Inside Conan: An Important Hollywood Podcast - Beth Stelling

Episode Date: August 21, 2020

Comedian Beth Stelling (Girl Daddy, We Called Your Mom) stops by to talk with writers Mike Sweeney and Jessie Gaskell about shooting her new Team Coco produced comedy special Girl Daddy on HBO Max a week before everything shut down, what lead to her first Conan appearance doing stand-up in 2012, working as a punch-up writer for the movie Good Boys, and her first writing job on HBO’s Crashing. Plus, Mike and Jessie talk about memorable musical performances on Conan. Got a question for Inside Conan? Call our voicemail: [phone] and e-mail us at [e-mail] For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com

And now it's time for Inside Conan, an important Hollywood podcast. La la la la la la la. That music, man. Always gets me in the mood to laugh. Welcome to Inside Conan, an important Hollywood podcast, behind the scenes podcast about things going on at the Conan show and- The Conan cinematic universe. Oh boy. Why aren't there Conan movie spinoffs? I feel like that's been a missed opportunity. I'm not kidding. There's like over 400 characters that have been on. If you- There are. Spun off just 10% of them. It's equivalent to like 20 Conehead movies waiting to be made.

Yeah. Oh, hey, yeah. By the way, I'm Jesse Gaskell and this is Mike Sweeney. Oh, I was hoping I could remain anonymous. What have you been up to? I got to go camping. So I'm feeling very refreshed. Where'd you go camping? I went all the way up to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Okay. Which is in Northern California.

And I was so scared to drive there because of, you know, because of the coronavirus. Sure. I think I stopped only once and it's an eight hour drive, but I was really holding it. Oh, wow. Yeah. I met some friends there from Seattle and they drove down and it's kind of in the midpoint.

I didn't touch them. I wouldn't hug them. I was in the Boy Scouts and we did a lot of camping back then. Yeah. The camping I did was like the Lord of the Flies. It was like all the town bullies and there'd be no supervision

and we'd be out in the woods for a weekend. Oh, God. Oh, awful things happened. Yeah. How many children died? Seriously? Some bad stuff happened. Getting a live burial out in the woods. Awful things. I can't talk about it. But wait, so your camping trip, did you have to hike in? Could have done it that way, but we just got a campsite and then we went hiking from the campsite. Oh, that seems smart.

Yeah. It was a lot. I mean, things have really gotten comfortable since your Boy Scout days. I know. I know. I shouldn't compare that. Yeah. We had s'mores. That's fantastic. And cans of wine. I was in a place once where they were like, there wasn't a lot to do there. And they're like, you have to visit our volcano. And they and they were like and they drive you up to this it was literally a it looked like a dirt pile around five feet high and it was ringed with yellow sulfurous yellow rings and coming out were little puffs of smoke

and you're like most impotent volcano yeah you've got to be kidding it was just a total farce but then two years after we were there that volcano just came to life and it destroyed. It was an island. It destroyed two thirds of the island. Yes. Wow. I was like talking shit about it. It hurt you.

Yeah. It's an island of Montserrat. It destroyed two thirds of the island. So don't judge a volcano. Exactly. That's the lesson there. Speaking of erupting. Ah, yeah.

You're going to erupt in laughter when you hear our guest. That's right. She's very, very funny. It's the very talented comedian, Beth Stelling. Yeah. Beth has a new comedy special out. It's out. It's available and you can check it out.

It's streaming on HBO Max. Yeah. So we sat down with Beth and we asked her about the special and lots of other things. Beth Stelling. Hello. Hello. Hi, Beth. Welcome to the show.

Oh, gosh. Thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here. Didn't even have to leave the home. Yeah. We're psyched to have you. You have a team coco special coming out imminently it's true yeah it's great to talk to you about i mean we have a lot to talk

to you about but it kind of i think demystify the special making process yeah happy to because they just appear on our netflix or our hbo max in your case sure and people are wondering you wondering, you know, it's the same. It's like early when you first get your first late night show break or something and some comic comes up to you and they're like, how'd you get that? Right, right. And it just feels hurtful. It doesn't feel like a genuine inquiry. It feels like, how do you get that? That's how I always hear it. The emphasis on the you. Yeah. But that's probably has to do with our self-esteem. It's, oh no, it's all tone of voice. You can tell. Yeah. How do you get that? Wait a minute.

Who do you know? Or like, so what'd you think of it? How'd it go for you? Oh, that's a classic. Oh no. Oh, that deflection after you've come off stage. How did you feel about it? Yeah. I actually felt great about it. It was, you know, I think it was 2012, I think. That was your first appearance on Conan. Yeah. Yeah. Is that what we're talking about? Right? Yeah, we can. Is that what the question was? It was your question. Oh, I was just yes. The ending, but it actually was about the special good segue. But yeah, we can start in the beginning yeah let's go all the way back to the beginning you was a child i was a child i just moved from chicago yeah i

would that would have been yeah i'm almost positive 2012 i moved in august of 2011 and i think it was july of 2012 oh my god so you had only been in la less than a year. Yes. Wait, so how did you get that stand up slot? How did you get that? So I remember being in Chicago, I started stand up there in 07. JP Buck came and watched a bunch of comics at the Lincoln Lodge. I remember him coming up to me afterwards and in being complimentary and kind and professional talent scout. You he has that he's a i know him now more in a friendly manner but he wears khaki pants yeah yeah exactly it's like very professional yes there's no stains on his shirt it's like why is this banker talking to me about doing the cone show i don't get it do you have any extra ledgers on you? Answer? Yes, he does.

