Amy Poehler’s “Late Night” Appearances Paid Her Rent | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Hi, my name is Amy Polar and I feel. nostalgic about being Conan O'Brien's. friend. And that is appropriate because. I feel so nostalgic today. I feel so. lucky because a lot of our fans know. this, but for the uninitiated when I was. doing my late night show in ' 93, a. couple of years into it, we started. saying, "Oh, we need cast members to. help us out on the fly." And UCB was. just getting off the ground. Yeah. And. so suddenly it wasn't just that I was.

getting really good people. I was. getting the best sketch performers. coming in and you would play and you. could play anything but you would play. Andy's little sister and we give you I. think a script that was like that's a. solid B and you would take it to an. A++++ and it was insanity and I never. took that for granted. I mean, now I. look back on it and I think I got to. have Amy Polar do bits on my show. We. probably You paid my rent. Yeah. I mean,

I Are you kidding? I would have done it. I mean, it's funny that you say it that. way because isn't it funny when you look. back at I mean, what be what's must be. 30 years now? 30 30 some odd years. Yeah. Because I moved to New York when I. was in in 96. um is I never remember a time when you. were like a fledgling new show. I mean, you were just always like the hit show. That's so funny. I know. I don't. remember it being like we have to.

practice and get things ready because I. knew Andy Richtor from Chicago, but in. my mind, I don't have a a memory of it. ever not being a successful show. Well, it's interesting because young people. just sort of made it their show and we. were doing all this weird stuff and they. were saying, "Yeah, this is what we. like. We like the masturbating bear. We. like Pimpbot. We like Andy's Little. Sister. We like all this weird stuff.". And um but I was constantly taking. from people that were used to Letterman. who were maybe 20 years older than me.

And so there was a solid three years of. you might get cancelled. Can you try, you know, can you get rid of that weird. stuff you're doing? And I'd tell them I. will and then I just wouldn't. Uh and it. was just madness. And and honestly, let's play f Mary kill with masturbating. bear pimp bot and Andy's little sister. Yeah. Yeah. See how we do. Yeah. them all. Yeah. That's right. That's. right. That diaper comes off pretty.

easy. He's He's ready to go. I don't. think masturbating bear is interested. He's got going on. Um, we also have a few things in common, which is you're from Burlington, Mass. and I'm from Brooklyn, Mass. And Fancy. Congratulations. That's right. My. butlers had a butler. Did your house have books in it? Well, yes, we had some books and my. butterfly collection. I think you told.

me once, I could be wrong, that you. worked at the Chesnut Hill Mall. Yeah, I. worked at a bunch of different places in. high school. I always had a summer job, but I worked at the Chesn Hill Mall at a. restaurant called Paparazzi. Yeah. Which. was, you know, a very like it was. probably one of the fancier restaurants. I had worked uh at up until that point. Breadsticks. Yes. Oo. And, you know, I. learned words like kavatapi. And I still don't know what that is. That's a type of pasta or, you know, um, yeah, I learned. Didn't you work at the.

pewtor or something? I worked there used. to be a pewer pot in my town, but I. worked at Chadwicks, which was an ice. cream place in on the on the on the um. border of Lexington and Waltham and very. famously an ice cream like oldfashioned. ice cream place. You bang a drum when. it's someone's birthday and you wear old. oldtimey outfits. And Rachel D worked at. Chadwick's a few years ahead of me. We. never met cuz then the you know. simulation wouldn't that's crazy worked. out. And you know what's interesting is.

that your Boston accent went away. I I. used to think I never had a Boston. accent and then someone recently found a. clip of me interviewing my brothers and. sisters from like 1971 and I'm going. like and I'm like who is that guy? And I. never consciously tried to get rid of it. but you tried. I did. And I still think. you do have one. I still think I have. one. I mean, just it's super slight, but. don't you feel like you can pin pinpoint.

