Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner

Episode Date: December 18, 2023

Albert Brooks feels confused about being Conan O’Brien’s friend; Rob Reiner feels almost honored to be Conan O’Brien’s friend. Albert Brooks and Rob Reiner sit down with Conan to discuss their new documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, legendary bits from The Tonight Show lost to time, the fleeting nature of fame and legacy, and much more. For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com.Got a question for Conan? Call our voicemail: [phone].

Hi, my name is Albert Brooks. And I feel confused's ever changed. No, so I'm confused about being Conan O'Brien's friend. Oh my God. We bought the rights from that Disjuck. Hi, I'm Rob Reiner, and I feel... ...al almost honored. Yes, being a coronal prcience friend.

That's so close to being a real, just a real statement from both of you. and the shoes walking loose, climb the fence, books and pens, I can tell where we are going to meet friends, I can tell where we are going to meet friends. Hey there, welcome to Conan O'Brien, needs a friend, joined by my two friends, I consider you friends. Oh, that's nice. No, I took a while. Five years. Yes.

Fifteen. Is that how long have you been with me? friends. Oh, that's nice. No, I took a while. Five years. Yes. 15. Is that how, how long have you been with me? You know, I actually just message you recently, because I found, 15 years ago on December 3rd, I found out I got my job, because it's my best friend, Christina's birthday. And I emailed you. She emailed me. It was very sweet. And she said that was 15 years ago that she met, she was gonna be my brand new assistant cause I was moving out to Los Angeles to host a tonight show for 40 years.

The plan went off without a hitch. But we had the interview and then I, you were told that you were hired and then we met at a coffee shop on San Vicente in Brentwood. I remembered in the meeting that for some reason you were sitting on a couch that I think was a very low couch and had a soft cushion.

So people were asking me who to end up hiring. And I said, oh, it's this woman's sona, she seems really bright and she's highly recommended. And so I hired her and they're like, well, what's she like? I said, she's got dark hair, she's really short. Cause I just remember thinking you were really short cause you sunk into the couch.

So then I meet you at this coffee shop and you are tall. Yeah. Pretty tall. I mean, but with your hair was up. You had your hair bun up. So made you over eight feet high. And, but you came in and I remembered it. Sonah had a notebook and she was writing everything I said down very seriously.

And we had a professional exchange for the last time. It was so hilarious. And I will say I did more to corrupt things immediately than anyone. You did all of it. I did all my Conan stick. And very quickly you said, I'm not going to listen to anything. This guy says nothing serious. He's a fool.

But I always go back to that first time, Sonowoxin, taller than I had remembered. That's the first thing that struck me, notebook writing everything down. And then on a own initiative, because I was moving my whole family out from New York. She made a book for me, like a professional book that she had bound that said, here's what helpful things to know about

LA and it included when it first rains in LA there's a lot of sediment because it doesn't rain regularly so drive more carefully. The secret menu for an out. No, seriously, no, no, seriously, it was filled and it was a book that you could have published that you just made on your own. And I remember thinking this person is fantastic. And then I immediately corrupted you. And it reminds me of on the Simpsons, I didn't write this joke, but someone wrote this joke where you know, Barney's really smart and he's studying hard for the, you know, L.S.A.T. or something. He's just, and then Homer convinces him to have a drink of beer and he has it and he immediately turns into Barney and he's like, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, and you see, I'm Barney.

I, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, okay. I infected you with the Conan stupidity. Yeah. And then that was all gone. And then it went from, hey, Sona, you know, when is my car gonna be out of my, out of the shop? Boohoo.

Cone doesn't have his car. Fancy talk show host won't have a way to. Boo. No, Sona, I know. I'm just curious when it's gonna be out. So I know that I don't have to take a Uber. Hey, you're gonna get you, boo, boo. Boo. Well, yeah, I think you're giving me too much credit.

I think your kids actually said the most accurate thing, which is you melted half my brain. I said something about Sona and they went, you melted half her brain. And these are little kids. And I said, well, what about the first half? And they went, that was already melted. I'm like, I think that is the best description of my relationship with Sona. Now, Goryly came to me more fully formed as a human being. And I've tried to damage you, but you seem more resistant.

Oh, I'm pre-damaged. You're pre-damaged. Yeah, I think I do. But you seem like you have it together. Oh, no, no. Falling apart. Okay. Yeah. Well, you make falling apart look pretty good. Oh, you can clean up real nice. Yeah. It is, it is funny how these little memories come along and you time travel back to. Oh, right. I was an adult who was a TV host who was meeting an assistant and we were a professional.

Yeah. Seconds before it all went to Kuku Ta. You got in just in time. I want someone to do a deep dive of people before they met you and after they met you and how much you ruined. Well, you know it's been amazing, it's my wife. My wife is just so, it lies it is so adept at parrying my madness and, you know, handling it.

And you know that thing I do where I'm just saying crazy things and Sonom will say, would you say that for? And I'll say, don't let him bother you. I talk about myself the third person. And I manage to get people around me going, what do you mean him? And I go, he's just, it'll be who? And I'll be like Conan. Conan's just in one of those, it's just Conan doing his Conan thing.

And they're like, no, Yerke, it's so great because I do that around lies and she's like, uh-huh. Okay. So anyway, completely unfaithful. She is not having it. You make all of us unhierable. Yes. I think you do it on purpose. You can't, I don't, Blake can't work anywhere else.

No. No. I've been ruined. Yeah. Yeah. No, no, it's true. No, it's true. No, Eduardo, Eduardo, uh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's my legacy. I think you came in the other day and just

Immediately attacked me for something I never was flipped off anyone more time No, I'll see it. I'll see it. We're gonna like walking down the street. No, Lermy. When I go like I know he flips me off Like wow that guy Don't talk to me in public. I What's it like to work for someone you're scared of? I would never know that. I know. I learned that too. No one has, anyone who knows me is immediately unafraid

to just tell me exactly what they think of me. But I think it's not that, I don't want to speak for you too, but it's not that you feel powerful. It's more a defense mechanism of like, you have to put up your walls with this guy. You have to defend yourself. This guy, by the way, is out of control. This guy is. This guy Conan.

And I've noticed it too with him. I think he's, I think he's, I think he's insanely talented. This is mad. No, no, he's insane. Look, I'm saying this as I've watched him for a while. He's crazy off the charts. Wrap it up dick face. I'm probably means cone.

