Inside Conan: An Important Hollywood Podcast - Revisiting CONAN at Largo w/ Mark Flanagan

Episode Date: June 10, 2022

The man behind the legendary Largo theater, Mark Flanagan, joins writers Mike Sweeney and Jessie Gaskell to discuss CONAN’s run at Largo in 2020-2021, Jack Black’s injury before the show’s final episode, the relationship between comedy and music, legendary singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and much more. Plus Diana Chang drops by to answer a listener's question about her classic remote with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube!Got a question for Inside Conan? Call our voicemail: [phone] and e-mail us at [e-mail]

And now it's time for Inside Conan, an important Hollywood podcast. Welcome to Inside Conan, an important Hollywood podcast. Oh, I do feel welcomed. Thank you. You do? Oh, that wasn't for me. No, it wasn't. That was for do feel welcomed. Thank you. You do? Oh, that wasn't for me. No, it wasn't. That was for them. But welcome to you. Oh, thanks. Jesse Gaskell. Thank you, Mike Sweeney, former head writer. Yes, going back a ways. Of Conan. For Conan and a former writer slash fantastic writer for Conan. Archivist. Archivist.

Is that a word? Archivist. Yeah, how do you say it? Archivist? I don't know. I don't know either. Could be a fan question. That's what we're doing now on this show.

Yeah. We're going back through Conan's storied career in late night television. Yes. We're telling every excruciating detail. We are really rolling out the dough. Beating it to a thin pulp. Yes. We're telling every excruciating detail. We are really rolling out the dough, beating it to a thin pulp. Yes. And we're going to make- This dough is not fighting back.

One very molecule thick crust of pizza. Yeah, I'm excited about tonight's show because we're really dealing with a very specific period of the conan show his that's right last year on tbs yeah during the pandemic yes everything was of course topsy-turvy from uh the lockdown and then uh, when Conan returned to the air, it was at a theater here in LA. And we're going to talk to the man behind that theater. He's kind of a legend in LA. Yeah. He's got a lot of showbiz stories,

but he's been a big, important part of the comedy community. Very big. And music as well. And music. Which I knew less about. I knew, I was more aware of,

oh, the, all the comedy stuff. And then you're just like, well, you hear about all the music, the big music acts he worked with. Yeah, he was friends with Elliot Smith. Okay, cool. Yeah, kind of cool. That's important. But what about Belle and Sebastian? I like to throw them out.

He probably knows them too. He probably does and was too modest to mention them. So you have some news. I do. Very exciting. Yeah. Well, and I feel a little silly because I think it was maybe two weeks ago that I revealed that I was looking for work. Yeah. It was within the last few weeks.

So where's the silly part? Well, I found work. Yes. You got a new job. But I want to make it clear that I was looking for longer than that period of time. It wasn't like I said, oh, I think I'll try to get a job. And then two weeks later, I had a job. Yeah. It doesn't work like that. Man, I wish it did. That would be fantastic. That was the point. The point I was at when I

mentioned it was I was getting a little bit desperate and I felt like I needed to put it out into the universe. Right. And the universe spoke back. Well, let's test it right now. Hey, I'd love a job. I'm the control case. Oh, right, listeners. Like a month from now, I'll be like, new job and you got the job. It's like bang, bang, right? You got the offer on a Thursday and boom, you're in the writer's room on Monday. And then my manager countered, offered. And it was like, I still haven't even officially signed the contract, but the room started on Monday. So it's all just a real whirlwind.

That is a whirlwind. Yeah. That's amazing. And I have to go in person to a room. I have to put on pants and shoes and socks and drive in my car but still like i work at a bank or something right how many people are in the room um there's about 10 people oh wow that's a lot yeah and right now we're just uh so oh so the job is writing for a scripted comedy for Fox. Uh-huh.

It's called Welcome to Flatch. Oh, that premiered last season, right? So this is the second season. Yeah, so they've done one season, and this is the second season that's going to come out in the fall. But I think it's a fast process. They're going to start filming in August. Wow, that is really fast so we have from now until august to break the whole season and then break it out into episodes and then the episodes start filming wow and so just explain breaking when you say break the season is that

the first step of deciding what the entire story and journey of the season will be and then trying to divide it up into the episodes? Yes. Okay. I mean, it goes from really broad to specific. So right now we're still in the super broad space of just trying to figure out where the characters' arcs are going to start and end up this season. That always seems, I'm really curious to hear about it because I always wonder about that. Like, when you think about it, anything could happen, I assume, pretty much on the show. And I wonder if it's just a thing where by consensus all 10 of you are like, oh, yes, this is the arc of the season. This is what should happen. Or does

the person in charge have to take all these pitches and just go, all right, we're going to go this way. You know what I mean? Like, I wonder how. Yeah. I mean, I think it's a little bit more of the second thing. So there's a showrunner and it's ultimately up to her. Right. But I think you just talk things over and you kind of look at things from every possible angle. Right. If there's a story thread that you like, you kind of play it out to its conclusion or how does this affect everybody else in the show

and how does this affect the future of the show and make sure that it gives you a lot of options right right so and if there's a third season yeah because you don't want to right you don't want to go down almost like you know this alleyway that oh wait where do we go from here you know you've got it you do have to keep right like you're saying keep the momentum right on the other hand you also don't want to get nothing to ever happen to anybody it's not that kind of show where people completely start and end every episode in the same place. So you want there to be a little bit of movement. Right.

For characters. They're not all bottle episodes. Yeah, exactly. Yes. I have to be honest, the craziest thing so far about this job is that we don't look at our phones all day what i know wait it sounds so silly to say but it's really i mean it's it's kind of been awesome i feel like i'm in a at a retreat for digital addiction or something what do you leave the phone out literally outside the room or it's just we

don't like have to lock them up okay no i'm serious everyone has them in their bags under the table and you just don't take it out until lunchtime and then at the end of the day and those are the two times you kind of can look at your phone so they just laid the law down they said hey we don't have phones here or honestly no one even said it i think it just the showrunner set the example and okay everybody else followed suit and no one's been the first to break it i never had my cell phone out and you all you assholes had your fucking phones out the whole oh my god i used to get so it was Oh, was that upsetting as head writer? No, it was great. When you're done reading your tweets, can we... You know, people would just be sitting there and then someone would say like, oh my God.

And then we'd have to address whatever it was that they were talking about. Yeah. I mean, everything got done. So it wasn't that disruptive, really. Well, let's get into our show. Yes, because it's almost midnight. It's midnight somewhere. It always is.

We already teed it up a little bit. I did. I jumped the gun. I teased it. You teased it because you knew that people wouldn't stick around for our bullshit otherwise. No, no way. But yeah, we're talking to the man behind largo mark flanagan or flanny popularly known as flanny flanny as his friends call him and he started i hope we're his friends

he really made largo uh into an institution and first with musicians uh so many famous names as you'll hear and then he decided to add comics to the mix. And then it really... Really took off. Really took off. A few years ago, well, several years ago. Well, okay, 2008, I think they moved to Largo at the Cornette Theater. Right.

Because initially it was at a different space. A different space. And it really is a beloved music and comedy institution. And now Conan is a part of that institution. It's a very cool, it's just like all the cool, all the, all the cool people played there. Just an amazing history of music and comedy at Largo. And as you were saying, Conan became a big part of Largo during the pandemic. Yes. Largo was the reason Conan was able to film in a studio type setting. And I think it really helped Conan from going insane during that time.

