Albert Brooks & Rob Reiner Have Been Friends For 60 Years | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I absolutely loved the documentary. Albert Brooks defending my life uh and. thought it was beautifully done and what. was great was this has been long overdue. because uh your body of work Albert is. insanely uh rich and ingenious and. inspiring for generations of comedians. but it took a friend because you guys. knew each other you met in high school. right we met met in high school yes and. I you know we've known each other for 60.

years and I always wanted to do this. when uh you remember the film My Dinner. with Andre when it came out I thought at. that point I said to Albert come on. we'll go to ad Deli we'll sit down it'll. be my lunch with Albert and we'll do it. and he never wanted to do it at that. point but then at a certain point I. don't know what made you change your. mind but we decided to do it and that. became the centerpiece of the of the. documented the two of us just sitting in. a restaurant and talking someone uh came. to me before Rob with the idea of doing. a documentary and it didn't uh it didn't.

work out but then the idea see was like. the idea but to do it is good so then I. was having dinner with Rob and uh you. know are you do you ever want to do my. lunch with Albert and I said well what. if we combine this we do that and then. we also broaden it out and do clips and. talk to people well the absolute rocket. fuel.

are the the bits and because the comedic. bits that you were doing uh they were. not they're. Evergreen kind of my you know it's my. favorite comedy has not been topical I. always thought what you were doing was. absolutely magical because it was. concept driven and every. single sketch bit that you've done. whether was on the tonight's show or the. Flip Wilson show or the Johnny Cash show. or I mean there are people who had shows. I can't believe who had a show everybody.

had a show Conan O'Brien even Conan. O'Brien had a show yeah. unbelievable you said it Conan you said. it in the documentary that it was like. he broke the sound barrier it was like. Chuck joerger and they found a new way. of of presenting comedy and Albert was. well that's been misinterpreted what I. was saying is Albert's as funny as Chuck. joerger and then people took it this. other way um and who was funnier. Kissinger or Chuck Jagger I would Sayer.

that's not the fair. thing but you did a kind of uh there was. a kind of Comedy that you start I I I. made up a joke the other day yeah Neil. Armstrong was at a party and told these. people a joke and no one laughed he told. a joke about the moon and no one laughed. and he said well I guess you had to be. there I was with you I love this moment.

the first time I met Albert was at this. event and I'd never met him before and I. was and this I'll I'll back up just a. second because I was so relieved you. said something in the documentary Rob. that resonated with me which is I think. I've met everybody just about everybody. and I'm never intimidated I was. intimidated to meet Albert I was worried. about it I thought we're probably going. to bump into each other at some point.

and I felt a little queasy about it and. then you say in the documentary that you. always were intimidated by by Albert. well I it's not just intimidated I you. just where is this coming from this mind. you never I've never met anybody that a. mind that works that way and other. Comics you know established Comics Larry. David in the documentary says the same. thing that he was you know so happy when. Albert gave him approval to a joke he.

said or something like that you have to. understand I mean I in the circles I was. with I don't care who they were it was. Robin Williams Billy I don't care who. were in The when we got together and. people started spritzing when Albert. started when Albert went it was like you. know challenge dance when everybody's. challenging when Albert started. everybody backed off yeah everybody. backed off because they knew that you. know here comes the guy here's Babe Ruth. stepping into to the cage and and I.

always thought it was a cool thing and. then when I got married my wife said. it's cuz you never. shower you think that's why they backed. off yeah yeah yeah yeah I remember. thought you had good personal it was so. funny cuz Albert was the first time I I. met you you won't remember this but we. were standing was someone's house we're. standing by a pool and you told me a. joke that you told me a story that was. really funny and I laughed legitimately. laugh laugh was very funny story and you.

had some friend with you who I didn't. know and the friend just kind of shrugg. and said well I guess you had to be. there and you turned on your friend and. went no no he laughed apparently you. didn't have to be there and I was I was. in the moment watching uh you know I. remember I said don't you understand. that expression yeah that's when nobody. laugh if somebody laughs you don't have. to be anywhere you don't have to be. anywhere stupid man I don't know who it.

