Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Ed Sheeran Live from the SiriusXM Garage

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

Ed Sheeran feels wank about being Conan O'Brien's friend. Live from the SiriusXM Garage, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran sits down with Conan to talk about emulating his music heroes, the inspiration for his new album Autumn Variations, and unlikely celebrity run-ins. Plus, Conan and his team answer audience questions about their favorite films, childhood aspirations, and more. For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com.Got a question for Conan? Call our voicemail: [phone].

This special live recorded episode of Conrad Bryan needs a friend is brought to you by Samsung. Samsung keeps innovating. They really do. They're on the ball. They're always doing new things. Yes, yes. They can't even keep up. Well, you can never keep up, but I'm very good at keeping up. And I can't keep up with Samsung.

Last year, Samsung launched the Gaming Hub. No console required. I don't know if you remember this, Blay, but you and I did a clueless gamer. Yeah, of course. With this technology. Of course I remember. Well, I didn't know you. What do you mean?

You have such an exciting life. That's not true at all. You travel the world, you're like a, you know, a bond villain. No, playing, playing on the Samsung TV without a console was one of the highlights of my year last year. It was great. It was fantastic. We had a very good time.

It's super fun. Samsung has now integrated the gaming hub into the Samsung freestyle stream thousands of games all on the freestyle second gen portable projector from Samsung. It's pretty cool, right? It is really cool. You know, I got to say, the crazy thing is it automatically adjusts to the surface that's being projected on. Yeah. And I'm not kidding. This is wild. You can like put it on the floor and it will automatically adjust the angle. So when you're staring at the wall or the projector, it is still the aspect of the story. It's good.

No, really. I watch Citizen Kane projected on my bare chest. And guess what? It's a better movie that way. I don't wait. You projected it and you looked in the mirror. I was saying it's so weird. I was using X-ray specs.

It was so weird. I saw such a different, totally different movie that way. Okay. And the body is like, I was using X-ray specs. It was so weird. I saw such a different movie that way. Okay. And happily. Yeah, but it adjusts to up to a hundred inches. Yeah. Which is pretty good. Adjusts to a hundred inches.

I wouldn't touch that when I'm on the 10 foot pole. Okay. All right. Anyway, where was that in high school? Oh my God. It's a great invention. Sam Sung, they're always innovating. Oh, you have mortise.

Well, the other thing I want to say is everyone in the live audience for this show got to see the freestyle second gen portable projector in action. Very cool, which is incredibly, very cool. I like it. So Oprah gives people things, but we let them see how it works. And then we tell them to go out and buy it. That's right. Fantastic.

We just show them something cool. Yeah, another way that I'm different from Oprah. Hey, no, it is very cool. They'll check it out. Stream 1000 games. No console required now on the freestyle second gen with gaming hub on Samsung. Streaming games on Samsung gaming hub

requires a high speed internet connection, additional gaming service subscription and compatible controller required. But I saw it once it's in normalize the word when in America because it's like not used that much so high my name is Ed Sheeran and I feel wank about being Conan Abrams. Ring the bell, the bell is used, walking leaves, kind of fence, books and guns. I can tell that I'm here, I'm gonna need friends. I can tell that I'm here, I'm gonna need friends.

Hey everybody, how are you? Yeah! This is exciting, what a great crowd, thank you for being here, this is very nice of you. Yeah. Well, for being here. This is very nice of you. Yeah. Well, good night everybody. The, uh, easily-pleased crowd. When a crowd is happy to see you go as they are to see you show up, that's a bad sign. Did you just mention, Blade, that there is going to be drinks for the crowd after the show?

That's right. Why not drinks? Why not drinks before and during the show? What's wrong with that? Next time. Next time. Roe is learning. And once again, they've added another row. That's true. I first time we did this, here at the Series XM Garage,

it was just this audience here, then I said, I think we could have more. That's right. So they added one row. I said, I think it could be more. That's right. So they added one row. I said, I think it could be more. They added one more row. None of you would be here where it not for me. That's true.

That's absolutely true. None of you would be here. Hi, how are you? I love your hair and the, hi, how are you? Hi. I was bullied. Um, anyway, oh, look at that. That's a late night with Conan O'Brien shirt.

Those are made of his bestest. Be careful. So, so not. Yeah, yeah, we just took old, like, ER shirts and friend shirts and spray paint at them. Yeah. Have you ever worn it in the rain? They catch fire.

True story, yeah. Don't wear it. That stuff is shit. Not that one. That one's cool. Yeah. No, it's very nice to be here. We have a, I have a great show. We have such a good show. Very exciting. Very good show. Very good show tonight excited. I like that you paused for a long time before you brought me out as if it was a big mystery.

Yeah. You went in now. It's time to bring out. And there was this long, weird pause. Well, I had, I thought you had gas or something. You were just, there was this long like, who could it be? Everyone here knows. Well, yeah, we wanted the anticipation of people frothing at the mouth. I shouldn't have said frothing at the mouth,

but you know, the anticipation high. Yeah, what you described is botulism. Sorry. A lot of Conan fans have, by the way. Thank you for coming so far. I'm just gonna assume you all came from a really great distance and everyone come from, where'd you come from? A long beach. Come on, I was hoping you'd say like Guam.

We took 11 planes and a submarine and then a hovercraft. No, but you came from Long Beach. Well, that's what is that? That's about 35 minutes. Wow, die hard fans I have. The Guam of California. Yeah, have. The Guam of California. Yeah, it is the Guam of California.

It really is. Well, thank you. What's your name? Hi, Ty. It's nice to meet you. Yeah, how are you? And you have your friends with you here? Are you just here by great?

Oh great. So you all came together from Long Beach. Who really came from a great distance? Who came from far, far away? Yes. Riverside. Riverside. Riverside. So that would be like 39 minutes.

We're seeing here the depth and the intensity of Conan fandom. People look, oh, I don't even want to, I see you raising your hand and I don't even want to know. Oh, North West Hollywood. Yes, go ahead. My apartment building is attached to this... No! Your apartment building is attached? You literally slid down a pole.

Like a fireman to get here. And you looked at wearing pajamas. You were asleep 11 minutes ago and you're like, I don't want to see Conan, but I guess I'll see his guest. Right down into his seat. Do you come see a lot of serious shows? This is your first one. The first one that enticed you out of your apartment

that's 18 inches from where I'm standing right now. You should have a party for all of us after the show. We should all go back to your apartment. What's that? Will I come? right now. You should have a party for all of us after the show. We should all go back to your apartment. What's that? Will I come? No, I will not. I've got to get back to Riverside because that's also where I live. We'll see. We'll see how it goes. We'll see how good a crowd you are. If you're really good crowd, who knows? I'm not a stompa. Although when a man my age who's married with grown children shows up at a party It can be misunderstood It could come across as a little creepy

What's he doing here? He just invited himself? You know, I've talked for a long time and really I should invite out the true stars of the show I'm just kidding, but I do love them and together. I think we might we we make quite a team I'm gonna bring him out right now some of Sessianian and Mr. Matt Corley, let's get him out here. I'm gonna announce this is something that's very difficult to do in my business. Switch from this mic to that mic. It's a very difficult procedure, but when you're dealing with a professional, it can be quite easily done. I was warming up the crowd and it turns out there might be a party happening after the show. All right.

Inches from where we're sitting right now. Sonon Mac. Okay. Yeah, and Sonal likes to party. I do. I do. You know what? Earlier, I was in the bathroom with a bunch of these guys and I leaned

up on the sink and it was wet and my butt is completely wet right now and so when I came in. Wait a minute that's the seat where our guest is going to sit. Yes our guest is going to sit in a crappy show we have. It's okay it's SpongeBob SquarePix. Okay, yeah. Our first guest in SpongeBob. We're going to need to take care of the problem. With his spongy ass. Why were you hanging out in the bathroom with the crowd beforehand? What kind of show business is this?

I don't know. She was in the bathroom of that lady's apartment. Yeah, I see. I went to her house. Was everyone in this crowd hanging out in that woman's... Ma'am? Miss? What is Ma ma'am I call her ma'am like him in the 1930s Oklahoma vaudeville sketch What is your name young lady Emily all right Emily's having a party in her apartment above the serious exam afterwards And Sony you'll probably go you'll go to anything

Why did you say you're going because you will if if you find out that the snacks and the drinks are free, you're there. Actually, that is true. I like to be included. Every time I do this with Sona, she'll be like, what do you mean? And I'll restate the thing I just said and shook up, that's true.