But you know what? To match credit. That's how you have to deal with cone. Because he's he is what he's what he's a once in a hundred year talent. But then he gets off the rails and this is how he has to be dealt with. So I'm well, you guys are doing is perfect. I don't say you are a once in a hundred years something. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like,

I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like,

I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like, I'm sorry, I was just like. I am thrilled, absolutely thrilled. This is a very special podcast today.

Seriously. It really is. My guests today have been friends for almost 60 years. One is the filmmaker behind such classics as When Harry Met Sally and this is Spinal Tap. The other is a comedy legend who starred in films like Modern Love and Broadcast News. Now they have a new documentary streaming on Max.

And it is, it's a must. You must watch this. I have watched it, I think, now three times. I love it. It's titled Albert Brooks Defending My Life. I am honored. That word doesn't even do it justice. I'm beside myself that they are here today. [♪ Music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, music playing in background, Rob Reiner, Albert Brooks, welcome. There's no way around this.

I'll get out of the way. I've done, how many of these have I done? Adam, 520? How many? It's a big day for me. I'm totally in love with both of you guys and your incredible body of work. So the fact that you're here talking to me is a huge deal. That's pretty much all the time we have. We should wrap it up there because there's these are two men that don't want to be

complemented, especially especially Albert. I have a hard time with it. That's Barry Sanders. I want to become. You want to. You're incredible Albert. What can I say? You know, I think the same Albert. Yeah. I have to say, there's a lot to talk about here. I wanted to start because it just happened. We just lost Norman Lear. I know you guys both knew this man very well. And for you, Rob used like a second dad. He was. Yeah.

I mean, I'm very lucky that I had two role models in my life that I could look up to and I learned from. I mean, I met Norman, I was a little kid. And he, you know, he tells a story, I don't remember it, but he tells me that I was playing with his daughter who was eight years old, we were both eight, and we were playing jacks.

And I was teaching her how to play giving of the rules to jacks. And apparently I was doing it in a funny way. I didn't know. And he told my father, he said, you know, your kid is really funny. And my dad said, really, that's sullen child of mine.

He can't be that funny. So Norman was the first guy to record. Can I say how times have changed? Because that's how long ago it was that the thing was, your kid is so funny playing jacks. Today, nothing said about a kid with a little girl is ever good. ago it was that the thing was your kid is so funny playing jacks today nothing said about a kid with a little girl is ever good. But wait a minute.

Wait a minute. You caught your dad. It's a very creepy con. Yeah, it's Albert. We were both eight. It wasn't like 24 and she was eight. You were advanced for your aim. And your line for much of your adult life. Yes.

Do you want to play? Yeah. As my own. You used to say you're old enough to be canceled. Well, first of all, Norman was was he 101 100 and absolutely unbelievable. And of course, your father Carl lived 98, 98. Yeah. And I was at some event. And this is maybe two years ago. And Norman was talking and he talked about this longevity thing with

comedians. And he said, I swear to God, people always ask us, it's something about laughing all the time. He said him, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, Henry Kissinger. Yeah. He Yeah, he was very funny. He was very funny. He was very funny. He laughed every day. I saw him once at the improv. And how did he do? He did that same Vietnam bit. Did he get any laughs?

I told him the Pueblo was real. They didn't believe that. No, but then he did audience work. Yes, I was going to say his crowd work was spectacular. Where you from? Where you from? You called out the sweater. You have papers?

So the point is, if you laugh every day, you live a very long time. Well, no, no, no, no, me. I know. And also, you have to think of people we know contemporaries, and no longer with us at laughter. I don't think it's any of that. I think it's lucky.

Yeah. Okay. Well, I tried to say a sweet positive thing. And Albert told me out of the knees. Albert put a damper on it. Yeah. Yeah. I don't feel good now. I absolutely loved the documentary.

Albert Brooks defending my life and thought it was beautifully done. And what was great was this has been long overdue because your body of work, Albert, is insanely rich and ingenious and inspiring for generations of comedians, but it took a friend because you guys knew each other. You met in high school. Right. You met in high school. Yes, and I, you know, we've known each other for 60 years.

And I always wanted to do this when you remember the film, my dinner with Andre when it came out. At that point, I said to Albert, come on, we'll go to a Waddelli, we'll sit down, it'll be my lunch with Albert and we'll do it. And he never wanted to do it at that point. And then at a certain point, I don't know what made you change your mind, but we decided to do it. And that became the centerpiece of the, of the documentary,

the two of us just sitting in a restaurant and talking. Someone came to me before Rob with the idea of doing a documentary and it didn't work out, but then the idea was like, the idea to do it is good. So then I was having dinner with Rob and you know, well, do you ever wanna do my lunch with Albert? And I said, well, what if we combine this? We do that and then we also broaden it out and

do clips and talk to people. Well, the absolute rocket fuel are the the bits. And because the comedic bits that you were doing, they were not, they're evergreen. They're really every single sketch bit that you've done, whether it's on the tonight show or the flip Wilson show or the Johnny Cash show or I mean there are people who had shows. I can't believe who had a show. Everybody had a show. And nobody called an O'Brien. Even called an O'Brien. Yeah, unbelievable.

Everybody, everybody, everybody. But I said it in the documentary that it was like he broke the sound barrier. It was like Chuck Yeager. Yes. And they found a new way of presenting comedy. And Albert was, well, that's been misinterpreted what I was saying is Albert's as funny as Chuck Yeager. And then people took it this other way. Yeah. And who was funnier? Kissinger or Chuck Yeager? I would say Yeager. It's not the fair thing. I would say yeah, it's not the fair thing But you did a kind of there was a kind of comedy I made up a joke the other day. Yeah, Neil Armstrong was at a party and told of these people a joke and no one laughed He told a joke about the moon and no one laughed and he said well, I guess you had to be there

I was with you. I love this moment. First time I met Albert was at this event and I had never met him before. And I was, and this, I'll back up just a second because I was so relieved. You said something in the documentary, Rob, that resonated with me, which is, I think I've met everybody just about everybody. And I'm never intimidated. I was intimidated to meet Albert. I was worried about it.

I thought we're probably going to bump into each other at some point. And I felt a little queasy about it. And then you say in the documentary that you always were intimidated by Albert. Well, it's not just intimidated. You just, where is this coming from? This mind, you never, I've never met anybody that a mind that works that way. And other comics, you know, establish comics at Larry David

in the documentary says the same thing that he was, you know, so happy when Albert gave him an approval to a joke, he said, you know, so happy when Albert gave him approval to a joke he said or something like that. You have to understand. I mean, I, in the circles I was with, I don't care who they were. It was Robin Williams' Billy Johnson. I don't care who were in the, when we got together and people started fritting, when Albert started, when Albert went, it was like, you know, challenge dance when everybody's challenging. When Albert started, everybody backed off.

