Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Beastie Boys

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

Michael “Mike D” Diamond feels optimistically uncertain about being Conan O’Brien’s friend; Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz would certainly like to be, but is not yet Conan O’Brien’s friend. Mike D and Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys sit down with Conan to discuss the neighborhood and pop culture influences that went into their early work, the shocking truth about gold records, striving to make each other laugh with their music, and remembering bassist Adam Yauch in approaching the 30th anniversary of their multi-platinum album Ill Communication. For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com.Got a question for Conan? Call our voicemail: [phone].

What's up? This is Mike Diamond, Mike D. And I feel optimistically uncertain about being Conan O'Brien's friend. I'm Adam Horowitz, aka Ad Rock of the BC boys. And I feel, I don't know, I feel like I would be I'd be kind of bullshitting if I said, I mean, we've met before, but I certainly would like to be, but I'm not yet friends with Conan O'Brien. You're saying you're okay with the idea of us being friends. No, I mean, yeah, I have enough friends.

Ha ha ha ha! ["Fall is Here"] Fall is here, hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell, brand new shoes, walk and lose, climb the fence, books and pens. I can tell that we are gonna be friends. Yes, I can tell that we are gonna be friends. Hey there, welcome to Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, joined by my fellow attorney, Sona Obsessian. Hello.

And that's how an attorney sounds? That was my attorney voice. Very good. Hello, yes. Okay. Objection. Just cussed me, no. Oh.

That's a judge. Sustained. Okay, no. Overruled, sir. All right, you got it. No one knows the law like you, Sona. Of course, Matt Gourley. You got it. No one knows the law like you, Sona. Of course, Matt Gorley.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Okay. All right. Uh-oh. Object. Object. I'm a caricature. Now, I don't know much about such city things, but I know an honest man when I see one. Well, it's clear, Sona, you don't know what a lawyer is. I don't.

And you, your only exposure is through cartoons, I guess. That's most things. Maybe one children's production of 12 Angry Men. But who am I to talk? I've lived off of caricatures for many years. Do you think you'd be a good lawyer? Do I?

Yeah. This is a true story. I had an uncle who always wanted me to be a lawyer because he was a lawyer. And he was always saying, you'd be a great lawyer. And you should do... And your mom's a lawyer. And my mom's a lawyer.

And so he was saying, you should be a lawyer all the time. And he was pushing me. And then I graduate college. I start becoming a comedy writer. I'm actually starting to have success at it. And he would still say, you should be a lawyer. And I would think, huh, I'm actually, this is doing okay. Then I'm working on Saturday Night Live,

then I'm getting on camera a little bit, and he's still saying you should be a lawyer. And then I'm on The Simpsons, and I'd see him and he'd still bring it up. Then I get the late night show, and I swear to God, he called the head, because he had gone to the same college as the head of NBC. So he suddenly didn't know him, and they were years apart,

but he suddenly got his number and he called him. And he said, what is all this about Conan doing this late night show? That guy should be a lawyer. Oh my God, no he didn't. He did. No he didn't. He did, and so I get a call from Bob Wright,

who's like, you know, runs NBC for General Electric. And he was laughing. He was like, this guy just got on the phone and yelled at me and said, Conan should be a lawyer. And I'm like, yeah, I know. You should have told him he should have been a comedian. Yeah, you should have a late night show. But his argument was, you know, if you're a lawyer,

you get to be your own director and your own actor and your own script. And I was like, no, no, no. Trust me, very few people have played night shows. Did he ever come around? I don't think so. I think it was always a mystery to him. And to be fair, you know, I just came from people that knew nothing about show

business and didn't care about show business. So I think it was, it was just felt like, what the hell was he doing? What is this nonsense? Knock it off. Go to BC Law and be a lawyer. And, you know, I'm sure there were some people out there that would say that would have been a better use of my time.

Yeah, it was just, that was interesting. Did you ever want to be a lawyer? No. No. I always thought I, I just, I'm sorry. What the fuck? I would have done a really great job of being a lawyer.

No, you'd have to, you'd have to, no, you couldn't do that. Why do you think you could be a lawyer and I couldn't be, yeah. She's a debate champion. I didn't say I could be a lawyer. I said that someone else wanted me to be a lawyer. You should not be a lawyer.

I could be a lawyer. You wouldn't show up, your client would be sitting there. Yes, how fiercely have I fought traffic tickets? Oh, sure. That's just a small, small glimpse. I'll give her that. She's amazing.

And she used to miss whole days at work because she was in traffic court and she would admit upfront, oh yeah, no, I was doing 95 miles an hour in a children's parking lot in elementary school and they caught me. Children's parking lot. You know, like a children's parking lot in elementary school, and they caught me... Children's parking lot. Elementary school parking lot, and whatever. And then, and then...

you'd go there and you'd say all this bullshit to the judge and you'd get off. I would win! Yes. That's what we need. We need the Ws. And I would bring the Ws. The wins.

The wins. I'd be one of those billboard lawyers, and everybody would come... Like Sweet James? Yeah. Like Sweet James? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like Jacob M. Rami.

But here's the problem. I think you're very motivated when you've, someone's done you wrong. The man has given you a ticket. Then that gets your Armenian blood boiling, okay? I was a guy who's Armenian. Because you are Armenian. Yeah, it is true.

Okay, let's not take that too far. Me, Armenian? Don't label me. But it does, I've seen you, when you see red, you go into this special mode, where you have superpowers. I'm talking about you represent someone else, and you're supposed to be there at eight o'clock

in the morning and have done all the preparation, but somebody took some gummies, and somebody kept the judge waiting. I disagree. And someone, when the judge said, Ms. Movesessi, and you're like, get off my ass, judge, and shove that gavel where the sun don't shine. How's your Armenian blood doing now?

It's really boiling right now. I think I would crush it at you. You haven't seen me on jury duty. Do you know how good I am at jury duty? Wait, that's a totally different thing. Shut up, Matt. I object. You're out of me on jury duty. Do you know how good I am at jury duty? That's a totally different thing. Shut up, Snack. That's totally different. Yeah, I object.

You're out of order. I object, you're out of order. I'm in contempt of court. Mismossesion, stop telling people to shut up in the courtroom. I had notes, I had mental notes for the people who were the two lawyers. I was like, I could do what they're doing.

Are you kidding? I know, but then you'd have to go do it. And all I'm saying is that you're a free spirit and once there's a task given to you, there's part of you that rebels. You're just angry. And that's why you work with me. I'm just trying to think right now.

If I was in serious legal trouble, which of you two assholes I'd want to represent. Obviously. Well, I'm taking his fame out of it. Eduardo's pointing to me. Eduardo! Oh, first of all, no, don't take my fame out of it. I want to be able to stand up and go, ladies and gentlemen, I'll be representing the defense. Ooh.

Of course, you all know me from my 30 years experience. You should be a lawyer. I thought you said you're not famous in this scenario. No, I said I insist on being famous. Oh, no, no, no. You got to do it not famous. Before we examine the evidence, let's look at my 10th anniversary special. Ha ha ha ha.

