Joy, a Podcast. Hosted by Craig Ferguson - It's A Long Way To The Top If You Want To Rock And Roll

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

It's the new year and we have the first episode of the Joy Podcast of the new year. And what better way to kick off 2026 with Craig checking in with you all? But first some light housekeeping and a quick addressing of a unintentionally controversial take about bagpipes from last week's episode and possibly following it up with another unpopular opinion about more music. Heck, even Emily In Paris is unsafe. 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 Joyed Podcast. My name is Craig Ferguson. I am the host of the Joyed Podcast today. This is episode 122. The lucky 120 second episode

where we will be enjoying life at home here in the United States of America. That's where I am right now. And it's not necessarily your home. But I imagine for most of you, it is. Now, let me. just began by saying this to you. There was a very controversial episode

last week for two reasons. One, I said that I was unsure of the connection between bagpipe music and rock and roll. That I felt like it was not necessarily a good match,

although I was in favour of bagpipes and I am in favour of bagpipes, but I felt like you know, people were kind of, there was an outpouring of rage, is what I'm going to say. People were aghast at my illiteracy when it came to ACDCs along way to the top, which of course I'd forgotten about when I was talking about, which of course

is great, it's a perfect blend. And then everyone is recommending Allie the Piper who does, if you haven't seen Alley the Piper, that's also a great source of rock and bagpipes that's on the internet, Google Alleythropy.com or something. So look, sorry about that, everybody. I see her to have touched a nerve. There's a lot of bagpipe love out there.

And I kind of, I'm okay with that. I'm here for it. I kind of enjoy. Also, the controversy of last week, by the way, let me just interrupt my controversial leanings to say this. If you hear some noise in the background today, and it's entirely possible, what you'll hear is, in another room nearby, my lady wife is watching a show called Emily in Paris. Now, I've never seen a single frame, which is a number. old way of saying I've never seen anything of Emily and Paris. Frame is the way they used to make films and stuff. I don't imagine they do that in Emily and Paris. Anyway, I've never seen

Emily in Paris, but I instinctively know. Now, this is something I try not to do because it can be classed as contempt prior to investigation, but I instinctively know. I will hate that show. And so, I am not going to watch it. Now, let me just say this. It's not to say that it's a bad show, although I suspect that it is. However, I've never seen it. I'm not qualified to, not qualified to make a judgment on it. However, I will say this. This is the internet. So being qualified to make a judgment doesn't fucking matter, does it? Anyway, look, here's the thing. I haven't seen the show. I don't want to see the show. I don't think my wife particularly likes it, but she wants to see it. I think she's invested in some way. Actually,

the truth is, she's on a treadmill, and I think that it engages her enough to keep her mind off what she's doing, but not so much that she forgets and falls apart on the train. I don't know, whatever way she's doing it. Anyway, it's part of her, it's part of what she's doing right now. So if you hear Emily and Paris, don't think to yourself, Craig, are you, you're missing the episode of Emily and Paris, the one that we all enjoy. I suspect that I won't enjoy it. And I've talked to, there was another, there's a friend of mine, a gentleman, well, someone I'm friendly with. I mean, we don't hang out around. But we've done a couple of things together

and I'm a great admirer of his work. His name is Robert Smigel and he's the genius behind many, many things, but you probably know him from Triumph, the insult comedy dog, he does that, he did a lot of the animation on Saturday Night Live back of the day and he drinks movies and writes them

and, you know, and all that stuff. He's a super clever guy. Anyway, I happen to be on the subway with Robert about six months ago we were messing about with some thing that may or may not happen and we were on the subway in New York City and the subject of Emily and Paris came up

now listen I don't want to start a wave of derision against Robert but he was not he was not full on in favour of Emily and Paris he I felt like he he didn't think it was good now maybe I misread the situation

and you'll have to take it up with Robert if you want to know his exact opinion but I got the impression he wasn't a fan and given the fact that Robert's not a fan and given the way that this show has been advertised on the Netflix is, I feel like it's not for me.

Is that a bad show? I don't know. I'm no qualified to say. But I will see this. I don't think it's made for me. There's a lot of things that are not made for me. I think that's good. I mean, no, you're... I remember once I got into trouble because I said I wasn't a huge fan of the rock band journey.