I always go to him first if I need a ledger. If I need something in triplicate. So he's complimentary. Yeah, he just was. Of course, it's not one of those things where they come up to you and say, I'm going to make you a star, kid. Right. You know, to be honest with you, can't remember the exact conversation we had. I think he referenced a bit of mine that he liked, which typically means like that might be a good anchor for the set. And again, I can't remember if that's the moment in

time where he said like, hey, let's start working on a set together. If he just was complimentary and said, here's my card or something like that. And around that same time, I want to say, or maybe it was over the years, Robbie Praugh was coming from Just for Laughs to Chicago to put together showcases. And I auditioned for that a couple of years in a row and didn't get in. And then it wasn't until 2011 that I got into Just for Laughs Montreal. And that's the same year that, you know, then JP would have seen me again in Montreal. And that's when he was like, let's start working on a set together. He was like, let's find an apartment for you in LA.

Yeah. Was it a big decision whether, because a lot of people, oftentimes from Chicago, it's like, do I go to LA or New York? Right. Was that a hard decision or were you just like, oh, I'm going to LA? Yeah, I definitely weighed the options. I was leaning more towards LA for sure. I'd visited a couple, both places over the years of being in Chicago and even some in college because I was a theater major. And so I knew for sure I was going to Chicago first, but when it was time to leave, I was weighing the options. I just felt to me like LA was, I don't know, just where I might be happier as a person. And so, and plus

Kinane had said that like New York's just a $10,000 detour and everybody ends up in LA. That's so true it's true a lot of people have been moving to l.a a lot of comedians in the last 12 15 years love to move to l.a from new york and then complain about l.a the whole time they're here i know and they give the whole time they're in new york that you know there is of course like an elitist attitude that comes with new york. And in some ways they're justified, of course, like they're all paid spots. They're going up a ton. They live and breathe standup, but. Oh, are more spots paid in New York than in LA? Oh my gosh. Yes. I mean, we're doing spots for free out here constantly, which I think actually breeds a sort of. That shocked me. What do you think that breeds? I think it breeds a sort of... I haven't talked about stand-up in so long because I've been inside for five months.

I typically have a vocabulary for this conversation. We could talk about houseplants instead. Yeah, yeah. I need to talk to you guys about carpet squares. Right, right. Now's the time. Yeah. I think I would say a sort of...

I mean, I guess I'm just just gonna say it laziness in the sense that it's like what do you guys want to talk about i didn't prepare i'm not getting paid for this yeah and it's like i'm just gonna test out some thoughts yeah thoughts yeah and of course i'm making generalizations here i am an la comic right but there are the differences for a reason and right definitely feels like more of a grind in New York. And, but there's also the opportunity to diversify more here. I mean, I'm, I was, I'm thankful and I worked hard to become a writer and actor and whatever else I wanted to do instead of just a standup. Yeah. I'm really curious about you. You wrote on, you've written

on a few television shows and now you've also been doing punch up on movies oh i really want to hear about that yeah that seems like a dream job oh i've been putting it off all morning you have one right now you're supposed to be punching yes well we'll keep you on for five hours as long as you need i thought oh i have until three to do this pod and all I've been doing was making, um, if animals had Google memes. Wait, so we should explain what a movie punch up person does. So I think, you know, every, like, for example, I've also done been an onset writer and those

experiences can vary depending on the director of the project that, you know, of course. So sometimes on set writer means just you're there all day. And if a joke's not working, you pop in and slide, hand them on a piece of paper, some alts for that joke. Oh, cool. Just explain that to the on set writing. Is it literally you're coming in for the day of taping and that's your one day working on that show? Or how does that work really

varies from project to project so i'll speak to my experience if i'm working on a movie like good boys starring three young boys it was a comedy right that movie is i haven't seen it i heard it's really really funny it's fun and so i'm there the jokes are very punched up yes yeah yes they got super punched they were knocked out so i'm there every day. The jokes are very punched up. Yes. Yeah. Yes. They got super punched. They were knocked out. So I'm there every day. In fact, they actually let me leave a couple of times to do stand-ups. Oftentimes, like projects I'm working on are really accommodating of me and my being able

to still do a stand-up. So I'm thankful for that. Otherwise, I'm there every day for the whole shoot. And the whole shoot, since we worked with kids, they were often shorter, which is kind of nice, but we also had stand-ins. So it wasn't just six hour days and we're all done or eight hour days and we're all done. You know, we stayed longer, but we're just doing the punch up with the, with the boys. But it's typically just being ready with all jokes for that scene. You know what you're shooting the day before, even, even with something like writing on the show, crashing, we would have the episodes ready. We know what you're shooting the day before. Even with something like writing on the show Crashing, we would have the episodes ready.