Yeah. You're right. If there is free food and free drinks, I'll be there. But also, I just like to be included. I like when people invite me to things. That's nice. Well, she didn't invite you yet. Oh, she invited most of the crowd.

I think she's doing the thing with her hand. So I'm going to do it. Well, listen, I found out from the crowd because I was like to find out. People really came from all over the globe. And when I say globe, if it was a globe that was shrunk down to the size of roughly a 15-mile radius of Los Angeles. Yeah.

A globe that size. But we have people from Riverside here. Oh, Riverside is not close. Yeah, no. You came all the way from Altadena. OK, Conan, it's not. They don't even use American currency there. I swear to God, it's all Armenian currency. Armenian?

Where people are wooing Altadena. That's good. I wasn't saying anything bad about it. I was just saying it's amazing. It's incredible that you live in Altadina. Why is it Armenian currency? I don't know, because there are a lot of your family there. You have...

Can you name what the Armenian currency is? The job to do. Okay. What is it? The did-on. What did it... It did on. What? It did on. Yeah. What?

It's the did on. It's the did up. We went together. I know. Right. I don't see you throwing a lot of did up around. What do you mean? I wouldn't throw it.

You threw it around when we were there. I didn't pay for anything. That's true. You don't pay for things. I was cool with going with you. Yeah. I'd pay for everything. It's very true.

Yeah. Anyway, people from all over Los Angeles are here. That's exciting. It's very cool, and I'm very thrilled that they're all here. And Matt, I'm excited about the show. Yeah, we have a terrific show today. We're going to have a very good time. And how are you? I didn't get to really chat with you yet.

I'm good. I'm good, so and I guy here, way too early. So we went over to the 99 cents store across the street to see if everything actually is 99 cents. We did do that though. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, when Matt said it, I didn't think You're way too cool to do that. Yeah, I thought of course you did that No one here is like what the funds went to the 99 cents store But anyways, so what did you find out? Hardly anything is priced at $99. A lot of it has gone up to $1.19.

Yeah. But there's still a few items that are still $0.99. That's no America I want to live in. If you're calling it a $0.99 store, then I think it should cost $0.99 for below. Once it's $1.19, I think I want to move to a foreign land like Altadena. OK.

Some place far away or I'm protected. All right. You won't be protected there. I will. Your family loves me. I mean, yeah, against their veterans, they do. After everything you've said about my dad's mustache, he still really likes you.

He made a doll that came to life. I love Jepetto. So what's the story? What, you know, you see, one of the things that I did, they told me you have to wait back here where the crowd won't see you. And I said, okay, and I thought they were leading me to a dressing room, and they led me to the garage.

It's serious XM. I'm not talking about serious XM garage. Like, this is the garage. It's a real garage. How long were you in the garage? And my car is there, like 20 minutes. So I just sat on my car and watched other cars come and go and people would just wave at me and I go, yeah, hi.

They'd be like, look, it's the girl from the Wendy's logo and I go, hi. Oh, you. I see you. This is where I am in show business. Yeah. I'm sitting on the trunk of my car in a garage. You're such a big celebrity. You bet. The biggest. Yeah.

The very biggest. All right, we got to get into it. We have a very big show today. I'm excited. I am too. I'm really excited. A cute star is here. I think I think his people made him a steak. But anyway, we're thrilled to be here. He's like, no, he's been on the show several times. I love this guy. My guest today is a Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter who released his sixth album, Subtract earlier this year. Now he has a new album titled Autumn Variations. He's so incredibly talented, thrilled he's here.

Let's welcome Ed Sheeran. Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Sorry, the seats wet. We'll call you about that later. So, should he show you're on right now? I would say, I was thinking about this. I think you came on my show two times, and the first time you came on the show, am I right

that you were barefoot when you performed? No. I feel like I look like a hobbit, but I don't like... I don't practice hobbitisms. I'm pretty sure you were barefoot. I took a lot of pills that night. I don't remember what happened. No, I do do barefoot.

I remember I went barefoot for like a summer when I was recording and I was making a song with Bruno Mars. And I remember him just being like, just put some shoes on man, Jesus. Was it helping you? Was writing and recording barefoot, giving you some kind of special energy, like connecting you to the earth?

Not really. No, just like it was hot. I gave you such an out for doing something so cool, connecting to the final powers of the earth. And you just said, no, it was hot. And we have a lot to talk about because we have some things in common. I know that you are from England but you have a lot of Irish heritage.

Yeah, my dad's Irish here. And I feel like the red head is head-ism. But did you get a tough time at school for being a red head? Yeah, it wasn't just because my hair was red. Let's just say there were other problems too. My personality. Were you that tall in school? No, I got tall later on.

I got tall very late. It was like a later in high school. So I was very average height. I had bright orange hair. My mother insisted on cutting our hair for us because she didn't want to pay for us to go to a barbershop. So she would cut it straight across.

That's why. In a bowl cut, my two front teeth were dead, so I had grave teeth up front. I was, I could keep going, but it was a fucking train rack. And then the red hair, and then my name is Conan. So you put all those things together and it was a terrible time. What's it like? Is there an anti-red head bias in England? You think at the time that you were growing up?

Yeah, I think it's, I think it's just school. Because actually, as soon as I got out of school, like no one cared. It wasn't like, I mean, it gets referred to whenever there's a review of my album or there's like, it's always flame hair or like red head or like whatever, but I guess that's just a way of describing someone. But yeah. It's a, yeah.

So anything that makes you different, I think later becomes an advantage. Oh, 100%. Because. But when you're a kid, I just wanted to look like everybody else. I did not want to look different when I was a kid. I did not want to in any way stand out and then I looked like a pinata that had been very hastily assembled. But I think it helps, especially going into show business. Like I had a tiny, tiny guitar and I would gig around London and everyone would know

me as the fat ginger kid with a small guitar. So no, no, but it was good because I was remembered. People were like, oh, it's that. It wasn't like, oh, that tall good looking like with the big guitar. It was always like the fat ginger kid with a guitar. And people knew who I was. Did you play a tiny guitar on purpose? Or it just was? It was more like, I'd won a battle of the bands when I was 17 and they gave me a ventures to a music store. And I remember going in the music store and seeing this small guitar and being like, that would be perfect for like traveling because I took trains and tubes everywhere. So I was like, that would be perfect just to have on my backpack and I'll have all my CDs

and pedals and everything in the bag, rather than like logging around the big guitar. So it actually was more out of ease and then it became my thing and now that's what I use on stage. So it's why people think you're 65 feet tall. Yeah. All they're using are frame of references completely off. I went to go and watch Barbie with some friends, and they were these guys in the queue in front of me, and they looked round and they went,

is that a cheering? And one of them went, nah, no, a cheering is much taller than that. Yes. LAUGHTER I have had many people, and this is not a joke, just because you said that I've had many people say to me, you look like Conan O'Brien if he were tall. Right. Because I'm sort of on a six foot four spectrum, and people that just knew me for almost 30 years on television think of me as a very just compact person that can fit in their

television. And when this big monster is looming in front of them, you know, one of those balloons, it's in front of a car dealership. They don't know. They just think, well, he can't be him. So, I'm here for you to interview me, but I've got to ask about you writing Simpson's and being staff on that like,

oh, yeah, sure, go ahead. I just think, did you write full full episodes? Yeah, and just hand them in and go, that's what happens is, and this should be the whole interview, I think. Ed Sheeran talks to Konorbrian about the Simpsons, and I'm in heaven right now. That's what I want to do. Yeah, yeah, okay, I'll tell you all about it. It is funny because it is one of the now that there's an internet there and the clips are, you know circulate. I can when I travel around the world or if I've traveled around the UK, they can know me from clips of comedy clips from my show. But before that, when I would go to the UK, they would not know who I was because a lot of American talk shows weren't

shown there, but they would know if the Simpsons came up, they would flip out and they would ask me which episodes I worked on and I would tell them and they would be able to know all those, they would know everything because Simpsons fans are everywhere. Well, it was in England as well, like it was, we only really had no one had cables, so we had BBC One, BBC Two, ITV and maybe Channel Four. And BBC Two, every day, had two episodes of this instance. So you'd get home from school, and that would be the thing you watch. And it just, like, I got, but never, I swear, BBC only owned a couple of seasons,

because it was always the same episode. And I see new seasons now, and you know, you never saw a bar get older. It was, I think we stopped at like season 10. Yeah. But my kids love it now. Yep, it's, what's funny is that, you know, I was there, I don't see, Simpson's fans know everything and they get upset

that I don't know it because I was there and I was there, you know, in a fairly early stage considering how long it's run. But we would watch the episodes, hundreds of times, whereas you probably just wrote what you said. We would work on those ones, but yeah, what would happen is you would pitch

a concept for an episode, so I would go and I'd say, here's what I think should happen and I would have all these beats for an episode and ideas for an episode. And if they liked it, there was a little gong in the room and they would, you'd do this once a year

and they would, literally, if they left and the executive producer was really laughing, someone would get up and bang the gong and say, like, that's going to be an episode. And I remembered the couple of times that they banged the gong when I said my episode and I, my episodes and I was so excited. Were you doing late night then? No, you went from, oh no, god no, no, late night is, you got this. Because they start, I remember an episode where they ripped you on it and you were late night then? No, no, no, no. Late night is you have to start. I remember an episode where they ripped you on it. And you were late night.