was but uh forever in my mind I I. cherish that V but Albert Albert you. know we talked about this in the. documentary Albert would go on National. Television live television without ever. trying out the bit he was going to do. yes that to me is talk about working. without Annette I mean this is in the. case Annette Funicello which was what. would make anybody U good but no but but. no he.

no but that's bordering on you had to be. there we had to know that reference um. no no but he he would do this and you. know we shared a house together and and. and you know I don't remember it exactly. but he did the first time you did the. Mind piece I don't think it worked did. it work the first time you did it well. the very first time I don't think it. worked it was the Steve Allen Show it. nobody knew anybody the point is he came. out he was doing a mime and he came out.

in the white face in the leotards and he. never stopped talking it's so funny and. so it's brilliant piece and it didn't. play the way it should have and then. time goes by and I think you were called. to do The Tonight Show or something and. I said Albert what are you going to do. on the show tonight he says I'm going to. do the Mind piece and I said yeah but it. didn't get it didn't do well he says. yeah but it's funny I said I know it's. funny but it didn't get the kind he says. yeah but it's funny and that's the thing. that I learned about Albert which is it.

is funny you just the audience has to. catch up to it they just have to know it. and Johnny Carson was hosting and he. came out and the same kind of thing. where they were a little bit hesitant. they didn't know Johnny went and I was. there Johnny literally fell off his. chair and the audience said I see yes I. get what this is a lot a lot of times in. my experience if if the audience is. looking at the host and they want. permission and that they need they need.

permission and then they know. everything's okay and so um that uh this. that bit come out and you're talking and. you're describing I am now walking. Against the Wind I'm doing but then you. just it just goes into standup comedy as. a MIM about my wife and you know uh I. she said she lost 30 lbs I said look. behind you you'll find it and and it. you're in total my makeup and you're. doing it and and the thing is that uh. that I think when I when I talked in the.

doc about breaking the sound barrier to. me it's about the level of commitment. and it's why I think it was no surprise. that you turned out to be of such an. excellent actor when you doing these. pieces I think there was a time in show. business where you needed to let. everybody know I'm in Show Business. these are jokes let's have a good time. nudge nudge wink wink and what you were. doing was this like dairo like. commitment to whatever you're talking. about you're looking down the barrel the. lens and you're saying this is this is a.

very serious thing I'm doing right now I. really am the world's best pickpocket. and very good at it and then you proceed. to be absolutely miserable at it but I. think it's not it's the idea combined. with the intensity of the attack that's. what I always thought no one else was. doing yeah and now I think we see that. you know that you made it okay for. everybody to to sort of work I mean you. know with respect to people the audience. is the last to know anything they're. there you don't I never understood the.

idea of doing it for an audience because. the audience doesn't know anything until. they see it so if you do anything they. haven't seen before you don't get. immediately rewarded like when you're. previewing a movie with cards the movies. that get a hundred are the movies. they've seen every other weekend right. they're familiar they're familiar. unfamiliar doesn't get a good grade but. it what do you do you just never do it. yeah you know it's the same it's the.

same if we go into a restaurant and it's. a fine restaurant and we're served a. dish we don't know anything about this. we take the we take the word of of the. person who owns the restaurant and we. taste something we've never tasted and. if if the world didn't have that. possibility and by the. way I think show business is that's the. Holy Grail is no risk yeah and and I. think as algorithms get mature and as.

more Executives get parking spots the. the the risk is less and less because. it's a business why do you want to take. a risk I mean I learned from Albert you. know when I saw how committed he was to. doing that bit even though it had when. we first uh screened spinal tap which. you know it was you know Albert had done. real life before that but this was the. first kind of about rock and roll and a. mock documentary and and we previewed it.

in Dallas and people came up to me. afterwards and they said I I don't. understand why would you make a movie. about a band that nobody's ever heard of. and one that's so bad and I so it's like. yeah they didn't know what we were doing. it took them a while to figure out that. this we're making fun of this you know. and and I learned from Albert you got to. stick to your guns and and hopefully PE. the audience will catch up.