, I'm not someone who worries about, is there a market or is there a profit? I see the canvas and I paint. Oh my God.
Starting point is 00:10:52 Oh my God. Whatever happens happens. Do you have any specific questions about podcasting? Maybe I can help you. I'd like to think that I have some knowledge or at least good instincts. Yeah, you do. You have some instincts. You're doing really well, Sonoma.
Starting point is 00:11:06 I have nothing. Do you want a cup of coffee or something? Well, yeah. We have big... I mean, I was wondering how long do you record for? Because the episodes are about an hour and I assume you maybe record for 12 hours to get it edited down to that? Oh God, no.
Starting point is 00:11:22 Okay. No, no, no. We... I don't think we... I mean, Matt Gorley, our producer extraordinaire, can weigh in, but we don't edit that much. Well... Sorry. I know our ad reads are out of control.
Starting point is 00:11:37 No, no. I'm not talking about the ad reads. I'm talking about the interviews. Oh, yeah. The interviews. What I'm saying is I don't think the interviews are drastically cut. I don't like interviews that go on too long and I have been on podcasts where they're interviewing me and it becomes clear, huh, there's no...
Starting point is 00:12:00 We're not throwing a commercial. There's no end here and they... I just keep getting asked, what else? What else? What else? There's only two hours and there's no end to it. I always like to know the dimensions of the pool I'm jumping into. So I like there to be a specific amount of time.
Starting point is 00:12:18 I don't believe in plathering on for six hours to get one hour. Great. Well, then we're done here. Yeah. Although with that... We've gone way over. With that said, our ad reads, though, do need a lot of editing. We can ramble and ramble and ramble.
Starting point is 00:12:32 Well, I tend to ramble and go down wormholes. Say a lot of... Yeah. I've been at... I've got ad reads and I love the rambling. Can that get released separately somehow because... I think we get a lot of the rambling in there, too. I think we try to capture just how sick I've become and...
Starting point is 00:12:53 Through ad reads. Through ad reads. It's kind of... If you can imagine that Caligula, the ancient Roman emperor, occasionally had to read an ad. And that to be with the ad sound, like a power-mad, delusional, yeah, with a... Who's made his horse a senator, he's nude, he's played by Malcolm McDowell. He's absolutely crazy, but he has to read an ad for the mattress company that I love.
Starting point is 00:13:24 Do you think... I have a question for you guys. There is a little element of trust when we do the show. You can show them somewhat how the sausage is made. How honest are you going to be? And I'm serious here. Yeah. Well, and I mean, that was also something I think we wanted to discuss with you was whether
Starting point is 00:13:41 there's anything that's off-limits because at this point, we have been... We've been conducting interviews with staff, some people in this room. And we want to get some of the inner-office dramas and... I want to know what happens if we're sued. Are we indemnified by ear-wolf? I should point out that Mike Sweeney, in addition to being... He was the head writer for a very long time, now he produces all the travel shows, which you can see on Netflix, please check them out there.
Starting point is 00:14:15 Mike Sweeney, before that, was a lawyer. And he always manages to work his legal knowledge into his comedy pitches. It comes out a lot. All I said is we're going to get sued. He works the word indemnify into a lot of... Well, who would be suing you? I wouldn't sue you. Well, we're talking about limits and how far we can go.
Starting point is 00:14:35 And that is a good question. The lot of stories we like to tell around the office that... Oh, there's plenty of things in the writer's room that we could never, ever, ever hear. No, we couldn't. Really, the funniest things. Well, I think that's the whole point of this podcast is that you should get those on the air. And I think some of those things should be said.
Starting point is 00:14:55 And I think that is a reason for people to listen. And I think the more sordid, the more dehumanizing, the more potentially destructive to my career and to the show in general, the better this podcast is going to be. If you want listeners, you have to deliver the goods. Stories about Caligula. Yeah, Caligula slash Conan, the mad host who's gone off the rails. And needs to be taken down. There's also good office stuff that goes on here.
Starting point is 00:15:31 There's fantastic dynamics in the office that I think is very relatable, no matter where you work. Yeah. There's a lot of upstairs, downstairs stuff, the second floor, lording their nice snacks over us. The third floor. Wait. Who has the nice snacks?
Starting point is 00:15:50 You guys do. We do. I never... Shockingly. First of all, my office is on the second floor because that's where I can best be protected. I'm like, you know, the president of the United States has to be protected. But... So you're on the second floor?
Starting point is 00:16:10 I'm sorry. What? No, no. What I'm saying is, follow me here and someone's going to untangle this in editing and good luck to you. What snacks are coming in? Because I don't ever get any snacks on the second floor. There's snacks coming in?