Yes. He needed to do a show and he needed to not be doing it in the one room in his house. So we all have plenty to thank for that. Yes. And that's where the TBS show ended up wrapping. I mean, no one foresaw things going that way. But last June, the TBS show wrapped from Largo. And the exciting thing was the very last two weeks, L.A. opened up a little bit by coincidence so that Conan was able to bring in live audiences for those last two weeks of shows.

Yeah, which was really special. It made everything special. We were just losing our minds. It was like, oh my God. I felt like I was at an orgy. That's right. Just tongues out, hands groping. Yeah, just people outside and gathered in a theater again. It did seem blatantly illegal. And very sexy. So here he is, Mark Flanagan.

Flanny. Flanny, can you tell us how you first got involved with Largo? A friend of mine was opening. His wife was part of kind of like a conglomerate of a small conglomerate of Irish people that were going to open a bar. And they didn't know where they were going to open. And then he said to me, you know, they're taking over this place called Cafe Largo that was already a venue. And it was run by a French guy. And they were like, you know, you know a bit about music.

And I was like, yeah, you know. I've listened to it. Yeah. And it just was one of those things that it just, I stumbled right into it, you know. Wow. But that was 1992. So it's 30 years ago. And I kind of booked the place for a year and it was wildly successful right away.

Like, I mean, it was just, and after a year, the guy that ran the place, he was the kind of the, you know, he was the owner of it and I was partial owner. He decided that overnight he was going to turn it into a sports bar. And that night we had Dr. John with Branford Marsalis. It was an incredible... Oh my God. And I was like, again, okay, I'm out. So he was going to pay me off. And through a long process, which actually took three years, and I was booking Largo at other places. I was booking at the Troubadour and different places in town. Knowing that I love doing that, love music,

love comedy. I continued working with like Amy Mann and John Bryan and the Eels and this different band that kept me very busy. And then suddenly I got a call from a lawyer saying the judge wants to give you the old venue back because the guy can't pay you any money. And he's run it into the ground. And I was like, Jesus. And I went in and it was just, it was a mess. And so I had to come up with money to try and reboot it. And I thought, well, I'll do it for a few years and then unload it because it was small. And I really didn't want to run a restaurant or a bar. And that's what that was. Then I was sole owner in 1997 and been sole owner ever since. But it's one of these things that I'm sure you guys are the same. You get into something and you're like, oh, let's see how this goes.

Right. And here we are, you know. And then 30 years go by. Yeah. Yeah. And really, I can't say it feels fast, but I mean, even the Conan year, it just feels like that was years ago already, you know. Yes.

But we've all been through so much. Right. We were just getting up to you introducing comics because comedians then became such an integral part, I think, of the Largo reputation and story. Yeah. The second you started bringing comics in, was that just instantly a great mix? Yeah, comics were coming. It's almost like right now at Largo when somebody, you know, some of my staff will say, oh, my God, such and such is here.

And I'm like, I have no idea from a TV show. I have no idea who that is. Well, back then it was like, oh, my God, Mitch Hed such is here. And I'm like, I have no idea from a TV show. I have no idea who that is. Well, back then it was like, Oh my God, Mitch Hedberg's here. And I'm like, who? So then I went, then I went, this is who I need here. This is so, so I decided to start a Monday night comedy only night, you know, and then I had to figure out, well, who, I don't know these people. So I need somebody. So this guy introduced me to another guy who was promoting shows around town and he

was doing Pedro's Bar and Grill in, I think it was Los Feliz. And I went over one night and the show was hosted by Karen Kilgariff and it was Jon Stewart, Laura Keitlinger, Janine Garofalo, and I think Cross. I mean, it was like, that was the show. It was called La Parade, you know, and I was like, I even dropped Cafe from Largo because I thought it was pretentious. So I didn't need La Parade. So I said, hey, man, would you just call it the comedy show or just call it comedy? So anyway, we started off and Cross and Odenkirk were, I think, the first hosts. Oh, wow.

And it was just every Monday night. It was the greatest. If you weren't from L.A., it was definitely New Yorkers were like, OK, this is the spot because there was. Yeah, it wasn't a comedy club, but there was people. And I also wouldn't let cell phones, photographs, no talking during the show. So it was kind of. You were, you were ahead of your time barring cell phones. I love that. And still, you know, but, but so also a lot of people would come out for,

there was a, you know, like pilot season or coming out to do, you know, whatever show it was on TV, they would come out and do stuff. And they'd be in town for a while. And so they would jump up. And at that point, which is kind of like the late nineties, I think the comedy store and the improv and some of those places were less traveled for the people that we love. You know, they were looking for the alternative to the alternative, you know? Well, you know, the like places like the improv, there'd be a lot of great comics on the stage. But there were also, I'd see people there where it's like, oh, you're an actor, but you went into comedy because you heard it can help you get on a TV show. Like you could literally tell.

You want to be the next Seinfeld. Right. And they weren't super funny or original, but they had a great look, you know, like that kind of sitcom look. I've never been. It's so funny with this comedy club, like the Laugh Factory. Yeah. I've never been to any of these places. I went to the comedy store once.

Right. But anyway, so very quickly, it started on a Monday night. Boom, it took off. Sarah Silverman, Paul F. Tompkins, Greg Proops, you know, all these people that are part of the Conan family, too, were just in there ready to go, ready to do anything. And then from that, within about six months, I was like to Patton Oswalt and Sarah Silverman, you should do your own night here. Yeah. And have a couple of your friends so they could stretch a bit more. And so that and then so really around, I would say, 98, 99, a lot of shows started to do monthly shows, you know. And it wasn't just strictly stand-up.

It was like... Like a residency. Yes. And I would make it more of a kind of, I hate the word, but like a variety of things. So there'd be music, comedy, a couple of sketches. Right. I remember I first moved to LA. We went to see Paula Tompkins' show every month.

Yeah. And it was fantastic. Did you ever see, like, we had the Naked Trucker and T-Bone show? Oh, yes. And Tenacious D. So there was a lot of stuff like that, like way, way back. Yeah. And you had the naked trucker and t-bone show it was oh yes and tenacious d so there was a lot of stuff like that like way way back you know and you had the piano there i mean did people sometimes just decide to sit and like i had read somewhere that zach galifianakis that's right that was sort of spontaneous that he started playing that's right and you know there's other

people that won't ask for a piano so like for example tig who performs all the time at largo and she um started writing bits because the largo piano, you know, and she's not a pianist. Yeah. And she would sit down and have this whole thing about like, guys, get ready, you know. And so, but also, yeah, so for Zach, that was the thing. And then he kind of stopped doing that because he'd go to venues that just didn't have pianos and he was too nice to ask, could you get me a piano? And then there's Bo Burnham who started like, you know, 12, 13 years ago. And he had a very specific keyboard. And I used to see him pulling up the back and trying to get this thing out of his fucking car. And I was like, how much are these things? And he was like, they're not that

expensive. So I bought him a keyboard. So anytime he comes in, the keyboard's there and he doesn't have to drag this thing because he doesn't play a regular piano. That's great. Yeah. So you just have a room full of keyboards, everyone's special keyboard. Little things left over. Like, I mean, you know, there's even stuff from the Conan stint there that is still backstage, you know, because it's just character building, I think, you know?

Yeah. A lot of print paper. Yes, a lot of Conan's headshots, mostly. Yeah, exactly. That sounds right. No, I remember the first time I saw zach in new york and he was just doing the piano and i it was just so simple but so great and you're just like oh that's such a so i love i loved hearing that it just kind of happened organically yeah at largo which i never knew

that's we're so lucky that you know i think about it all the time we're so lucky to have people like him and tig and yeah and jack black and people that are just like Maya Rudolph, that you just look at them and they make you feel better, you know? But you know what? You created this, you know, environment where everyone just, especially comics, I think, are just like instantly like, oh, this is a great place to hang out. And, you know. It is, but it also can play against, it plays against you a little bit sometimes where it feels like it's a clicky thing. And I never wanted it to be a clicky thing. I wanted it to be a family. In fact, I had a name for the place. I didn't want to call it Largo. I wanted to call it The Residency, which is a place in Belfast, which was a famous bar that would have different things.