Everybody backed off because they knew that, you know, here comes the guy. Here's Babe Ruth stepping into the cage. And I always thought it was a cool thing. And then when I got married, my wife said it's because you're never shower. Do you think that's why they backed off? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I remember. You had good personal.

It was so funny because Albert was the first time I met you. You won't remember this, but someone's house was standing by a pool. You told me a story that was really funny and I laughed. Legitimally laughed. It was a very funny story. You had some friend with you who I didn't know. The friend just kind of struck and said, well, I guess he had to be there. And you turned on your friend and went, no, no, he laughed. Apparently, you didn't have to be there. And I was, I was in the moment watching,

you know, I remember I said, don't you understand that expression? That's when nobody laughs. If somebody laughs, you don't have to be anywhere. You don't have to be anywhere. Stupid man. I don't know who it was, but for ever in my mind, I cherish that vote. Albert, we talked about this in the documentary. Albert would go on national television, live television without ever trying out the bit he was going to do. That to me is, talk about, without ever trying out the bit he was going to do.

That to me is talking about working without a net. I mean, this is in the case in that funnichello, which was what would make anybody good. But no, but no, but that's bordering on you had to be there. We had to know that reference. No, no, but he would do this and we shared a house together and I don't remember it exactly, but he did the first time, he did the mind piece. I don't think it worked. Did it work the first time you did it?

Well, the very first time I don't think it worked. It was the Steve Allen show. Yeah, it worked. So nobody knew anybody. The point is he came out, he was doing a mime and he came out in the white face in the Lea Tarts and he never stopped talking. It's so funny. And so it's brilliant piece and it didn't play the way it should have.

And then time goes by and I think you were called to do the tonight show or something. And I said, Albert, what are you going to do on the show tonight? And I said, I'm going to do the tonight show or something. And I said, Albert, what are you going to do on the show? And I said, I'm going to do the mind piece. And I said, yeah, but it didn't get it didn't do well. He says, yeah, but it's funny. I said, I know it's funny, but it didn't get the kind of he says, yeah, but it's funny. And that's the thing that I learned about Albert, which is it is funny. You just the audience has to catch up to it. They just have to know it. And Johnny Carson was hosting. And he came out and the same kind of thing where they were a little bit hesitant. They didn't know. Johnny went. And I was there. Johnny literally fell off his chair. And the audience said, I see. Yes. I get what this is a lot of times in my experience,

if, if the audience is looking at the host and they want permission and that they need permission and then they know everything's okay. And so that bit come out and you're talking and you're describing, I am now walking against the wind, I'm doing it. But then you just, it just goes into stand up comedy as a mime about my wife. And, you know, she said she lost 30 pounds, I said look behind you, you'll find it. And you're in total mind makeup and you're doing it. And the thing is that I think when I talked on the doc about breaking the sound barrier, to me it's about the level of commitment. And it's why I think it was no surprise that you turned out to be of such an excellent actor. When you're doing these pieces, I think there was a time and show business

where you needed to let everybody know, I'm in show business, these are jokes, let's have a good time nudge nudge, wink wink. And what you were doing was this like, deniro like commitment that you made it okay for everybody to sort of work. I mean, you know, with respect to people, the audience is the last to know anything.

I never understood the idea of doing it for an audience because the audience doesn't know anything until they see it. So if you do anything they haven't seen before, you don't get immediately rewarded. Like when you're previewing a movie with cards, the movies that get 100, are the movies they've seen every other weekend. Right, they're familiar. They're not familiar. Yeah. Unfamiliar doesn't get a good grade,

but what do you do? You just never do it. Yeah, I mean, it's the same. It's the same if we go into a restaurant and it's a fine restaurant and we're served a dish, we don't know anything about this. We take the word of the person who owns the restaurant and we taste something we've never tasted.

And if the world didn't have that possibility, and by the way, I think show businesses, that's the holy grail, is no risk. And I think as algorithms get mature and as more executives get parking spots, the risk is less and less because it's a business. Why do you want to take a risk? I mean, I learned from Albert, you know,

when I saw how committed he was to doing that bit, even though when we first screened spinal tap, which, you know, Albert had done real life before that. But this was the first kind of about rock and roll. And there was a mock documentary. And, and we previewed it in Dallas. And people came up to me afterwards. And they said, I don't understand. Why would you make a movie about a band that nobody's ever heard of? And one that's so bad. And so it's like, yeah, they didn't know what we were doing. It took them a while to figure out that this were making fun of this, you know. And I learned from Albert, you got to stick to your guns and hopefully the audience will catch up.

They'll like the dish that they that they were served. I think what I learned in the doc was that, I talk about, I mean, I think there was a Barbara Mandrel show. If you had one hit single, they suddenly gave you a variety show, and it feels like you did it. But it probably wasn't that. You, I mean,

That was the circuit. That was the circuit, and so what you did is you did all of these shows and the bits are fantastic, and you're, you know, bit after bit after bit, you're an elephant tamer that comes out but you announce to the crowd, I'm an elephant tamer, I have all these tricks into the elephant,

the elephant got sick. Just, I'm gonna use a frog, but just, it's the same trick. And it's such a beautiful, I mean, you're laughing at hearing the idea, but then the execution is absolutely fantastic. You're doing these bits on these shows long before you get to Johnny.

And I think one of the keys in show business that's harder to find these days is there were places to work things out. You were doing it on television, but before you got to the Holy Grail, which was Carson. If you do Johnny Carson, as you say in the doc, the next day, anywhere you went,

you talk about going to the dry clean or the next day, hey, great bit. Everybody had seen it and. Right. But I was fortunate because I didn't get to that show with that. I got to the show in his mind is established. Yeah. Exactly.

So there wasn't, and I didn't even want to do that. I begged my agent to get on to Dick Cavitt because he was the thing. He was the John Lennon was on there. Yeah. And they didn't want me. So I went to Johnny Carson by default. And what a great default it was because nobody watched the Cavitt, you know, I mean, a couple of college kids, but Johnny Carson was like a pathway to another universe.