I'm sure I'm going to get in trouble again for saying exactly that. I'm not a huge fan of the rock band journey, and a lot of people love the rock band journey. Now, let me just qualify that by saying, it doesn't mean to say that I think the rock band journey are bad or don't have a place in the world or shouldn't do what they're doing or try to bring them down or any way hate on them.

It's just it isn't it's not for me. And I feel like sometimes we get a little, bit of tribal. We get a little tribal with all that stuff. Well, you've got to like this to be in my group of people. Are you got to like that? And I don't know if I necessarily hold with all of that. But then again, I've had, I'm going to be honest with you. I've had trouble fitting in my entire life. I really do. And I'll tell you why. I don't like, Gretchen Marx famously said, I would never want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member. Or he famously said something like that

I paraphrased I would never join a club that would have me as a member or something like that look I'd butcher did but what I'm saying is the impulse of that I totally get

however Groucho Warts was part of a troop he was part of a gang the Mark's brothers well they were brothers to be fair so I suppose that's a family and I am part of a family

so but we're not a performing family well a couple of us are Anyway, look, what I'm saying is, the controversial, I'm trying to go back to what I was talking about, which was, it was a controversial episode last week because I had expressed some doubt about the idea of bagpipes and rock music meshing together well, and I completely retract that doubt. I have been proved wrong, the wave of derision from the internet, in this case warranted, I feel like I, spoke lazily and out of not preparing. Luckily though, today

I very much prepared everything I'm going to say so that'll be fine. No, I didn't think about it properly. Of course bagpipes work well as long as the musicians are smart enough to make it work. Anything can work. Look, the French horn

has a place in rock and roll if it is used judiciously. I'll give you an example. in the classic Tears for Fears track Sewing the Seeds of Love there's a French horn

I will be honest with you I don't expect a French horn to work in rock and roll but there are certain songs and I think sewing the seeds of love is one of them where the French horn is in

and actually has become something of an example for me when I'm describing when you throw everything at something else and you can put in French horn. I'll tell you what I mean. In 2006, I wrote a novel called Between the Bridge and the

River, which is a fictional work, but it has autobiographical things in it. And that was a kind of sowing the seeds of love type novel. I put everything, because it's the first book I wrote. I put everything into that novel and I thought, well, I'll never write another sewing the seeds. of love once you write the first book then that that's the that book written and then you can relax and tell some stories after that but that's not how it went for me the reason why I've got on to this is I'm about 140 150 pages into writing the sequel to that book that I wrote 20 years ago because it's 2006 now and I hope you're enjoying it 2006 and I And I think it'll take me about another year, in all honesty,

to finish the sequel to that book. And I thought, I'll never, but the French horn is back, is what I'm saying. It's another French horn type book. It's another French horn novel. So that's something to look out for. If you liked that book, or if you even heard of that book, and you would be interested to know what, it's not really a sequel. What it is is, I took some, I took the world or some of the characters,

or the French horn bit. I don't know. I took the vibe. It's got a similar vibe in some of the same characters. Is it the same? Is it a sequel? No, I don't think it is. So, don't worry if you haven't read the first one. You can read the second one.

Well, you can't read it now because it's not finished. I'd like to read it. I'd like to read it. Peter Cook used to say. Peter Cook was a great British comedian who was very nice to me when I was coming up. And whenever anyone said to Peter, I'm writing

a book, if they would say, I'm writing a book. Peter Rydal would say, neither am I. Which is very true, if you know anything but writing books. I'm reading a book right now. I'll get on to the second reason why last week was controversial. I'm reading

a book right now, which I'm rather enjoying for a perverse reason. And I'll tell you why. Because the book I'm reading is called I remember what it's called. It's a Ken Follett who wrote Pillars of the Earth

and it's a book about the people that built Stonehenge Stonehenge it's a about the you know the circle of the famous circle of stone temple Stonehenge Neolithic panthalithic hydromatic Greece lightning monument

in Wiltshire in England prehistoric prehistoric is such a stupid phrase isn't it I mean that's ridiculous It's like, oh, that's prehistoric, and then history begins at what point? That doesn't make any sense. History is, goes from the beginning. And whatever you think that is.