And I just love the idea of like the residency had a feeling of like cheers, like environment. Like you'd go back and there would be something that you liked coming up again, you know? Right, right. But it was so much money to change the name for LicenseWise and stuff, you know? Yeah. Largo and you became a really important part of the evolution of Conan's show because during COVID, initially we left our studio at Warner Brothers. We thought we were leaving for a couple of weeks.

That's what we were told. And then we never went back there. Right. We were just shut down indefinitely. And Conan was doing shows at home. I think at first was just filming himself on his iPhone. Yeah. Right?

With probably the kids helping him, maybe. Yeah. There's a family member. And then it's like, yeah, the laptop would just bang out a few segments over Zoom at home. And really quickly, I started getting calls from J.P. Buck. Hey, would you talk to Ross about possibly getting Conan out of the house? Oh, wow. Did you already know J.P.?

I knew J.P. Yes, I knew J.P. But also, like, I mean, catching up with everything. Andy Richter has been a Largo person for 100 years. Oh, of course. Oh, yeah. And he and I are friends. That's right. But also, catching up with everything. Andy Richter has been a Largo person for a hundred years. Oh, of course. So, you know, so, and he and I are friends. So it's like, but also, which is very important. And I thought about this before we spoke, like I have never, I've been my own guy for,

you know, 30 years in terms of Largo. And I've never fully, I've had opportunity where people are like, Hey, what if we come in and did something with you? And I've always said, no, when this came up, it was like, we had been closed for six weeks. And at that point, it dawned on me that this could be a year. Nobody else was thinking it was going to be a year. But I was like, this could be a long. Oh, you knew.

Well, I felt, you know, I just felt like, you know, I don't know. Nobody knows. But at that point, we didn't know about viruses and all that information. But anyway, enough to know that it was like turning on the TV and seeing Conan. I watched every episode where he was at home. Right. You know, and I knew that there was probably three of you there with him, like giving him dropping off, because it was so frightening at that time. Right. Yeah. So when JP asked me, Hey, would you

talk to Ross? Cause I think they want to try and figure out some sort of a low key thing at Largo. And I was like, well, I don't, I don't have any staff and I it's kind of dangerous. I mean, right now it seems, you know, and so that, that was the initial thing. And I feel that was like probably the lockdown was we shut earlier than the lockdown. So March. And so I started getting the call late April around that time talking to Jeff Ross. Okay. How could we do this safely? And then we did a walkthrough.

So probably I feel like that was May and Conan and Jason and Jeff came and we were like looking at it and there was technical things, obviously, you know, because of internet connections and then the noise in the neighborhood, because we've never done anything during the day. It's a night place, you know? So that was a huge factor. And, um, but even it was so strange because even though it's only been a few couple months, but just seeing people outside your family was even a shock. We were all double masked and it was like careful and 20 feet apart from each other. Yeah. Hosing

things down in between. Yeah. So it was very quick that when we did the walkthrough they were like, yeah, we can do this. And I figured out I could have a couple staff members just for security and also just to show where the lights go on and off. But Jeff and I talked about if we're going to do this, it would probably be a year because we have to cut...

There's so many legal things. Like the studio with insurance, which was huge. Right. We put in a plan and we started. So in July, I think, maybe late July, I think, is when we started. And then... So that was when Conan came in and started doing daily shows at Largo, which was... I mean, you could see such a difference just in his mood too.

Yeah. Well, it's like... He'd, it's like a caged animal. Yeah. I've listened to some of your guys. I think Reggie said it best. He's a people person. Like he just responds to even Mike, when you would come in, his whole mood would be, you know, It would go down. No, but it would be like, it would be like, okay, we've got something to cook in here. And you see his blood start and his mind start to think yeah and he's always been the best guy to me like he's always i've never had you know experiences that um people have with somebody of his stature it's just always been fun making fun of each other and then

right i see different dynamics when you know when it's slow and he's sitting there and it's like the zoom thing's not working and you've got you know or or we'd have to pause because ambulances were literally because cedars-sinai is across the street, near. Right. That's right. Giant hospital. Yeah, COVID patients were driving past, flying past ambulances every day, you know. Oh, man.

Oh, boy. I mean, first of all, there was the cachet of like, it's Conan. Yeah. And you guys are my taste. So it was like, that was a perfect thing. Right. But then I was thinking for the safety of my staff and my family and this fucking virus and shit. I was like, and then Jason was just, again, go back to Jason.

He was the guy that I was just like. Yes. Jason Chalemi. Our producer. From day one, I was. He puts you right at ease. Absolutely. Yeah.

And also there's that attitude that was like, we'll try anything unless we can't. Yes. And I kind of love that. Whatever you need. Yeah. And so he'd come to me, he would constantly come to me on a daily basis or the night before and go, Hey, are you up for this? And I'm like, fuck it at this point. Yes. Right. Right. Because honestly, after a couple

of months, I thought that we possibly may not open again because yeah. Well, a couple of things of like, yeah, I thought it would be over in a year, but also that year you're closed, your rent alone is $35,000 a month. And I knew the government wasn't going to give me that money, you know? Right. $1,200. Yeah. You know, which is what Jeff Ross wanted to pay a monthly for Kona being at Largo. I think it was $12.25. You got them up to 15. But it was great. So the great thing is that we were able to, with Sarah and everybody else, work out a deal where this amount of money would cover the staff, a little bit of rent, the insurance, you know, stuff like that. And then we were off and running.

But then it dawned on me that, you know, especially when it looked like you guys weren't going, when TBS was going to possibly end. Right. And then it was, it was announced. I had a feeling like, maybe this is my ending too, you know, in terms of that location. Oh, wow. Yeah. Really? Yeah.

Really scary. Yeah. Yeah. I really, yeah. Really scary. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Cause back then it was also open-ended. It was, it was hard to see light at the end of the day. And a lot of our friends like Nick Kroll,

John Mulaney, a lot of the people that perform at Largo had just had kids. Right. And I was like, there's no, there's no fucking way they're going to risk their child. You know, all those pandemic babies.

Yeah. How dare they reproduce. And the moment that we got the all clear after Conan left, it was a while before I even booked people because people were like, really? Yeah. I was like, I don't want to,

I don't want to push into it, but you know. Well, but it probably helped. So the last two weeks of Conan on TBS were in person with crowds. And that was so wonderful to be there in that audience. Cause it, everyone was just so hungry for live comedy.

Right. At that point, because we hadn't done anything in a year. Yeah. And you guys hadn't even really seen each other. You know, I remember that. Yeah. I mean, the staff too. Yeah. The staff, it was almost like every night was a beautiful kind of get together, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

It felt a little bit like the Comic-Con shows where we're going, you know, like a road show and everyone's there and everyone's hanging out in the courtyard afterwards. Right. where we're going, you know, like a road show and everyone's there and everyone's hanging out in the courtyard afterwards. And so that must have at least given you a little glimmer of like, okay, there's, the audience is there that people want to come back and see live comedy again. There was, but if you remember, like these were the first shows that, Conan's show was the first show to go to a theater.

It was the first show to have a live audience, you know? Yeah. And also it was, we were all sitting there going, can we do it without masks? Because I mean, he doesn't want to fucking look out to the audience's Nazi faces. I mean, so there were some hurdles that we overcame towards the end of it, but the numbers were still kind of going up and down while we were doing it.