Jury, yay, this stuff holds up, yay. The judge, I find you guilty of being hilarious. Thank you, thank you. I will fight for you. Yes, let's move it on, let's move on to the show. My guests today are the founding members of the Grammy award winning rap hip hop group Beastie Boys. They recently released a 30th anniversary edition of their classic album, Ill Communication.

I'm absolutely thrilled that they are here today. ["Ill Communication"] Adam Adrock or of its Michael, Mike D. Diamond. Welcome. ["Ill Communication Mike D. Diamond. Welcome. MUSIC Yeah. Yeah. So you're OK with the idea of us being friends.

Is that bad? It's kind of like I'm trying to sell you a Kia. I have a Kia. A used Kia that's not in great shape. I have a used Kia that's not in great shape. You have a, OK, so. Yeah. But that would mean you wouldn't want another one.

No. See? That's the problem. I'm trying to go a little higher. How did I know you had a Kia. You have a, okay, so. But that would mean you wouldn't want another one. No. See, that's the problem. I'm trying to go a little higher. How did I know you had a Kia? I just knew it. I just, like, dirty Kia. That's me.

When you say dirty, is there just a lot of crud inside the car? So gross. Can I interject here? Sure, Mike, sure. Please, and you don't even have to ask. It's disgusting. It's like, really disgusting.

Like, old, you know, caked up like old cereal and stuff inside. It's gross. I don't eat cereal in my car. I'm not an animal. What is all that food crap? There's other food, but I don't like, I'm gonna go to my car with a bowl of cereal.

Guys, I was just back in Boston, and my older brother, Neil, I went for a ride in his car. It's the dirtiest car I've seen. It had just crud caked on the inside. And at one point there's a little panel that if you push it opens up. It's not the glove compartment, but it's just for, I don't know, just some tic tacs, whatever you might want.

I pushed on it, opened up maybe 19 packets of ketchup from a fast food restaurant. And I said, what the fuck? And he went, it's nice. If you need ketchup, it's right there. And they're free when you go through a drive-through yeah so is this the kind of animal you are can we like move on from this okay so your day so far yeah got some ketchup packets, I'm good. You're right, we have more important things,

we have more important things to talk about. We have met, you guys performed on my show in the past, you did an interview, I remember bumping into you a couple times in New York, I was always super happy because I was a big fan of the music, but I also always found you guys, Beastie Boys, really funny. That was in the music, it was in the videos,

and I always thought that that was kind of integral to what you were doing. Am I correct about that? Yeah? We talk about it and I feel like actually it's a thing that, I don't know, this is maybe dangerous territory here, but I think a lot like there's a lot of our audience

that doesn't get that or hasn't or different points, different junctures over time. I don't see how that's possible because from the very beginning, when you guys first hit the scene, I remember thinking they're funny, like your early videos. And this is years before I got on my,

got a late night show. I remember thinking these are funny guys, they're New York funny. Am I wrong? It feels very New York. Well, yeah, we're from New York. We're from New York. Yeah. Well, that's all the time we have.

This is called Where People Are Wrong. We've established, we've established. All I do is geolocate people and then we kind of wrap it up. But New York, we have it. Thanks, thanks. Okay. Blake, send us off to the printer. No problem. The guy who doesn't know how to podcast works. All I do is geolocate people, and then we kind of wrap it up. But New York, we have it. Blake, send us off to the printer.

No problem. The guy who doesn't know how to podcast works. We met in high school, we were friends. We've just been friends this whole time, and what do you do with your friends? You just have, you know, you're supposed to just have fun. And so we kind of, when we were in high school making music, it was fun. And so we figured we'd just go with it. Yeah.

But could I add on a little something? You don't need to ask permission. You can just go. No, I do because he, otherwise- May I interject? You don't understand. Otherwise, he's going to be like, Mike, I was speaking here. So by me asking permission, I'm taking that you know, I'm taking that away from happening.

That's why I'm here. Because Mike is a pain in the ass. Oh my God. I asked to do this by myself. Jesus. Yeah. No, but I think like we grew up at a certain time also in New York where it was like, A, we come, you know, Adam and I anyway,

Yauk was an only child, but we come from families. So I think like there's this necessity when you're like, hey, we come, Adam and I, anyway, Yauk was an only child, but we come from families. So I think there's this necessity when you're at a New York City table, read culturally Jewish table where everybody is speaking on top of each other. You kind of have to figure out how to be funny to survive. Otherwise, yeah, it's just your way of dealing with the world.

And then I think, I don't know, I remember from a really young age, like we always, when we first became friends, like we all had Monty Python's big red book, which was blue, the cover was blue. That was like as important to us as like any punk rock record or something. You know what I mean?

That was like a very high, that was like just something that was important. It was important to us to aspire to be funny like that. I always started out getting into music, through the Beatles as a kid, but I always remembered and then became crazily into their lore and learning everything about them. The thing I always remember is,

whenever you asked like George Martin or something, when he first met the Beatles, what grabbed you about them? He never said it was the music. He said it was their sense of humor. And I always thought, that's not possible. They were, it must have been the music. And he went, no, the music was, music was okay. It was their sense of humor.

And then of course, they were, they were integrated. It's, it's part of the same, I don't know. It's, it's part of the language of the music is the comedy, to me anyway. No, I agree. And the Beatles were huge Peter Sellers. They were like huge fans of the Goon Show. You know, and me anyway. No, I agree. And The Beatles were huge Peter Sellers, they were like huge fans of The Goon Show.

The Goon Show fans, yeah. And that you could see once you kind of like, you geek out enough and you do the nerd searches of The Goon Show on YouTube and stuff, and you realize like a lot of their humor, they were students of that for sure, or contemporaries. You guys have always said Adam started the band. He initiated it.

How did he initiated it? Was he the one that said we could do this? I wasn't there. I don't know. I was. Were you ever in the Beastie Boys? Yeah. Yeah. Briefly.

Yeah, yeah. No, there's videos. I can't do that. I'll vouch for you. You were there 88 to 89, I remember. Yeah, briefly. There's videos. I'll vouch for you. You were there 88 to 89, I remember. Yeah. It was a solid year. Fast and Furious 7. Well, Adam, before he was in

Beastie Boys, he was in a band called The Young and the Useless. But before there was Beastie Boys, I was in this band called The Young Aborigines, which I guess is probably a name that would get us canceled. Is that an appropriationist name? Just keep going.

I'm just saying, you need to be honest about these things. Like full disclosure, right? Cultural appropriation. Again, I wasn't there. I was in a band called Cultural Appropriation. Yeah, that would be good. Yeah, we killed it. Anyway, so Young Irishies, Yowk was our everything.

