Joy, a Podcast. Hosted by Craig Ferguson - California Dreamin (On A Winter's Day)

Episode Date: December 9, 2025

Craig is out on the road for work but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to check in with his fans and answer some fan questions. This week he discusses tattoos, nostalgia, finding confidence, and even offers up some dating advice. Tune in. Have a question for Craig? Drop him an email at [e-mail], send him a message on social media, or drop a comment below.  _______________________________________________ Craig is also on the road. Dates and tickets can be found here https://www.thecraigfergusonshow.com/tour _________________________________________________ FIND CRAIG: Website - https://www.thecraigfergusonshow.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craigyferg TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@craigy_ferg X - https://www.x.com/craigyferg Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thecraigfergusonshow ABOUT THE JOY PODCAST: Storied late-night talk host Craig Ferguson brings his interview talents and singular world view to a discussion of the modern state of JOY, sitting down with notable guests from the worlds of entertainment, science, government, and more. How's our Joy doing? Bridled? On life support? Where do we find joy in a world that seems by any rational measure to be collapsing around us?

This is me, Craig Ferguson. I'm inviting you to come and see my brand new comedy hour. Well, actually, it's about an hour and a half, and I don't have an opener because these guys cost money. But what I'm saying is I'll be on stage for a while. Anyway, come and see me live on the Pants on Fire Tour in your region. Tickets are on sale now and we'll be adding more as the tour continues throughout 2025 and beyond.

For a full list of dates, go to the Craigfergersonshow.com. See you on the road, my dears. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Joy Podcast. My name is Craig Ferguson. And I'm your host for today's Joy Podcast, which is Joy Podcast hosted by me, Craig Ferguson. And I've said enough of that. They tell you at the start when you're a podcasting, I'm not a podcaster,

and just a guy who's talking to you on a podcast, which I feel is like, you know, it was like when I used to do a late night show and I would say, is it a late night show? But it's not really a late night show. And I feel like I'm in the same situation with the podcast. It's a podcast, but it's just, is it really? I mean, it's us talking. And today, I'm coming to you from,

I don't know if you can hear this. I think this, the sound is probably a little odd today because I went to a hotel room, California. And the way you can tell, there's this sort of colors. And if I opened this window, you'd probably see the palm tree. Let me see if I can't. he opened it and see a palt tree.

Let's say, for some flower tree of it, the palm tree is there? Yeah, look, that's palm trees. But I'll close it because it gets very bright. The palm tree at wind up. That's proof. I mean, either in California or in a garden center somewhere. But, um, which is, is Los Angeles a garden center?

In a way, it's the Garden of Dreams. Unful. Um, so I'm in Los Angeles. And outside here in the motown, I think the swimming pool machine is making a bit of a noise. So there may be a bit of background noise. And so my apologies for that.

And if you want to just skip to next week's publicast, then wait a week ago. But I do want to just say that I'm on the road right now. I'm filming. I'm not allowed to tell you what I'm doing, but I've been all over the country for months now. and I'm coming to get the last 10 days of filming I'm here

in Los Angeles and I'm filming here and it's not a superhero movie but I Or is it? No it's not But I'm in here in Los Angeles and so I don't have a guest today because I'm in my hotel room

and I've got a bit of jet lag because I was in Florida Is if I go to jail like Yeah I think I've got a little bit of jet lag I was in Florida last week and I went to the Everglades which was amazing Have you ever got a chance to go to the Everglades in Florida

I thought it was like a swung It's not a swam I mean the swampy kind of things there But it's so beautiful The Everglades National Park If you've never been there That's my holiday tip For any Americans

Wanted to stay at home this year But at the same time go to somewhere very very beautiful I'm just going to pour myself to click the water go somewhere very beautiful go to the Everglade I also was in Miami

for myself some water if you're only listening and I'm not in the bathroom you know because that noise could sound similar total there you are I

I was also in Miami and I went to Art Basil and I know which is not Art Basil sounds like oh something happened with the sound there oh no I think it was all right Arbasil is

a big art festival in Miami it was lovely it's all modern art and it's very impressive and I went to the windward area of Miami which is the street art that's amazing just amazing anyway this is a tweets and emails

that sort of the podcast if you're familiar with it. What it is is you send me in. It's like the old late next show. Let me do a jingle for you, by the way. I'll do that. Tweets and emails. I'm right.