Yeah, I saw it. But so you would, You're on it. It was an homage. Yeah, it was an homage. It was in my friends. They would never do that to me. They're comedy writers.

They're very kind. No, it's funny because, yeah, I was working on The Simpsons and then for a couple of seasons. And then I went to audition for this late night show, thinking I'll never get this. I'm a writer on The Simpsons and then tragically got it. And that's how it felt at the time like, oh shit, but I left and I-

Was there ever part of you that just like turned up at the right as room being like, cannot chuck it in my day or every now and then- We know it's so funny. I did come back years later and the room is not so many people think, oh my God, you know, this epic television show and this known for its, you know, really good writers. And I'm just these people I got to work with are insanely talented.

And the room is just awful. The room is terrible. It looks like the worst. I mean, it did at the time. I think it's much nicer now, but there was just a bad shag carpet. Sofas that, you know, if you're at your first year in college or university and you just get them on the sidewalk, and we would sit there and eat fried food, there was a writer that smoked all the time who sat next to me. So when I die, it'll be because of him. And big laugh gang, laugh it up.

And we eat bad food and think it, and so it wasn't sexier fun or cool at all, but, and I remember we played it, we all chewed up some caramel and put it together into big blob and mashed it up into the ceiling, and then tried to get things to stick to it because you'll do anything to pass the time.

I love that. Yeah. Well, that to pass the time. I love that. Well, that's all the time we have. Yeah. Can I just say we're one of the best guests we've ever had on the show? So are you, uh, your Catholic? Were you raised Catholic? Or is there? I did communion and all that stuff.

I'm not like practicing. I'm very much like, I believe in after life just because I've had friends pass away and I think it's depressing not to think that they're in a better place, you know. But other than that, I wouldn't understand that. I wouldn't say that I'm hugely religious. I mean, I do midnight mass, Christmas and stuff like that, but it's not like I'm not like a practicing. Yeah, we, I mean, I grew up very, very Catholic family and mass all the time.

And so when I'm around and when we do on the occasions when we go to a mass, I can say all the stuff. And people that know me are like, what the hell? And it's like, what's in my bone marrow? I have one of my best friends is a Catholic. He's a Godfather of one of my kids. And when he talks about his ex-girlfriends, he always goes like that. This is not even joking about this, but as my mother, as she got a little older, she didn't want it. She had trouble turning her neck, so you had to back straight out of our driveway in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, right on the Boston line. So my mother would just throw the car into reverse, cross herself, and go.

What? What? Yeah, and then later they'd be like peeling kids off the back of her car. Well, it was just... So one of the things that I was thinking about you today, Ed, because I was thinking about the amazing, absolutely, how you made yourself.

I was thinking about it today, which there are artists out there who are very talented, who are discovered, but you, as you were talking about earlier, you got this guitar, you're getting on the tube, you're going all over town, you really were a getting yourself known on YouTube. And when you got your first hit,

it wasn't this, you weren't this produced act that had gone through the machine, which I think is fascinating. Well, I didn't make it on my looks. I disagree. Thank you. I disagree, because I feel like I'm looking in a mirror. No, just looking man, I've never seen. When I moved to London, you know, I played guitar at school in my right songs at school,

and I moved to London, and I quickly realized that I wasn't any good and Everyone that I was gig I was 17. I was gigging with like 24-year-olds that good songs a song well the play guitar But I realized that I could outwork them I was like I'm not better than you, but I can do More shows I can I can go and I would book like three shows on a Thursday night and get on the tube and go and play three songs three songs three songs And I was just like if I play every night of the week, maybe two times a night, maybe three times a night, and I'm just doing that every day, eventually I'll get really good. And that is what happened after a while. The practice does make perfect. Where do you think that work ethic came from? Do you see it? I mean, because I do think that

sometimes you don't even know where it comes from. You just have this sense like. I think my dad. My dad was really tough on us when we were kids to work really hard. And I was always confused because I was like, but I don't like maths, I don't like science. And like, why would I work at something

that I don't want to do? And as soon as I found music, I was like, oh, I'm going to do this every day. And it was the detriment of my academic-ness. I wouldn't say I'm a hugely smart person in academics, but as soon as I found music, I was like, this is what I'm going to do. And my dad always said, choose someone you admire and work harder than them. So my hero, when I was a kid, was James Blunt.

And when I signed to Atlantic Records, he was on Atlantic Records. And I said, in his peak year, he was on Atlantic Records and I said in his peak year, get me his diary and we'll do double everything that he did and that's exactly what we did. We just chose all the things and then doubled it. That's absolutely. I mean, and that first of all, I was talking to you backstage, I got past your security and how did he get in here? But one of the things that really blew me away as you were talking to me about how still

to that, you spend most of your time in studio. I mean, you're with your family, obviously, but then you're in the studio a lot. Yeah, I mean day in, day in. I don't have hobbies. So my hobby is music. I do two gigs a weekend and I do five days in studio every week. I do 10, 10 AM.m. to 5 p.m. every day. And then that means I can do morning routine with the kids taking to nursery, go to studio, get them back from nursery, put them to bed. It's

like it's a nice routine to be in. Do you find that there's, sometimes people talk about this great inspiration. They sit down in Elton John, we'll say that sometimes these songs came to him and he's sat down. He said the good ones came very quickly. Totally. Sometimes you have to write a lot of shit ones to get the good ones though. Yes.

I find that like, my thing I always say, so I'm in every day in the studio. And if I get one song a month that's good, I'm so happy. Because that's an album in a year. That's 12 songs in a year. So we would make like today, I've been in, we made three songs and like maybe one of them is good, but by the end of the week we'll have like maybe one that's good. I get one this month I'm happy. There's an old saying that an all that concept that when someone writes their great novel, it's their amazing novel. It means they have nine ones in the drawer.

Yeah, yeah. And so usually their second novel isn't great because it was one of the ones in the drawer that they just handed to the publisher when they were then a big deal. That's what someone at my record label said to me when I put out my first record. And I was like, I think I could put out my second quite quickly. And he's like, don't use the offshoots of album one. Go back in and make an album. And it was great advice. So I treat every album as if it's like my debut, going into make

the thing that you're going to give to the world first and then you work it as if it's your debut as well. This album's a little bit different though because this was not that. It's very much something that I can't, I was saying it to you in the dressing room, it's sort of happened by accident. It was very much. Yeah, because you came out with an album quite recently. And then you follow it up with this album and I was listening to it today and I really love it. And you said, yeah, it actually, it was sort of forming while the other album was forming.

Which I blew my mind. Yeah, so I had this idea, well I say I had this idea. My dad has, my dad's full of great ideas, sometimes not so great, but he said to me like there's this composer called Elgar, and Elgar did this thing called Enigma Variations, which is 14 compositions about 14 of his friends, and he never told anyone who was about an enigma. And he said, there's never been a modern version of it.

Wouldn't it be cool if you did a variations record? So I was like, oh, that's fascinating actually. And I was talking to Aaron who I made the record with. And I was like, we should do this record, base it around the season. And it will be variations of the season with my friend's. And then whilst we were making the record, I had my best friend die, my wife got diagnosed with a tumor and then I went into a court case and I wrote loads of songs about that in the

space of that month. And then because all of those songs were finished quite quickly, that album was done, which is became subtract, but actually we were in making variations. So after all of that, we went back and finished it and it was done. But like songs like on, if you know my album subtract, like the opening two songs were meant to be on Orton Variations. They were meant to be the first two of Orton Variations, and it just came, the two sonnets are very different. One's quite a sad album and one's quite a sort of hopeful joyous full album. And you think of Adam Variations as being more hopeful? I think so.