And we had to reduce the capacity and, you know, each day let a certain more, few more people in than we did the night before. And. But it was day to day as to whether the audience had to wear masks and all yeah all that stuff i remember was and even there was the risk of like what if one of and by the way this is the real thing that i think about is from day one when conan came there was five of them and three of us which became eight of us but like i was like right if one person goes down we have to shut for 10 days with covid that's right and that never ended until you know honestly after

everybody was loading stuff out, I was like, I can't believe I went through the whole thing that none of us got COVID. No one got it. That is shocking. That's unbelievable. Because I worked on productions

where like everyone got it. Oh, and by the way, at the same time, it was like some of the guests that were supposed to come on had COVID and could, you know.

Yeah. So, and now we're back at it again where it's more people than even then are testing positive around us, you know. Right. we're still free. The family and the Largo family still haven't had COVID. But wow.

Certainly everybody around us seems to have had it. Well, it's coming for you. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. But the Conan thing, like even, you know, some of the stuff that fans would like to hear is like, it was very intimate. But like, it was a beautiful time because you're with friends and we're all, there was a common purpose, but you left the house each day, even if it was only for a few hours. And we had a lot of fun considering what we were going through, you know?

Yes. And I would sit with Sona behind the red curtain, which is Conan would come out and her hair, you know, mess with her every time before she went and we would just laugh. And then, you know, Sona and I would start laughing and spoil a take every time, you know, and stuff like that. But take every time, you know, and stuff like that.

But it was very, there was, he created a vibe, you know, that it was, it was very nice, you know. And ironically too, that I think we may have talked about this, but like three weeks before the lockdown, we did a show and it was the Judd Apatow show and Conan was the guest on it, was one of the guests on it. It was Adam Sandler, Conan, Bo Burnham, and I think Weird Al. It was like an Eric Idle.

It was a crazy show. Oh, wow. Yeah. And Conan came over after doing your show and just ran on stage. He had the most fun. Like he was just, you know. I remember he was talking about the next day.

He was so excited. The craziest thing is he walked on and he was like, what's up, fuckers? Like he did shit that he's never done before. Right, right, right. And Judd was still on stage. And a guy in the front row stood up and goes,

I can't believe it. I just went to see your show. And he meant the taping. He was at a taping. Right. And Conan was like, you want to fucking fight me? And like,

it was bananas. But he had so much fun. And when he walked off stage, he goes... He was on a lot of cocaine. Right. But he walked off stage and we've had this conversation

many times over the years because he's done a TIG show. He's done other, many, many things. And I was like, I think you need to do more of this, you know, and also as a club owner who books things, I don't want to be the smarmy guy, but it's just so much fun.

Yeah. And then I think that was in his head when he was sitting at home with a fucking computer going, well, that was a fun place, you know? Yeah. Yeah. yeah he just loves largo and he loves yeah it's such a great place to hear music and comedy it's there's just such great energy in there yeah friendly yeah i mean obviously that is coming down from you flanny i'm sure i it's fun to hear you say that you didn't want it to feel too clicky

because I think there are other comedy clubs where that was the case and it never felt that way in Largo. You know, the funny thing too is that it's not clicky, but it's certainly family. There's so many people that contact me and friends of mine that met each other at Largo and got married. Oh my God. Oh, wow.

Yeah, like Jonah Ray told me the other night that he came to see they might be giants on his first date with his now wife at Largo. And Patton Oswalt met his wife at Largo. Like there's a lot of people that were just like, Oh, Hey you. Wow. You should have a matchmaking service. I think I have, I get invited to all these weddings, even customers. And you know, they're just like, Hey, we met with you. And I'm like, I'm booked already yeah

it's cultivated and then also getting back to what mike was saying there was a thing from new yorkers coming in that was like this is our place to hang this is there was a bar at the old place that it's a good bar yeah and and it poured a good pint of guinness and but also it was just not pretentious you could just hang out and and uh And it became a home for a lot of comedians and musicians that we know. And that became, and still is a really, like Patton Oswalt with Amy Mann, like they're best friends. Paul F. Tompkins is friends with all these musicians. And I think a lot of that, the seeds grew at Largo, you know. Well, there is such a crossover with comedians and musicians. I feel like they always want to do the other thing. Right. Each one wants the other job.

Right. Yeah. No, there is a long tradition of comics playing harmonica. But having said that, there is some like, you know, sitting backstage with people we have, you know, and you'll hear like Dimitri Martin is a really good musician, you know, and it comes across in his act. He's an amazing guitar player, but he has it in his act. And same thing with Nick Thune, who has it in his act. He's an amazing guitar player, but he has it in his act. And same thing with Nick Thune, who has it in his act.

But a lot of these guys, you know, there's a comedian called May Martin, who's from Canada, but she's been coming around. She's a good piano player. And so she sits before the show. You'll hear her playing the piano and stuff, you know. You know, another thing I think made the shows with Conan special at Largo was just having Andy as the sole audience member in the audience.

And that was a great energy to play off of, I think, you know, for Conan. Also beautifully because it was just him by himself in this empty theater. And then there was the cardboard cutouts that showed up. Yeah. Those are great.

You know, the fans sent in there, they became things. Right. Which is a great idea. And then there was a day that Andy took a kind of a hacksaw to James Comey, who was one of the cutouts and cut his stomach out and stuff. A life-size one.

Those were just so much fun. Like, I mean, you know. What happened to all those? Yes. Do you know? Were you stuck with them at the end? No, no, no, no. Well, I wanted to keep Ruth Bader was one of them. So we can, I think we have that. Good. But I mean, I think that a whole bunch of us need to do an episode where we go to the storage facility. Oh, I know.

Are those in storage? Straight to storage. Wow. Yeah. John showed up, like all the guys showed up and they're like, this is going there. This is going here. We do need to go explore the storage facility because Jeff was just talking about how much they pay for it. They probably have things there they don't even know they're paying to store. Conan's for tourists.

But also like the amount of stuff, even the year that we're there, the amount of stuff that is sent to Conan from fans, from... Right. But also when we did the live shows, like suddenly the big bobblehead showed up. I'm like, where the fuck did this come from?

Right. It took up the whole court. So I think they're all still there. I think it'd be funny to see the two of you go in there and be like, oh no. Yeah. I know. It'd be funny for the the two of you go in there and be like, oh, no. Yeah. I know. It'd be funny for the first 30 seconds.

And then we'd be like, oh, it's 200 degrees in here. Yeah, that's true. What have we done? That's true. We pitched ideas. It's like, oh, we got to have a big send-off for the cardboard audience members. Remember that, Jessie? Viking funeral.

Yeah. And then, you know, of course, the show was- Then we did nothing. Right. And it was the last two week of shows and there were all these big guests. yeah and then you know of course the show was then we did nothing right and in the light it was the last two week of shows and they're all these big guests and that whole idea just went on the back shelf getting back to andy i'm sure there was a lot of stuff that yeah like when we did the first initial thing like conan was standing on stage and ross and and jason and i are in the

audience and he's like right how about jimmy vivino on a on a stool just playing acoustic guitar and they're like nope and what what about and Andy nope I mean it was that strict in terms of what they would let us do right and that was who was deciding that the insurance people yeah I think it could have been but it was definitely coming from the top and it wasn't a budgetary thing but what I was going to say Mike was like when Andy finally came in right it did change the other thing but I was thinking about you and about like coming up with ideas that you just can't fucking do because the constrictions were so strict at that time you know and then in the last two weeks you finally go oh here's jack black let's fucking play with him you know and it was right you know let's mostly it was just zoom break his leg yeah yeah

well before we get to the the last two weeks yeah you, and maybe this wasn't, didn't seem like a big deal when it happened, but do you remember the first guest? Because every show Conan's guests would be over zoom, right? Even though he was in the Largo from the Largo theater. Do you remember the first time a guest, he did an in-person interview? Yes.