people from Boston? Yes, definitely. Even just saying Boston the way you say. Boston, but every once in a while I hear. it and every once in a while I hear it. on my for me and for me it's usually. when I'm angry that's when it comes out. which makes sense. I also love it when I. go to Boston. I don't know if this. happens. The worst accent ever. Bostononians. Well, terrible. I'm gonna. say Rhode Island. Cranston, Rhode. Island. Yeah, Cranston Rhode Island. might win. Can you do the difference? What's the difference between those two? I can't. I'm terrible at it. This made. Rachel Dr because she did this. She.

wrote a sketch for Senate Live, which is. all these Boston people and I was. hosting that week and I was just having. trouble getting the Boston accent cuz I. had been away for years and Rachel was. losing her mind. That does not sound. like Rachel dressed. No, no, she was. getting really frustrated like, "No, no, no. It's like on the corn, you know.". And I'd be like, "Yeah, on the corner.". She was she was really I was making her. as a I blame Brooklyn for this. because I mean there is a there's a way. to dig into the accent that once you get.

in there it's almost like you can never. get out right. It's it's like it's like. a comfy chair to get in there. It's not. just the accent. There's an attitude to. I don't know if you have this but if I'm. in Boston and I've got I go there a lot. to see my family. Um there's a Conan. come here. Come here. There's a um you. kind of work for me. I know you're from. Boston, so get over here. So, I'm. walking the other way. Hey, Conan, come. here. Come here. It's Conan, you. know. Come here. Climb over this thing. And And you're like, this is incredible.

There's a sense that I'm from Boston. You're from Boston. You're not some. big deal. Get over here. And I I. kind of like it. And then there are. times where I'm like, "Oh, come on.". 100%. The best and worst thing about. Boston is there's a feeling of like. you're not better than me, you know? Like we're all the same. We're all in. this together. Boston strong. Hi, how. are you? Good for you. But it's like. you're doing well, Amy. Huh? Like it's. very it's aggressive love. Yeah. And. it's very nice to feel and also it's um.

sometimes scary. Well, I told I' I think. I've mentioned this before, but in I was. in Boston and I was staying at a hotel. and I I'm was stay you know like at a. bar and I go into the men's room and. this woman who I want to say was 55. followed me into the men's room while I. met the urinal and she was like hey go. and I was like uh yeah I'm at the urinal. and she's like a Mr. Hollywood like no it's I think this is. illegal. Yeah it's illegal. Yeah. Yeah. I don't.

think you're supposed to be in here. No. Yeah, it's very st I mean I look I all. my relatives still live in in Boston. I. love going back there. It is like it is. it is this thing where Boston really. doesn't want you to forget. No. And also. Boston is a thing where they talk about. neighboring towns as if anyone would. know what they're talking about. Like. Boston feels like the center of their. own world, right? So they'll throw out. towns and stuff happening to people that. are from Michigan and it's like no one. knows what you're talking about. But.

Boston is the they are their own center. Also, I remember growing up and first of. all, you'd listen to school. cancellations and you'd wait for your. town to come up. But the second thing is. there were all these ads for like the. light and leisure building. I think it. was in Burlington and they were like, "It's in Burlington. The lights and. leisure business, the light and. leisure." I don't know exactly what they. were selling. I think it was lights and. leisure clothing, which doesn't make any. sense, but it was like light and. leisure. Burlington, you know, get off. the whatever. and and I just like so. it's that's drilled into my head.

There's something about the the vibe. there that you I mean this is something. I really like about it and New York is. very similar too which is there's a. directness to how people talk to each. other and how what they expect of each. other. So they're kind of like uh kind. but not nice. Yes. And California is. nice but not always kind. So it's. confusing here because people are. friendly but they're not really nice. But there like I got to go. I can't I. can't help you. I gota like you got to. keep walking. Like everyone's telling. you to hurry up, but they're but they're.

very kind. They'll help you, right? It's. weird. It's different here. There's a. kindness in there, but it's got this. crusty shell. Whereas here, everything. has this kind of smooth shell, you know? And then you say, "Oh, my, you know, can. can you help me change my tire?" And. they're and they're like, "We can't. I'm so sorry." But I want that for them. Yeah. I want that for you. If you died, it would mean nothing to. me.