And then before that, it's prehistory. Doesn't make any sense. Anyway, if you know when it was built, then it can be prehistory. That's what I'm saying. Anyway, I'm reading a Ken Follett book about Stonehenge. I think it's called Circle of Stones or in the Time of the Stones or Circle is something like that is. It's in the other room where it's in the other room where it's, Emily and Paris is playing, so I'm not going in there.

And I'll put 150 pages into that, but as a reader, as opposed to a writer. And I have to say, it's kind of dull. And I'm enjoying it. I think, that's an interesting situation to be with a book. And by the way, a book's like a long

and a papery, well, used to be tweet. I suppose we now say a long papery substack or something. Anyway, the book itself, I find quite dull. I find the character's quite dull. I find the time quite dull,

but I think it probably was quite dull. You know, around those times. Like, if all you've got to do is kind of managed to stay alive and then, do you know how long it took to build Stonehenge? It's barely 1500 years. I'm like, pff. man you know and I'm worrying about 20 years to write a follow-up book that's nothing um although I don't think this next book will be as good as

Stonehenge nah it won't be uh Stonehenge of course made famous in the Spinal Tap movie Stonehenge song Stonehenge where they played Stonehenge and it was a tiny little stone engine hilarity ensued and then in the follow-up uh Elton John in the follow up the sequel the sequel the sequel spinal tap two the Elton John sang stonehenge so maybe I'll get him

to sing the sequel to my book I think he's probably busy and also I don't think he sings books anyway I'm reading this Kenfollow book it's kind of dull and yet I'm enjoying it what is that? Is that good writing maybe it's good writing? I don't know what it is but I'm kind of like I'll go back there

I feel like it's like hanging around in a coffee shop or something I can't quite explain it is it good writing or is it just I'm oh I don't understand it because sometimes when you read a book like Moby Dick or something you're like oh my god this is genius or Dracula if you remember read Dracula my lord

what a scary wonderful amazing book that is or Simon Rushdie's most recent book or any of his books actually I love his writing so anyway the upshow is I don't know what the up show about this. I was reading this book. And then I'm going to tell you why.

Well, it's a bit all over the place today. I think I better calm down and have a drink of water. I think it's because it's episode 122 and I'm clearly excited. Anyway, the other reason that last week was a controversialist was because I said it was the taint of the year.

It was between Christmas and New Year when I recorded that podcast and of course that type of has passed now and we're now in the new year and things are going great. The, but I said that I, the taint of the year, I didn't really like it and made Michelle comfortable. And some people felt that I was wrong, people disagreed with me, which you're allowed to do, by the way.

And what I like about people that disagree with me on whatever we've got gone for ourselves here is we seem to be able to disagree without slagging each other off. which I'm very impressed by it gives me a bit of hope actually I mean you get the occasional I look at the comments sometimes and look at the tweets and stuff you get the occasional asshole

but there's assholes everywhere you can't blame the internet for having assholes on it there's assholes in Paris I'm not saying Emily is one of them but there are assholes everywhere there's quite a lot of assholes in Paris actually but that's

a story for a different time now people have said to me they've said Craig why do you always avoid current affairs right now politics and all that

stuff I'll tell you why I do because I need a break because I find myself talking about them all the time there was a few years ago I decided not to do any politics in the stand-up show when I was in stand-up I wouldn't do any politics because

I I find myself getting exasperated talking about things, either to people I agree with or to people I don't agree with. Even the people I agree with are so angry and strident about what they are saying. Just like the actual energy of it, I'm like, oh, my God. So although I think I don't deny it's important to discuss things and say, talk about things and all that, I felt like it would be nice to create an environment, either in stand-up or on this podcast,

where you could take a break. So, for example, today there will be no discussion of what's going on in the news because there's plenty of that if you want it. It's not like it's a, well, it's just in sheer business terms

if that was a thing that I cared about. It's a crowded marketplace. Why on earth? Then I go crawling into it and yell at my thing. So everything, I felt like if I did a stand-up show that had no politics in it, then I could go on stage for an hour and a half, everyone could come,

and you could relax and all of the things that you felt indignant or angry about would still be there when you left but we could all take a break for a minute and it felt like there might be some form of some form of salving that for everybody

so I continued that into this podcast which is kind of evolving and morphing into something else I've found that you know those of you who watch the podcast

a lot or listen to the podcast of a lot will know that it used to be every week I would have a guest and there's some very fascinating and interesting people but as time went on I found it was difficult to schedule that so sometimes I would do it on Zoom and I don't like doing Zoom

podcasts and so I know I'm very sunny in here I just have to move myself a little bit let me just do that on you if I didn't know this, would that work? Alright, I don't like doing that. I find that a lot of my life, I'm sure a lot of you, I find myself on Zoom's a lot.