He was our road crew tour. He was the only one who knew actually how to make things work, honestly. We played two gigs in one night and then we broke up. And it was John Berry who was the first guitar player before Adam from Beastie Boys. And myself and Kate Schellenbach who is the drummer, the original drummer from Beastie Boys, she played percussion in the Aborigines. And I played drums. But then Yowk like really, it's not even so much he wanted to be in that band, but he wanted to be in that band, but he

wanted to be in the band, so he's like, all right, we're starting a new band. So then it was like John, myself and him and then Kate. And then I was the one who I drew the short straw. And so I had to sing, which I really didn't want to do. Wait, the short straw is the singer? In my case, I didn't want, my case, I definitely would have way rather, at that time, would have rather played drums. Yeah.

That would have been my ideal, but didn't work out that way. Wasn't to be. No. Anyway, so then, but Jaque was, I mean, he was the visionary in terms of like, we're gonna do this, and Adam and I could go back and forth in many, we could talk story for hours about how yuck was a master

Manifester I mean at that age I definitely didn't know what the word manifest meant But you know he was really someone who was just fucking just completely determined to do something and would get it done I think beyond probably our I don't know, we're a little more like, oh yeah, seems like a good idea. That's, we'll do it. Or just like, you know, you're with your friends, you're like, oh, we should do this thing. And like nobody like does anything after just,

we should do this thing. But then he'd show up with like a camera and film. Like, oh, we're actually, I guess we're actually going to do the thing that we were talking about. Thank you. Yeah. It's like, you know, that thing where you're with your friends and they're like, how many times you're with your friends and somebody says the crazy idea and you're like,

yeah, okay, that just becomes one of the thousand crazy ideas that never ever happens. 99.9% of kids your age say, we should do this thing, and then they smoke more weed and they don't do anything. Yeah. And then it's- I think that you're, that's and they don't do anything. Yeah. And then it's- I think that you're, that's, I don't know, I was gonna go somewhere with that, but.

Go ahead. You have to single out the potheads? I know, why are you attacking the potheads? I don't know, I just- I feel like math kids, you know, like- You're right. They're not always doing the stuff. You're right.

They're not always like doing the crazy ideas. You know what, you're right. You know? I apologize. The potheads are smoking the pot, the math kids are doing the stuff. You're right. They're not always doing the crazy ideas. You know what? You're right. You know? I apologize. The potheads are smoking the pot. The math kids are doing the math. Oh. I think you're right.

And I'd like to apologize. OK. And I'm also apologizing. I'm sorry. I'm just looking at you. I'm apologizing. Why is he looking at you? I want to apologize to Sonia, because she's.

I partake. You won't. You don't just partake. And I'm unapologetic. I get things done. You're probably fucked up now. You have twins. I do. Yeah.

They're so young, but they're also why I do it. Yeah. So it's okay. It's fine, it's fine. Yeah. I had the chance to have a really nice, lovely conversation with Adam on the Warner Brothers lot. I want to say it was about a year before he passed away.

He was there directing, I believe a video, some project. And I could tell he wasn't well, but I was coming out of the commissary, he was going into the commissary, and we just had like this nice bonding conversation. Wasn't that long, but it was when we just first showed up at the Warner Brothers lot to do that iteration of whatever the hell we were doing.

And seemed like an absolutely lovely guy, but it's always been clear to me that you call him the manifesto or the catalyst to the person who's, you've got all the ingredients, you just need someone to create the friction or set the, you know, get the thing moving. And it felt like in, you guys are saying that was, may have been Adam.

Yeah, but it's honestly beyond that because it really was like, he was the guy who would have the craziest fucking idea that anybody would possibly have in the room and then like exactly what Adam said, then show up the next day with the equipment that would make it all possible and then you're doing it.

So it's- We didn't do all of the stuff that he was saying though. Thankfully, yeah. You wanna do a tour underwater, and luckily that never... Yeah. How was that gonna work? Yeah, I know, he really, really thought about it,

had drawings and everything. There was a lost city of Atlantis fascination that went on for a while. Like actually, actually. Yeah. Did he believe the lost city of Atlantis existed? It's not about that. No, it wasn't about Atlantis.

Oh, I see, okay. It's just this idea of having this underwater, presenting we're doing on tour in an underwater environment. And granted, I would give it to him, had we done it, nobody else has ever done it prior. And there's probably a lot of good reasons for that. Yeah, logistically, it's just a lot.

There's no oxygen down there. No, and with the tank, and then you have to wrap at the same time with the oxygen. Yeah. Hard going out, going in. And call me old fashioned, call me old fashioned, but I think when I was a kid, I was told water, electricity. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Gotta keep it two, separated. That's never been proven. Yeah. Never been proven. It's just more bullshit. Yeah, yeah. I always appreciated that the music is clearly was so solid and so fantastic.

And I wanna talk about ill communication because when that came out, it was such a soundtrack. I just listened to it a lot at the time. And it's one of those records albums that becomes the soundtrack for that time in your life. Which is, I think, a hard thing to achieve, but I think everyone who was my age, or obviously younger, who heard that at the time,

was like, okay, these are the songs that sort of... imprint on us at that time. And I remember I was, I guess I would have been in New York at the time, and I know that you guys... you came from New York, we've talked about that. And then you, and you've said before that the New Yorker grew up in, like the Boston I grew up in, there was no, there's no iPhones, you're not listening to your music that way. And this is probably much more true in New York than it was in Boston.

Music's coming at you from all these different places out on the street, and that that was instrumental, no pun intended, to how you guys formed. Yeah, I mean, I don't think our story is that unique. I feel like that's sort of how things, especially bands, start. You're into this thing and you're hearing things and you find friends that are into the same sort of thing and you move along that way.

But something special about being in New York is that you do hear it. We talked about it a lot, like you walk down the street, just getting from here to there, you're hearing music from the pizza place, you're hearing somebody drives by with the radio or whatever, like you're hearing all this music. And I feel like our time was an interesting time to grow up in like, you know, mid-'70s to hear radio, you know, it was a great time for radio, right? Like we had the one station would play like David Bowie

and the stylistics and, you know, and whatever, it'd be like everything would be playing. And so all of those influences, and in New York, you'd go uptown, you hear like, you know, when we were little kids, we'd hear salsa and boogaloo coming from radios and you know punk rock up from the East Side or what? You know what I mean all these different sounds and it formed us as Kids growing up and so we took that with us and and I think you know us as friends and like we all do As friends like we it's not just about the one thing like we all talk about the TV shows. So like

We write rap lyrics, so of course we're gonna talk about Chef Boyardee, and we're gonna talk about The Odd Couple, and we're gonna talk about all this dumb stuff that's, I mean, not dumb, pretty dumb, but it was important to us. Well, it's genius when you look back at it now. We all try to like, oh my god, The Odd Couple is one of the best shows ever created. But I appreciate it too, because there were so many,

you drop in so many things, like you had a rhyme, you know, that because I think we're a similar vintage, I remembered when you guys rhymed Rod Carew, and I'm like, who's talking about Rod Carew anymore? At, you know, Pinch on the Neck of Mr. Spock. I just, there's all this stuff that was evocative of my growing up in the 70s and your kind of respect for it.