We know what we're shooting that day. We have the sides for the day. And things are kind of slow in production. Lots of things have to be set up. Lighting and sound and actors and makeup. You know, there's things that happen before you shoot. Yes. You're always waiting for something.

And then it's like one minute of action shooting and then it goes back to waiting. The writers are often, you know, looking for specialty coffee nearby and then sitting in video village. Video village meaning the grouping of those tall, fun director chairs by the monitors, which are the feeds from the cameras that the camera ops are behind.

And the camera is what shoots. The camera is what shoots and the actors are what people are. But we're sitting there in video village. So we have plenty of time to sit and write. So we'll have the sides for the day and maybe in the margins, you'd be writing other options if those jokes didn't work or if you could try to beat the joke. So that's even just kind of like writing on a show. And if you stay on throughout the shoot, although not all the whole writer's room will not be in there. That's TV. But for the movie also every day you'll be on there. And the workload just varies based upon preference of the director sometimes, or even how they work closely with the writer. It just all

depends. Sometimes things are so set. Sometimes they just want to let them improvise and you would have nothing to do with that. Sometimes the joke falls flat and that's your job to step in. And other times they just start looking like, can anybody beat that? And, you know, you would sort of say it or yell it out or pitch an idea. But of course, that varies, too, because you wouldn't want to step on somebody's toes if you had a really, you know, I don't want to call it strict. It's just preference of director. You know, there's a chain of command. I imagine that can be delicate.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because you don't want to be like, hey, I've got an alt for that. And they're like, right. Yeah, like it would never be my job to step into the actor and say, hey, what if you tried this? You know, it would be me going to the writer whose name is on this piece. Right, right, right. The chain of command. Yeah.

And saying, you know, offering basically, I guess you can call it help, but you're just trying to bolster the make it the best version possible. That is a hard thing to know when to jump in. yeah and I think comfortability plays a role too sure with interpersonal relationship wise but also confidence as a writer wise yeah it just seems like the most fun to me and I'm sure it has issues too but like oh yeah I I love it it's such a good job but a lot of people don't know that that job even exists because you see the written by on the credits and it's like, oh, okay, that person hit send on the script and it was done. Right.

But it's such a process. It is. And I think too, and sometimes at no fault of their own, it's guilds and things like that. There are parameters set that prevent multiple names being on something. But also, they did write the full script.

Gene Stubnitsky and Lee Eisenberg wrote the full script. So their name is on it. We make contributions. And you know going in that that's the deal. Yeah. There's no part of me that's like, hey, I wrote Good Boys.

Right, right, right. I want the Oscar. I feel lucky to even be a part of it. It's a great opportunity. So yeah. When you don't have to write the whole rest of it, like you get to write the fun parts and not all the like, you know, character development and stuff.

And the joy of seeing it work in the movie theater or the cringe of being like, sorry, I fought for that joke. And it really is bombing. You could have edited it out you left it in that's on you not me you and your editor get off my back yeah sometimes i've heard stories where there's fighting over the credit for a movie and then it goes to arbitration at the writers guild and so yeah like a mini trial as to who wrote which jokes and well i think too i mean in some ways of course i can absolutely make sense you know i i think we're all i i mean there are rules and regulations for a reason that it would be you

know you can't just have seven names on there but i also think maybe everyone could do a little better like for i'll just say it this way i'm always grateful when someone shares and acknowledges my presence and contribution and to me that's enough so at their premiere like thanks to beth stelling and john phillips for their work on this movie we're so happy they're a part of it thank you you know like i and my name is on there as associate producer so it's like oh great to me it wasn't, you know, like, again, I didn't write the movie. So my name doesn't deserve to be on there. But when it comes to other things like shows I've worked on or scripts, like sometimes that is when it can get really hairy because it's like maybe somebody wants to come off as like a one man band when it's like, yeah, you didn't do that on your own.

Did it all by myself with no help. And I think that we do, all of us, I think, contribute to, what's it called, championing that kind of behavior. Because it's like you see the star, especially nowadays, shows I love and idolize like Fleabag, something like that. Yeah. And by the way, she's gracious. So I'm not including her as an example of someone who doesn't share credit. She's very gracious with her acting partners, her people she's worked with. And she's vocal about having a writing partner. So her production partner.