And John C. Riley really wanted to be the first. I'm like, ah, was calling multiple people saying, I think I'm wanted to be the first. And like, was calling multiple people saying, I think I'm going to be the first. There was a couple of times where it was like, you know, in terms of your schedule,

you know, you do your three weeks and then you've got a week off and then you're back for two weeks. Yeah. We had a schedule that Jason would give us, you know, for the next two months so that we could figure out what we're doing. Right.

And a lot of the times we would go an extra week just because the numbers were starting to climb. We're like like we better try and get a few more in here you know to bank a few more shows wow yeah yeah squeeze them in it did seem kind of like a stars aligning for the last two weeks of that show where all of a sudden la was talking about letting people go back and and be audiences that was one and then for the last two weeks, all these great guests started filling in to appear on the show. And so you had those last two weeks, the great combo of, yay, a live audience again, plus these incredible guests coming on. It really got this kind of head of steam. But do you remember you and I, that we had a team meeting in the courtyard and and we were thinking, okay, what are the live shows going to be? And Conan was just like, it's going to be normal. It's going to be the full band. And Ross was like, Richter was there. We were all there going, hopefully that'll be it.

And then it transpired that I think we've got away with most of the stuff that you wanted to do. Yeah. But there was also, along with the joy, as life in general, like along with the joy of getting people back, it was also the end of the show to a degree.

Right. Right. So to me, that was a bummer. Cause I mean, I'd been to the TBS show. I've been to see Zach. I went with Zach to see your show. And I went when David, David Bowie was a guest. I was like, fuck, I bummer because I mean, I'd been to the TBS show. I've been to see Zach. I went with Zach to see your show.

And I went when David Bowie was a guest. I was like, fuck, I'm going, you know. And so I had seen the big machine working. And then I saw the small machine and then the small machine building back up to all of everybody being there again, you know. Right. But there was a certain thing of like, I remember, you know, the last night with you guys all sitting in the back row. And I couldn't look back because it was like, we're all in tears. Yeah. It was just, you know. Yeah. It you guys all sitting in the back row and i couldn't look back because it was just we're all in tears yeah it was just you know yeah it was really emotional especially conan doing his yes thank yous and yeah well matt o'brien the head writer was basically running all

yeah that comedy the at largo including the last two weeks and um of course you mentioned the jack black show there there's a big sketch planned with him. And that was, that was a crazy afternoon. We knew that you guys, even before we knew that there'd be something very special because he loves Conan and he loves your show. And so he had texted me because there was a thing too, that, you know, we couldn't even have friends backstage or family or anything. And anytime Jack's ever done something like he would even, you know, I think there was a consideration, could his boys come to it and stuff. And we were like, it was very strict and whatever. But anyway, I got a call from him and he's like, Hey, I can't wait to do this. And then he did an Instagram post

saying that he was going to do it. And it was very funny. And so everything seemed to be good. And then I was there and Andy and I were talking to him and he was running through things with Jimmy and the band. Everything was great. And then we moved outside because there was an ambulance waiting on La Cienega for him for the sketch. He was doing a bit. A joke ambulance. Right. A joke ambulance. He's on stage. Totally. And he was going to rip his clothes off. Right. But the thing about the joke, the joke ambulance is that like for a year there were ambulances on La Cienega just because they could. There was too many ambulances at Cedars Hospital.

So it was kind of like people walking by. There it is again. There it is. So he he had the sketch that they were doing and it was hysterical. He was the idea was that he would do anything for Conan and then he falls and he hurts himself. But the show must go on. Right. And they're like, no, you've got to.

I think the sketch was pretty much, they come with a stretcher, these two guys and paramedics, and they take him to the, to the ambulance. And then he busts out of the ambulance. No, the show must go on. Yeah.

So they ran this and I sat there watching it, you know, with Jeff Ross and others. And I was just watching it. And every time he's 120%, like he's just going at it. Yeah. And then I was around the wall.

So I didn't see it happen. I just went, I heard everyone going, oh no, oh no. Are you okay? Are you okay? And I was like, first off, I thought maybe Conan fell. Cause he was around the wall, so I didn't see it happen. I just went, I heard everyone going, oh, no. Oh, no. Are you okay? Are you okay? And I was like, first off, I thought maybe Conan fell because he was standing by the

entrance or something. And Jack's on the ground and he's taking off with one of his white shiny boots. And I was like, oh. And he had done something similar on the Godzilla movie years before. Pre-existing condition. Other foot. So anyway, so this became a big thing we got ice for him we went down to the you know and he was a trooper but you could see he was in a lot of pain

yeah like a lot of pain so we got him out of there and um his friend was there and he drove him home and i was you know it was we weren't really sure if he would be able to show up for the show but he kept telling us i'll be fine the next day'll be fine. And so the next day he showed up with the crutch and he was told, really, you shouldn't do this. And again, he comes out and he just like, yeah. Still did it.

Yeah. Oh yeah. And he killed it. Yeah. And people in the room, by the way, the audience had no idea that went on and we didn't, I don't think we showed on screens that we had.

No. Nobody knew. And they're just like, oh, it's no one knew. And so everyone thought it was a bit that here he is walking with a boot on his thing and he's going to do something funny.

Yes. And then Conan explains it and people are like, oh, this is real. Yeah. You know? Yeah. No, I know.

It did seem like you're absolutely right at the beginning of some elaborate bit. Yeah, where he throws away the crutches and the... Right, right. Which he kind of did do,

but... Yeah. I mean, I've worked with Jack for, you you know over 20 years and he's always had that energy of like i'll give it all let's do it yeah and he was so great that day it was such a bummer because it was at the end of everything in terms of it was the last it was the last take and he was like let me do one more captain and then it's like oh fuck the dodgy sidewalk he falls over you know uh i know it and they had already gotten it they right it was

already in the can they'd gotten that and i've never gotten over his speedo his red speedo ah and his white boots he had white boots on i was like running in and out of largo i was like oh well that was a real injury to your to the side your poor orbs right but yeah it's um so there was that it was that double feeling of like joy that we're seeing people in seats again. Right. But then also, I was not sure if I wanted to even continue. And this is not some sort of flippant thing. I'm still going through this thing of, do I need a bigger place that we can spread out more seats?

Because I believe this pandemic will be with us for a few years. Yeah. Or do I just do Largo? I called it, so the initial Largo on Fairfax was just called Largo. And when I moved, I called it Largo at the Coronet. Right. And the specific reason was, was like, well, maybe I'll do that for a few years and then, you know, take Largo somewhere else, you know? And so that's a horizon thing right now that I'm looking at going.

Maybe it's summer season at John Anson Ford and then do a monthly at the Pantages or, you know, jump up at different places with our cast of clowns and stuff. That's a cool idea. Yeah, because Largo is not a place. It's a state of mind. It has become that. Yeah, I was wondering, I bet the... Because Tig Notaro did her famous set

where she had just found out she had breast cancer. That happened at Largo. Yeah. And then that was on This American Life. Was that right? Yeah. Well, the interesting thing about that was... I think so, yeah. Tig had been doing a regular show at Largo

and she got sick with this condition called C. diff, which is a bacterial poisoning kind of thing. So she was really ill. And Sarah Silverman and I and friends went, she was at Cedars Hospital. So we'd go and visit her. And then she gradually started getting stronger and better. And she said, I want to do a show. I need a show to kind of get back.