I remember too, when I would go to New York, this is something that was also true, is that the times I lived there, when you got in a cab, you were listening to the music that that cab driver was listening to, which often was not top 10. So anytime you entered a space, you were inundated.

People talk about how we're siloed now. Everyone's listening to the music that they exactly wanna hear through their iPods. Air pods. Air pods. Ear goggles. iPods. Yes. Okay. I'm sorry, you don't have to exacerbate it. Sorry. You could just sort of help me. You said iPods, you meant AirPods. Yes. Okay. I'm sorry, you don't have to exacerbate it. Sorry.

You could just sort of help me. You said iPods, you meant AirPods. Yes. Okay, all right. This is why we don't get anything from Apple. This is why they don't send me any shit. The ear thingies. I'm sorry, I mispronounce Ferrari all the time.

But anyway, that's, I think, you're part of a stew, you have no control over it. I think New York was unique. I have to admit, I only know New York, but I do think New York, because you had music blasting at you from all sides and all different kinds of music. So I have to think that at that time,

that was different than Boston or Rhode Island or anywhere else on the East Coast and beyond. New York really was the place that exists probably in the whole globe at that time, where you had all this different music happening at the same time, all being blasted at you, you know? And then I think also then it's an interesting thing like what you brought up of the, I don't know, I guess it's maybe just that we all grew up in the 70s,

like as kids we were left alone, like literally left alone. And so we all, and there were only three channels or four or five channels, it was a huge deal. I remember when my parents got the cable box. That was huge. That was huge. Like going into hyper warp.

Yeah, being able to turn, you have the box where I could turn beyond the three channels or four channels or whatever, that was huge. And being able to watch the you have the box where I could turn beyond the three channels or four channels or whatever, was that was huge and being able to watch like the Knicks and Rangers games. Back when there were three channels, there's ABC, CBS, NBC, there's like two UHF stations. And I've mentioned this before, but there would,

we would watch what came in, meaning what did we have good reception on? And once it was a Catholic mass, but the picture was really good. So my brothers and I, like just like, because we don't have the palette that people have today. Remember just thinking like, well,

this is not what we wanna watch. But God, that- Is it better or worse than F Troop? Do you know what I mean? Like we're just watching, it's just the electricity. It's like, it's just all we need is the electricity. Don't diss F Troop. That's-

Rat Patrol, I don't know any, Mr. Ed. I don't know any random, Mr. Ed, I don't know any random show. You know what I mean, no offense. Yeah. What was it? I'm sorry. I didn't know you- I'm so happy you mentioned Rat Patrol.

I know. I know. What? What? Three Nazis fighting three American GIs in the desert, and it's only the same six. Every fucking episode. That's the show? That's the show. They're just driving around in the desert shooting each other. Wait, wait. Every fucking episode. That's the show?

That's the show. They're just driving around in the desert shooting each other. What was the Colonel Klink show? That's Hogan's Heroes. Hogan's Heroes. I think that that's pretty insane. Like every day after school we'd watch Hogan's Heroes,

which is like this, you know, sort of like- Funny shit. It's a comedy. A comedy about- About concentration camps. A POW camp. Not a concentration camp, a POW camp. You're right, you're right. So that's said it was a POW camp. Not a concentration camp, a POW camp.

You're right, you're right. So that's why it was funny. Jesus Christ. ["The Big Bang"] You couldn't have known the scale of the success when you come out, first album, you're touring with Madonna in 1985. If you're going to tour with Madonna in 1985, I'm thinking is the time. I mean, it just must have been, you're in the center of an insane whirlwind.

You couldn't have calculated that. It was pretty crazy for her. Think about it., think about it. She talks about it, she never got over it. Think about it, yeah. Yeah. No, but it was though, I think, where we were on that tour and it was like, it was a huge deal that we,

and totally absurd that we got asked to do that tour. That's a bit of a story unto itself, which Adam could tell, or I could tell. Either of us could tell it, but anyway. Or you just read the book and it's in there. Yeah. Which would make what we're doing now completely irrelevant.

Yeah. What if this whole thing was just read the book and then we just end it? No. You don't have to go into it, I'm just saying. No, Madonna, but my point is actually that she booked a tour and she was playing like theaters and by the time the tour was actually happening,

she was so beyond selling out a theater in terms of stature. Like she literally went, I think, by the tour. Before the tour was finished, I think she was like on the cover of Time Magazine or something. So it was like she was this, she was on her way to being a cultural phenomenon, but then she really was one by the end of that tour.

Is it a coincidence that we were on that tour? I mean, I don't know. I don't know. All I'm saying is before you guys signed up, she's in theaters, small theaters. I mean, she used to be at the same, we used to play at the same clubs in New York. Yeah.

I'm just saying. And then you had- No one ever talks about that part of the same, we used to play at the same clubs in New York. Yeah. I'm just saying. And then you add- No one ever talks about that part of the story. You're right, in the podcast era, this is compelling information. Well, actually, it is. Because she's flounding around, she's in theaters,

it's going nowhere. You add the mixture, the key element of the Beastie Boys. Yeah, right. Suddenly, she's on the cover of Time Magazine, which at that moment was a big deal. Huge deal. Of course now no one knows what you're talking about. You don't know who Joe Franklin is, do you?

Yes, I do. We were on the Joe Franklin show in 83, 84. Joe Franklin, just for our listeners. Yeah, how do you explain Joe Franklin? Joe Franklin, a guy who never should have had a show, but magically did. He name dropped everybody in show business. He had a small, almost today today look like a cable access show.

And he sat there and his show was on for 40 years? Forever. Yeah, forever. And he had like a real studio in New York. Like he'd go and it was like very, I guess, you're more of a student than I am of this stuff, but he's like, it's vaudevillian. Yes, and a lot of his references

would go over the head of anybody here, but Joe Franklin is an iconic New York institution. I can't imagine the Beastie Boys on the Joe Franklin show. It was so great. And then at the end, he was like, well, you know, fellas, whatever you call this, I don't know, he's like, I see big things happening to you since you are gonna be on this show.

And he was basically like, you know, you're giving the Joe Franklin bump. It was pretty great. It was pretty great. You're like, I don't know, next thing you know. Yeah, let me go on tour with Madonna. So what you're saying, Joe Franklin blesses you, then you guys bless Madonna,

and then Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yeah, that's all true, you're right. It all goes back to Joe Franklin. You guys have seven platinum selling albums and that's thanks to a man named Joe Franklin. Yeah. What's with the other ones that aren't platinum? Because we made more than seven records.

I have bad news for you. I know. Get your shit out of me. No, I don't, I did. You know, I mean everyone's got a couple of duds. Everyone. I like them. I mean, you know. I love everyone's got a couple of duds. Everyone. I like them.