There's a lot more, subtract is pretty much all just doom and gloom and depression and being sad about that. We are going through a lot of very intense. Yeah, there wasn't much happy moments. But yeah, all it's about my friends. So it's my friends falling in love in September or breaking up in September or being depressed in September or no one turning up to their birthday party because they're having a sober September.

You know, like it's different. It's about... It's not about September. Well, no, because the thing is like I find it weird talking to Americans about, I mean, you call it fall, but like September is great everywhere, but England is shit. In November. Like autumn in England is not fun. Whereas you guys, it's all full, it's apple juice, and then we're having great time. It's very dark here in Los Angeles. Oh yeah, Los Angeles, it's just a different kind of fire.

You've got zero seasons, yeah. It's, yeah, so I think, you know, it gets very, you know, days are really short, gets very dark, very cold, very lonely, and it's, so that's it gets very, you know, days are really short, gets very dark, very cold, very lonely, and it's, so that's kind of what was the inspiration of the record, but after a month of, no, so like three months of summer where you're having all the fun with all the friends and you're getting festivals and you're getting out and you're in pub gardens, like it suddenly changes very quickly in England, which is sort of the inspiration of the record. But it's all like, it's weird, the changes that happened in people's lives.

Like, I would have people like having babies and suddenly their life is completely shifted or getting to a new relationship and it's completely shifted. And it's interesting that after summer, there is a switch in people's heads that goes right back to work, back to school, back to school. It's a different feeling. Well, it's funny because we're on that schedule when we're kids. And then of course, it changes because you got to work through this summer You got to work into the fall, but I still feel that way. I still feel like well time to get back at it

Exactly. Even though nothing really changed. It's the same in the two times that happens in the year a September and and January those the two way you like, okay So I was listening to our very ages today and there was a there was a song you wrote about England and you talk about how we get a bad England gets how much you love England, but we get a bad reputation because of the weather. And what's so interesting to me is that and you talk about how you actually like that weather, I think because of my genetic, Boston, but also 100% Irish and everything. I just love, I love it when it's rainy and foggy. And everyone else is bitching. And I'm in, I love it.

I'm just so happy. I would choose, like genuinely, I would choose the English coastline any time of the year over any other coastline in the world, even if it's like pissing it down with rain and it's like, I love swimming in the English sea as well. It's just cold, it's like, aggressive. Well, that's stupid.

No, come on. It's really, the English sea, I don't mean mean it's, it's gotta be, well, actually, no, you're in the Gulf Stream. So it's not freezing cold. It's cold, yeah, yeah. I tried to, tried to give you an out there. I have a, I have a, a music, my whole last record I made, but that song in England I wrote by the C,

and I made Subtract by the C. So I was like, oh, I'm gonna shoot all the videos. And one of the director had this idea of like, you should be in the C, and the wave should just be like, battering you down. And I was like, cool, and she was like all the videos. And one of the directors, I had this idea of like, you should be in the scene. The waves should just be like, battering you down. And I was like, cool. And she was like, we could shoot it in Los Angeles, you know?

And I was like, I'll do it in England and we shot it in December. And oh, God. I definitely like, I lost a couple of inches for a couple of days. Not me. I know exactly what you're talking about, Ed. At least yours came back.

Still looking for mine. That's amazing. Gotta get that image out of my head. Moving on. You know what amazement? You're obviously a very young man, especially contrasted with myself. And yet, so many musical influences are these people that, you know, Eric Clapton was a huge

influence on you. And I think, well, you're very young to be influenced by Eric Clapton, but of course, he's timeless. The way the Beatles are timeless, the way... I basically, I just had my dad's record collection. It's very cliché, you know, that's what I listen to. But it wasn't until, you know, Christmas is where maybe an aunt sends you 10 pounds and then you can go out and buy the CD that you want to get, but I was very much like, I only listened to my dad's record

collection because that's what we had in the house. So I guess I was like 10 or 11 when I started forming my own tastes, but yeah, there was, I mean, my dad has some great records and they're still like some of my like moon dance that Van Morrison I think is like a perfect album for any time like any time you put that on it could be like the end of the night could be the start of the night it could be like dinner like it's just it's a perfect album. Was your do you say your dad is is he from Belfast? No, so my dad's dad is from Belfast and my dad's comes from the West. Because you know, because, yeah. Ben Morrison's from Northern Ireland and so I just think you never know where some things are coming to

or why things appeal to you. He do step to me at my hotel. Like it was like, I was in like 2040, I just made thinking out loud and it'd become a hit. And I remember my granite actually comes to the gig and we had a lot of whiskey afterwards as you do. And I'd gone to bed at like four o'clock in the morning

and I remember getting this phone call at like six. I was like really bleary, I was just like, what? And the person at the front desk is just like, very embarrassing to hear. He wants to have breakfast with you and I was like, oh, fuck, no he's not. I thought someone was taking the piss,

so I hung up and then they were wrong back and they were like, no, no, no, he's actually downstairs. He someone was taking the piss, so I hung up, and then they were wrong back, and they're like, no, no, no, he's actually downstairs. He wants to have breakfast with you. And I was like, cool. Shared really quickly, he went down. And yeah, just essentially had breakfast with him. It was really surreal, because I was still drunk.

I was still, it was like seven o'clock in the morning. That was just like, is it? But he's really sweet. I've got to sort of meet him a couple of times since then. But it was like such a nice thing. He's like one of my heroes and I was like, people always say don't meet your heroes and it was such a like not that thing. He was just sitting there, he was really interested in Spotify instead of talking about that. You were explaining it to him?

Well, I didn't explain how VCRs work. It was relatively new at this point. All I knew is that on my first album, I remember, because no one really put their records on Spotify's beginning because I didn't really know what the... What is this? Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, I want everyone to have my music. And I just remember never selling a record in Sweden. And it was always like, records sold in Sweden was zero.

And then I'd go there and I'd play the biggest gigs of my European tour. And I'm like, this is fucking weird, the correlation. How I sold no records here, but the most people want to come and see the songs. And it's because Spotify was so excessive. I see. I think that's what's good about music now.

And it's more difficult to break through with new songs because there's 100,000 new songs released every day. But the quality will inevitably go up because back when I was a teenager and buying albums, and I think this is why piracy became a thing, is I think record labels took the piss. They had like one great song that they put on an album with a bunch of filler and they'd sell it to you for $22 or 22 pounds, and you'd buy it and be like, I feel ripped off

here and you'd be like, I wish I could just download that one song But I like and I think that's why it all they basically pushed it too far Yeah ripped off people too much, right. I'm curious You mentioned don't meet your heroes. I was shocked you came Son of please He is funny Please. Oh, God. But Ed. Ed. He is funny. Ed, he is funny. The point is that. The point is that.

Who are other people that you met that, obviously? I mean, you have achieved this incredible success, this insane success. You get to meet whoever you want now in the music world, where there are people where you thought I I mean if you have you have you checked off every box You must have checked my rule was always I'm never gonna Seek out someone to meet them. I'm gonna wait until they want to meet me I remember I remember doing SNL not even doing SNL

I'd made my album with Rick Reuben and Rick Rick was also making M&M's album at the time and Rick was like I want to do the SNL with a M&M you want to come down and I was like yeah, I'd love to and with Rick Reuben and Rick was also making M&M's album at the time and Rick was like, I wanna do that, so now with M&M you wanna come down and I was like, yeah, I'd love to. And then when I was there, Rick was like, do you wanna meet him and I was like, no, I want to, but I want him to be like, hey, I like your stuff.

So I just waited and four years later was then the time that he was like, oh, I like your stuff, we should do a song and now we're actually friends and I feel like that's like a... I completely understand what you're talking about. I don't want the picture in the... No, no. And my constant assumption is, which I mean, I don't know, I think it's maybe the healthier way to approach it, but my constant assumption is, oh, they don't want to meet me.

Precisely. And I definitely don't want to ever have that feeling of, well, here's a nice little treat for them. Hello! Yeah. Yeah. They're not that happy to see me. I would die.