I have video and video conferences on Zooms. I don't think it's great, to be honest. I mean, it's good in the sense that you don't have to travel across the country to have a meeting every time. I used to have to do that a lot, which I'm sure it's very bad for the environment, apart from it and else. but the certainly bad for my environment

I hate traveling that much I'm traveling a lot again next year anyway well this year I should say because it is this year I mean I'll be told up a newspaper to show the exact date but who has a newspaper anyway

I so I don't like doing current affairs and this podcast has become this rather weird space for me where I've given myself a challenge first of all it was just like I wouldn't do

I'll still have guests if there's somebody around I mean if there was someone here that wanted to do the podcast none of my family wanted to do it then I would have him on as a guest he'd be sitting right next to me

but I if I can't have a guest in person then I'm not going to do it and then I thought well it's always easy to schedule a guest in person and so I thought I would do the tweets and emails thing and I've been doing that

I've been doing tweets and emails where you guys send me in tweets and emails and I look at them and I would answer them on the show and then a couple of times now I've done a show and I suspect this is going to be one of them where I'm not going to get around to answer to anyone I'm just going to talk for a bit

and I have found as this podcast is evolving for me this may not be for you But for me, it's kind of a way to just kind of check in, whether that's of any value to anyone. I hope it has some connection to you. It seems to be useful for people who think along the same lines as me, which is, I don't think is a huge group of people,

but it's one of the things I used to say in late. I'm not for everybody, but for the people I am for. I'm really for them. you know I am it's kind of like when I was doing late night even I remember people say where you're part of a fraternity I haven't felt like I was part of a fraternity I'm not entirely sure I know what that feels like I've never been I mean I was in a band a couple of times I suppose that that was but the people I hang out with tend to be from a wide range of professions and

lifestyles. I suppose mostly in the arts, if I'm honest. But that's where I... That's where I hang out. It's what I'm interested at. That's what I like. Anyway, I stay away

from discussing current events, just so as you know. And again, if you want that, it's not like, oh, where can I find my information on current events? You'll be okay. I don't think you need me for that. I don't think you need me at all.

But what you'll get here is the ramblings of of me whether or not that's of any interest. Well, that's your choice. But I kind of enjoy it. I'm kind of into it a little bit.

I'm kind of finding myself you know, it's almost like you get, I get to talk out loud into the ether which in for this example you my friends are the ether but talk into the ether about anything that's on my mind and I think that that is actually excuse me very useful for me in a kind of mental health thing so to that end by the way I have also been attacking

not attacking I have also been vigilant about this new mental health thing that I'm on right there, which is I'm really into it. And here it is. Very controversial. I walk all the time. I really get into walking. The fabulous upshot is that I'm actually, I feel like I'm in better shape that I've been in for a long time. But also, I just, I listen to,

I listen to ambient music or, you know, Brian Eno type music in these little headphones or, and I walk in nice countryside or in the beach or in the city anywhere I am. I walk and walk and walk and walk and walk. And after a few miles, and it's picking up now, I find it's very helpful, very helpful to walk. Because I suppose humans are designed to walk, aren't we?

And I am human as far as I can tell. So that's what I've been doing. So if you're thinking, Craig, why aren't you involved in the crazy world of politics and what's going on in the zeitgeist? it's because I don't want to be I feel like I'm drawn into it enough it's you know I see it