Tweets and emails. We're going to answer the tweets and emails. Answer them, Greg. I will. Thank you, Jeff. You send me in a tweet or an email. Ask a question or maybe make a comment. And I will answer your question.

or maybe react to your comment. You can send them in the Craig Ferguson showdog column, I think. That's it. Or just leave a comment on the YouTube or the thing where you're listening and somebody will look at it and then send it to me. In an email, which I get, I get a list of all the emails and here you are on them. So this is the first one.

This is from James Anister in Scotland. It was interesting to me because I left in Scotland. I don't know if you know this with me. I am from Scotland originally and I have lived there off and on many times in my life. I don't live there at a moment. And I don't know James Arthur,

which is weird because I thought I knew everybody in Scotland, but apparently I don't. James Arthur. James has got one of those names that he has two first names. James Arthur. I am on the other side of that coin. I have two second names,

Craig Ferguson, you're in both last names I feel but James is in the other direction he's got James Arthur both first names or maybe his name is James Arthur from Scotland and he lives somewhere else I don't know James has said I'm just wondering if you still have a house in LA

as I'll need somewhere to sleep when we come over from Scotland to the World Cup next summer oh yes Scotland qualified for the World Cup of soccer as it's called in you better get used to saying that because it's going to be here the World Cup's in L.A. next year, it's in

America, which will be interesting. David Beckham's team in Miami did very well as I recall last week. Anyway, I don't know too much about soccer, but I know that Scotland is qualified and they'll be coming here, so I suppose I'll keep an eye on that. I do not have a house in L.A. James. I'm staying in a hotel. This is not my house. This is a hotel of staying in it.

I don't know if I mentioned outside. They're doing some stuff to the pool or the pool machine is on. And by the way, these are my hands. If you're watching this, if you're just listening to this, then you won't be able to see. But these are my hats that I wear

when I'm going to do in my business. This is my, I've got an American flag hat with some fish on it. And then I got an ace hard way around. Both meshbacks and most traditional hat. So I have some hats in L.A., but I don't. have any property for you to stay, which is the same, because of course, if I did at my house

in L.A., I would welcome all Scottish fans to come and stay with me in my house and sing the songs and enjoy the restrained drinking. You did it whilst watching the football. But sadly, I don't have her house here, so you'll have to make your own arrangements. This is from Julie A. Ferrano. She's a world. travel are currently in Ireland. Right, Julie. I'm wondering how many tattoos you have which is your favourite. She says

that she has a living. I don't know how many of it because they all kind of bleed into one another. Although, it's funny you should ask because I was just thinking today, I was on FaceTime with my wife who's not here right now this morning. And I just, as I happened to talk, I noticed there was a bit of a gap here.

And they thought, you know, I could, because here I think it's filled in quite a nice. I don't think I need to do it in here but there's a Gat cross here and I'm thinking what should I have and I thought well something goes around that line there if you're not if you're just listening to this

it's on my forearm let's line on my forearm I have a Gat there and it's kind of wall there I thought maybe a snake but I've already got a snake so maybe a you or or maybe a man of treasure

so that you know people can when I peg it and cut my arm off and follow them up to the treasure but I don't have any treasure so I don't want you come and chase me around recognizing me by one of my hats

cut my arm off and then following them up to treasure so there's a problem with that one I don't have a treasure map in my arm and two there is no treasure so you may as well know that

that's the thing to remember about LA actually if you ever come here there is go church it's all smoky mirrors pretend tradition all right this is a little what emails have I got here

there's no actually people here that's just I'm looking at my computer if you're just listening to this I'm peering off-screen look at a computer because I don't have my breathing glasses I hear you're going to

yeah I don't remember reading glasses I do have breathing glasses but I don't know I'm with me, so I have to peer. You'll be just certain, I once talk to an eye doctor said,

when you get to about 43, everybody needs reading glasses. But I didn't need them until I was about, 60. What need how old I am, it's crazy. If you ever get as old as me, perhaps some of you are even older, it's really weird, isn't it?