But I think that that's sometimes why it's don't meet your heroes because people are premature with it, the guy that maybe starts songwriting was Damien Rice. And he is a bit reclusive and like you know at my peak I met his sister and stuff and I was like do you think he'd ever like want to hang or anything and she's just like I don't know I guess you'll see him at some point and you know I guess I met him when I was 12 and then when I was I played in Iceland and Reykjavik and it just so happened he

was there and that's the time we hung out and we spent a good 48 hours together. We went on a hike, we got on a hot pool, we had it. And it was like one of those things of like, this is why I waited. This is like, it was a really nice interaction. Yeah, you waited till it was organic and it was a real moment rather than people pushing

you towards people. Yeah, forced. Yeah. But no, I'd say I've met all Apart from I haven't met Dylan. That's the only one that I would love to meet But again like if you meet Bob Dylan prematurely like I've told this story and I met him in the worst way But I think it bears repeating which is I was with my son I was with my friend right after a good swim in the North Sea. No, I went to see Dylan play, and of course, I'm with my good friend, Jimu Vivino, who's

an amazing guitar player and my band leader for a long time. He, of course, the next thing I knew we were backstage. And I've been doing the show for a bunch of years at that point. And suddenly I find myself in this room. And I wasn't prepared. And there was just this sort of people moved around. And then I was just kind of pushed forward. And I'm standing at Bob Dylan's right where you are. And I'm right where I am. And he is that phase where he has the tiny little drawn on mustache and like the gun f- gun slinger flat hat. And he's looking at me.

And he's got that little mustache and he went, hey, I know you from the TV. And I thought, okay, well, at least I'm in now and I can start talking to Bob Dylan. And I swear to God, this happened just as I'm about to just, you know, say, oh, you know, Bob, I hear Conan, Conan, hey, how's it going? And I look over and it's former vice president Al Gore. And he's like, come here, come here, you know, let's talk about the environment. And yeah, Al Gore is cool in everything, that's fine.

But Bob Dylan, and then Bob, I turned around and Bob Dylan was like, gonna go and ran away. And I was caught blocked by the vice president of the United States. And I never saw Bob Dylan again. And that just rings in my head, I knew you from the TV. And then that's it. I think that's it. That's it. That's it.

That's all I'm going to get. I had it with the GQ Awards and Tarantino was there and my manager's wife was like, you want to say hi. And I was like, no, honestly, I don't want to meet him unless he wants to meet. She's like, you have to, you have to. I'm like, no, no, I really don't. And then the more and more we're drunk later on in the night, she just goes up to him and she's like, he really wants to meet you. And I'm like, oh, no, I really don't. And then the more and more we're drunk, later on in the night, she just goes up to him and she's just like,

Hey, really wants to meet you? And I'm like, oh, no. And same thing, just like, hey, man. Yeah, great, light films. Thanks. I see about the people, I mean, you've, I mean, like, yes, you've, you know, Elton Chan and Clapton, but you also, Beyonce and Jay-Z, you've hung out with them.

You've had, you've broken bread with them, yes, you've had food with them. Yeah, well, I kind of like, I got to know them through, really weirdly actually. It was, I played, you know what, Jules Holland is, it's like it. Yeah, yeah. I played Jules Holland's Hutonani, which is like the New Year's Eve show,

and you play a cover, and they said, what coverage do you want to do? And I said, well, I do, Stevie Wonder's Master Blast, because I love the tune. And two months later was the Grammys. And the guy that was running the Grammys music, Ken Erlich, was like, we're going to do this Stevie Wonder tribute concert for Stevie. He's going to be in the audience. He's going to be with his band Greg Phillingain is going to be in it. We've got all these people playing. Do

you want to play? And I was like, yeah. And he's like, what do you want to play? And I went, well, I'll play Master Blaster. I just literally just played it. And he was like, what do you want to play? And I went, well, I'll play Master Blaster, I literally just played it. And he was like, great. And then like two days later, he rang up and went, oh, Piontsay wants to do Master Blaster. And I was like, that's totally fine. I was made to love her. And then he rang back and was like, would you sing it with Piontsay?

And I was like, yeah. And then you have a different life than I do. I remember getting to it because I'm not. Yeah And then you have a different life than I do I remember getting to because I'm not He was with it was with Beyonce and and Gary Clark Jr and Gary Clark Jr is one of the best like living living guitarist yes, and I just remember like I'm not a very talented guitarist I can play acoustic guitar and and chords and I remember Ken coming off and being like I've got this idea

Julling guitars, you and Gary, and I was like, I can play like a C chord. Like, but anyway, so we did that, and then we all met at that thing, and then I then did, like, other shows with her. And then it was like, one of these ones of, like, you don't ask, you don't get, I'd made this song perfect,

that was starting to pick up steam and become a hit. And someone said, oh, we should put out a duet version of this because I'd done a Italian version with Andrea Bicelli. And they were like, who would you want to do it? And I was like, well, realistically, I don't really want to do a duet unless it's Beyonce. And they were like, well, why don't you ask her? And she said, yes.

And I was so surprised. I was kind of wrunger up on the, I was like, do you want to do it? She's like, yeah, I'm in and so It was it was one of the most sensible I could just ring her up. No What am I misunderstanding so no? No, no, no, no, no, you can't no, no, yeah, Ed can you cannot no What I've learned what I've learned in this in this business What I've learned in this business, sir. Instead of you don't try. No, the worst thing that someone can say is no. So if you prepare yourself for the no,

like I always say to, you know, if I'm doing something, like I'm on this tour at the moment, and occasionally I'll be in cities where, like, so like Eminem came on in Detroit. But what I said to him was like, you can cancel on the day. Like, I'm not going to feel weird if you suddenly go, I'm not coming.

So, it's very much like, I'm always prepared for the know. And when it's a yes, it's happy days. I still will wake up in the morning, and it doesn't quite make sense to me that, you know, some of the things that I've been able to experience and people have been able to meet, doesn't, I still doesn't quite add up, but...

Do you prefer this to the late night show? Because obviously late night, you get five minutes with a guest. I loved doing the late night show. I absolutely loved it. But in terms of... I did it for interviews. Yeah, I did it for, you know, almost 30 years,

and I got to the point where I thought I really want to try to flex these different muscles and we started doing the podcast and three years before we wrapped up the late night show. And what I found was in the old world, you know, you could do a song, maybe you can do a song and then we can have a quick chat, but there was no way we could do this.

And this is really meaningful to me, because I always get so stressed out in the late night shows, because I'm like, I have to have a good story, because if I don't have a good story, then my three minutes is wasted. So you're kind of there and you're doing like a run of 20 late night shows

in all these different countries. And you're like, well, I can't use the same, I find it very like, I much prefer this. Well, because this to me is, you know, all those years, and again, I love to doing it, and I think it's an amazing format, and I enjoyed it, but this to me is a much more human scale. So I can, that old way of people coming out

and being under that pressure, and it's like, hey, Ed, how you doing? How am I doing? Well, the other day I walked on the street and I had a ham sandwich. I was like, 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's, but this, and also the fact that you flip it around and you can ask me a question, ask anybody a question. I find that so much more interesting as well, because also the people that listen to your

podcast are probably more interested in you than they are any other guests, because like, oh, I don't know. I bet there's like, I bet there's so many deep dive stories that like he hasn't even come out with. Well, who's, who's, Goryle's done the research. Who's the weirdest, who's the weirdest person you've got high with? Well, okay, that's a little bit of a trick question

because that's not really my thing. I mean, I'm very square. I've definitely done it in your life. I know you've definitely hung out with Willie Nelson and gone, oh, God, I have to. Well, it's just, there's high include, there's high include beverages. Yeah, okay, okay, okay, but if we're going beverages like dribbly drunk, oh, dribbly drunk. dribbly drunk, yeah. Not just like, well, then I'm with historical figures who are

long dead. I mean, they don't even, in my mind, it's just like, I'll link in, you're the best, you know. Churchill, I mean, it doesn't even matter at that point. I'm just talking to everybody who ever lived. Lincoln, I didn't want to meet you until you said you wanted to meet me. You know. LAUGHTER When Mahatma Gandhi said he wanted to meet Conan.

Where's your M, so, so, so, so. But I mean, who, like, for you, who have you gotten smashed around? It was just, because it, wow, yeah. I mean, that's, that's kind of, I would say that's kind of my thing. Like, I love, I love taking out random people. Oh, do we have a party for you after this show? Oh! Yeah!

Um, it's about nine inches from here. Ha! Uh, I've had, you know, a fun one actually, I was in Melbourne recently, and I was with my wife and my mother-in-law, and Snoop Dogg was playing. And I was like, we've got to go. Like, when, I guess he plays in England, but it's never like when I have a night off or whatever, so I just remember him meeting my mother and I mean like what's up Queen?

But I went I went with um, I've sort of got quite close friends with Russell Crowe over the years and he's really close with Snoop Dogg They have sort of like smoke No, you would never imagine. They're like really. James Rudy Densch, you're swooped off. They're really cool, but so I was in, I was in, I don't really smoke at all. And I was in the dressing room.