My point is, we sort of like laud that because it does look cool. And it is like to be like, I can't believe you did that on your own. And, you know, you get what I'm trying to say right now. I'm not doing a very good job articulating it fetishize the the auteur sort of like one man or one woman show yeah this person's a genius and yeah of course as someone who has for many years been a writer like what i refer to as like a kid sister i'm the youngest of my sisters it always feels like that's my part like i like being that i like being there to bolster and help and be like the helper, you know? Oh, yeah. And I also don't want like, for you know, if something's gonna bomb,

I don't want it to all be fall on your shoulders. It was only mine. Well, that's what stand up comedy is. I think I've had enough of it. You know, like, right. It's all on me. So I get that experience. I think through standup, I write my own jokes. I risk telling them I, you know, it's all in my name. So there's that. And then when it comes to writing, I don't know, it wasn't much of an adjustment. Uh, there are definitely times maybe in the early stages where I was like, Ooh, should I say this for me? Right. This bit, you know? Yeah. Should I just tweet this instead this instead yeah so many ways to go here crashing shot in new york did you go to new york for that yes yeah so that was a another very cool awesome experience yeah that seems like a fun, I mean, especially because Crashing was about stand-up.

So yeah, that was so grateful. That was my first writing job. And what a gift, you know, obviously it's like I chose to move to LA and then I get to live in New York for the summer, which to me is kind of like, of course I love winter too. I grew up in Ohio, but winters in New York can be beautiful too at Christmas. But like to get to go and live in New York for the summer and write comedy. I mean, to me, that's like, obviously I worked hard and I earned it, but it's also like, feels like a gift. Oh no, that, that sounds wonderful. So, so you,

I didn't know you got to spend the whole summer there. That's terrific. And then they put you in the show. Yes. Yes. I was in there at the end of season two, I showed up in the roast episode, very unlike me to be roasting or near it. But yeah, did they know that you hate roasting? And that's why you got that part. I don't think they did it to spite me. But I think it was just more of like, we said we'd put you in the show.

And we're down to the last episode of season two. They knew you had it in you. My roast joke was like, even when Pete's naked, he looks like he's wearing khakis. You know, like it's, my roast jokes are not good. People don't hire me to write roast jokes. That's probably a good thing. Yeah. I think so too. Yeah.

And then there's also the whole thing about, oh, clean act versus dirty act. And, you know. Sure. I've, I always had issues with that it used to be i don't know if it still is today of people i i think comics love being in different camps and kind of being judgmental about what other people are or aren't doing sometimes and and that was always one yeah i heard about which is clean versus dirty you know yeah or you know religious comics get like about i don't necessarily know any religious comics,

but I guess we'd call them Christian comics. That came up actually a good amount in the writer's room of Crashing. Jesus? Jesus is the original. He was very, very funny. But I think too, I like, you know, I always love quoting.

I do cuss occasionally for sure. It's not like, I'm not the comic that needs to say like, and then I fucking, and he was like, ah, you know. Right. I get why people do it. It's definitely vernacular. It's there if it makes sense for them. And, and arguably it does make it more conversational or edgier or funnier even sometimes I get it. But I do love Brian Regan when he's asked like why he doesn't cuss. He's like, cause there's so many other words in the English language. And that's kind of how I feel about all the, you know, these taboo words that people are

loving to joke about now. Right. Right. You know, the words that you're not allowed to say or they think you're not allowed to say. And it's like, it's more to me, it's a group of people saying these words are hurtful to us. Could you not say them?

And then you go, yeah, I can do that. Yeah, I know. I know. Right. I don't need to like, go down on the idea that I must be able to say the R word. Right. You know, like, why? Yeah. Why couldn't I just say something different? And I almost feel like it's nice to have some parameters when you're writing. I mean, I like you when you're writing on a TV show,

there are parameters and you have to write for a certain show's voice. Like it helps to just, I don't know, have a little bit of some structure. So you're not just flailing out there. And some people will say those words and try to argue. It's, you know, all about free speech and everything. And it's like, well, okay, that's, that's, that's where you want to put your stake in the ground. I think too. That's how I feel. Yeah. Where it's just like, okay, so's where you want to put your stake in the ground. I think, too, that's how I feel. Yeah, where it's just like, okay, so it's that important to you that you've got to talk about it? Okay. Well, and there's no—free speech is like the government is trying to stop you from saying a word,

and that's not even what's happening, so they're using that incorrectly. It's just the idea that, like, what we're saying, which is is like, this is, it's a choice what you want to talk about. And it's that important to you that you talk about this? Because if you were the other that you're talking about, it would feel so much different. So how can you not see outside yourself? Right. To me, it's also just like comedy is always evolving. Like it's oftentimes it's topical and it's just always changing what you talk about

and i think part of that is what language is acceptable or not acceptable and i i don't think it's that big a deal to have to kind of evolve just the way you kind of evolve with everything else you're doing in comedy the topics are always changing and And I think that would include language. I know. I think like too, you can, people tout George Carlin and stuff. And it's like, it's interesting. Like, or even if you watch Richard Pryor live in concert in 1979,

or go back and watch Carlin stuff, it's like, these men are touted and they should be. Pryor special, like still stands up that live in concert in 79. It's crazy how much of it is still relevant, quite shocking and somewhat sad. Upsetting, yeah. Yeah, he's talking about police brutality.