Starting point is 00:16:22 There's great snacks. We have a lot of great snacks. Who sends them in? I thought the snacks were for you. I know, but I don't get them. I think that's what people on the second floor say in order to get said fantastic snacks. Here's what happens. Let me cut through the fog for just a second here.
Starting point is 00:16:37 What happens is I make a joke on the air, often an ad lib, and I just mention Doritos. And the next thing you know, we get the next day, nine men come in and they're each carrying eight boxes of the newest Dorito flavor. Yeah, never released. Yes, it's never been released, thanking me for mentioning them, which I did inadvertently. I never get those Doritos. All I see is everyone in the office suddenly has an orange face, but I don't get the Doritos. Well, did you even eat those Doritos?
Starting point is 00:17:10 I mean, I don't think you usually eat things like that. I maintain the body. I have. No, I could not. I see you just cleverly mentioned Doritos again on this podcast. It doesn't stop. We mentioned M&M's and Twix, and you should take requests. No, I do mention things and every time something comes, we mentioned El Pollo Loco recently.
Starting point is 00:17:31 And on Twitter, and it was just a joke, and a ton of El Pollo Loco came. Excellent food, by the way. Yes, it's the best. But it's a very strange work environment because if I just say something, it shows up at the office the next day. And trust me, I know what you're thinking, and I've tried it with Portia, and I've tried it with the Escalade, and I've tried it with various luxury cars. Cardi A bracelet.
Starting point is 00:17:58 Yes, and it doesn't happen. Do they ever send you a token like a keychain or? No, absolutely nothing. If it's a high-end brand, I get nothing. But if I mention a sugary or carby snack, boy, do we get it, and we get it fast. But it's amazing to see the people in our office jump on that as if they had never, they had no access to this relatively inexpensive food. Yes.
Starting point is 00:18:22 And these are people who are, no, Sona, don't act like this is people here indentured servants. No, they're not. But in our defense, no one has really ever tried Pringles with Ridges before. And that's what they sent us. Wait, wait, wait. And it's delicious. The cheddar flavor? The cheddar flavor?
Starting point is 00:18:38 Yeah, there is. What does the ridge add to the flavor? I don't, it doesn't add much, really, to the flavor at all, but I'm just saying, I would never have been exposed to the Pringles with Ridges world unless you brought it up in a monologue joke, and then now I know what that's like in my life. And I think that's all. Mr. Gorley, yes, I need to say. Isn't Pringles with Ridges just a ruffles?
Starting point is 00:18:57 It is. I know, it is. Yeah, a Pringles. You're right. It is. But it comes in the canister. You never know what will set Gorley off. Now we're not going to get any match.
Starting point is 00:19:05 So I just have to tell you that Matt Gorley, the producer, was 600 yards away, and he was looking at a sonogram of his child, and he dropped it and came running over to intervene on the on the ridges controversy. Yeah, tomorrow, free sonograms at the office. Yeah. Thank you. Conan. That's going fantastically.
Starting point is 00:19:29 I like being on the second floor. There is definitely a better situation there. Yes. And we're on, Jesse and I are on the third floor. That's where all the writers are. Yes. And, you know, writers by nature can complain a bit. I don't know if there's one less bag of Doritos, but sometimes there are.
Starting point is 00:19:47 Comedy writers, let's be honest, comedy writers are the crankiest cranks of all time. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. And they always find in a lovable way, I love them all. We're all Upper East Side Jewish men in their 80s, that's all of us. Including the women. Including the women. You all have a little old Jewish man inside you who's not happy about the way things are
Starting point is 00:20:08 going, and I should have been cut in on the ruffles. Oh, my God. Have you been down to two, compared two to three? Yeah. People think life on the second floor is so much better than life on the third floor. Well, and we used to have the one benefit on the third floor of being kind of at a safe distance from your office. But then you recently.
Starting point is 00:20:27 What's so, wait, what's so bad about being here in my office? Be honest, Jesse, what's wrong with being with proximity to Conan? Well, you kick doors open and very startling. That's the way I open doors. You have a loud footstep that, I hear you lumbering down the hall, and then I hear. I'm a large man. I'm a six foot four. Small animal scurrying.
Starting point is 00:20:46 It's nightmare-ish. Being fear. Yeah, it's awful. Being around your office. It's like the police department opened a precinct. Yeah. Right next to your house. Wow.
Starting point is 00:20:56 Great. You make fun of people and then you make them high five you after. My favorite thing to do in the office is mock someone and then get them to high five me after I mocked them. The ultimate revelation. It's fantastic. To get someone to high five you after you've just sort of made a silly joke at their expense. Man, that's sweet.