And they're just, you know, blunt for blunt for blunt for blunt. And I'm like, I guess at some point during the night, I have to just to be like, oh, smoke was new, and so I kind of was having this conversation with him. And I was like, this is good, like the good memory, like I'm a conversation, I'm drinking my wine and blah, blah, blah. And he's like, do you want someone?

I was like, okay, now's the time. I'm like, I've had a good amount of conversation. So I have a bit and I'm like, I don't feel too bad. And this is good and then I have a bit more. Then I have a bit more. Then I have a bit more. Oh my God. I just remember looking at him being like,

I can't see right now. I'm going to be like, I know I have eyes. They were like, why'd I open? I was like, I just, it's, yeah. So this is a true story. Snoop Dogg did our show and he has his entourage. This is the late night show and this is back in the 90s and 2000s.

And we're, you know, NBC. And it's a relatively small studio. He comes with a big honorage and they have one of the dressing rooms that, uh, a join the, the studio and they all go into that dressing room and shut the door. And what I don't know is they're all, uh, I mean, they're smoking so much pot, so intensely in this room and it's getting filtered in through. I'm not kidding, Studio Six say this is a real thing,

so I go out. But it, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, hey everybody, yeah, well anyway, you know, President Clinton today. He he he. And the crowd was laughing at the setups to the joke. So I'd be saying like, well, you know, there was a badake in Alaska today.

She's this Christ. And the crowd was getting like high. And then you could smell it. And we were like, this is, this is elite. This is, this is wrong on so many levels. It was bring your infant day. It was just so screwed up, but it was... I mean, what are you going to do when everyone understands all that snoop dog?

So it's... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like I'd be disappointed if he wasn't high. I guess he'd... You'll never disappoint you. There's an artist... There's an artist that I work quite a lot with called Berner Boy. And I would say he's... That's the most I've ever seen anyone ingest weed.

And I work, as I said, 10 to 5, and he came to the studio and I had a gig later on at night. And it was very much the studio door was closed and just smakes, smakes, smakes, and I remember walking on stage at the gig being like, I don't know if I can... Same thing, like, I'm not quite here. It's funny, I don't... Well, Sony, you can attest. Like, I never smoked, just like, that's not my thing. No. It's not my thing.

And I think, I just, it never took with me. No, but you're in your middle school. It wasn't even a moral stance, I mean, it's just, You're sense of humor is perfect for someone who's high. Right. It's like it's written by someone who's high all the time. That's where people are shocked that he doesn't do it, because...

I think of things as if I'm... I just assumed that, like, obviously, like I didn't assume you did it, I just assumed occasionally you might be like, oh, when and where I'm here with... I've tried, yeah, I have in situations, when the situation is just right, and people are like, all right, I'll do that,

and just, it doesn't really, I don't get stranger, or I'm already strange. So they cancel each other out. I think, was that the last, one of the, I think the last show we did. Who is it? Seth Rogan. Seth Rogan, I mean, that's how it's Seth Rogan. Yeah, I mean, that's how it's Seth Rogan.

Smoke with him on the air and I. He's another one I feel like you have to when you do. You do. Yeah, it's like a national crime if you don't, you know. I'm least favorite guest on the chat show. You got to be honest. You got to be honest. Well, I actually, I can because I, uh, I actually, I gave this up and, and this is someone

from a long time ago, but it was when I was first starting the show and we had, I mean, this amazing singer, actress, Eartha Kit was on the show. And a lot of people know her from the 1960s Batman. She played Catwoman a little bit, but she was on the show and she was very tough to talk to. And I was brand new. And so I put most of it on myself. But I'd say things like, oh, you dated James Dean, you know, you back in 1954 and should say, well, so what? Why are you asking me? And that's not even a question, it's just statement.

No, no, it's true. I guess that's on. As I said, I was brand new, Ed. Now I think this is my least favorite. Oh! So who would be, because you would have regular guests, who'd be the one that you knew the booking was coming in to be like, I love those. Well, you know, oh my god, I mean, there's so many.

But the one that you were like super, pumped for every time they came. Norm McDonald was meaningful to me because that so so so so and and Will Farrell people that would bring they would bring something to the table. I mean Will Farrell came out once and he he had prepared it but he came out and he had a bird on his shoulder and you know how Will can just commit to something with those eyes. And right up front he said, no questions about the bird. And so I commit to just, it's this giant white cockatoo. And you know, we'd be talking for a little bit and I'd be like, yeah, and the bird would start to move around on his shoulder and be easing it. Is there a problem there? And he'd be like, yeah, and the bird would start to move around on his shoulder and be easing it, is there a problem there?

And he'd be like, we're not talking about the bird. It was just fantastic, but I mean, so I loved it when someone would bring something that would turn the whole thing upside down on its head, you know? Have I answered enough of your questions? Hey, I have a new album coming out, I'm really excited about. I'm sorry. It's called, it's called Autumn Variations. Hey, I have a new album coming out. I'm really excited about it. I'm sorry.

It's called, it's called, Autumn Variations. I don't know. I just, I was very much looking forward to this today, and I have to tell you something. My brother, Neil, who's a couple of years older than me and doesn't follow new music, doesn't know who a lot of the music,

I mean, I think his musical collection stopped at like 1967 and I was talking to him on a cell phone today just upstairs and I said, well, I gotta go because I'm gonna talk to Ed Sheeran. He's like, oh my God, Ed Sheeran. Oh my God. That guy's huge. And then his attitude was kind of,

why is he talking to you? He's like, thanks, man. That's a fucking. He's like, It was kind of, why is he talking to you? LAUGHTER Thanks, man. That's a fucking hell. LAUGHTER And an absolute delight that you came by. And I do want to mention that you're going to do which sounded amazing to me a contest

to have let fans make potential videos. Yeah. Is that something that's really going to happen? The bonus record of the album is going to be live from 14 fans living around. So I just... That's great. I do stopped fans. I found out who all my top fans were and I knock on their door and I've got a mic on and a guitar and they go

and I walk in their living room and I play one song from the album and it's recorded and then that's going to be the bonus album. So that's the like the live album live from fans living rooms. And then I wanted to get basically the so, I have fans all over the world that are super talented and creative in places like Bulgaria or, you know, anywhere. And I wanted to just basically be like, the people that make my music videos are usually connected in some way to Hollywood or like the British film scene.

And I was like, I want to actually spread the net and let anyone be creative. So it's basically that they've been submitting ideas. This is great. And then I choose 14 ideas in 14 countries and then fundamentally. So yeah, I'm excited to, I've kind of got to manage my expectations on this record though, because you know, there's not a single that goes to radio or like a big major label push, but it's basically just, it's an album that I made

that it is what it is. And I'm just gonna be like. I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like,

I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, I was gonna be like, so you don't know. I don't worry about you. I don't think anyone in this room worries about you. I'm so happy that you're on this planet and you're such a delightful, funny,

and really inquisitive person here. The only person I've talked to in a while that gave a shit about me. So, hey Ed Sheeran, thank you so much for being here. You're welcome in our world anytime and continued massive success. Nice to meet you. Thank you very much.

Ed Sheeran, everybody too. Yeah. Yeah. Very much. Ed Sheeran, everybody too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Good God. That is a delightful young man. Not bad. He really is. He really is like magical. He is. He was so funny and quick and I mean, I could have talked to him for like six hours. Talented and really is. He really is like magical. He was so funny and quick and I mean, I could have talked to him for like six hours.

Talented and really cool. I could have done without the questions about you. That's why you liked him so much. Yeah, I know. Yeah, he just really seemed to take what I was doing. So, no, he's, he is. I mean, we need, you know, some more gingers out there to kill it, you know what I mean?

Yeah, let's do it for the gingers. Yeah, we got one now, killing it. Yeah. I mean, really, I'm thinking he's just like so great and so natural. I do have to say, I know this is like a huge generalization, but over the years, whenever I talk to people from the UK, they just have this conversational gift, you know,

that they just are natural like, hey, you know, they just are natural, like, hey, let's shoot the shed. Let's talk, which I really like. I think it's nice too. I don't know. It must be something about there. What? No, go ahead.

You've done it again, Sonna. What? You brought an amazing show to a halt. There what? You're the person on the bus that pulls on the brake. Stop this bus! I want to get off here! It's not one of the stops.

Yeah, I want to get off here. Where are you going to say their porridge? No, I didn't know what to say. What do you say to what you said? I guess, yes. Yes, there is something about you. But you specifically were heading toward a noun. No, I wasn't. I wasn't.