You're like, what happened? But there you are. It's one of those things. This is from Dante, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I like Milwaukee. They've got two things in Milwaukee. One, they have a statue of the Fones

in Milwaukee, because A, and the Fons, if you don't know, if you're maybe under the age of sedalty, the Fon's was a character on TV played by Henry Winkler and Happy Days. Harry Winkler, for the young folks,

will know him as the drama teacher from Barry. But he had television I call it, Henry. The nicest man in show business, they say, and I had no reason to dispute every time. My counterpart Henry is always lovely to me. Anyway, he's a lovely, he's a lovely man, as far as we all. Anyway, Henry played a character called The Fons.

The show was set in Milwaukee, and they were bronze statue of the Fons of Milwaukee. They also have a theatre in Woll. in Milwaukee and I always play it. I think I'm probably playing it next year. I'm doing a bunch of days next year in the Midwest and I'll be doing the Papps Theatre in Milwaukee, which is a great area and it's always a good night. If you're in Milwaukee, we're in the area, have a look on the website and see what I'm playing the PAPS, come along. Because I do particularly enjoy the two Midwest theaters, three Midwest tiers that I really like actually. The Pabst in Milwaukee and the Pantages in Minneapolis

was just, I showed my last special there and there's another one I can't remember the name of it, but it's good you have to send an email to find out this is from

Jarrett Huss I told you about Jared's Anna Huff you know the back of the day people got their names like if your name was gold slith you were probably a gold slith you know what I mean if your name was

Ferguson you were the son of Fergus that's how people names developed so Jared Huff probably Jared's not in a Huff but somebody back maybe one of his ancestors was in a Huff and

they called out here comes old Huff and that's how his name would probably I don't know if that's true but it's possible Jared Huff says How do you feel about indulging nostalgia Do you think it's healthy to reminisce often Lately I've been re-watching episodes

of the Late Late Show See it reminds me that Endless Possibilities Feeling we had in our 20s I don't want to bust your bubble Jared But I wasn't in my 20s when I was doing The Late Late Show I was in my 40s and 50s when I was doing the Late Late Late Show So

indulgent nostalgia I don't know there was some James Joyce the great-life writers and about sentimentality he said that sentimentality was unearned emotion which I think it's a little tough

but he was very clever so you know very clever people sometimes say things and that's very clever and then I think that's very clever and then I'm But, you know, sentimentality, nostalgia, I don't mind. I enjoy it a little bit. Like, you know, there used to be shows. Do you remember these shows that used to be shows about that? Like, people would say, I love the 80s, and that show was on in the 90s.

Do you know what I mean? Or I remember these I love shows, there'd be little clips of people talking, and then they show you toys and stuff that came out. I don't mind nostalgia. It's kind of fun to remember, you know, back in the job. but I also think that it's a little bit it's a little bit misleading sometimes and it's very hard to avoid nostalgia as you get older I noticed that I I you know what I miss about being and my kids are young I miss my kids being young because they would do

what I say that a bit you know within with that is to a seven degree and I and I And now I feel like maybe not so much. But that's probably right. I miss having little kids. You know, I miss, you know, I take a little places and stuff. Yeah, I get, I get nostalgic. I suppose I do get nostalgic. Yeah, I think, well, that's okay.