No, it's the equivalent of being today the closest thing you can think of. Johnny Carson on a Tuesday night, today the only thing that comes close is maybe the Super Bowl. That's how many people are tuning in. You got maybe half the country watching because he had them a night. Well, it was the Super Bowl for people you knew

because I did Ed Sullivan and that, you know, on paper, they said that was 50 million people, but it wasn't people I saw on Los Angeles. Now, if you go to St. Louis, that's where, oh, yeah, it's all of them. They do watch, but it wasn't the group, it wasn't the market I went to, or the dry cleaner, or my day. But the carcin' show, everywhere you went, the gas station. Hey, is that you, Johnny, you know, that's, that's what that got. At least where you live. You just didn't go to places where Ed Sullivan. Well, I couldn't travel. I have a travel. I always, I, I, I, I,

I've always had an adage. If you have to travel more than 2,000 miles to get a compliment, don't you? I like the gurs is two thousand minus four thousand I have a wider circle because I'm I'm a hungrier good I'm a hungrier though I went to a war who once after that Hawaiian bit I did just to walk around but Did you get people saying not saying not one. Not one. 23 and that's a show that everybody in the country starts watching. I mean, it was, I remember in our family, everybody, that's what you did. Yeah. You watched all in the family. Yeah. And by the way, we were a country of 200 million people at that time and we had 40, 45 million people watching every week and they couldn't Tivo or DVR. You had to be there.

You had to watch it when it was on. So you had a shared experience by 40, 50 million people watching this every week. And that's what a big successful sitcom was. You had to get those, you know, those are extraordinary numbers. But if you didn't get 30 million, you didn't stay on. Well, it's hilarious now to look at the rating. It kept eroding. It kept eroding over time. Nobody's serious. It's kept eroding over time. But I sit back.

I have a drink and laugh at 1.1. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, you're certainly like if you get a million people to watch. Yeah, that's monster hit is five to 10 million people. And they're not all watching at the same time. No, that's where that, yeah. Neilson had to come up with those things

or they were going to go out of business. Those after things, you know? You can't, we're not gonna pay you to tell us 700,000 people watched, okay, okay? Well, look, seven, and then another 200,000 watched on their watch the next day, all right, all right, and 40,000 saw it and there's two. 40,000 people heard it.

Okay, add that. And 10,000 people told someone else. Not enough. All right, all right. We'll come up with another thing. And you can't talk to anybody about a show that you've seen. That's the first thing. Because they always say, I didn't see that app.

I had boney on season one. Don't tell me. Don't tell me. So you can't ever have a discussion. We haven't talked to everybody. The water cooler is gone. Yeah. But I remember how much of my life my childhood was Seeing you know you on all the family and how that was a cultural event You being on Johnny or your films on SNL you talked about it

You know what happened on you would happen and then you'd you'd you talked about it, you know, it would happen on a, you would happen and then you'd, you'd all talk about it. My friends who were into comedy and I would talk about it and Brooklyn and math. Well, think about, think about this. Talk about appointment television, Saturday night live when it first came on, you, that's a Saturday night. That, and you, you had to watch it when it was on,

and it was, you know, it was on 11 30 and 11 30 and on the West Coast. Kids, young people, you know, it was on 11.30 and 11.30 and on the West Coast, kids, young people, in parties with stop whatever they were doing and watch Saturday night. And that, you know, also, we have to bring this up because it's in the dock and it's something I did not know which is that you were approached by Lauren at in Dick

Aboriginal. Dick Aboriginal, wonderful, wonderful man. Yeah, you have a great love for him, don't you? You know, I know his knowledge of comedy is stunning. Yeah. Anyway, what a, he's on the Rushmore. He's on the Rushmore. But anyway, those guys approached you

about building SNL around you. you said, and you said, I think that's a mistake. Well, I hear it's a thing. I, you know, it's 50 years ago and I'm maybe Lauren has another memory of it, but it wasn't that complicated. In the fall of 74, I went to a meeting and they said, because that was Johnny Carson's rerun night and they said,

we're going to stop doing that. We're going to put an original show. We want to do it live from New York and we'd like it to be Albert Brook show. You would be the host. Now, I had flirted with television twice before and thank God, the way with the the life works I didn't do it. One about two and a half years earlier I got offered my own summer show on CBS, six shows and I mean it's going to be the Albert Brook show. What what what what kind of show will it be? I was you know really starting to think there were offices We got offices and then I was asked to Carol Burnett who was the big CBS star was honored and I was asked to perform at the event and I didn't have a lot of stuff

I had bits that I did from the road, one of which was on my album, Comedy Minus One, not to be confused with Godzilla minus one. Somebody said, is that where you play part of a monster? I don't have any. So I performed that, and I did this bit that I did on my record, where if you're a comedian and you're performing in the South and you're bombing, then you have that fail safe, you dig deep and you come out and you pronounce it clearly and you somehow get out the word shit. And that turns everything around.

They laugh for 20 minutes. I said people run out, they build a statue in the park. You know. And so basically it was shit saved my life. So the next day I get a call and William Paley called my agency and said, this foul mouth young man will not appear on my network. So I didn't do that. So and then earlier on, I was going to do a sitcom that I backed out of in a meeting

where that was already a go. Aaron Spelling was producing it. It was a whole season approved. And Michael Eisner, the last question said, well, let me ask Albert, though, what do you see for this character in five years? And I said suicide. And I stood up and I said, I'm not ready. This is not going to work.

And I left and the agents follow me into the elevator. And one of them said, you should wait. You should wait. And the other said, I don't think it's a good, he should do it. And so after those two, I was done with television. I wanted to make movies. So, A, I wasn't gonna do the Albert Brook show,

but I also thought that they were talking to somebody from Los Angeles. And when they said we're doing a live show at 1130 in New York, to me, live meant nothing. It was no live. I didn't see anything that I wasn't supposed to see. If somebody in New York said a swear word, it was mean like shit.

It was cut out long before I saw it. So I had a couple of thoughts. I said, well, wouldn't it make more sense? I mean, the tonight show in essence is live. They never stop. What if you did one at 430 and one at 730 and put the best together to air? But they wanted live.

And obviously it worked. It was a, you know, but I knew that I would be John Belushi, I'd be on eight grams of Coke. I'm not good starting at 11.30. It's why I hated the road. I never got that third show at midnight. It just didn't make sense to me. It was too late, too, too much.

And I said, you know, every show has the same hosts. You should use different hosts each week. So they said, okay, well, thanks for coming in. Then four months went by. They hadn't done anything yet. They came back to me. We want you associated with the show. What do you want to do?

