Adam Sandler Chickened Out Of Talking To Paul McCartney | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
it was funny because I had met you there. then I go work on The Simpsons then I. come back and I'm doing late night and. you would come by and do such funny. things for me which helped me out a lot. and meant a lot to me the crowd would go. crazy you would do oh when I would come. on your show that was the highlight when. you would come on my show one of the. first things you did you weren't even a. guest yeah yeah is I'd be at my talk. show desk and then the phone would ring. and you just heard this voice and the. audience didn't know who it was was.
right it's someone with me and. no one could know what it was and then I. start to figure out who it is and the. camera would go up the stairs and around. the corner and you'd be on a pay phone. yeah and you'd see the camera and do. your uh Sandler what do you call it aity. who. aity I love that you have this ter for. the old dity Doo you go. like and then You' take off and run. through the audience and they would that. was the what I loved about moments like.
that is that it's just pure liquid Joy. No One expected to see you you're not. there for any reason it kind of got me. that that. like I mean Saturday Night Live I didn't. get on all the time I would have a. little hit and run things but you you. would put me on enough where it would. become a thing your crowd was kind of. the the youth they were the younger. crowd because SNL I remember some older. people when they would see me in the. beginning would be like who's this young.
idiot why why is he why am I watching. him but on your show that was like. perfect for for me for you for all the. young young people and um I remembered. that kind of that and my albums back. then were kind of the things when you. put me on you asked me and you were just. getting started you did your first album. you asked me to play yeah the uh the. principal the principal the dean. whatever Dean the dean and the. valedictorian yeah I was like okay and. you explain what the joke was I'm like. all right and we we did it in like one.
take it was just so and then I didn't. think anything about it and then kids. were yelling at me whenever it went the. buffoon thing quoting your and I was. like wait what cuz it took me about a. second to tape and I forgot about it. yeah yeah you were nice to do it because. you just got the show yeah and well I. mean no I was happy to do it but uh it. was it's just funny to go back and look. how everything cuz I remembered when you. first when you did your first film and.
you were nervous I remembered you were. like what like Billy Madison yeah it was. Billy Madison I think yeah sure you were. nervous and that's so I bring these. things up because I like people to know. that even Adam Sandler was there like. everybody was there everybody has those. moments and it's when I bring up Chris. who I think is a genius and I love him. when I say it was when he first showed. up and I first met him he was he wasn't.
fully formed yet because that's we're. all Jesus I I was not fully formed for a. long time it takes a while and uh it's. amazing to see it but I remember you. were nervous about it yeah terrified but. you you I had probably told you this. before but when you had the show when we. found out you were hosting the sh taking. you know over for Letterman right is. that what it was Letterman yeah it was. uh unanimous with our reaction everyone.
of us like oh wow yeah that's great. there was nobody going oh why come. I didn't get that everybody who it was. Conan's name everybody just went yeah. wow that's perfect what a great idea but. you you you never came across nervous. like I remember watching your first. night who who who was the guest it was. Goodman it was uh Goodman was the first. guest and then Drew Barrymore Drew wow. and then uh uh Tony Randall right came. out like wearing like a tuxedo and then. he and I sang adal Vice wow we wanted to.
on the first show tell everybody this is. the kind of show it's going to be so he. and I sang adal Vice and they cut to the. crowd and there was a weeping Nazi and. we we just wanted to tell everybody like. this this is this what this show is. going to be cool I think we were all at. Mohonk what what was yeah you guys were. at Mohonk there was a retreat and you. told me that you were watching with. Farley oh yeah and everybody and which. made me very happy cuz I thought well. he's there watching oh man we were all. pulling for you all knew you were the. best and and uh like we were like wow.
it's official you you're you're that guy. now it's so funny it doesn't feel that. way for the longest time you still feel. like you're auditioning every night in. the in the beginning yeah for a long. time but I remembered you had had uh. there were certain people Robert. Smigel um like we all knew you were. really funny but Robert Smigel. immediately knew. that like that you were fantastic and. the other person this is really. interesting is Jim Downey is such a. giant. brain and what's interesting is remember.
Jim Downey sort of looking at you and. saying it's funny because you're doing. like your take on a Jerry Lewis. sometimes right but don't be fooled I. think he's smarter than any of us like. that that was his analysis which I. thought was very fascinating because. people that took some of the buffoonery. at face value didn't understand yeah. yeah sure that there's that you're a. really smart.
my own in your no I mean but you are. you've always been and and that was. always the plan was always that okay I'm. this is what I'm doing now but then I'm. going to start laying other stuff in and. actually which I didn't even know at the. time but I would talk to you and you. would talk about serious acting and you. knew you could do it you knew that that. was something you wanted to do right and. you knew that like there's a time when. I'm going to un unveil that yeah yeah. but you had your own sense of how this. thing is going to uh unwind I think I.
think I did that when I did The Wedding. Singer mhm I probably was like yeah let. me try not to be too goofy in this movie. just to may maybe slowly ease into doing. other stuff one day you know but but I. was I was I mean of course uh PTA he's. the one who put me in like a Paul Thomas. Anderson Thomas Anderson not the PTA. committee yeah well he's the guy who. helped me get in to U doing just a.
straight up serious movie but uh I in my. head I knew I I could eventually handle. something like that and I should do. something like that I I always my family. when I first moved to went to NYU acting. my grandmother was always like you're. you're the next James Khan you're the. next James KH she always used to say. that to me so part of that line made me. go I better do some real uh movies. too one day so my grandmother can accept. this uh.