I mean, you know. I love that your mind works that way because that's exactly Sona. It's what didn't work. It's there's seven that did, but what didn't work. Yeah, that's exactly how mine works. I didn't know a music insider. Would you like some musical insider information?

Yes, I would. So we were at our studio here in California and I was smoking the pot. This was a long time ago. Yes, I would. So we were at our studio here in California and I was smoking the pot. This was a long time ago. Oh, gosh. And we had- Trying to discourage kids from doing this. We had a gold record on the wall.

It was our record, Paul's Boutique. And I was looking at it and I could see it has our label and I could see that it has whatever, like nine songs on the one side. And I was looking at the actual gold record, it only had four songs on it. And I was like, wait, you guys. And so we opened it and we put the record

on a record player. A gold record. Well, I mean, broke the glass. Sure, broke it open. Broke the glass and took the record out of the thing. And it was somebody doing like piano versions of like Barry Manilov like feelings and yeah Yeah, just some other shit when someone has a gold record. They just take any record

apparently Yes, Barbara Streisand Donna summer like a star that it was actually there Case it was some like somebody that was like- I'm saying this is a documentary. Whoever's record that was, I'm just talking. Yeah. This should lead to like a quiz show kind of investigation. Because I think all gold records need to be examined.

They all need to be recalled. And you need to go to every, you know, and you should check them out because it's probably not their record. And if it's not on a massive scale, recount. It's a recount. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We need to recall all gold and platinum plaques.

Maybe the most important thing facing America right now, at least for the next couple of months. Okay. All our energy should go into it. Well, I think, Courtney, you can be a big part of that. Next time, you know, say Lady Gaga's here, you could really urge her to do the same, play her.

You guys have come to the right place. I have incredible power in the music industry. I didn't know you could play those. I just thought they were decorative. I thought they were- I didn't know either. I didn't know, I hadn't thought about it. Well, it turned out it basically seemed like, I guess it was somebody's record

that was spray painted gold or something. I don't know. Because who would? Who would break the glass and put it on a turntable? They weren't counting on you guys. You were the X factor. We were the sleuths that uncovered this incredible crime ring. This could be an action movie with John Cena.

Oh. I'm just saying. John Cena and the Rock? The Rock brought the Rock? The Rock? I can't afford The Rock. We can't afford The Rock. No, no, one of them. We can't do both. Just stick to John Cena.

We can get John Cena because he does commercials. Jason Momoa? Too much. Oh, all right, but how about this? Jason Statham is the bad guy who makes the plaques. This is way too hot for me right now. I love it. I want in on this and I'd like to be a producer, but also I'd like to be in the film.

Can I just say this now that we're in Hollywood, California, anybody that makes action movies, I just want to be in the background during an action scene. I want to get pushed into a thing of fruit. That's what I just want to be in a movie where they, chasing in some reason pushes me into like a fruit cart. Why fruit? I think Adam and Rock would like to be pushed into fruit in the background of a- But wait a minute, fruit is that like a safe landing? Like what is-

It's just always the thing where like people are walking and they're like, whoa, and the car comes and they get pushed into the thing of fruit. Well there's always a chase scene that goes through like, the hotel kitchen to the secret back entrance. This was my coffee reference to Cafe. I'll see that that is done. I'll see that that happens.

Just the listeners. Yeah, and please help us uncover this platinum plaque. Yeah, gold. Controversy. It wasn't platinum in the story. It wasn't, you're right, it was gold. I'm sorry, stickler for the details. I'm gonna say probably the same for the platinum.

Yeah, who knows? Maybe it's a status thing, like gold you're like, just spray paint that album by the Parkich family. It's true, I mean platinum, maybe they had a better eye for detail. And they, yeah. Guys, you moved to LA, what year do you move to LA? I'm gonna get this thing back on track.

We came out here to record Paul's Boutique because we were working with these producers called the Dust Brothers who are from out here. And then we had this whole falling out with Russell Simmons and Def Jam and we just wanted to get away from the New York scene that we were in. And so we were coming out here to record that album. Now, did you have, because I'll admit to having an attitude a bit about coming to LA.

Did you have an attitude about LA? Yeah, I definitely had an attitude, but then we got here. I think I still do. We got here. Because I'm not good about driving. Are you good about actually driving to all this stuff? I'm one of the best drivers in the world.

Well, aside from the drive, but do you actually make the effort? Like, do you go downtown to the arts district? Oh, downtown, oh God, no. No, I live in a bubble. Just the neighborhood. That's my point, is like LA, it's all. It's my house, and then there's a frozen yogurt place

six minutes away, and I have my playlist, and that's it, right, Sona? Yeah, you don't like to leave. I've never seen the sun. The fro-yo, that's it. No, I do try, and one of the things that's was good for me is a bunch of years ago when I started doing live sets in preparation for something,

just going to these weird theaters that I didn't know about, Dynasty Typewriter Hotel, places downtown. And then I got into a thing where a couple of friends of mine and I decided, let's just eat at diners and restaurants that were established before we were born, which was 1963. So we just ended up finding all these places that had been in,

and they had to be in continuous operation. So we'd find these weird places to eat in downtown LA that had sawdust on the floor that the cops in the 1940s used to frequent. And so then I started to really appreciate, there's tons of amazing stuff in LA, but it didn't come naturally. I have a lot of things that I need to, I wish I should have written them down.

Wait, what was your sandwich place with the, oh, Phileps. So I'm wondering, was your diner thing a specific dish or was it just to find the recipe? No, not a specific dish, to find a place that was in my friends Rodman and Greg and I would say it's has gotta be in, it's gotta work. Big Rod? Not Big Rod, no.

Roddy? Not Big Rod. I've seen his Rod, it's fine. Oh, why? Why did I go to a dick joke? Yes. I'll tell you why. I have two moves.

There's dick joke and there's shitting on marijuana. I'm not the professional. That's the two. Potheads. Pot'm not the professional. That's the two. Potheads, potheads. That's it, in my life. And one of the things I have lucked into. You're here, aren't you? Yeah, I am. See, see, huh? High five. Or at joke?

Yeah, one of the things I got asked to do was this classic, this rally race that runs every year in Italy and has since like basically the birth of the automobile. So you did that. So you did that. So I did that. And I had an incredible dinner in Bologna. How good was the food in Bologna? 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10.

Was it Italian food? So much Italian food. Oh my God, there's like Italian food everywhere. I just be funny. I just would have liked it if it wasn't Italian food. I did get Chinese one though. We did have Chinese one though. And? I just would have liked it if it wasn't Italian food. I did get Chinese one night. We did have Chinese one night.

And? Not so much. Were you in Chinese one night in Goa? We were just rolling the dice, I don't know. Switch it up. We'd been there for like three weeks. I was like, can I have Chinese food? I didn't see that, but still.

I mean, that's, wow, yeah. That's a high risk maneuver. So, Adam, you've been interested in acting. I would say when I first would watch the videos, I thought it's like, there was almost like a cross in the road where you could have, it could be music, but you very much seem like a comedic actor, performer that felt like that was in your bones.