I said, I want to do short films. So I made an agreement to do it. I did them here. And for that, in the spring of 75, Lauren and I did the National Junket. In those days, they would take the Sheridan Universal, and every reporter would have a different room, and they'd set up the room so they could pretend you came to them. So you'd walk into a into a room there be this fake palm tree. Albert Brooks, welcome to Fort Lauderdale.

Thank you. Wow, it's sweaty out there. You know, they loved if you played along. Sure, yeah. And it was the same interview. So you're going to make short films for a new show. I am. What's the show about?

I don't really know. Here's the producer, Ask Lauren. And he didn't know at that moment. What's the show about I don't really know here's the producer ask Lauren and he didn't know at that moment What's the show about well? We're gonna have the new kind of comedy and it's gonna be new in that so then from that point Lauren got his Primetime players and he built this show that has been the longest running show on television so obviously he did it Perfectly, but that's the way it went down. I love the the short film that I remember and I'm most believe that God is in the details. You know, I just love the little things and and devils in the details.

Both in the details. Yeah, I wish it hadn't brought that up. But the the school where they teach you comedy. Well, that was not for Saturday. That wasn't for snl. No, that was the first thing that was for a show called the great American dream machine Yeah, I just remember it was that was I I had written an article for Esquire called Albert Brooks famous school for comedians Which many people took serious many 2000 how many people apply 2000 tests they got really took these tests, but one of my favorite things. We have pictures of fake school. It was like those famous artists school. And then we have to draw this pirate. Yeah. Two page comedy talent. Yes. Well, there's a

shriadan rickles. That woman wearing that mink over there looks like a bear squirrel. Yeah, yeah, Gentile, you know, you had to check the box, you know, well, there's a, it's you walking down the hall and saying there's a different class going on in each room. And then you say in this class, we're going to look at students are learning the spit take. Now you remember when Danny Thomas on his show would do is someone with his agent would give him bad news and he'd spit his coffee out. Well, here they're learning the famous spit tape. Let's see what's going.

You open the door and when I love it, it's a, it's maybe 30 students in a horseshoe shape around and there's a teacher talking. The floor is covered with spit and coffee. And I always, as a kid, I remembered seeing that and howling. Like, I know what's coming. And it was this wonderful thing that many people think, like I know what's coming. Yeah. And it was this wonderful thing that many people think comedy is not knowing what's coming. No, there's a beautiful kind of comedy where you're told. Yeah.

Open the door. Coffee everywhere. Yeah. And then they do it at no, no, Lucille. You troubled. That's not. Yeah, you're not a double spray. Yeah, then there was a class and many times when comedians make it big, they give back to

society. Here in this class, students are choosing which disease to work for. In case they make it big. And what student is going, what about exoma? He says, yeah, I thought it was cute. No, it's not. I'm picking the three diseases left. But anyway, that was, I did that about three years before Saturday night.

I see. But that got my taste for the whole thing. I remember seeing that and loving it and then loving that with the short films and then the movies, you're treated as if you have a sense of humor, you're gonna find out where the comedy is. And I think one of the things that really held true for spinal tap, it was so true to a real documentary

that long before now mock you, a whole channel probably and streaming, this was before that really that happened. And of course, you did it in real life. And it's up to you to decide as an intelligent person where the comedy is. Yeah, I mean, which is a change, which what is a change at the time?

Because it's, look, comedy is still a second class in the world. It's why they say it's the Oscars. You know, should there be a category for comedy acting? Like it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. But somehow, it was like an acting school. If a student could cry, which is only a chemical thing, it has nothing to do with emotions. If you're a person whose tear ducts are such that you keep your eyes open and you can start to produce, you'd get an A. Because people think that that's good acting. And you know, scenes, dramatic scenes, where people yelled, that was good acting. And that's sort of the way the whole world thinks. And dramas considered the serious part of it. And comedies like, and it's the same as what you're saying,

because most comedies would let you know it's a comedy. You know, it's like, you know, either even with the logo. Boree! You know, the zany thing or the kooky music. They had for a song. They wanted to let the audience know The title type they they wanted to release it remember airplane was a you know big big hit comedy and we came in after that And they said well we're gonna do you know

You know instead of the twisted plane. We're gonna have a twisted guitar and that's gonna be smile I said that's good That could have saved it but but we you know you're saying it's very close to the bone. That's what you would do. And it's very close to real. I hired a DP who had done a lot of rock and roll documentaries who had shot them. And as we're shooting it, he says, I don't understand.

What's funny about this? This is what they do. This is the real thing. There's nothing funny here. And I said, yeah, no, but we're twisting it a little bit. You don't, you know. I don't so the, I think you both have done this masterfully, but the awkward silences.

And I brought up to Nero before, but to Nero and Raging Bull, and he's played this character so many times, but someone who notices something and then kind of can't let it go. Yeah, well, Dinar is always like that. I mean, once you say you're talking to me, if nobody answers, you shouldn't keep asking. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, heenerys always like that. I mean, once you say you're talking to me, if nobody answers, you shouldn't keep asking.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, he has answer. Yes. No, no one was talking to you. But he won't tell you no for an answer. No.

But I love that I love that so many times I see and I, it's in all your work, but in defending your life, there's so many times where you just, you can't let things go. You want to know, you want to know more. You're that's Albert. Yeah. And that is you. That is you coming out. That is out. He doesn't let anything go. You know, he still has, I'm not going to do that. No, I don't know what the joke is, but if you think you shouldn't do it, don't. That instinct is usually correct.

But you know, you were talking about the tonight show. I don't know. I never got a straight answer, but there was like four years that I was on that are gone. Yeah. And I never repeated a bit ever. So I think of some of those bits. I did a bit once that was, I loved so much and I was hoping, but it was in those years that were gone.

You know what happened though, right? It's a famous. Well, it's, I heard her two stories, a fire or they taped over. No, no, it's, I mean, a fire would be someone that's taped over. They taped over. What happened was someone here, I mean, here they had that. Which bit was it? I want to tell you, but what happened?

But Albert's directing now. Is this, is this one of those awkward silences? No, no, no, no, it's becoming it. Look, is this, is this, is this one old awkward silence? Is it becoming it? Look, we're letting the tension build, but you commented on it. Okay. Then I got to sign up. Did they tape over? Um, I was going to get to it in my own time, in my own night. But now I feel rushed and rattled and rightly intimidated by Albert Brooks, as I knew I would be. Um, let's go to the synod. They, uh, apparently all the tapes were preserved. They were in a warehouse that was in like New Jersey and a bean counter said, we've

got all these tapes. Uh, well, hey, what's this for here? And they're like, that's storage. Those are all the old tonight shows from 63 to 76. Those are all the tonight shows. Why are the tapes still good? Yeah, the tapes are good. I don't know. Sixty three to 76. I don't know. 76. Those are all the tonight shows. Why are the tapes still good? Yeah, the tapes are good.