The sentence ended at there. That's where it ended. There is something about there. That was the sentence. So why did you say about there, meaning that place? That place. Oh, oh. The United Kingdom.

There was something about there. There was something about there. Oh, T-H-G-R-E. I'm novel. T-H-E-R-E. I'm not, but by some of us says, period. Okay. Yes. And you thought that sentence, you thought that sentence and said, I'm gonna speak that.

It's nice that you think I thought. I'm sending this from the brain right out the face. I don't think about the thing. I brained, send it right on out, it's ready to go. No notes. I didn't think about it. Most of what I say, I'm saying, you know what, that is your magic. It is your magic. Thank you. You are, yeah, you know that. I love you. You're a love you. You say these things and I just think, what the hell? What the hell is happening? All right. You're welcome.

Well, now we have to pay some bills. And actually, I believe we're going to be playback out here, right? I'm already out here. I think I'm, oh, yes. OK, good. If you've been there the whole lot, this is called a live ad read.

Yeah. Are you ready? Is everyone ready? I'm going to go. These guys are ready to go. I love it. This is an insanely good crowd. Yeah, I know.

I'm advertising! You know what I... I feel very good about what I'm about to say. I really do. I'm going to say this. Now, I feel very good about there. This special live episode of Conor Brian needs a friend is brought to you by Samsung and the freestyle second gen portable projector.

Yes! Now, I'm going to tell you a true story. I was backstage in the garage cooling my heels when I thought I heard Jeff Goldblum's voice. And I was like, am I imagining that I'm hearing Jeff Goldblum's voice? And then I found out that they're playing this teaser reel of like previous podcast moments and they're playing it on this projector. And I was asking, like, what is this projector? And it looked really cool.

Blay, tell us about this. Yeah, it's fantastic. It's tiny. It's right there. It's tiny. And we thought it'd be really cool to show. We've never done this before to show a montage of some of our favorite podcast moments

to this crowd on the freestyle second gen. And I think they loved it, right guys? Yeah. So you put this, this is my understanding. You put this anywhere, right? And it will, and automatically it knows, it knows how to fill the space and make the focus just perfect and

and you can you can be outside. You can be in the woods. You can be on top of a dirigible. Yes. Anywhere you want to be. Don't the dirigible thing is not true. Do not buy a dirigible. And she's crisp. Yeah. What's that? She's crisp. So no. So no. It's Chris. I didn't know there was a gender assignment. She's a Chris. Chris. A picture. She crisp. A freestyle second gen portable projector is a she.

Okay. What sounds very cool to me. It says right here, and if I'm reading this correctly, that this new freestyle, this new freestyle, has the gaming hub built in Wow, and you can stream thousands of games. No console required. Yeah, you take it on the go play have you tried doing this? I actually I have I've been playing Starfield you guys know Starfield I've played Starfield through the freestyle second gen and It's on my wall which is a hundred inches and it's so, I have to physically look around for bad guys, it's amazing.

Yeah, if you think a hundred inches is big, I got news for you about it. What? Why? Why do I set a vote? Why? Why do I do this? No, no, no, no.

That was a test to see if you were a classy crowd or not. No. And you are not. You're a disappointing group. Awful. That's a crass joke. That was a bad, bad joke. That was a terrible joke, which I said on purpose.

Okay. Being the pro, I am. Anyway, so you've played a Starfield, huh? On the old freestyle second gen. You ever infiltrate the Crimson Fleet while you were at it? Yes. I do. I'm doing that right now, actually.

Exactly. Well, anyway. How do you know that? I know things and it's written here. Anyway. I can't help it. I'm also thrilled to announce we're going to do a clueless gamer later this year. Yeah, people love those clueless gamers.

I can't tell you, wherever I travel in the world, people come up to me for some reason, especially in Nordic countries, and they're like, Clueless came up, more of that. That's it. That's it. That's it.

Anyway, I am Gorgi. We're gonna do a Clueless gamer later this year. Streaming starfield through Xbox Game Pass. All thanks to Samsung. So this is a fine partnership. I'm glad that we're working with those guys. Very, very exciting. Yeah, that's right.

So check out the Samsung freestyle second gen today and stay tuned for a new Clueless Gamer. Later this year. Streaming games on Samsung Gaming Hub requires a high speed internet connection, additional gaming service subscription and compatible controller required. Woo!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, let's bring out David Hoppe! David Hoppe! Oh! Ah! Hello there, Willa B. I was standing there and I was like, he's gonna do it. Okay, quick back story.

We were driving here, okay? I was driving, you were giving directions, and then you said, take a left on Willoughby And I thought Willoughby would be a funny name to start calling you And and then I started for the rest of the day. I've been going hey Willoughby and he's like Oh, what? And just because you brought up that street name, but I kind of like it. Oh Willoughby. Yeah, I like it Well anyway, Willoughby, what's up? You're gonna take some audience questions

Only if I want to and I do you want to yes, okay? Very much if anyone has a question for Conan raise your hand. What is your name? My name's Haley. Haley. How are you? Good. How are you guys? I'm good. Is this so surreal seeing guys live you guys are just as funny as in person as you are on Audio tapes. This has been so cool Audio you talk like me You're pretty funny for the young ones has been so cool. Well, audio, you talk like me. Yeah, I don't know why I said that. It's a new audio tape for the young ones. Send it out via post, immediately.

Oh my gosh. Well, my question for all of you guys is so normal Donald is easy. One of my favorite Koreans of all time. Yeah, he's phenomenal. So do you guys have any favorite bits, moments, or memories that he's ever done? I know he's known for so many of his viral clips, but just I know something you

knew him on a personal level. So just anything that you remember. Well, one of the things that I remember that Norm did, I don't think many people know about, but I think you can find it if you look. It was so random. Norm would just do these random things. And so, um, Sully Sullenberger, the pilot, famously, his plane's taking off in New York. One of the engines goes out because I think there's a bird strike and he or something goes wrong and he lands it on the Hudson River and everyone gets off safely and he, you know, he's got this mustache and he's cool and he saved everybody and everybody got Sully Sullen berger fever and then not for a long time, but anyway.

But then I think Tom Hanks made a movie. And then Norm came on and he had this idea that he wanted to make, you know, that it's too bad I produced a Sully, Sullenberger movie before he safely landed the plane. And I'm like, this was his idea and he made this. So he came on and he had shot it. And it's total lie. But he's like, yeah, it's always I'm kind of mad about that. So in burger guy.

And I said, what are you mad about? Well, I made a movie with him before he did that. And why'd you do that? I just chose a pilot. And I made a movie with him. And then he goes and does this thing. And it's really just so in burger. It's norm playing so in burger.

And he grabbed our makeup woman Deb Pullman and said you're gonna be in it too as my wife literally while he's in the makeup chair. Oh yeah. What are you? What's your name? Deb you're gonna be in it too when she's like okay didn't even change. She's just wearing the clothes she wore to work and so he's going like all right everybody it's your captain uh Sully Sullenberger and we're gonna now land the plane. Oh, who's here? My wife's here and Deb locked in and went, hi, how are you? I love you too, dear. And then she left. And he was like,

all right, here we go, and we've landed. So there you go, I think we're all good. And then the credits came down. It was the randomest, weirdest idea. And he made it. And you can see it, go look for it. And it was one of these things that's not, you know, it never trended or whatever, but it's just out there. And you just see Norm. But the favorite thing he did as a comedian was intentionally waste people's time. And it was so, he didn't care in this beautiful way because he, and it was just glorious. And I look at it now and I just see him doing this bit and think, wow, I mean, no one else would do that.

No one else would make that up, grab the makeup woman, make her be his wife, not give a shit, and then leave. And it was really funny. So that was my favorite. Oh, yeah. Hello. Hello. Hi, Tom.

What is your name, please? My name is Brendan. Brendan, how are you? I'm good. I'm also from Worcester. I know your family is from Worcester. Yeah, they're from Worcester, Matt. Yes.

It's a great place. That's not my question. My question is, could you talk a little bit about how you got cast in for your cameo and weed the Weird Al movie and what shooting that was like? That's a good question. Well, it was no audition, that's for sure. Weird Al made this movie and he just was calling people that he knew that he had a connection to and I love Weird Al and he had been on our show many times and always been very gracious and I just get this call out of the blue.