Almost like a dead end kid kind of thing. I don't know if you know that. A lot of, yeah, yeah. Yeah. A lot of people, like a lot of people wanted me to go solo for one, which is a side note. Right. I can't, I couldn't do that to them.

Do you still have the letters? Yeah. Yeah. Wallpaper. Yeah. You know, yeah, that's what I thought I would do when I was a kid, I wanted to be an actor. Then I did a couple of things that I hate the hours.

Yeah. I know what it's like for comedy, but acting itself is a hassle. You're not going to talk about Ronald? Well, we can. I feel like that's your opportunity to jump in if you want. Adam had a very great role in a great TV show with an esteemed actor, Edward Woodward.

The show is called The Equalizer, long before Denzel Washington discovered said property. Right, I remember this TV show. And yeah, and then Adam played a rich kid gone bad. In the, we were all what, how old were we? Like 17 or something? 16, 17. And the highlight of the whole show

was in busting the drug crime ring. Edward Woodward takes this silver chain, I think it was silver, from around his neck and he throws it around the villain and lassoos him with his necklace. Like Wonder Woman. Yeah. It was a very Wonder Woman-like act. The episode is called Mama's Boy and I was mama's boy. You're Ronald.

First line, professional acting line. There's kids that want to get into the back room and I go, yo, chill. That was my first thing that I did. And, uh, and at the end, uh, the guy has a sword and the equalizer comes in and he's like, Oh, you caught me red handed. He throws that up and the sword gets flying. And anyways, that's, that's where the necklace goes. I don't, you know, but you had kind of like, oh, you caught me red-handed. He throws that at me, and the sword goes flying. And anyways... That's where the necklace goes.

I don't, you know... But you had kind of like a rubber-faced comedian, like... I could have been. There's so many things I could have done. I mean, I still could. Are you offering me a job? Yes. Yes, I am. I'm over in Hollywood. Should I have a show?

Like what? Like I want to know, know like stand up or? No, I don't think it's stand up. I think it's, but it's inactive. Like a show. It's inactive, that's the problem. That's what you don't like. You don't want the hours.

That suck. Yeah, yeah. You gotta stick around, you gotta hang around, you gotta stay in your trailer. Someone knocks on the door and says, it's be another two hours. That's not for you. No, I get tired, you know? Well, there's a bed in the trailer. I know, but then you gotta wake hours. That's not for you. No, I get tired, you know?

Well, there's a bed in the trailer. I know, but then you gotta wake up. It's just a lot. It's a lot, it's a lot of hard work. It's really hard work. Mike, no? No, I agree, a lot of work. But I'm gonna also say stand up, not for you.

Because stand up is really a lot of work. You have to like write your bits every, you gotta keep coming up with new bits and then keep trying out the bits. And you have to leave your house. That part sucks. Yeah. So you wanted something where you stay in your house

and you sleep most of the time. I'd like it. Okay. I can help you. I can figure this out. Does it feel to you guys now that you're looking back? Rubber face? Yeah.

I knew you'd come around. Yeah, but what is rubber? The way you can kind of bend your face in this great way, it reminded me of, why am I blanking on his name, that fantastic actor from the Dead End Kids? Satch? Yeah, Satch, but who played him?

Oh, yeah, yeah, okay, I see. Gorsi? No, Leo Gorsi. No, no, Leo Gorsi, not Leo Gorsi. The guy who's not Leo Gorsi. Yeah. I know who you're talking about. Think of it.

But anyway, I swear to God you were channeling him sometimes. We actually, an old friend of mine, Max Perlick, was obsessed with the Dead End Kids. We used to talk about it a lot. Yeah, yeah. Leo Gorsi, look up the- He was the main guy. He was like the leader. Leo Gorsi was like the ringleader.

And then there was, help me, help me somebody. They're on it. Yeah, I see. Three of us are googling, frantically googling right now. Yeah, yeah. Okay, well, what a terrible western time. I'm not the lead guy, I'm like the goofy sidekick. I don't know, I swear to God, I got a dead end kids vibe

the first time I saw you and in the different videos and I just thought like, okay, that's a possible avenue for this gentleman. Clearly what you chose was spectacular. We got lucky it worked out. Yeah. Hunts Hall? Hunts Hall.

Hunts Hall. Yes, that's it. Hunts Hall. You got a Hunts Hall vibe. And I mean that as a great compliment because I think he's one of the all time comedy greats. So there you go. Thank you.

I did have something I wanted to say, to go back to what you wanted to say, which was something on topic. You were talking about the comedy aspect of our band and stuff, and we talked about it. It's like when we would write lyrics and we'd write our rhymes, one of the most important things was to say something that would make the other two laugh. Or the other two to be like,

I mentioned Rod Carew and they'd be like, that would get something inspired, whatever. But the main thing was to make each other laugh. We put out a record, people seemed to respond to that. And so it's like anything in life, you get a response and you just sort of go with that thing. Yes. Yeah, that was our writing room, right?

Like we was just, we'd just sit around with these, you know, our spiral notebooks, sometimes the composition books, the bound ones. Just loose paper. I know. But, but anyway notebooks, sometimes the composition books, the bound ones. Just loose paper. But anyway, that was the biggest, that was the most nerve wracking thing, was like getting the approval of these two guys, you know, Adam and R.I.P., Yow, in the room,

of either the laugh or the, oh, that shit is good. You know, that was the thing. After that, it didn't really matter. It's so funny because to think about you guys, the three of you sitting there with composition books, loosely whatever, working it out, makes perfect sense to me as someone who's been in, not that, it's a similar process,

but in a different world, different mind shaft. But it makes perfect sense to me, but it also seems absurd. Of course you'd have to do that. Of course you'd have to sit around and figure this out, writing it down. To me, the ingredient that I think, the magical ingredient that you guys had was,

it always was clear to me that you were having fun, that there was something really joyous about the music, the process, three friends doing this together, making each other laugh, and getting to do this on a grand scale. That felt like the magic elixir to the whole thing. It didn't have to have a job, it's fucking awesome. Yeah.

But you know, there are so many groups where they manage to lose that. There are so many groups that manage to, after the initial success, they lose sight of it and it becomes a job. And I feel like Beastie Boys, that never happened. No, I agree. I mean, listen, there are compromises we'd have to make.

Everybody has to make them in life. Oh, really? Yeah. Do you wanna? It's news. This is It's news. It's news to me. It's news to you, Adam. Adam's never compromised, but I guess. I mean, we're both wearing the same clothes. You're saying that I chose to snap.

I. Yeah. Anyway, I think you said it though very well of just that I do feel, I think we're both super grateful of the fact that we got to basically just like do what we always did, right? We would just get together in a room with each other and try to make each other laugh,

but somehow it operated on this big scale. You know, it's, and it's the thing of like, so that's what I mean of compromise is like, yeah, of course we would let, let it be like, oh, okay, you want that to be the single on the album? Like we don't ever want to listen to it, but fine. If that's what you think people are gonna listen to, fine.