I see the world I absorb I assume much of the same media as many of you absorb but I see things I see stories which are both distressing and upsetting or very occasionally uplifting but you know see I had a lot of those and I feel like whilst that is

that's there and it is a thing. There's also a moment, I think it's worth taking a moment to take a breath. If you can, if your circumstances allow, which might do, you know. I mean, I'm grateful for that. I have a type of life where I, you know, if you have young kids or you're very busy

or you're dealing with hardship or you're dealing with health problems, it's not easy to do that. But, you know, knock on wood, I'm not dealing with that today I shouldn't knock on the wood because my wife might think I want to come in and watch Emily and Paris with her

which I most certainly do not again I'm not qualified to be in any way judgmental about Emily and Paris I just don't think I'd like it there are shows that I haven't seen that I just don't think I'd like that other people love and

and then there are shows that I mean do you forget that I think I'm sure this is for a lot of people have this when you find a show you're like oh thank god i've found a show uh and i've found i've got two on the go right now which i'm very pleased about one is called land man which i'm sure you're all very familiar with with the billy bob thornton and the taylor williamson thing and the landman and uh you know and john hamm and stuff it's fabulous fabulous i'm really enjoying it and the other one is a show from britain called the cleaner uh

with a British, a very, very talented British comedian called Greg Davis, who I feel like had I been in Britain, had I stayed in Britain when I was a younger man, I might have been friendly with him. He's a bit younger than me. He's about six years younger than me,

but I really like him. And I really like what he does. This is a show called Taskmaster as well, which is really good. But I'm a big fan. I like being a fan of people. I feel like, especially people who are close enough

to you, that you could consider yourself not competitive with but maybe you know certainly when you were young when I felt very competitive when I was young and I don't feel that way now

and I like that because it feels like when you lose that competitiveness and it might creatively it might be very bad for me you guys will decide when you read says book I've been writing or not writing for the last 20 years which will be done in the next

a year or so. I've also been very busy doing other things. It's not like I've just been sitting around and avoid doing that book. I've been avoiding doing this book by doing a lot of other things. Which, of course, I meant to tell you this. Scrabble, which I'm the host of now.

It starts on January the 22nd. It starts being broadcast. And I was there when it was recorded. I haven't seen it yet. but I was there when it was made so I know what happens I don't know who wins and stuff so I'm not allowed to tell you

but I love to do that show now this doesn't always happen sometimes you love doing a show and it doesn't turn out that great but I have a feeling this one it'll be really good I feel like we we really worked hard

to get it so that people that were in a Scrabble could you know you could watch it on TV we didn't feel like you were losing the game just because of a Scrabble. I think we were, you know, the Scrabble people were very involved, and we gave some thought, and a lot of thought. And I think it, I think it works. And I love doing game

shows, and I will tell you for why. Because they are, they do what I'm doing, what I'm talking to you about earlier, what I was talking to you about earlier is that, you don't have to deal with all that, whatever the hell is going on in the world. You know, for a minute you can take a break. And I think that's the, if that's the theme of today's podcast, it's this, is that no matter what's going on, if you can go for a walk or listen to bagpipes or somehow

avoid the onslaught of the media. It's just for a minute, which of course is a silly thing to say, because I'm talking to you on media right now. But you know what I mean? News media and, you know, in hyperbolic, super dramatic you know, moment by moment

real life, which is, of course, course important, I guess, but well, it is important. Of course it is important. But at the same time, I think to be able to take a breather and go, all right, well, let's talk about something else for a minute. I feel that's also healthy. And that's

behind my doing this podcast. It's behind how I do stand-up shows now. This is very different. And it's how I is why I go for these long walks which I've suddenly got into for some reason.

I think it's about taking a minute. So that's the story from me today. The story is at the start of the year, which we are in, it is the full disclosure, I think. Today is the third. It is, by the time you see this, it will be the sixth.

So I would say to you that's going to be that's what I'm going to try if there's any New Year's resolution this year I'm not really big on that kind of thing I think it's that we'd set yourself up for feeling bad when you fuck it up

or when I fuck it but if I've anything this year try it try and maintain some kind of mental health equilibrium there's a lot which is difficult when

it seems like everything everything is it seems like it's very dramatic but and it is and it is but even when stuff is very dramatic

you've got to take a break that's why they have you know you just take a minute you can't live in hyperbole all the time so that's my advice to you my friends where I was gone with this

but it is this it's a new year and the headlines of this Happy New Year. Bank pipes are perfectly acceptable and sometimes very good in rock music, as are French horns. Sometimes books take a long time to

write. Sometimes they take a long time to read. Sometimes they're a bit boring, and then they're good anyway. I don't even get that. It still baffles me. And finally, I think we all know this. It's a long way to the top if you want to rock them. See you guys next week.