He's talking about white privilege. He's talking about all the things that haven't changed in 50 years or what, 40 years, 41 years. I think when they're quoting these guys about freedom of speech, it's like, well, they were trying to speak for what I guess you would consider the oppressed. Right. So why are you now? And George Carlin's Seven Dirty, I mean, that was literally just words you couldn't say. He was a TV comic and then he started doing all these live shows and, and Willie always did live shows, but just talking about what you couldn't say in TV. I mean,

now you can say those words anywhere you want. So that whole touting that comedy piece doesn't really fit what's going on today. Exactly. Yeah. And to say like, we respect these guys. I railed against the establishment.

It's like, so you think that they would be fighting to say the R word? Yeah, right. That's the hill they're going to die on. Pryor has a rape joke. You can make jokes about these things still. And if the joke is good, it has a life. Yeah. Like if you're, if what you're saying is the right thing. And again, you could argue that I'm saying I like the rape joke because it's not rapey. And I think you'd be right. It's not pro-rapist. Yeah, it's like, so exactly. So you're saying I like it because, oh, because it's speaking up for

women. And oh, so would Burr call Pryor a male feminist who's just trying to get laid? Is that what Pryor was? You've been doing stand-up still this whole time as you've been also writing and doing Punch-Up. Have you found that that, I mean, is it hard for you to kind of shift between both worlds or are you always sort of, I can keep compartmentalized, like I have my stand-up and I have my TV writing?

Right, like I mentioned to you maybe just once or twice, there was a joke, I'm trying to freaking remember what it was. I think it's in my special so you'll hear it but it's like i had given it to the show maybe two times i've given versions of a joke to a show but and then use them taking it back yeah and i don't i feel weird even admitting that because it seems like that that's not right to do and you shouldn't do that but comics are so funny in that way well they'll be like how are you doing or how was your set it was great this i got some new stuff new stuff literally might be one sentence meaning like i miss my sisters right now i'm really close with them i met them through my mom in the late 80s so it's like i'm that might be my new joke and i told it and it worked and i'm like no i got a new joke i got a new material so for

me saying that i'm repurposing the material i'm literally talking about a line so it's kind of like you know i'm not like doing a table read and i feel like you're confessing to something that doesn't need yeah i do feel like i am and it's also in a different context on whatever show you wrote so it's technically a different use and truthfully i changed the the wordage too but it's the same idea and who cares so i guess my point is when it comes to separating them earlier i had more issues with it where i was like oh should i keep that for me you can and now i'm just like i'm in the room i'm giving all everything to it and that's that and it's easy for me to separate because typically i'm writing for something very different from me right not always like i love you america or something you

know there's a lot of things that i you, America, or something, you know. There's a lot of things that I agree with what Sarah's saying. You know, so it's like. The Sarah Silverman show. Easy for me to write, but also. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, have you sort of gone on the road during this time still? Yeah, so, like, I mentioned this before.

Like, my first writing job being Crashing Judd was also getting back into stand-up, which is how he even really came in contact with me. Like, being at the Improv or whatever Largo. You know, him getting back into stand-up whenever that was, three, four years ago or something, while I'm on the scene doing a lot of stand-up. So that's kind of how we came in contact. And then 2014, I'd already done Pete Holmes' show

like as a stand-up. So it's like, I kind of was, you know, within that circle, within the consideration of maybe writing for the show. So when I got the offer to write, I was like, of course. And that kind of like was all whatever you want to call it. Kismet. Yeah. Because he knew what I did and how I made my living. They were very forgiving and understanding and flexible when it came to keeping my standup schedule. They let me leave on the weekends and adjusted for me and let me do those things, which I appreciated.

That's fantastic. I mean, I think that's a bit unusual. Yeah, very much. It was great you were writing on a show about stand-up with stand-ups. Yeah, and I think that's how Judd looked at it. Go get more stories. Go get more things from the road. We need a season two.

Yeah. Yeah. Did you have to present yourself as a writer? Because in other words, sometimes people just pigeonhole and go, oh, you're a stand up and television writing is different. But I'm guessing this job on Crashing just kind of came out around organically for you. Or did you go to them and say, hey, you know, I hear there's this show, I'd love to write on it.

Right. So that, no, I did. I didn't do that. It was more, I got a call from my managers. I was leaving Jack Black's production. I got a general there. I don't even think I met Jack Black. It was just there.

I just remember where I was. And I walked out from that general and I got a call from my manager and they're like, hey, Judd Apatow called. He's wondering if you want to write for the show Crashing. I was like, are you serious? And she was like, yeah. I was like, yeah, of course.

Of course I want to write for the show. And that was my first, you know, real writing job. And I remember being on the phone, like, wait, so do I get paid every week? And they laughed, you know, because standups is like such a piecemeal existence. Like that was the first time of like stability, a feeling of stability living in LA, like that maybe I would be okay. And so writing on the show, everything was leading up to me, I guess, getting my half hour. I'd already had my half hour on Comedy Central years prior. So that being on the show and still getting to tour contributed to me getting my half hour on Netflix, the standups. So I was able to still tour, work that material. And then it premiered,

I think season two, summer while we were shooting season two that came onto Netflix. So I fourth of 2017. So then I started after crashing, getting more writing work. And so to answer your question from earlier, you know, not as many people are going to be as flexible. Lots of them were Sarah Silverman was, I was able to be more of like a consulting producer and come in a few days a week so I could tour on the weekends. Oh, that sounds great. So that was, you know, lovely.