Well, erase them. Let's reuse them. So one person, now I talked to Rick Lodwin who worked on Johnny Carson's tonight show and he said it wasn't Rick, but he said I would, I know there was a guy who had to go to Johnny and say all your work from 1960. Like you're in it. You you trading quips with Groucho, you with your idol, Jack Benny, you with all these. It's all gone so that they could put some eye dream of genies on a tape.

And that's a funny reference, Sony. You'll enjoy it later. Look at that later. I'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it.

You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it.

You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it.

You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. You'll think about it. I will tell you that the clips that tended to survive were ones that Johnny if it's like the ed Ames Yeah, or something like that. He would say oh my get me one of those so I can show it to people at the house Now when you say the ad Ames the juror of homo, of course they know what I'm talking I'm talking down to my audience now. I'm above them on a cloud and they're in the mud Oh, if you don't know it aims no, it's a famous Tomahawk throw and it hit the crotch of the dummy. It looked like a penis with an erection and Johnny's dying laughing and I think he calls it Frontier Briss, a huge laugh. You can tell it was an accident and it was the original viral moment. My biggest fear in all of the universe is that I die and there is a heaven and God says to me,

I could see your God. Wait, but why use specifically? Why is, you know, you I don't care. But anyway, I did this one bit that was really great. Remember the Ed Sullivan plates were you just spin that you had to get all the plates at one time spinning. So I brought out five people and I said to the audience I'm gonna tell something that's never been done. I'm gonna start and I'm gonna make this gentleman laugh and I'm gonna go

down and if it happens correctly at the end all five will be laughing together. And so I started and it was music. But he was talking to there. And if it happens correctly, at the end, all five will be laughing together. And so I started and there was music. But he was talking to there. You didn't hear what I said. I would talk to them. And it was only a specific joke for them. And then the first guy would go, and I'd go to the next guy and then the first guy would start to go, Oh, and I'd run back and say, what do you want to go over again?

It's a great bit. We couldn't find it. It didn't look like a day to race. The other thing we couldn't find is my father went on the tonight show and actually said that Albert Brooks is the funniest. He said Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein at the time. His real name was Albert West. Albert West was the funniest person he knew.

Johnny said, who do you like these days? When I was 16. When you were 16 years old, you get name checked by Johnny on the tonight show. We couldn't find that clip either. What a thrill. This I have to bring up, which is the similarities. You're good friends. You've been good friends since high school. And there are some similarities, both your fathers in the business. You lost your father at an early age. You know, it's a, it's a very sad story. He died performing at a Fryer's Club,

roast on stage, Parker Carcass, and you, that was a loss that clearly had a huge effect on you. Yeah, obviously. Yeah. He said something in the documentary that I didn't know, and when I heard it, I couldn't believe it. He said that when he was a kid, he used to go to sleep with the radio on and his mother would come in while he was sleeping and turn it off at night.

And one morning he woke up and the radio was still on. It was like three in the morning. Three in the morning he woke up and he said he knew at that point that his father had done. Because your father had been sickly. Yeah, he was sick. But he was sick my whole life. You know, he was healthier from my brothers, but by the time I was born, it was not good,

and he had trouble walking. So, for my life, he was ill, always ill. So, I was always worried about it. So, it wasn't like a premonition. I thought this was happening every day. I had heard about it, and then you and I got to have a dinner once and you told me the story and it's absolutely unbelievable.

He was on the Friars Club deis and it's 1958 and he destroys. I mean, absolutely destroys and he's the hit of the night. You can listen to it. Yeah, you can listen to it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then he goes back and he sits down at his seat and passes away. And it's weird because it's the thing that comedians talk about sometimes, almost in a wistful way, like I'd love to kill in front of a crowd and then just quickly go. And what I'm always amazed at is that he finished, you know,

it could happen on the way up to the mic. It could happen during, but he finished. So that's the coolest part. And then they tried to save the insane part that you said that your father they're working on him backstage Milton Burl says to a singer at the time. Martin go up there and say one hit in America and he says sing sing. And Milton Burl didn't know what the song was. He says go sing your hit. Go sing your hit. Tony Martin stands up and he sang and his hit was called There's No Tomorrow.

Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. There's no tomorrow. Well, they're working on your dad. Yeah. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

And now your father, of course, lived a wonderful, I think 170 years. Yeah. And I got to know him. He was such a beautiful man, such a lovely man. So encouraging and absolutely lovely. The first time he came on my late night show, he came out and he said, this is my first time on the show so I'm gonna mark my territory. So he walked around the back of the show, miming, peeing it,

but I don't think my crowd knew what marked your territory. And he sat down and it had gotten nothing. And he went, well, that completely didn't work. And that was my favorite part. My favorite part was him just saying that come, you know, because any bit where you have to get up, leave the. There's the perfect example. Yeah. Was Carl walking around mocking peeing great or the fact that your audience didn't like it was it shitty. Yeah. I'd say it was great. Last night I was at CBS where we shot all the family and all this stuff and they had a special for Dick Van Dyke, who was 98, and I opened the thing and introduced it and talked about how the first pilot of the Van Dyke show was my dad did it. He started and it was called Head of the Family, and it didn't sell. And Sheldon Leonard, who was producing the

show, said, the script is great. We just need to find a better you. That's where he entered Dick Van Dyke. And I tell that story. I told that story at the beginning. You know, it's funny. I've seen the footage of the original Dick Van Dyke show, which didn't have Dick Van Dyke. I've seen the footage of your dad in that role and it looks insane. Yeah. Because it's like if someone showed you Casablanca, but instead of Humphrey Bogart, you know, and win. Yeah, exactly. That's not like a synatra song he never recorded. We just need to find a better you. Yes. A better you. So he was, was he encouraged, he was encouraging of you being in comedy? Was he worried for you? He didn't say anything.

He never said yes or no. And so I never knew. I mean, I didn't know. It wasn't until I was like 19 and I directed a production of no exit of all things. You know, John Paul Sart, Richard Dreyfus was in it and that was the first time I ever got anything from my dad where he came back stage And he said that was good no bullshit and he looked me in the eye and said that so the only time He ever gave me any kind of encouragement and I went to visit him at the how had his house then the next day

And he said, I'm not worried about you. You're gonna be okay. Whatever you want to do But that was that was a wordy 19. I saw something I mentioned this two once, and I feel like I feel, because I can't find it, but somewhere I saw footage, because briefly, you were part of a doubles act, you were partnered with Joey Bishop's son.