It's good memories, I suppose. Not sentimental, it's memory. Yeah, all right. I think it's okay to be nostalgic. So, there, you have my. permission to be nostalgic. Not that you needed it. But there you are. This is from James R

in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm doing Nashville, Tennessee. I'm actually playing there next year as well. I don't know where. James says, Craig, do you have any advice for someone who's stuck in bed for a while after surgery? Oh, I'm sorry, pal. I've had foot surgery

recently and I'm bored out of my mind well that sounds like it's a rough road to loop hop I suppose if you've been through surgery but I would say this when I'm stuck like on an airplane or and when I'm stuck in an environment I can't move around a little bit audiobooks

audiobooks is how I go and I read I listened to a very funny one yesterday on the plane very funny and very entertaining and funny and funny and informative

actually it's by an English comedian very very clever English comedian and an actor and he's not just a comedian he's an actor and a writer and he can't remember the name of the book but David Mitchell

is his name and it's a book about the kings and queens of England from the really from the beginning I guess from the time the Romans left which is about 400 and I know it sounds like well that sounds like an history book Craig and it's a little

bit of a history book I think it's called scandal or something like that I don't think it's called scandal but it's something like that and I could look at up but it's on my phone and I'm talking to you on my phone right now so if I do that it'll just be a mess anyway I could probably Google it hold on let me Google it on the computer

because I also have a computer see alright David Mitchell and David Mitchell book David Mitchell is very do you guys ever see a British show called the Peep Show David Mitchell is in naturally

Very, very good. David Mitchell, novelist and screenwriter. Different David Mitchell. No, David Mitchell, actor and books. There you know. Yes, this is it. Unruly, it's called. And he was part of a trio called,

a duo called Mitchell and Webb. They were the two guys that did the peep show, which is really a fabulous and groundbreaking team. show that they made in Britain. So there might be something to watch as well if you're in bed, James R, your foot surgery, you watch David Mitchell's work, because I'm a big fan of David Mitchell

and I was unaware of his work until fairly recently. And the reason I came across him was the TV show that I cannot recommend highly enough. It's on the brick box, which is and this probably doesn't surprise you, but I am

sorry, something you just tectomy. But I like the British TV shows. I like watching them. And it's a kind of murder thing that's called Ludwig. And David Mitchell stars as a... Well, I'm not going to do any spoilers for you, but it's a kind of murder mystery thing,

but... What do they call it, cozy crime? But it's not really cozy. I mean, there's some murders in it and stuff. But it's very, very good. And he plays the character of Ludwig. It's just fabulous. And so that would be my advice.

to you James, if you're in search of me, that book unruly about the line of succession of British Kings. I know it sounds like I'm not in any way interested in that. You don't need to be interested in it. He's just a very, very funny, talented, clever writer and he gets angry when he's doing the audiobook, which I very much appreciate. So anyway, I'm a fan of that guy. Never met him. I don't know him. So I can't say if he's like Henry Winkler, but he's very, very talented and funny. This is from Simon Deakin.

It's a good name, isn't it? It's a bit like a detective. Simon Deacon. What is the one genuine thing you first do when you go back to Scotland? Well, I don't know. I don't have any kind of ceremony. I suppose the first thing I do

when I go back to Scotland is tea probably I don't drink tea anywhere else but I drink tea in Scotland I have a cup of tea so like I mean it's just a habit you want a cup of tea yeah I do but nobody else asked me if I want a cup of tea

sometimes I occasionally I suppose my wife will say you want a cup of tea I'm like no we live in America but I do drink tea when I'm over there anyway do you This is from Michael McFadden. Do you have any mementos or props from your other projects?

If so, do you keep them sacred? Momentos or props? Well, I have Jeff Pearson, the skeleton in my garage, and I have the other Jeff Pearson, the skeleton, in my garage, because there was two of them from the old light night show. I also have the secretary at horse costumes. There were two of them, two of them. traveling costume and regular

one I got a bunch of you know awards and stuff I don't keep them sacred funnily enough I don't have a little shrine to myself I keep thinking about it

I remember once in and I had I realized in Scotland that they were up somewhere but when we moved back they're in boxes and I've never brought them out and I don't

I don't know I don't feel he I mean I I keep them sick No I'm grateful to have them And the props and stuff Or in little things What do I have the snake cup

I found that last week That's the thing I was doing This podcast And I found one of the snake cups From the late night show If you never saw that show I used to drink out of a cup It was made out of a coiled snake

That Mary McCormack The actress got for me when she was at the Albuquerque Rattlesnake Museum. It's a long story. If you've never been to the Albuquerque Rattlesnake Museum, though, you don't have to be in a rattlesnakes. You'll come out with a new idea about ratting snakes. They're in there.