And I really enjoyed being a part of that show. I love all the work that they did and things that they had to say. Yeah, it was a great show. And like I said, Good Boys even being on set there, they let me leave for some shows from Vancouver back into the States. So you've basically still been doing shows every weekend. Yeah, not every weekend. Like I would definitely make, I would concede as well. You know, I would make whatever you want to say sacrifices as well. So I could keep both going. But I guess to answer your

question finally, now that I've been rambling forever is that had I just been a standup, maybe this hour would have come out sooner, But because I was writing on several, four different shows, the movie doing punch up on several different movies, this took me longer to do. So it took me three years to make this hour from my last half hour. Got it. Which to me is actually not a long time. It's not a long time. We're in a period of time now where it's become commonplace to put out an hour a year. Me personally, I don't believe in that.

I don't think they're all good. And I think someone I look up to like Maria Bamford or Sarah, even Wanda Sykes waits years between specials, you know? So it's like, it's called a special for a reason. It should be special. It shouldn't be a podcast with two jokes. It shouldn't just be an hour of material. Yeah. Yeah. Or just talking for an hour, you know, like It shouldn't just be an hour of material. Yeah. Yeah. Or just talking for an hour, you know, like, yeah. So they are crafting an hour special and you can see that and they're working towards it. So those are people I look up to and I like that they take their time in between coming out with specials. And right. Was that your goal to, to go from a

half hour to like, okay, now i want to craft an hour special yeah okay definitely this is my first hour coming out you know as a whole and congrats thank you and you got to tape this special just under march 7th the wire you taped it on march 7th and oh my god a week later all the everything shut down. Everything was closed. Yeah. In fact, as I was leaving stage, the second show, a guy like went like this instead of like, I had a lot of people high-fiving me. Oh, he elbow bumped you. Yeah. Wow.

I was going to say, I'm trying to remember like at the time when you did it, did you feel like you were, things were shutting down and you're getting this in under the wire or? No. No. I didn't feel like that at all. I think I was obviously feeling the pressure and focus and drive right and i had definitely heard of corona but it was just sort of tertiary right it wasn't uh-oh is this gonna stop us you know it didn't feel like

that at all in fact when the guy did the elbow bump it was a joke between us even he went like this and i go corona he goes yeah well i'm glad you got your special film because otherwise then you'd have to wait six more months and you'd be like oh my gosh i think i would have just i'm already like quitting stand-up in my head so like are you kidding me i would have been like oh you got to end on a high note yeah i'm so grateful i think in some ways it'll be interesting it's like a little time capsule even yeah yeah you know like even in mart i mean i have material about all kinds of things, but as I've been working on it for three years, so as time goes on, I'm not saying any of it's dated. I'd like to think it's evergreen, but we're in a different world now.

Yeah. We're in a totally different world. I can't think of anything in particular that's super outdated that will be affected by it, but I just can't imagine if I had to record this question mark. I mean, I know there's people in the production company like Moses and Chris that are going to have to record after this. And it's just like, they'll do a great job. I think they're both capable, very capable and very funny people. But Moses Storm and Chris Redd, yeah, they're also doing HBO Max specials. Like they have a deal, but they haven't filmed them yet.

Yeah. Whereas mine, you know, I sent them my tape. They said, let's grow with this. And they wanted it as is. But I just started, I just kept changing it once I was able to tour for three months straight after my last writing job. So I added a lot and changed a lot. Like, do you send them a paper cut or do they see a tape?

I sent them a tape of me in Milwaukee at Milwaukee Comedy Festival and at Shank Hall. And they're like, yes, we'd like to make this a special. We would like this. And then I just kept working on it and changing it up until the day before. Wow. There's a joke in there from the day before. That's great. Do you like having little... I mean, because I think for a lot of people, it probably feels like, oh, it's nice to have something new so that you're never totally just doing it rote memory.

It does. Yeah. Having new little lines revitalizes you so much. Keep yourself excited. So you don't feel like you're acting as much. Yeah. I am especially guilty of like, you guys know this one. And it's like, no, they don't at all.

You're going to have to perform it like it's the first time they're ever hearing it. There are comics who, I don't know if that's so much today, but like 20 years ago, comics who would do the same half hour on the road for like 20 years and they would not change one inflection. they'd even like crack themselves up during the middle of the joke like i'd see him multiple times ago oh my god it's rote wow yeah like to the cough i've seen one comic like that and the odd thing is i pretty much just freaking respect it so hard because i can't do it. Like I'm almost like, I bow down to your ability to throw self-judgment to the wind.