Yeah, Larry Bishop. Larry Bishop, and someone with like a super-rate camera, right after you've done a show, maybe it's 1968, 69, takes you out onto a fire escape and interviews both of you. And they're talking to both of you about you having famous dads. I saw this thing and I thought, well, surely you've seen this. And you said you've never seen it.

I've never seen it. And Larry and I opened it, the hungry eye for Carmen McCray. And we were into all those like ups the ones, you know the rooster tailed Detroit Mr Kelly's in Chicago with Paul's mall the bitter end we were booked into everyone and after that run he said I Can't do this now by the way before that in high school. I had an act with Larry. Yeah, and this is funny Alan Larry we were in high school. And there was no such thing as an improv or any place, a guy on Coenka, named Laird Brook Schmidt. He looked like Ernie Kovax. He opened his house. He called it Laird's Lair. So you could think it was a better file, what pedophile? No

No, here was the rule creeps right now all over America hearing this going that's it It's a comedy club. Here was the rule you could perform there if you brought the audience So Larry and I had to bring our friends from high school who heard the same bits at lunch This time they had to pay five5 and sit in a guy's house. It's in the living room. It's the same thing and they're looking at us like, oh, okay, but what is this? This was lunch and, you know, well, it's a club and it was a guy's house. First thing I've ever seen in this city that even got strangers together at a person's house. And what how long did that guy's thing last?

Till he came. He had a very strange proclivity. Very strange proclivity. Very strange proclivity. Comedy, God give me off. That was Robert Redford hitting the lights in the natural. Slowly, Albert's going around the bases. The music's playing.

All is coming down. Oh my God. Whoa. We'll be right back. You know what I will say has had a big effect on me as a human being is the message behind defending your life, the movie about fear. People who move on to a higher plane are the ones that were less afraid in their life. I think about that a lot. It's very profound and probably has influenced me more.

Are you frightened? Are you? Do you have any fears? I have to overcome. Yeah, many, many fears. And I just, I, I, that movie spoke to me. It's hilarious. And, you know, and I think because I haven't gotten over mine, but I see facing that tribunal in saying, but I made the movie. Yeah. Doesn't that count for? Come on, man. You're sitting in the same chair. Yeah. Saying, I mean, look, I did this. I mean, let me go on. I made this, doesn't count.

But I don't know, that's a very, that really spoke to me that taking risks, doing things and we're not here long. No, and we're also, it's one of those things we're stuck with from the original humans. You know, we're stuck with a lot of things we don't need. And that's one of those primordial feelings that you needed in a world we don't live in.

The Tiger in a World. Yes, and the things that you would be afraid of, and especially in a world where the sky looks like 800 gods, I mean, everything is scary. You don't know anything. So I don't think that we've adapted very well to what there is to be afraid of and what there isn't. Not that there isn't shit to be afraid of, but sometimes you feel it all the time and it's not necessary all the time. I heard a fact once that the human mind is fascinated by the most recent and interesting way to die and puts that right at the top of the list.

So if when COVID came along, everyone said, oh my god, it's COVID. If I can avoid COVID, I'll be fine. Suddenly, everything else, colon cancer, lung cancer, heart attacks, car accidents, falling disappeared. We are, we love to move what's the latest thing to the top of the list. Yeah, you know after 9-11 It was if I can get on a plane and land safely I'll be okay, right, right and that's our tendency and it goes back to millions of years But I think we are low for people. They're gonna die at some point of something. Yeah Yeah, that's the news. That's a no it's always trying to localize it to to be able to understand it. That's why because you know, there's too many things to think about otherwise. Well, this gets to a I had a conversation with Albert

once and at the time, I was saying to Albert, I've done some stuff I really like that really makes me laugh and I work with some really brilliant people on I've got this body work that I'm proud of, but it's television. I said, you've, in just both of you, you've made movies. And I was saying that those last, what I've done is I said, I'm in the disposal, I'll never forget. I said, I'm in the disposable pen business. I think I've made a lot of good, big pens.

They were used and they had been tossed out, but you've made movies, which I put on this whole other level and Albert with great conviction was saying, you don't understand none of it matters. And I have this fight 30 years ago with Rob because I remember it may be 20 years ago. Rob at the time was saying that the great movie stars of the, when movie stars were the Kerry grants, the card, they will always be remembered. And I said, nobody will always be remembered. Nobody in the movies, maybe Hitler, maybe Einstein, maybe Elvis Presley, but that's about it. Yeah, but the thing is, it doesn't. You did things. What have disposable, they're going to,

you made people laugh. Yeah, I'm not saying it. People will come up to you and say, that made me laugh. So you've made somebody feel good. Well, you know, that's all it is. It's all the same. I took what Albert said as it calmed me. It made me feel better.

Now, most people, now it's total coincidence. Shortly after that, I did some interview. I think with someone at the New York Times, and they were telling me, you know, what do you think about your legacy? What I said, it's total coincidence. Shortly after that, I did some interview, I think with someone at the New York Times, and they were telling me, what do you think about your legacy? What are I gonna say? It doesn't matter. And then I quoted Albert, and I said,

Albert Brooks told me none of this matters. And I said it as the good news. The good news is I think I've had good intent. I've tried, I keep trying, and then I'm gone. And you move on. But the thing that was fascinating about it was that so briefly, Conan and Albert were trending as Goth, that we were Goth, and I was like, well, no, we're not. I don't think of this as a Doomsday thing.

It doesn't matter at the time. At that moment, yeah. But that's all it matters, right? It's just a minute. It's, it's, that's what it is. I saw, I got to ask to write a thing about Johnny Carson once. So I did this research and I read a 1980 profile in Rolling Stone magazine of Johnny Carson

and in it, Johnny's moaning and bitching about how all the big stars are gone. He said, there are no big stars anymore. He said, we've, you know, and he's talking about, you know, grouchos gone, Bogart's gone. And people, you know, all the people, they're all gone and who's left?

There's nobody and I'm thinking, what do you, I mean, everyone thinks, everybody's perspective and my perspective was, well, I came along in 93, but boy, what if I could have talked to Jimmy Kagney? Well, no, don't be stupid. There are so many people now that come up to me and say, oh my God, you got to talk to all these people for almost 30 years who are gone now, who were giants.