The one interesting thing is they're alive. It's not a museum in the conventional sense. The snakes, they're all hised. Rattle snakes. And you get to see them. Now, I'll be honest with you about snakes. They don't jump around that much. they move and when they move is exciting

but you might have to wait a bit the idea of keeping it so I have the snake cup but I don't I don't really do that I don't know I'm always kind of I think one of the one of the things that I like to do is

or maybe it's maybe it's a pathology maybe it's not a good idea but I like to kind of keep moving forward is that so I look at things like the idea of nostalgia and stuff from the old days and a lot of that actually today in today's tweets and emails about the old days and I like them and I'm happy about them and I'm you know I'm tend not to look back too much because that's unhealthy let's discuss let me know in your

tweets and emails this is from Tina White so what do you know about doja cat something about Doja Cat I feel like you might have got the wrong number Like if you're looking for a message about Doja Cat I don't think I can be of any help to you I'm not I'm not an expert in that area But I'm sure that Doja Cat is very talented

Certainly Doja Cat I've heard of Doja Cat And Doja Cat is I've heard of Doja Cat which means that Doja Cat is successful because I'm clearly not in the market I'm not the targeted demographic for Doja Cat and yet still I've heard of Doja Cat

so that means Doja Cat is very good at what Doja Cat does That's all I can tell you about Doja Cat This is from Jacob Jacob doesn't say where he's from He doesn't have to It's not necessary, you don't have to tell me where you're from Jacob says, I'm a young adult tonight

in the early stages of dating a girl should I ask the hard questions early or should I ease into them take a lot I got to be honest with you I feel you might be the same doja cat situations I'm not an expert on any of this if you're in the early stages of dating someone my advice would be to

take it easy that don't ask her I mean what are hard questions anyway like you know how tall is George Clooney that's a pretty hard question maybe you could find out by Googling it anything you could

anything you could find out by Googling it don't ask and if it's asked personal questions hold your fire maybe answer a few questions that might be the way to go but I would go asking any hard

hard questions I put me it took me off certainly if I was asked a lot hard questions like you know what's 365 divided by 28.4 I'd be like it's too hard so you know and if you think

well I'm seeing this person and they're really nice but every came to go out and they ask really hard questions and it makes me feel stupid because I can't ask answer them so maybe a hold off for a while alright one more I'll do one more then I've got to go because I'm actually working

this is really working this is just I was talking but I am actually working and my hats are there in a hotel room you can probably hear the pool machine going outside so I got to go and go to work but I will well by my apologies by the way I think this is probably going up late

because I was made to do it yesterday and that's work alright this is Simon from German Cyburn is from Germany sometimes I used to talk like this on the late night show and we would walk the Germans but gently in a polite way this is this is always okay as long as your walking is respectful walking it's fine

Simon Jerry says I have a slight stutter and I get nervous when I talk to with it okay do you have any advice on how to relax when talking to them well I'd probably come clean about your stutter. That's what I would say. I'd say, look, I'm a bit nervous talking to you, so I might stutter. And then, you know, then you get out of the open. Do you know what I mean? It's like, I think probably trying to keep your cards to your chest or trying to be someone you're not. Just be who you are. And then that's probably the most, I think that's probably the healthiest way to be, isn't it? Just like, you know, be who you are. Be who you are. Be you know, respectful, but be who you are. You'll be

alright um and probably that's terrible if i'm sorry i better do one more uh this is from ahmed al-tahib from ireland okay can you tell me a funny story about mrs dambar your primary school teacher no i cannot have it an opportunity for why mrs dembar who was my primary school teacher um was not funny it was very funny uh when i first went at school when i was five years old mrs debar was the infant mistress and it was when I went to school when I was five years old in Scotland I was born in 1962