And she goes, would you help me book it? So her health wasn't great, but it was two weeks away. And we were like, okay, so Sarah Silverman wasn't available, but Ed Helms and Bill Burr were available. Marilyn Rice Cup was available, but I was reaching out to Conan, but Conan was back East. So he was replaced by Louis CK. And, uh, but that was the show. And then none of them knew. So three days before the show, Tig called me and said, you're not going to believe this. I just got off the phone with my doctor and I have cancer. And I was like, well, what are you talking about? And she goes, I've got like stage four cancer, but I want to do this show.

Oh my God. So she started treatment the next day. But anyway, she told me that, and I said, listen, you should just, if you don't feel well on the day, we cancel. We anyway, she told me that. And I said, listen, you should just, if you don't feel well on the day, we cancel. We'll just say you're sick. Right. But she was adamant. And then she and I had this understanding

that she was going to talk about it on stage, but not talk about it to any of the performers. And so she walked out on stage. Hey, how's everyone doing? I have cancer. How are you doing? I have cancer. Right.

And it became a very big deal. But beside the stage like bill burr ed helms wow maryland right we're all crying like we're just like this is funny but jesus yeah this is this is real this is more than comedy yeah yeah that is intense but but it was a big night you know and then obviously she's done she shot a documentary about it at largo and stuff so it's been this thing that people ask me about all the time. But, you know, that was a big one, actually. That was a big one.

Yeah. No, I mean, it's interesting because the theater really has been a central part of all these stories, these L.A. comedy stories. Yeah. We keep coming back to it. It's funny. You know what I love about your podcast is not you guys at all. No, you're not right. That is that you're bringing in people who are going to tell us,

we feel the same way, but you're bringing in, you're bringing in people who are more than a fly on the wall. They're in the trenches with trying to figure out like, Oh, how do you make this happen? Or how do you geographically move from the whole thing from New York to LA? And then you talk to tech people. But I think most of us want to know like, you know, the sketches that like you're talking about how with Jason, like, you know,

he shot stuff in his back garden of his house with Conan. And you were on a bridge, the run across America thing. Like, that's what I want to hear about. You know, like, people who were there who didn't hear from somebody else. Like, you know, I was there, you know. You know what else was great about that last night? Like, the writers hadn't seen each other in person in a long time. And just a lot of the

production staff and after that show people met in your in the courtyard yeah at largo and it became basically the de facto rap part yeah and there were people that have worked with you for so long that came and we got rid of everybody else and there was 120 family family members. Like, you know, Liza was there, but there was also people who worked on the show that had nothing to do with the Largo stint were able to finally come and just, you know. Yes. We had a writer who was hired during COVID,

Schuyler Higby. We hadn't met. We had not met him. He lived in Chicago and we only knew him from Zoom writers meetings. Right. Like we were all so delighted, you know, to finally meet him and hang out together. I met him too. And he was, we were all so delighted, you know, to finally meet him and

hang out together. I met him too. And he was, uh, yeah, we were sitting in the back row when the show started and he was like, I can't believe I'm at Largo. And I was like, part of it made me feel like so old. And then the other part was like, I wonder what he thought it was going to be like. Cause I remember when I moved to Los Angeles, I went to the Troubadour because I was a music fan and I was like, right. I knew that I had to Los Angeles, I went to the Troubadour because I was a music fan and I was like, I knew that I had this bootleg of Cat Stevens at the Troubadour and Richard Pryor. Troubadour is legendary. And I walked in and it was like a fucking toilet. It was horrible. And I was like, this can't be the Troubadour. It got better over the years. But in the early 90s, it was like heavy metal bands and people playing there and

they'd run it down. No more Elton John. No more elk no cat stevens no more no no i have to tell you a really funny thing that happened was yeah yeah when we did the walkthrough and we were all a bit like you know again 20 feet apart from each other this is when you first were considering letting yeah so jason conan yeah and so somebody came and did a went into the sound booth and was trying to figure out internet 5g at the time you You know, we needed that. Right. And my manager, Michael, who a few years before that had been in a motorcycle accident, somebody rear-ended him and he had lost his spleen.

So he has no immune system. So I was like, I don't want to put you under pressure. And he goes, no, I'll just be in a different room. But he was very susceptible to the COVID-19. Yikes. So anyway, he's standing in the back of the room and Conan's on stage, being Conan, running around like a six-year-old, having the best time. And Ross is there like, yeah, you know, looking at the thing. And Jason's like, whatever we need, Captain, put me in.

And as I'm talking to Ross and Conan's running back and forth the stage, a part of the ceiling collapsed at the back of the room because it had been raining. It had been raining for six weeks and we hadn't been in there. And so it had gathered wow and that particular time it just decided that the plaster just fell on the ground and just the sound yeah and i saw it happening and it was like a big it was almost like two crows coming down from the sky just went and um and ross nothing were you trying to cover it up like no nothing to see i was waiting for i was waiting for somebody to say what the fuck was was that? Nobody said anything. And they were like, and then Ross goes, I think it's going to be fine. I think it's going to be great. And I was like,

oh, all right. Oh, they were just so desperate to get out of Conan's yard. But so by the way, when I left that day, I remember in 1998, no, 1997, Elliot Smith, who I had met, he thought that Largo was too fancy for him to

play right because he liked dive bars oh and so the first night that I invited him down I told the waitresses to take all the tablecloths off the tables no no candles and bring the lights up and he walked in and he was like oh this is way too nice and it was like the worst it's ever looked and I was like well fuck you know so so john bryant started playing his songs on the piano and elliot was like oh shit okay that's so i can work with this guy okay oh good okay did they already know each other probably they had met um very briefly yeah yeah just very briefly and john was at that point like it was before goodwill hunting so elliot wasn't like a lot of people didn't know. But the good songwriters were like, oh, shit, here comes Michael Jordan, you know, of that kind of stuff, you know.

Yeah. Those are two walkthroughs that were memorable for me. That's pretty memorable. Yeah. Yeah, I always heard about him hanging out in dive bars. Yeah, that was his thing. On Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn. Yeah, and even when he became famous, he would go back to Brooklyn, and that's exactly what he would do.

Yeah. Or karaoke bars and just sit at the bar and, you know. Oh, wow. Yeah. Yeah, and even when he became famous, he would go back to Brooklyn and that's exactly what he would do. Yeah. Or karaoke bars and just sit at the bar and, you know. Oh, wow. Yeah. Yeah, that's a vibe. That's what Conan does now. That's right. Well, yeah, Flanny, this has been great.

Yeah. Is there anything that we didn't cover that you... I think Sona was the sugar and the ingredient that kept the whole thing very much fun. I mean... Yes, she was always there. Well, the great thing about it was too,

is like, I mean, I, I knew of Sona and I'd met her briefly, but we went through Sona being there, getting pregnant, being pregnant with twins. So it was fantastic.

It was so exciting, you know? Yes. And then, and, and so that was that whole year. It was just, it went from,

she's trying to get pregnant to holy fuck their twins. And then Conan, Conan, everyone making fun about what they're going to call them and stuff. So it's like, so basically, you know, it was so much fun, really the whole thing, you know, and I didn't, nobody kind of knew anything in terms of like what the prognosis of our future was going to be. So we just lived every day as best we could, you know? Right.

And that is a nice, that's a nice way to track a year is in somebody's gestational cycle. Yeah. Human life. The creation. Yeah. I wish she'd stop sending me photographs of them, but I mean, we'll get the word to her.