And I think at the time, that's not how I thought about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I knew there was something oddly enough, there are no stars anymore. Well, that's not true. No, that's not true. No, that's not true. The only true, wait a minute. Margot Robbie is a star. No, but wait a minute.

No reason for me. Tom Cruise is a star. Right. There's no question about it. Tom Cruise is a star. Right. But the way in which we thought of stars, they're not people that carry pictures that you go to see because that person is in the movie.

You go because that person right now, you got Taylor Swift in music and Tom Cruise. Who else would you, I have to go to the movie theater? Well, this guy's mission didn't do that well. We want so happy with it. I'm just being the guy from Paris. I'm so happy. You're the guy.

You use someone else's feelings because these numbers are devastating. No, I mean, I'm telling you, when you see Barbie is the example of a modern movie star. But she's great. Don't get me wrong. I think another person in that the movie would not have been the same. I mean Ruth Buzzy. Yeah. For Westerly Rhode Island, Ruth Buzzy. Don't ask me why I know that. It's different, but those guys, the Humphrey Bogart, they made 11 movies an hour.

You know, they were just making them. It wasn't even about, they made so many movies that that's why you went to see them. It wasn't out of the blue. Casablanca came and everybody went. It was just the 18th movie he made that year. And that was their 11th choice. Yeah, that was called television. It was called television.

Yeah. That's what they did. Yeah. But there was a period that we were, you know, brought into. There were people they said he'll open a picture. You get this person or that person and they will open the picture, meaning you'll get a good first weekend. There was a list of people.

Now what opens a picture is action, superheroes, that opens a picture, but the star itself doesn't open the picture. We may have crossed into a thing where the actual picture opens the picture. Yeah. I mean, the Marvel world is a little bit different than what that's for. But that's for now. Well, we don't know.

Yeah, they're struggling. Well, they're having, they're struggling. Yeah, they're struggling. Yeah, there's, there's, there's, there's, I read a treatment for Uncle Marvel that was, yeah. LAUGHTER The ability to covech and what was the story for Uncle

Marvel? Yeah, like he said it was a reluctant guy. I don't know if they should this don't even fit anymore Hey, we got the testing back from Uncle Marvel Literally Literally. Oh, yeah. Um, it has to be satisfying to both of you that nothing ages like, uh, comedy and you've both done all this work that, that, you know, if I talk to an 18 year old comedy nerd, they will look at your stuff and say, this is, uh, this is genius. This is brilliant.

This is terrific. Uh, that has got to be a good feeling. Yeah. Even you have to feel good. Well, I do, you're just telling me this now, I don't know who you talk to. They're not smart people. They're, what idiots call me once in a while. I love that this is a little tidbit. I think I can share, which is you had me over to your house, uh watch the documentary and then you confided in me as the lights were going down Albert may come by if people if this goes over well Yeah, no, I'll but if this goes over well And I got the sense that he was circling the neighborhood in a car like a shark

But he wanted to hear how it went over and then the lights came up and the first thing I said to you is I think you can call Albert Yeah, you came over which is sweet. I wasn't circling, I don't live far and I... But you were nervous. You were nervous, that's it. The truth is there were six other screenings and I was driving like mad that way. Circling 18 houses. Well this has been an absolute thrill delight. Uh, it checks every single

box. I think I'm getting out of the business, gentlemen, which was your aim. I think you can. Let me make sure I mentioned two because I want to, I did say I want to mention that you have a, uh, podcast. Yes. And we have many people listen to this. So let's get the word out on you. Yeah. No, it's, it's, it's, uh, it will kill Jeff If you can get it anywhere you get your podcast and it's basically commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination And there's 10 episodes they drop every Wednesday and I think if you listen to all 10 you will get 60 years of information will be put in a place that you can kind of understand what happened on that day And by the way like me he has assembled some hysterical bits from JFK. Yeah.

Yeah. We have one, people don't know. Well, JFK did a lot of good, the grassy know, what was that one? I had a bit, I was, I know where to do it. I was working on and that's that if Walter Cronkite were working today and this happened, let me do 30 seconds of it. And 2, 10 AM, it's official John F. Kennedy,

assassinated in Dallas. Let's go to our panel at the end from the Lincoln Motor Company. Jack Ryan, Will No Gardener, the Javier Martinez, from Winchester, Paul Allen. Let me start at the end with the Lincoln. Why? It was 74 degrees. Is that when you suggest a top should be down? Well water at Lincoln we don't really make the rules but we say to the customer we would above 80 so it was too cold it shouldn't have been bad. Paul how far can the windchester but first let me ask Caviar, talk to me about the grassy note. How often is that moat? Yeah, it's a 24 hour news site. It doesn't have that same impact. This is probably too dark, but I've had a thought in my mind, which is what if Zapruder had gone on to make other films.

Oh, my God. That was a comedy bet idea I had. And he comes out with other films. And they don't have anything to do with that. And the critics are killing him because it doesn't have the impact of his first film. And then he's enraged. Like, why am I constantly being judged on my first film?

Being tight-guessed. I'm being... I'm am pigeonholed. And he being, I'm, I'm, I'm pigeonholed. And he starts as he, his film sells less and less. He starts going back to the rhythm motor. Even though it doesn't fit the story at all. That's a bit that I've had that I've been afraid to talk about out loud.

Christmas vacation five from Abraham's approver. Like, you know, it's lacking the impact of the gentleman God bless you both. Thank you. That's a Christian God. Yeah. You know, even though today's, you know, Tonica. I know, but it's my studio. So have a happy Catholic Christmas. Both of you filled with Jesus. Son of God, eternally be God, and the Father, God from God, light from life, true God, true God begotten, not made, when I'm being with the Father. Sold! Thank you, fellas. Thank you.

Thank you. Goodbye. With Conan O'Brien, Sonom of Sessian, and Matt Gourley, produced by me, Matt Gourley, executive produced by Adam Sachs, Nick Liao, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Year Wolf. Theme song by The White Stripes, Incidental Music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy.

Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair, and our Associate Talent Producer is Jennifer Samples, engineering by Eduardo Perez, additional production support by Mars Melnick, talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista, and Britt Conn. You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts and you might find your review read on a future episode. Got a question for Conan? Call the team Coco Hotline at 669-587-2847 and leave a message. It too could be featured on a future episode. And if you haven't already, please subscribe to Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, where ever find podcasts are downloaded.

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