Starting point is 00:21:14 Well, but the point I was going to make is we were sort of cocooned away from your office on the second floor and then recently you opened a new office on the third floor right next to my office. Yeah. My office is like a subway. Subway sandwich chain. You franchise. Just keep opening them.
Starting point is 00:21:32 No, I opened an office upstairs because when I was about to go on tour, I wanted a really tiny office with no distractions where no one could find me where I could really lock in and work out my set for the tour. And then it stuck with me. So now I, and I call it, I station zebra, it's an obscure reference. I'm sure Matt Gorley knows what I'm talking about, but it was Howard Hughes' favorite movie that he watched repeatedly later in life when he was saving his urine. With the shades drawn.
Starting point is 00:21:57 With the shades drawn and being attended to by Mormon acolytes, but that's neither here nor there. It kind of is here. I call it, I station zebra and that's where I, that's where I, that's my getaway that is. And so I go there. Now, do you hear me in there? And it's just, what do you hear?
Starting point is 00:22:16 Oh, your next door. So your next door to my office, what do you hear? Well, I mean, I only hear when you're having meetings in there. I hear people, I hear people laughing. I hear, I hear a sound of laughter means Conan's around. Is that what you're saying? I hear a fist making contact with flesh. I do hear that.
Starting point is 00:22:33 I do not. I'm hitting my fist into the palm of my hand to make a point. I'm very declarative. Um, yeah, I'm silent. I hear you yelling, um, out of the office for people to bring you things in the office. Doritos from two Doritos from two, I'm stranded on three. What do you mean that you hear me yelling and demanding things be brought to me? I might ask for my lunch, but I think I do it in a polite way.
Starting point is 00:23:00 Um, I mean, I don't know. If yelling can be polite. I grew up in a large, uh, family, one of six, this old excuse and, uh, one had to annunciate to be heard. Oh. And, uh, so sometimes I just shout out the door. Would you like me to alter that behavior, Jesse? Well, it's funny.
Starting point is 00:23:22 I mean, it's, it's honestly, I, I, it's never really been directed at me, so I'm fine with it. Oh. I love you having an office on the third floor. Yeah. You, now you're happy. I love it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:23:35 You're like, oh, I'm going to go to the floor, third floor and I'm like, oh, okay. And then I, and then what do you do? What do you do? Son, what do you do? I am at the point now where I watch full feature length films at my dad. Have you ever, have you ever put me on hold so you could keep watching a scene? No. Seriously?
Starting point is 00:23:53 Are you on hold? Yeah. No. So you could continue watching. I just want to see the end of this great scene. No. But if you, if you, if you're like, Hey, if it's before the show and you're like, Hey, can you bring down this thing to my dressing room?
Starting point is 00:24:04 I will sometimes finish watching whatever I was watching and then take it down to you. There's no sense of urgency. Of course. But I, I'm, and I could say, no, that would be a lot. Remember the time, the time you worked in the hospital and all those people died? Yeah. Cause that's the same thing. That's the same thing as you getting your phone.
Starting point is 00:24:23 I think it is. I think it is. You think it's the same? I think that, uh, when I need a split pack, which is a little snack pack that has, Oh my God. I wanted to say it. I'm so glad you did. I'm so glad you did.
Starting point is 00:24:36 Almond butter and jelly. Wow. It's, it is a kin. It is a kin to someone who's on dialysis needing a fresh treatment before they, I think it's exactly the same thing. Are those the little things you're always sucking on? Yeah. Well, let's be clear.
Starting point is 00:24:49 Uh, those are little energy boosts. Yeah. Those things, those little things are always sucking on. It's like a, uh, it's a peanut butter and jelly, but it's, uh, but it's, uh, it's it's, but it's got almond butter instead of peanut butter. Like the thing you give to kids that has yogurt in it, it does. It's just like that. It's like a snack.
Starting point is 00:25:04 I have those around. They keep my energy up, uh, but you don't mention those on the show. No, I don't want to be very inexpensive. As you know what, and you know what, you can finish the sentence for me. Remember what Gene Simmons told us from kiss? No free rides. No free rides. We once asked him to mention one of the, this is the kind of stuff we can talk about on
Starting point is 00:25:22 the show. We asked Gene Simmons once and since when he was there, we asked him to, to, to, to do a sketch. And all he had to do was mention one other. It was Richard Simmons. Yeah. He just had to, he had to mention another celebrity in it and he, he wouldn't refuse to do it.
Starting point is 00:25:38 And we said, why? And he said, no free rides. Like, I don't mention other people because that would be a free ride of my thing. Well, no, Gene Simmons refused, refused to mention another celebrity. I kind of pressed him on it. I'm, I played dumb. I'm like, I'm sorry. No free rides, Mr. Simmons.