We have so much pressure to produce, produce, produce new, new, new. Like I just said, everybody's like a new hour a year. So when someone can do that, like, you know, it's almost like comics saying like, of course they don't get joy in watching another comic bomb, but you do in the sense that it's like, okay, it's okay to fail. Yes. You know, or okay. Okay. It doesn't, everybody's not perfect. So it's not malicious. It's like relief. Sometimes it is. Yeah. Sometimes it is. Yes, absolutely. It depends who it is. Sometimes it's like, I agree. honestly. I have a difficult time enjoying a performance from someone I do not like personally or I think is not a great person.

No, it takes you. And then when you see everyone else laughing, you're like, oh, what's wrong with him? I know. Or even if you just do stand-up for too long, you're like, you guys can't see through this. Right. It's the fakest shit of all time.

Read my newsletter where I expose this person. This didn't happen the other day. He didn't just fumble on that word. He fumbles on that word every time. He wasn't thinking of this on the drive over. Well, Beth, we have to wrap up,

but we always like to end by asking if you had a piece of advice for someone who might want to do what you're doing. And you have a wonderful career, so it could be stand-up or movies or TV. A lot of people ask me how to get into it, and I think every path is different. I read a lot of autobiographies, or at least I used to more than I do now, just trying to collect that information. And so, you know, I do suggest people do that if they're wondering how to get into it.

Autobiographies of people you love. And of course those are going to be biased accounts, but they're their story of how they got to where they are. And you're not talking about like politicians. Well, that's what you want to do. I'm thinking more like Jane Lynch. Or like Steve Martin. Yeah.

Or in Standing Up. Yeah. Yeah. No. Sarah Silverman's book. Right. I love Bernie Mac's book. I mean, he's also of a different time in Chicago.

But I really recommend that book on tape. But I think the advice would just be, people ask me how I did it. And I say, I started as a stand-up. And stand-up is a way to show who you are as a person that you can write and that you can perform so I don't look at it like a mini audition like I really don't at all it just inherently is that in a way so if you're looking to get into writing work that is one way to do it but also if you don't have a joy or a passion for it that is also not a good recommendation. You know, you can, you see actors get on stage trying to do standup, like it's a monologue and it's cringe.

So you have to have a love for it, but everybody's path is different. And standup is for me the way that I was able to get into it, but it might not be for everybody. And I usually just say like, do what you think is funny, you know, if it's funny to you, so it's worth the risk to try to see if it's funny to other people. Yeah. Don't try too hard to do something you think people want to hear or that. Right. And also like I'm a very, and always have been personal Sherry, very much my real life ripped and put in there. And I've shared a lot and I've overshared and I would just say, you know, you don't, some things are sacred. Some things can be just for you and you'll know when you've gone too far.

That's a leg up that you, you kind of tended towards sharing your own life with people because that's, that seems like a shortcut to developing your own voice as opposed to, you know, some comics start out there, especially when they start out, they're kind of generic in that. Yeah. Or you can pick out who they're imitating. Right. Exactly. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And there's nothing wrong with that. You know, I've changed, you watch my 2012 Conan set to my 2017 Conan set to this new hour. And ideally you're seeing more of who I actually am.

Right. Yeah. As opposed to, I never started with like a character. Right. But that's just how it was coming out of me at the time. I was just almost in a coma when I first started. Coma comic. Yeah. Well, I really appreciate your openness and thank you.

You're honest about the process and it's nice to hear from someone who's such a solid comic but you're also comfortable talking about all the work that goes into it because i think that's something a lot of people don't see when they just see the special come out hours hours yeah yeah and listen you know even sometimes when you can't get yourself to listen to that set which i'm guilty of you have to know that you're that little stone on the beach that's getting washed over just by each set. So while you think you have to like, you know, get there and listen to the sets, it's like, it's washing over you every single time you are absorbing something and you are polishing things as you

go, whether you listen back to the set or not, cause you lived it, but do listen to your sets. I'm just saying. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. That is hard to do. I love that description of the, you're the stone, the waves washing over you. Yeah, it's happening. You're polishing it even if you're not down there with the rag. It's just, it is washing over you. I've listened back, unfortunately, to sets that I didn't and heard tags that I just freaking dropped. And sometimes it's for the best.

I just dropped it. And other times I'm like, why did you drop that? It would have been great in this set. But I think you'll find in the new hour, like JP was laughing because he's like, there's just so many laugh lines. I'm like, I guess that's just what happens when you work for three years on something. You know, this sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, but it's just mean, I just mean, I was like meticulous, you know, in for my style, I should say. Well, I can't wait to see the special now. Thank you. I know. What day does it come out? Comes out August 20th on HBO Max. Okay. We're going to let you go now. Thank you. I know. What date does it come out? Comes out August 20th

on HBO Max. Okay, we're going to let you go now. Thank you, Beth. Bye, you guys. Thanks for having me. Bye, thanks. Thanks to Beth Stelling.

Thank you, Beth. That was fun talking to her and I liked hearing how comics don't get paid for gigs in LA. That's crazy. Oh, yeah, I know. They should unionize.