Yeah. We'll take you off the mailing list. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, she is always, I forget how she is always just this giant burst of positive.

Yeah. So great energy, but also really funny. Just wonderful to have in a room. Well, it's funny you say that. So her and Jason are, I don't know, they're from the same fountain of, of like just optimism and just generally positive. You would, you think, are these fuckers Scientologists? Cause they're out of 10.

They're out of 10. They're out of 10. They come to you and they're just like, yay! And then you've got Matt O'Brien kind of sneaking without saying hi to anybody and Andy Richter going, can I leave? You know? Yeah, that's the difference between people who identify as comedians and normies.

Yeah. The other thing that happened too, which is just, it struck me last night was while Conan was there, um, I was dealing with this guy, John Irvin, who's, I think he had a production thing with Jeff Ross at one point.

And he's, you know, he's part of the, and he was contacting me constantly saying, Hey, Norm MacDonald really wants to shoot his special. And he wants to do it as soon as, can he do it while Conan's there?

And then Ross was like, I think we could make it happen. And I was like, but we can't bring people in, you know? Yeah. Wow. And then, so when things subsided, I started texting him and he goes, I haven't heard anything. And anyway, they just put Norm special that on Netflix and it's really beautiful. I mean, I kind of was a little bit trepidatious. What I, you know, I was like, I come from the healthy times

and he performed at Largus so many times, but it's an actual beautiful thing to watch. And it's another thing that was happening during the pandemic, like Conan's thing, that was a positive thing. Even though Norm's not with us anymore, but he's vibrant, his eyes are electric and his material is really good.

So it's worth seeing it. I watched it last night. Yeah, I did too. Yeah, it was amazing. And then Conan's part of the group. Yes. Conan, David Letterman,

Dave Chappelle, Molly Shannon, Sandler and a spade. Yeah. Are there to kind of, they watch it together. Right. Yeah.

And talk it down. We've been doing this for collectively, like, you know, quite a long time and you see these ebbs and flows and I don't take any of it for granted, but like, I really am appreciative of the year that we did with Conan, you know, cause it was,

it went from seeing him every few months to saying to him, we should do something to suddenly we're seeing each other every single day. And nobody could have fucking guessed that that would happen, you know? But there were like, like growing up in Belfast, there's always bright spots and there's, it's what you make of things, you know? And I feel like going forward, I can see myself doing more stuff with Conan or with the team and, you know, that it was, cause it's, it's such a fun bunch. Every, all of you, all of you, like, I mean, on the last night, which I'll leave it with, but on the last night I felt like I wanted to be set it all up that there was

appetizers and drinks and everyone could have a thing, but I kind of retracted because I know that that was your thing, you know, so it was kind of like we came in at the, you know, to blow out the candles kind of thing. And it was beautiful to just sit there and watch people like, you know, just again like hadn't seen each other in, at that point

a year and a half maybe. I'm tearing up thinking about it. It was a really special night. And I believe going forward there'll be more special. It's like I stuck head in when conan was doing the orpheum that or no sorry the will turn the last show that he did will turn and i was a little i was a little freaked out about covid so a friend of mine works there so i just pulled up the front walked in and watched 20 minutes from the back of the room and it was just like him and jack black are the two people that should always have audiences i mean they're they're just... Right. Yeah.

They come alive and they make people feel better. And it's... Yeah. And it's mutual, I think. They're getting something from the audience feedback, too. Very much so. Yeah. Yeah. So hopefully we'll have many more. Well, yeah. Well, he loves you.

He does. And he loves Largo. Yeah. I know. I know that that was a special time for him, too. Yeah. Like you said, everyone was making the best out of bad circumstances, but ultimately it is kind of something that hopefully we'll look back on with some nostalgia.

Yeah. Well, I love your show and I'm so happy to have, you know. Oh my gosh, we love you. Thank you. This has been really fun. All right. Great talking. Thanks for the positive energy that you brought.

Yeah. You were the Sona for us today. You're Sona and Jason times 10. Oh my God, that you brought. You were the Sona for us today. You're Sona and Jason times 10. Oh my God, that's beautiful. Thank you, Mark Flanagan, aka Flanny. Flanny. Thank you, Flanagan. And you know what time it is. Oh, it's time for a listener question.

That's right. This one is a voicemail. Oh, good. I love voicemails hi mike and jesse i'm calvin and i am a big fan of the podcast and also conan tbs so a question that i have is about one of my favorite remote for the show and also i guess one of the more popular ones on YouTube SLO. And it's the remote about Student Driver with Diana Chang, Conan, Ice Cube, and also Kevin Hart. So I'm just wondering, you know, how did that skit come to be? Because I just thought it was such an interesting and weird combination at the same time. And yeah, so I was just wondering who thought of that idea to have a non-writer

to be on a skit and how much of it was planned, you know, going to the dispensary and smoking in the car. Yeah, so I'd just like to learn more about that. Thank you and keep going.

Love the podcast. Bye. Oh, okay. That was so nice. Thank you, Calvin. It was nice. And you know what? I've never met someone who said they were a fan of TBS.

I love that. The network? The network. I also love that he gave, in that remote, he gave Diana Chang top billing above Kevin Hart and Ice Cube. And Ice Cube, yeah, which I would do as well. And Conan. Yeah. Above everyone.

Well, he had a lot of questions about the remote, and I mean, we've talked a little bit about that remote specifically, but we thought, who better to answer his question than the top build person in that remote, Diana Chang. The star. Hello, Diana. Hello. Hey, Mike. Hey, Jesse. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for helping us tackle a listener question. My pleasure. Okay. Yeah. So from your perspective, how did that start? When were you contacted to be in that remote, potentially? The night before. So he called me at 6pm on a Friday. Oh, boy. I remember it being like the Friday before we all left for the holidays.

Yes. Because we just had the holiday party like two days before that oh wow so you were like on a plane out of la basically well sweeney was worried about that like he was like you called me at 6 p.m on a friday and you're like uh hey would you happen to be available tomorrow morning that sounds like me and i was like yeah it's my impression of you mealy-mouthed hey and like when i said yes you were like oh thank god yes because well that remote was set in stone for the next day because it was to help promote Ride Along 2, the sequel to Ride Along.

And so we were, and there was a Ride Along remote we did with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube where they went with a Lyft driver. And this was two years later and it's like, oh, it's going to be the follow-up. So it was locked down in advance and it had to happen that day. And there was actually, I think our producer, Jason Shalemi, helped find somebody to be a student driver who had no connection with the show. And that fell through around a half an hour before we called you and i remember the time i was like this person we were going to do it with seemed perfect and then i forget who suggested you but we asked you and you said yes and then i can't imagine it having been anyone other than you. You were so perfect. Yeah, it was fate. Oh my God, it was fate.

Divine intervention. Yes. I remember you telling me it was a maybe up until I got to the studio on Saturday morning. You were just like, don't worry. It may or may not happen. Just come ready to do it, but it might not really happen. Right.

So was that on purpose? Because that really actually helped me not really happen. Right. So was that on purpose? Because that really actually helped me not be nervous. Oh, yes. That's part of my genius. Okay. I mean, the key thing, of course, was to find out if you were available. And so when you said, yes, you could do it, I was just like, oh, thank God. And then, I mean, there's always a chance something can fall through. So I. I was just like, oh, thank God. And then, I mean, there's always a chance something can fall through. So I think I was just, no, there was, it was not intentional. So anyway, go ahead. Why don't you tell us more about what it was like from your perspective?