What's funny, because I just looking at the video for intergalactic, you know, planetary or sabotage, or I just see, and it actually, almost every video I can think of you guys made, I kind of wish I was there because it looks like you're having a really good time. We were, basically. Strewing around. Really, really fun.

And that comes through. To me, that's the secret sauce. And it is hard to sustain. I mean, as you say, I'm sure there are bumps on the road or compromises here and there, but it never looked that way from my vantage point. Well, apparently, they're those records that didn't turn platinum that we found out about. Those two. Well, apparently they're those records that didn't turn platinum

Because they're not really your records anyway, yeah That's true. Yeah, I don't know we can word records. Yeah, I don't know what happens we we got very lucky We just happen to be friends that just wanted to hang out, which we would do when we weren't recording, we'd always just be together anyways, but we didn't have to. I don't know. We got lucky. I was friends with my friends, worked with my friends. Yeah.

But no, I think it is unusual we prioritized being friends. I guess it is that I'm friends or I know of other bands of our similar is that I'm friends, or I know of other bands that are of our similar age that are still going, whatever, but everybody's on their own tour bus and... Yes, they're not talking. Whatever. How is it not talking? That's strong.

Do you want to say names or...? They speak through lawyers. Like they hate each other. No, I'm not even saying they hate each other. They're just, you know, they don't... They're not doing the tour to hang out with... they're not doing the tour to hang out with. The soda's gone. They're not doing the tour to hang out with each other.

That's what I was gonna say. Soda's gone flat. Yeah. So we need the fizz. Like a flat soda. It's good if your stomach's upset. Ginger ale, it's flat. Really?

I didn't know that. A flat? Hold on, wait. I thought the effervescence is what is good for your tummy. I don't wanna talk about this anymore. You said something controversial and you just want to glaze over it. I want to shut this down.

Because I realized I think I made a mistake and I just want to shut it down. No, the ginger ale is real though. Like I only know that because my mom told me, but like. That's what my mom told me. Yeah, my mom wasn't a doctor though. My mother was not a doctor either, yet she operated on many a brain.

Oh, my mother was Irish though. Mine too. So maybe that's what it is. So you're saying there's an ancient. Are you mixed then? An ancient. I think safely everybody in this room could say we are. Yeah? Yeah, we're pretty mixed then.

Not me, I am 100%, 100.000% Irish. Really? No Portuguese? No! No Portuguese? Whoop, why? I'm the one ingredient missing. No Portuguese? No! No Portuguese? Nope. Why? Of the one ingredient missing, why Portuguese?

Boston, New England, a lot of Portuguese. No, but we were in Ireland, bouncing around, not bound, whatever, I don't wanna, it started with flat soda. Guys, I blame you. It's your dynamic that has ruined what could have been, I think one of the greatest podcasts ever recorded. But no, Miele Mice.

Yeah. And then, what the fuck? Where are we now? I feel like that's what it's gonna say on my tombstone now, my D, Miele Mice. Yeah, that's it. Does Miele Mice actually mean anything? No, I don't think so.

Why did I get us back here? I don't think so. I did I get us back here? I brought us back here. It's Miele and then M-I-G-L-I-A, it means thousand miles. Yeah, yeah. Miele Mitre. You don't have to lean that far into the mic. You don't have to actually suck away.

You're eating. I'm sorry. Suck the pantyhose. Jesus Christ. Not a good mic person. I've always had a memory because you guys have that line about never rock the mic with the panios. When I was on Late Night, there was a guy, I could see, you know, all those years, I could see a band getting set up.

And that lyric was always in my head. And there was a band setting up, which will go unnamed just because I don't think anyone remembers them. But they had a hit that week. And they were setting up and we could watch them prepare on camera because the cameras were just on throughout 30 Rock. So I'm getting ready for the show doing my stuff and I see this guy getting ready and then I see him driving, I see him tying panties and bras to his mic stand and I go downstairs and I go in and I say to the guy,

you gotta take those off, your mic stand. And he said, but this is our act. And I said, if that's your act, you have no act. Oh, man. But we only did it because I remembered. Right. Is that pantyhose? Is that pantyhose?

It wasn't pantyhose. So you're kind of like passively aggressively blaming that action on us, basically. I'm saying you're responsible for this. Listen, they weren't going anywhere. Also, there was a family. He was at a hardware store two weeks later. Their families remember them.

Their friends remember them. No, they were all taken away. Because that's how bad the band was. Also, to be clear, but the lyric is about the, you know, the, like, I mean, this is not patty hose on our mics that we're using now, but it's, you know, it's kind of like a technical term, pop filter. So I misheard your lyrics, took it out on a guy

who was just trying to make it on a late night appearance and now they're all gone. I'm backing you, they're doing it all wrong because there's no pop filter aspect, that's some tchotchkes he's putting on his mic stand. I mean, it's disgraceful. It was Steven Tyler's shit and it had to stop. Yeah, I mean, it's Steven Tyler, at least it's disgraceful. It was Steven Tyler's shit and it had to stop. Yeah.

I mean, it's Steven Tyler, at least it's Steven Tyler. You're supposed to have the scarves. Aerosmith, people know Aerosmith. I know, they did go on to have quite a lot of success. Yeah. It was Aerosmith that I yelled at. Oh, do you think Aerosmith were on Joe Franklin? Was that Conan O'Brien bump?

Wait, all right, wait, hold on, Aerosmith, Aerosmith could have been on Joe Franklin. They had to have been on Joe Franklin in like 72. Everybody was on Joe Franklin and Joe Franklin, I was not on Joe Franklin, but we had Joe Franklin on my show in like 93. Really? Yeah, or 94.

Oh, that's pretty cool. And I think I sat in a hot tub with him. Wait, what? It's possible. In a hot tub? I'm gonna ask listeners- Was he fully clothed or not? Well, that's, I don't wanna talk about it.

That's personal. Yeah, we're shutting it down. We're shutting it down. I wanna congratulate you both on this incredible run. Of being old. No, of just making it to this podcast. Of all the things you've achieved, you could argue this is the acme of your career.

It's a bookend, Joe Franklin. Not without, I don't want to get whatever, sappy or anything, but when you go back and listen to the music, one of you is not here. Is it a joyous thing for you to hear, Adam, when you're listening to that music now? Is it ever rough to listen to them or is enough time gone by where it's all good? Well, I'd say A, we probably didn't,

neither of us listen to, not to burst the bubble, but we don't listen to our, we're not gonna listen, yeah, I mean, you go back and watch a old episode of your show or The Simpsons or- All night I wear a tattered wedding dress and just watch in my mansion. No, I don't, I don't. Yeah, shocking, we're not the audience for our own music.