life James I probably told you this but. I met James Khan when I was young came I. was on the Paramount lot M I'm walking I. had an audition and James Conor is with. his Budd he's throwing a football around. and he had a black eyy and I was like oh. he get a famous James Khan kind of. fight or something but uh but he was. just he was shooting misery and he had. the makeup on he had the makeup right. and so I was like oh I didn't. realize it until like a year later I oh. that's why I had but I walked by.
him and I said I got to say something to. James Khan man and so uh I've did that. douchebag kind of walk up to him and see. everyone going what the he's having. fun James KH throwing a football why is. this guy interrupting and I said hey my. grandmother said I'm the next you he. goes what I said my my grandmother said. I'm the next you and he goes you don't. want to be me oh wow yeah he. was one of the you know people about who. are the coolest people ever in movies.
was he on your show oh yeah James KH was. on the show and what I remember is you. could uh even as even when he was. getting older you could take a. carpenter's level tell me if I'm right. you could put a take a carpenter's level. and put it on his shoulder and the. bubble would go right to the middle he. had the craziest straight and you can. see it in The Godfather there's a lot of. scenes where where Sunny were Sunny's. wearing uh like a what was known or the. what a wife beater t-shirt but he just.
got like the white strap on t-shirt and. look at his shoulders his shoulders are. just crazy he's got that Ridge of fluff. oh yeah and then the fluff a little bit. of fluff there he he would keep little. treats in there for later he got a. little star lot of little LIF Savers in. a starburst but no I I've met him and I. you know the times that I've met anyone. it's you know anyone from that The. Godfather I lose my mind a little bit. and I can't believe it and they all love. him too they all.
all all all the Godfather guys would be. when you say his name they oh he just. had a coolness about him and he did he. would fight anybody he did have that go. time kind of like if somebody says the. wrong thing oh no yeah yeah no he was. very much about he looked like a guy who. would drop his sandwich and punch you if. that was called I had to I had to do. that yeah e just effortlessly cool guy. but I I get that way I mean I don't know.
if you got that way around Pino cuz I. know you were but and I think I may have. mentioned this when I was in a. restaurant and he saw me I'm just going. to quickly say it again it's worth but. he was pointing and it looked like he. was pointing at me but I couldn't accept. that alpacino was pointing at me so I. was doing the looking behind me thing. that people do in bits and cartoons and. he kept pointing and then I came over. he's. like and then I so nervous I just kept. it real brief and I said well anyway you. take care and I I dashed off and then I. saw the person he was with the next day.
and the person he was with said I was. like where'd he go a he fled he fled I'm. like because that sh it's how I can't. handle it I can't handle it that's so. funny man you know I'm always that way I. don't want to bother these people you. said you were that way about McCartney. mcartney I ran what happened McCartney. was at a restaurant the other night and. it's actually my friend's. restaurant everybody knew he was coming. I was with my wife and her friends and. uh my friends and they they were like. you've met McCartney go say hello I said.
yeah yeah absolutely and I got up I saw. a side shot of his head he was eating. and I was like come on man just say. hello and then I saw Ringo was at the. table too and he looked up and I went I. can't handle it and I just kept. going and I ran past him and all my. friends are like what happened and then. my wife goes go back K you're GNA never. forgive yourself go and I said yeah. you're right went back in saw the side. shot he was talking to his wife I think. I just get walking fak faked the.
hand wash in the bathroom then I was. like what are you doing man go. do this just say amazing I love it. you're Adam Sandler the Adam Sandler did. and you know what else didn't help other. people were watching Adam Sandler be. nervous oh no and they were just going. is you gonna talk to mcartney or. not and I just bolted out and got but. you know I I get it because I someone. like that I think he's been famous since. about a year before I was born all right.
and he's and when I say famous like the. most one of the four most famous faces. in the world and then so you just think. um you know lunchbox in the house yeah. there are people that I have no problem. walking up to uh yeah and sometimes I. really give him attitude like look. you're a SE Lister at best so I'm going. to say hi you know I'm a real dick about. it Obama. yeah you were president now I'm.
president con that doesn't make sense. um you've never been president uh but. anyway um yeah I I I would not uh. athletes do that to me some Superstar. athletes where everybody says go over. say hello oh the worst was uh kg I went. to a Clipper game with Kevin Garnett and. after the was it it was ending he was on. the Clippers he knows them all he's like. let's go back and say hi I said no no no.
no man you go he goes come come on man I. go no I don't want to go in the locker. room man he goes come on man and blah. blah blah I go in there just feeling so. goofy they're all you know the clothes. are off I'm in there just after a game. just there's no reason at I'm saying. there's in a locker room they're all. hugging kg I'm staring at him giving. some head nods and then somehow somehow. it was me alone for a second they spread. out and me and Kawai was in there just. kind of sitting there thinking about the.
game and I'm just standing there just me. and Kawai and I'm just like yeah this is. a this is a bad moment for. Kawai didn't say nothing just just froze. that was remembering what I was just. thinking about this because I think he. was uh he was on TV last night but uh it. was uh Joe Buck came up to me I was at a. bar with a friend and Joe Buck walks up. to me and he's with John Elway yeah.
that's cool but John Elway doesn't say. anything and Joe Buck is just like oh. man I love always love coming on your. show and we're chatting and John Elway. isn't saying anything it isn't really. making eye contact with me and then Joe. Buck go well anyway we you know I think. our table's ready but so great to see. you and I'm like yeah good to see you. too and he walks away and John stand is. left standing looking at me for one. second and he looks at me and he goes. we're fans and then walks away and it. was and it was so clear to me he doesn't. know who the. and I respected him for it.