Yeah. Yeah. I showed up on Saturday morning, just like mentally like prepared to like, okay, I might have to do this, but mostly like mostly like you know i'll just sit and it's yeah i'll just be here as a backup you know i'm the understudy right um right but as soon as like i got backstage and you were there sweeney and like the rest of the crew was there like you were like oh it's you um so go see makeup suit up yeah and matt o'brien was here. Matt O'Brien and I went on that remote. Wow. So did that, at that point, did you start feeling nervous? Yeah. Oh God. Okay. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. You didn't seem nervous, but you know, it's good. You had a task to do. You had to drive. Right. Right. And you have to pay attention when you're driving.

That really, really helped. And being obviously with Conan, like really helped because he's so good at what he does, obviously. Right. That like once he sucks you into his conversation, it's just like being in a conversation with Conan and like you don't think about like, oh, I have to like be funny. I have to perform. I have to like have some like comebacks or whatever. It was just like a normal day. So then what did you really just feel like? All right, I'm just going to go with the flow and see what happens here. And Matt O'Brien told me like you did prepare me a little bit. Like once you were like, oh, it's you go. You also.

Well, first you said, do you have a weed card? Yeah. Because you might go to a dispensary. You might not. Who knows? And then also you were like and also just like um be yourself like it's like you don't need to like do anything that you know that also helped me um not be nervous um and that was true because conan did like like lead the way and i just needed to like just be there for it right and we do tell everyone

that it does remote with him don't the the worst thing you can do is try to be funny do you know what i mean or try to be a jokester with him it's like just be yourself and it'll and that those are usually the best remotes and he gets to act like you know that the the ass is he and i'm quoting him now that was matt o'brien's idea um i think was the dispensary like oh we should stop at a dispensary and so and of course that was you know there was some great elevation elevations in that at first we start with you and we thought oh let's get some stuff going just you and conan and it's a surprise when kevin hart and ice cube show up of course and it helps kind of kick it up to another level and then and then a lot of you know what diana if you remember i i don't know what your perception

was in the car with conan but we were following you in a van but but it was pretty random for the most part you guys just driving around where you went where you ended up i think so you just happened to drive through i don't know people know this there's a pinata there's a pinata district in downtown la where they all they sell it's pretty perfect it's and and we drove by it and I was like, oh, let's get a, you know, of course, get out and get a pinata, which. Well, of course, yeah. Ended up, we ended up bringing it back once you're in the dispensary. So, I mean, those things just evolve, like you just evolved as it all unfolded. Yeah.

Was it stressful driving all those celebrities? Because I mean, that would be the main thing. I would be like, oh my God, I can't let them. It's already stressful enough when someone's just watching you park. Then have all these people, all these spectators while you're driving. Oh, yeah. And they're important people. I know. I really didn't want to kill three famous people. Wow. What I really didn't want to kill three famous people. Wow. What an amazing story that was. Yeah. That might have haunted you a little bit.

Yeah. No, I couldn't. I don't think I breathed that entire time. Wow. I don't know how I got the words out because I knew I couldn't feel myself inhale and exhale. Wow. That's amazing. Cause you just seem very calm, cool and collected to me when I went,

whenever I watch it. I mean enough. Yeah. Enough to like, maybe all my energy was like going into like trying to figure out what was happening and like paying attention and yeah, not crash. But I remember I was so nervous that like by the end when we got to

popeyes and we ordered that meal and i was like i normally honestly love popeyes it's true popeyes is great yeah um we got like that huge spread of like delicious chicken and biscuits and like i i held on to one to eat in the car on the way back um to the studio and like i just like kept trying to take bites of it and like i couldn't swallow because i was so nervous oh you were still nervous even though it was over yeah yeah oh wow wow i get that that's that's amazing still jacked up you know a great story from the popeyes parking lot is i think when everyone left and those and uh ice cube and kevin took off and we're all gonna go back to the studio i think jason shall me the producer someone said oh you know there's all that

pot under in the back seat grab that and then they're like, where is it? And they're like, oh, Ice Cube took it. God. I grabbed some of it too, though. I still have, I ended up framing the joint that we smoked. Really? I did. That's such a great souvenir.

Oh, I love that. Oh, I love that too. Well, I also love, it's kind of like an emergency joint, like break glass if it's an emergency. Yeah, exactly. And you can access it. So it's in this like,

Oh, cute. That's great. That's so fun. Yeah. I mean, that's so special. If you get into trouble,

you can always sell it. Right. It's my insurance policy exactly how is it meeting ice cube and kevin hart were you oh my god a fan of either of theirs i mean i love them they were both so they were so funny in both of those remotes and and they're great with conan but and yeah i just i like i just love both of them after getting to see them work like that. It was so much fun. Do people ever recognize you from that remote?

Oh my gosh. The first week after that remote, everywhere I went. Really? Yeah, people were yelling my name. Ah! Wow. Everyone was texting me. Oh no.

It was wild. It was really exciting. What about your family where did you have to like prime them like okay this thing's gonna come out and i mentioned it to him but you know like before it came out you never know how like big something's gonna be like obviously we were there it was like it was like this is gonna be huge right but then like you never know so like i kind of told them it like the holidays went by before um the video was released like the first week of january so like i told them when i was seeing them for the holidays like like i did this cool thing i don't know if it's that cool though

don't worry about it and then like after it came out they were like they were telling them like their friends who don't even know me were sending them like after it came out, they were like, they were telling them like their friends who don't even know me were sending them like just this random video because it was hilarious. Not because it was me. Oh, really? Oh, that's. And then it like turned out it was you. That's really viral.

Like what happened? Why didn't you tell us? And I was like, I did tell you. Oh, that's so cool. That's great. Your official title is manager of outreach and marketing. Is that correct? That's right. Okay, cool. Manager of Outreach and Marketing. Is that correct? That's right.

Okay, cool. So what does that mean that you do for Team Coco? Well, I'm on the marketing team. My role is mostly like running our newsletter and getting our merch to happen. Oh, yeah. You do merch stuff. That's pretty fun. There's a newsletter?

I didn't know. Join the newsletter. No, I didn't know what I needed. Teamcoco.com slash join. Oh, okay. Yeah, subscribe, know. Join the newsletter. No, I didn't know what it was either. Teamcoco.com slash join. Oh, okay. Okay. Subscribe, subscribe. Oh, wow.

Okay, great. Yeah, I guess we will. You'll get to read my amazing copy. Yeah. I'm going to check it out. If it's as good as your driving, I'm in. Nice. Thanks, Diana.

Thank you. Well, thank you, Diana. Yeah. That was really fun catching up uh and if anyone has listener questions we only have room for a couple more so this is your last chance to get your yeah burning questions answered i hope they're not literally burning yes yes please send them in well we love getting voicemails. We just had one, of course. Here's the number, 323-209-5303.

Or you can email us your question at insideconanpod at gmail.com. And I can't think of anything else to say. I mean, I'm really at a loss. It's called doing the dismount. Psychologists would say it's like we don't want this to actually end. Yeah. I'm stalling. I know.

We always stall. Well, we usually try to think of a good way into it. I know. I think that's what it is. Sometimes there isn't. Sometimes you just have to say. Sometimes you just have to say what's on your mind. And that thing is we love you.

Inside Conan, an important Hollywood podcast, is hosted by Mike Sweeney and me, Jessie Gaskell. Produced by Sean Doherty. Our production coordinator is Lisa Byrne. Executive produced by Joanna Solotaroff, Adam Sachs, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco. Engineered and mixed by Will Becton. Our talent bookers are Gina Batista and Paula Davis. 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. It's the Conan Show.

Put on your hat. It's the Conan Show. Try on some spats. You're going to have a laugh. Give birth to a calf. It's Conan! This has been a Team Coco production.