But no, I don't know, I think it's all the above. I think enough time has gone, there was definitely a period of time where it just, I couldn't even open up a computer music file, something that we are working on because I would just get too sad. The process would bring me right back to making, because we really worked with Adam up to very close

to the very, very end, because that's what made him happy. So anyway, and I feel like that time has sort of worked its way through. And then there's times like I'll hear something and be like, oh, yeah, oh. The rest is like when you, because now I think once in a while, like our things will get licensed to like, oh, yeah, oh. The rest is like when you, because now I think once in a while, like our things will get licensed to like, we'll give a sync license

to like Mario Brothers or something. So you'll be like on an airplane or something and that will have forgotten or at least at my point of aging, I'll have forgotten that we've licensed that song. And then the thing will come on in the airplane. Yeah, that's kind of, you know, it's sort of actually nice. I mean, Beastie Boys music in a good way is,

it's out there, you're gonna hear it, you know, it's not, it's, you don't have to go looking for it to hear it in the best way. So I'm just curious if that, you know, when you hear your own music, is it evocative of anything or do you just think like, yep, that was then, this is now?

Well, two things. For me, I feel very similar. It was very hard at first because not only did we record all the music together with Adam, but we were also best friends for decades. So we're together every day. When you lose a friend like that it's really really hard and you know not everybody has a friend who's like a musician whose voice you hear every day it's it's it was hard it's

it's definitely less shitty now right but the thing about us hearing our music like for me hearing the music it the whole thing is weird you know what I mean that anybody likes our band that we've played at Madison Square Garden or that we have platinum records that people want to listen to, the whole. Platinum records that are not our records. Multiple platinum records. The whole thing is weird. Do you know what I mean?

So when you hear it in a movie or you hear it from a car or something, it's very weird. Still, I don't think it would always be weird. I think that's healthy, because it is miraculous. Anything like that is miraculous. And to get to a point where it's like, but of course, for we are the Beastie Boys, it's just like, that's very life madness. But we're also not like,

we don't know how to make songs. That's the other thing is, we don't know how to like craft a perfect song and write a good melody that brings you in with the pre-chorus into the chorus with the vamp and the thing. We don't actually know how to do that. So what you're saying, Adam, is you might have been a potential Hunts Hall, but you're no...

You're bullshitting this whole time. ...but you're no Linda Perry. I am Hunts Hall, not Linda Perry. Yeah. Well, congrats on the 30th anniversary. Yes. Oh, wait, no, I have a question though. So, I mean, because it is essentially-

You're not allowed to ask me questions. That's not how this works. Yeah, go ahead. No, but I think it's funny, like what Adam's saying, like I really think did resonate with all three of us, even when Yark was live, of just that we felt like how's this work that we're just basically making these inside jokes

and that actually other people get let in, right? It's sort of miraculous that other people could even appreciate them. But when, so when you're crafting a bit on whatever level, whether you're writing for somebody else or your own. I don't craft anything, but anyway, yeah. But, all right. But no, what I-

Writing, but no, but just, do you feel the same way that like, oh, this is just something we thought was funny to us? Yes. I can't believe that just going out on there and people think it's funny. Most of my career has been, all of my career, I think, has been me thinking of things that I think might make

one of my other comedy people laugh. And then later on, someone's talking to you about it because they saw it on television or it meant something to them. And I still find that crazy. You know, it's just, we're all getting away with highway robbery. Just we're having fun and making things

that delight ourselves and then it's a thing. And so it's nice. It's, I think I'll always be more fascinated by your side of the business by music because I try to understand it but I don't, it's just not, it's not in me. I like to play it, I like to play at it, but to create music on the level that you guys did

is mysterious to me and really endlessly fascinating. And every comedian I know secretly wishes that they were in a group and they were making music and playing Madison Square Garden. No, but there is a huge comedy music crossover appreciation. Like when that last video that we did that Yauk directed for Make Some Noise, and we had, for some reason you weren't in it,

but we had basically every- Sounds like you were close, but not actually in the video. We had every comedian alive was in it. I remember me insinuating- I don't mean that, it's a shot. No, no, no. I mean, I think it was shot on the Warner Brothers lot, and I'm talking, I was talking to Yalck

and it would have been so easy for him to say, hey Conan, do you want to hop in? You have five minutes. I mean, and I think he had a camera rolling. Yeah, I mean, he's like, I mean, you know. I remember him pushing me out of the way of the camera. He actively avoided asking you to be in it. He leaned against me to push me out of the way of the camera.

Oh no. Yeah, he was like, oh, you know Will Ferrell. Very hands-on director. He was like, you know Will Ferrell, right? Yeah. Oh, no, I mean, he just happens to be here. Yeah, yeah. He's not.

No, he wanted my Rolodex. That's what he wanted. No, there is a funny crossover, and when I would see you guys, I would think, oh, to make music that everyone wants to sing along to, but also get to be funny at the same time as you guys were. It's like, that'd be fun. But now I'm here with you, Sona.

I'm sorry. Yeah, no, I love it. Oh, okay, that's nice. This is fun. Not you specifically. Oh, oh, this. But I love the process. That's okay. Guys, I'm gonna wrap it up just because I'm not getting paid.

It has been 30 years. Where are the sponsorship breaks? We don't do those here. I won't have that dirty linen. Where's the ads for medicinal marijuana and stuff? Casper mattresses and stuff. We used to have really fun ads, and then this is like a crazy humblebrag,

but at the beginning, and then this thing got big where the ads now are all for like legitimate boring companies. It used to be for like fracture prints, which turned photographs into glass. And I had more fun doing those ads. Yeah. And then it became, you know, oh, American Express, errr, you know, like that's no fun.

Magoosh. Magoosh was fun. Yeah. Please, I don't wanna waste their time. What's Magoosh? I don't really remember what it was, but he just kept, the name of the company. Magoosh. Magoosh was fun. Yeah. Please, I don't want to waste their time. What's Magoosh? I don't really remember what it was, but he just kept, the name of the company was Magoosh, and you just kept screaming.

Okay, please, now you're, please, we don't want them to get into the Magoosh thing. Guys, I- You can't call me a Magoosh. It's a Magoosh. I'm a Magoosh, you're a Magoosh. I don't remember what Magoosh did. Gentlemen, I thank you for being here.

It was really nice having you, And I wish you both well. Please come back if you ever can. Thank you. Because you're super smart, funny, gifted people. And it's nice to hang with you. And I appreciate it. Wow. Thank you. Like I said before, we don't have jobs, so we're around.

Welcome to work here if you like. Well, let's not get crazy. It's nice to be here. Yeah, I mean that would ruin everything then that would be a job. Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Conan O'Brien, Sonam Avsesian and Matt Gourley. Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sacks, Jeff Ross and Nick Leow. by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross, and Nick Leow. 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 and mixing by Eduardo Perez and Brendan Burns. Additional production support by Mars Melnik. Talent Booking by Paula Davis, Gina Battista, and Brit Kahn. 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. You can also get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign up at siriusxm.com slash Conan. And if you haven't already, please subscribe to Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.