so in 1967 I went to elementary school we called a primary school in Scotland and they had corporal punishment used to hit the children across the heads with a thick leather and bell they were really whacked with him, it was terrifying and very painful

and that happened to me from Mrs. Dunbar when I was five years old it wasn't funny at all I didn't care for Mrs. Dunbar never did and she was uh you know what's interesting i do actually do you know isn't it's not funny but it's kind of dark uh when my mother uh before my mother died she was in a she was in a care facility uh for the last couple of months she was very ill and i went in to visit her one day and she said oh do you know that mrs dambar is actually in here i was like oh really it's about

Yeah. He said, do you want to go and talk to her? I was like, no. No, I don't want to go and talk to her. And I said, she's not very well. Like, it sort. It was kind of interesting because it had a kind of revenge quality about it. I was like, no, I don't need to have revenge on Mrs. Dunbar.

I was a little boy, and I didn't care for her, but I don't feel like going ahead and witnessing her not being well. Anyway, is that funny, or it's, it's, it's, it's, dark and it's probably I don't know what it is anyway it is it is what it is but I didn't you know the idea and I look back on that it's funny because this is sort of been an episode about nostalgia I suppose isn't it and I when I look at the very early my very early childhood I school at home was fine it was all right it was what it was but but school I hated school I hated school and I hated it

because, and they don't have this and it's been outlawed for many years that, it'd been illegal for many years, but they used to hit us, you'd hit us in the school, they'd have these belts, they'd hit us with them, and it was really sore and I didn't like it. And, you know, I used to, I remember, you know, people

saying, I would talk to guys in bars when I was drinking and stuff, and they would say, I don't have in school and it never did me any harm. And I would think, you're standing here in a bar talking to me at 4 o'clock in the morning, so, you know, neither one of us is doing that great.

So I'm not saying that that caused it, but I did not care for that. And I'm glad they stopped it. It was outlawed, I think, 19709, I think, something like that, 79, 1980, they finally made it illegal.

But I left, I dropped out of high school in 19708, so all the way through, getting hit with the belt, crossed the hands. And I didn't not care for it. And really, I think it did a number on me, to be honest. I think if I...

Who's to say? You never know. Maybe I'd be worse if they hadn't done it. Maybe I'd be better. Maybe I'd be the Prime Minister of Britain. I'm not. I don't know if that would be bare. I wouldn't want to be the Prime Minister of Britain. Maybe I'd have been an astronaut.

I think it's too late now to be an astronaut, though. I don't know that William Shatter went to space. But he's not really an astronaut. But he played one. and then he went to space and that thing and then Katie Perry went to space and Kenny Perry's an astronaut Anyway

That's about it for the day I have to go to work now So I will see you guys for a proper podcast This is, I mean look, it is what it is This is what we do This is at least at the moment It's hotel podcasted So probably from here next year

I'm here for 10 days So it's probably for me or next week. Send me your tweets and emails. I'll add to them as honestly and as concisely as I can. And I look forward to your tweets and emails. Take care of my friends. Be nice to, isn't it, Jerry Springer. You say, take care of each other.

Be nice to each other. Here's interesting thing very quickly about Jerry Springer. Jerry Springer, he did this team. show, of course, is very famous, and people were very angry about it at the time. But he was a very... He came on the late night show, and I was shocked. He was one of those guys that when I met him, I was like, you are not what I expected.

He was so nice and clearly a very bright man, very intelligent man, and such a pleasant, friendly dude. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was not expecting that. I told them that, and he laughed, and I laughed. That was it. And then I threw a cheer up. No, I didn't watch him. But people used to do that at the show.

That's why I said it. You could probably Google. Anyway, I've got to go, and I will see you guys next time. Sorry about the technical issues today. The sound of the swimming pool, put that aside. But I may go with swimming it later. If I get a chance, it sounds like they're eating it. So why not?

All right, take care of my friends. Bye. I'm going to be.