Starting point is 00:25:57 And he goes, no free rides. These other people are welcome to mention me as many times as they'd like, but why should I mention them and give them free publicity? Yes. It was absolutely amazing. It was as if, if a famous person punched him in the face and ran away and he told the police and they said, who did it? He would agree.
Starting point is 00:26:16 Like, I can't tell you why not. No free rides. But wait, we'll arrest him and then you can be settled and you'll be paid for the hospital bills. I can't help you. No free rides. If I mentioned Willem Dafoe, you know, it would give him free publicity. So in this scenario, Willem Dafoe punched Gene Simmons.
Starting point is 00:26:34 If I'd done it myself, I would have done it. I'm on Willem Dafoe's side. Guys, let me tell you something. This is the kind of stuff that people want to hear about. They want to hear this backstage intrigue. They occasionally want to hear about a celebrity who really can't come after us. I mean, Gene Simmons can't come after us. He lives in town.
Starting point is 00:26:52 He lives in town. I play racquetball with him twice a week and I often I need a way to get there and he says no free rides. Yeah. Sorry, that was pretty good. That was pretty fun. You did. You thought that was pretty good.
Starting point is 00:27:06 It was all worth the walk. Yeah. To get to that. That was great. Tell me some of the things you were thinking about discussing on this podcast of yours. We, I mean, well, we have a segment already called Off Goss where people dish on the steamiest office gossip. You know, is this, you know, people who have maybe romantically hooked up without names,
Starting point is 00:27:24 obviously, we want to get separate to that. Yeah. Oh, that's not that. Okay. No, but that's that's definitely fair game. But also who's dishing on who have there been hookups? No one tells me that stuff. Oh, they're definitely been hookups on our show.
Starting point is 00:27:38 Yeah. Of course. There've been babies. Well, I know people have been married and stuff like that, but I mean, I don't know. I try not to know about that stuff. I don't want to know. But you do kind of want to know, right? Uh, I guess, but I need a podcast to, if they're, if they're, if they're sexy, do you want
Starting point is 00:27:56 to know? What do you mean? If the two parties involved are sexy. Oh, attractive. Yeah. Does that make it more interesting? Um, no, I think people being together is just inherently beautiful. Oh my God.
Starting point is 00:28:10 I'm now, I'm, I'm just thinking the way a lawyer would welcome to my side, Conan. Thank you for all this. Well, there wasn't a lot of advice on hosting a podcast, but there was, um, my main thing is how I don't think I told you anything of use. No. Are there perks? Like does your wolf have a beach house that we can use or private jet? Is there a podcast union that we get to join?
Starting point is 00:28:37 Right. I have seen a little, I'm going to be honest with you. I've seen little upside to the podcast business. Uh, it's enjoyable. It's really enjoyable. I love doing it. And, and it is a very intimate medium. I mean, I've had people come up to me and say, oh, I binged listened to a bunch in a
Starting point is 00:28:56 row and they, they, I think it is a way to get to people, uh, that's quite different from the TV world that we've been mining for, you know, 25 years. I know you haven't been with me that long, Jesse, but, but Mike, you've been with me for most of it. And it is a very different thing. And I actually kind of find that to be very cool that, uh, things resonate at a different, at a different, uh, decibel and I kind of like it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:29:25 It is more intimate. I think. Yes. I mean, I, I'm actually eager to learn about how some of the departments on our show work because I don't think I ever was fully trained. I've been here five years and I don't think I ever went around and met everybody on the show. There are still people.
Starting point is 00:29:40 I've not met everybody on the show. Maybe I just, at a certain point when you do it so long, people come, people go and there are, every now and then I'll see someone and go, hi, it's nice to see you. And they'll say, I've been here nine years, you son of a bitch. I have met everyone, I've met everyone. I'm going to say no rush guys, just pace yourself doing the nice job. Uh, I think it's, I think this is going to go very well. I think you guys are going to make hundreds of dollars looking forward to it.
Starting point is 00:30:11 They told us it was a, a brand new medium and we're getting in on the ground floor. Yeah. 10 years late. Uh, and one last reminder, please subscribe to our podcast inside Conan, an important Hollywood podcast. It's out now. Our first episode is out now. You can go there immediately.
Starting point is 00:30:28 It's been out since Friday, but don't, don't kick yourself for waiting this long mom. Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Sonamov Sessian and Conan O'Brien as himself, produced by me, Matt Gorely, executive produced by Adam Sax and Jeff Ross at Team Coco and Colin Anderson and Chris Bannon at Earwolf. Special thanks to Jack White and the White Stripes for the theme song. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. You can rate and review this show on Apple podcasts and you might find your review featured on a future episode.
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