Conan, will you be in the Weird Al movie? He sent me a text and he just said, will you be in the Weird Al movie as Andy Warhol? And the correct answer to any question like this is yes. Just in my philosophy is when someone says, hey, do you want to do super weird thing? Are you down for it? I just say yes. Oh, I mean, just not long ago, this is just my point. Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson were hanging around our offices

in the large-mont area, not too far from here. And I'm chatting with Woody Harrelson and at one point he went, hey, Conan, would you go in 50-50 on a houseboat with me at Amsterdam? What? And I said, yes I will, Woody Harrelson. What?

What? And I said it because I thought, there's a good chance he'll never remember this, but the answer is you don't go, no, I gotta talk to my wife. When Woody Harrelson asked you if you're going 50-50 on a houseboat in Amsterdam, the answer is yes I will. Oh my God. I've never heard back in Amsterdam. The answer is yes, I will.

Oh my God. I've never heard back from him. But I went home and I told my wife, we may be going in 50-50 on a houseboat in Amsterdam with Woody Harrelson. She said, what? What do you mean? Where is this houseboat?

I went, don't worry. I don't think it's ever happening. But if it does, we can live off the story forever. It's going to be a thing. That's my dream. We could just do a whole other podcast called Conan and Woody. Sloten around the Amsterdam. Oh, that went well.

Oh, I probably shouldn't say that. Hi, Conan. Hi, Zona. Hi, Matt. What is your name? Danny. Danny. Yes.

That is my brother's name. Oh, that is your brother. He has a great name. I'm very excited to be here. I love your work so much. And if it's very important, your work, and it's very amazing. So just congratulations on the podcast.

And maybe you're being sarcastic. No, no, I am being very important. When you got to the very important part, I was like, no, no, it is making for us. Because I need a laugh. We need a laugh. And you guys bring us laugh. My question is, and for the three of you, what is your favorite film?

And I know this is putting you on the spot, but like, you have an answer for that. We're gonna start with you. Mad Sonang and Conan. That's a tough question, but I think honestly, my favorite film is Casino Royale. I'll just say it. I just want to say it.

I just want to say it. Daniel Craig and, you know, Bond, it's just, it makes me happy. I mean, it's a hard question for me. I do separate it. I think I've talked about this. I separated in genres. So, you know, like my favorite comedy is Galaxy Quest. My favorite rom-com is Moonstruck.

My favorite kind of dramedy, I guess, would be adaptation. I don't know. What about famous, what's your favorite male stripper movie? Oh, that's a tough one. Um, I would say Magic Mike. No, but I would. When Magic Mike came out, I just, you went missing for a couple of years. Well, we did a bit because I do go see the midnight shows.

We did a bit. And now one, I like more because Joe Mangano has that very great scene in the liquor store where he's trying to make the girl smile. So he's just like stripteasing with a bottle of Coke and I'm like, I get this. This is real cinema. Yeah, I don't know about you guys, but I would watch. I would never miss an episode if Sona had a movie critics show. Yes.

Yes. I would watch it. I would like every watch it. Well, we've talked about it. I would like everything. So I would be like, that was a good movie. There was lighting, and they did it, and so on. Wrote it, and they shot it, and that's exciting.

Well, we see it. Yeah, we have. this happened all the time where on the late night show when we would go and look at movies, you would always come with me and I'd see them and you know, whatever, I'm a human being somewhat discerning. But you know, so you'd watch things and you'd be like, yeah, that one was okay. And every time we watched anything, son and it was... And the flip-flub and you would say, it didn't cost me anything and those people made that. They made it and it was on the screen and it started and then two hours later it ended.

And now I'm having wine that you're paying for. Yeah! That does sound good. It does. It's nice. What about you? I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to say anything.

I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to say anything. I'm not going to. And now I'm having wine that you're paying for. Yeah. That does sound good. It does, it's nice. What about you?

So you come out? I would say, I think, sometimes I think of it as, and this sounds morbid, but like what's your, like you have like a day to live, and I think of it not, and I think trying to think of it in a positive way. Like it's the end of my life, and I get to have, no, but I just get to, like here's what I think of, what's the food I want?

I want like a really good Pinot Noir, I want a really good pizza from Naples, and I think I want to watch the Godfather. And I know that that's a movie that a lot of people say, but, and if I can get Godfather one and two and make it one movie, that's definitely my answer. It's your last day, I mean, you're gonna lose some precious time if you do that, but.

Please, this isn't for four years, but But why are you laughing? Everyone's laughing. Everyone's laughing at your debt. Well, let's go ahead and cue up the Godfather. Thank you. All right. We got time for one more. Come on, Willoughby. Hi. Thank you. Hi. My name is Megan. Hey, Megan. How are you? Good. How are you? Good. But nervous. Oh, don't be nervous. Hey Megan, how are you? Good, how are you? But nervous. Oh, don't be nervous. We're just hanging out. We're fools hanging out.

Yeah, we're idiot. Well, yeah, kind of yeah. My question is for whoever wants to answer. But when you were a kid and somebody would ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what would you say? Oh, podcast sidekick. That's great. You were in the sandbox. You made yourself a third chair.

At a stand. Bailed it. Little pine cone for a microphone. Spoke once every 14 minutes. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don on it, I don't think I was ever like, oh, I can't wait to be a doctor. Uh, thank God. I know.

Well, Sona, you lost another one. What are you gonna do? He had a full life. He was 26. He came in for a herni operation. You killed him. Well, who's up for some Marguise? Marguise.

Post-op Marguise. No, I really didn't have any, like, I know it's sad, but I was just kind of like, that sounds cool. I'll try that. I know I wanted to work in TV, that's the only thing I really loved. So I knew that. But I didn't know what.

So I did it. Yeah. I um, checked. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I wanted to, when I was a kid, I really did want to be an entertainer. And I thought, and I've said this before,

but back then pre-streaming and just three television stations and not great reception, you just watched what was on and mostly what was on, channel 38 or channel 56, were old movies because that's what they ran because they didn't have enough content. And so I grew up watching old movies and old musicals and I thought that's what entertainment was. So in the late 1970s, I was thinking,

I need to know how to tap dance. I need to learn how to talk real fast and in old time boys. I need to get one of those straw hats and say, hey, you let's get over here. There's a fire up in a creedies bomb. Let's go. And then like, fuck up, I better know a few tunes. And botanop your overcoat when the wind blows free.

Take good, cat of yourself. You belong to me. Oh, di-o-di-o, and then I'd go to school and do this shit and the beatings would commence. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Here's this kid with a bowl haircut. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'll have a kiss you later. I'm batten off y'all over, come on. I'm just, I've got all these kids, you know, from summer of y'all and stuff would just be like,

oh, I'll beat him first, you beat him second. They had meetings. I didn't know I wanted to be a bully when I grew up to like, this guy. Yeah. They had conversations. They inspired me to be a bully, yeah. They were very organized bullies.

Here's how we're gonna do it. Jason, you're first. This is so interesting. Chrissy, you're second. Yeah, exactly. I'll hit him primarily in the throat, soft tissue. Oh. Bullies having a comfort.

Bullies, really organized bullies. They have a flow chart of how it's gonna work. They prepared. Yeah Everybody look at you hand out And I'm in the corner. That was hurry it up I've got tap dancing lessons to get to These toes are ready to trinkle These toes are ready to trinkle. All right, you've been a great crowd. This has been a lot of fun.

Thank you so much. Conan O'Brien meets a friend 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 Your 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 Khan. 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 on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever Fine Podcasts are down. This special live recorded episode

of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend was brought to you by Samsung. I wanna say thank you to Samsung for sponsoring this special episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. Check out the Samsung freestyle second gen with gaming hub. Point the freestyle anywhere from the floor to the ceiling, watch your content automatically optimize screen size, focus, and leveling. This happens all by itself.

The freestyle makes it simple. With Smart Entertainment built in, you can access everything. All of your apps, workouts, recipes, and shows in one portable smart theater. And this thing's incredible. We set the freestyle up in the garage during our live episode, gave a demo. It was fantastic.

We did, we showed the audience how it works and stuff. Yeah, I was there. You don't have to tell me. I'm telling them, I was just telling you because I thought, I don't know, maybe you're on something. What I like, it sounds idiot proof. And I need things that are idiot proof. Me too, I like it when the machine takes care of everything.

Yeah. The machine, that's how old I am. Hmm, Samsung has a new machine. I was very impressed with this, I'm gonna get one. The freestyle, second gen portable projector from Samsung allows you to stream thousands of games, no console required, so sick of consoles, so tired of them, crying my life. Be sure to follow AtteamCoco for updates

on the next Clueless Gamer releasing later this year. Streaming games on Samsung Gaming Hub requires a high-speed internet connection, additional gaming service subscription and compatible controller required. you