I thought they already did. I thought they did all this like in the late seventies or something. I just think there's too many people. There's too many bad aspiring comics. Too many hungry comics who are like, I'll pay you to go on. Yeah, exactly. No, no, no. Don't do that. Don't do that. And I can't wait to watch Beth's special Girl Daddy. It was produced by Team Coco. Yeah. It's streaming right now on HBO Max. Yes. I can't wait to watch Beth's special, Girl Daddy. It was produced by Team Coco. Yeah. It's streaming right now on HBO Max. Yes. I can't wait to use my parents' HBO login to watch that.

You know what? It's a great way to keep in touch with your parents. It is. We have a question from a listener. That's what I was going to say. It's almost as if we both knew we had to do the question. It's from a guy named Nick G, or it could be a woman. Hi guys. I recently found the 2016 performance of Disturbed covering the sound of silence and it was amazing. Wait, can I just say something real quick? Is this

the most viewed video on the Team Coco YouTube? It is. It's over a hundred million views. 110 million views. Oh my God. Disturbed covering the sound of silence. Yeah. The number two video, I think. And number three are Conan hanging out with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. They take Diana Chang who works at Team Coco student driving. That's a great one. Oh yeah. That is great. I also have been puzzled by the disturbed video because I didn't see it when they were on the show. So I've never watched it. Oh, so you're, you're the only person that hasn't seen it. Well, I don't, you know, I don't want to, uh, gin up the numbers, but someday I will watch it. But actually the question is asking us,

are there any other performances, musician or comedian over the years that were extremely memorable or shocking to you guys? Thanks and love the podcast. Aw, thanks, Nick. There've been so many music acts over the years. Yeah, some really great ones. Our music booker, Jim Pitt, did a phenomenal job booking all these cool bands for the show over the years. Sometimes I get into a band and I'd be like, oh man, I'm learning about this cool new band. And then I'd find out, oh yeah, you know, this, I'm learning about this cool new band. And then I'd find out, oh yeah, no, they were on our show a year ago. Yeah. Yeah. He would always get bands kind of right before they broke.

Which was exciting. Yeah. And I had, I had to go back and look this up because I had this memory and I couldn't remember if it was like a fever dream. Yeah. If I had been on ayahuasca or something but there was a performance in 2014 it was the flaming lips and they performed the beatles a day in the life with miley cyrus wait what sounds like something i made up i know miley cyrus comes out of like the lead singer of the flaming lips is wearing this giant cape and she like comes out from the cape

and she's wearing a bodysuit and gyrating and oh they're doing a beatles cover it's that sounds plausible because i think he's very tall and he's an ectomorph and uh she's kind of tiny so i could see her coming out of his cape. Yeah. It all makes sense. I believe you now. I believe that happened. Yeah. That sounds amazing. I always remember the White Stripes back in New York were on the show for a week, which was fun. They did a different song. That'd be great if they played the same song every night. I think maybe the last, I can't remember which night it was. Jack White just went over and threw the guitar down on Conan's desk and was playing it on the desk. Oh my God. I guess that doesn't sound cool or exciting, but if you watch it, it's kind of unbelievable. All this sound coming out of

this guitar that's just sitting on a desk. Yeah. Yeah. It's really neat. Oh, I bet Conan was so happy. He and Jack White are friends, aren't they? Yeah, they became, I think, pals after. Well, you know what? They met years earlier. Conan was shooting a remote in Michigan, I think, and was at a, I'm sure he's told this story probably, about being in a bowling alley and Jack White was there. And he had met him right when Jack White was starting out before he was famous.

Oh, cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he just happened to be at the bowling alley. You know, speaking of coincidences with bands, didn't we, okay, I know it's happened at least twice, but maybe three times where we stayed at the same hotel as the Red Hot Chili Peppers while we were doing travel shows. That is true. Yes. In Berlin. It happened in Berlin. That is true. Yes. In Berlin. It happened in Berlin and then in Australia.

Right. And we were there at the same time in the same hotel. And it was so, and it was like, when we saw them in Australia, they were just like, oh yeah, you guys. Oh, you're doing another travel show? And we're like, yo, you guys still touring? They were so not nonplussed by the coincidence of it. Yeah.

That's our show. Oh yeah. That's our show for this week. Yeah. Thank you all for listening. And we'll be back next week with another one. Thank you. See you soon.

And what else? What else, Jesse? What else? Oh yeah. We like Inside Conan, an important Hollywood podcast is hosted by Mike Sweeney and me, Jesse Gaskell.

Produced by Jen Samples. Engineered and mixed by Will Becton. Supervising producers are Kevin Bartelt and Aaron Blaire. Executive produced by Adam Sachs and Jeff Ross at Team Coco. And Colin Anderson and Chris Bannon at Earwolf. Thanks to Jimmy Vivino for our theme music and interstitials. You can rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts. And of course, please

subscribe and tell a friend to listen to Inside Conan on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or whatever platform you like best. This has been a Team Coco production in association with Earwolf.