Chelsea Peretti Thinks Stand-Up Is A “Flawed Art Form” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

you did stand up for years who is your. influence who was the person that we. were watching when you were young that. made you you were like like I got that's. who I want to be I mean honestly it. wasn't so much standups like I loved. Gilda rner and Eddie Murphy like I would. watch his VHS of you know best of Eddie. Murphy Saturday Night Live yeah um and. Steve Martin and you know I I do. remember watching Eddie Murphy Raw with. my grandmother for some. reason but but it was it was at her.

insistence yeah we're going to watch it. again I'm like no yeah she influenced me. um I remember Adele given on um de. Comedy Jam de Comedy Jam I used to watch. a lot of but yeah I wasn't like a crazy. standup fan like a lot of standups you. and I were at a a a social function. there were a lot of stand-ups there and. everyone was going on listing the. stand-ups that influenced them and I. remembered I don't I can't remember what. you said but I just we were going around. the room and I was thinking it wasn't. for me Nei it wasn't stand s that that.

excited me the most it was um sketch. players and comedic actors that made me. really excited about comedy I mean. listen lately I've really been I don't. do standup as much and and what I really. think about it is there's almost no one. I want to hear talk for an hour straight. you know what I mean like I think it's a. flawed art form okay this podcast is 55. minutes so we just get you in on the. wire we're both talking and there's an. interplay you know it's like I you mean.

someone standing on stage and talking. it's just it's usually even if I see. someone who's amazing I'm getting a. little fatigued around 45 isn't there an. element too of who do you think you are. yeah you know yeah yeah and and. honestly I always I always want so hat I. always I but you say that about a lot of. things that's true like when you go to a. doctor for an opinion and they're saying. well if I were you who do you think you. are yeah dermatologist my ass.

no I my feeling is I always want there. to be another reality to come in so I. was so happy doing late night because I. could be talking and a man could. interrupt me from the audience who's. dressed uh in a beekeeper outfit and a. whole other reality could come out. that's the world I always wanted to live. in I wanted to start doing something or. talking as a normal person but then I. wanted to be stopped by either a bear. wearing a diaper or a guy pring to be a. gold miner you know I and then I wanted.

maybe some tape to be involved that took. us to a different reality that was the. world that I was always happy with yeah. I like that interplay and the whole. comedy game and the playfulness of those. kinds of moments and so yeah I think for. me standup it was one of these things. where I kind of love hated it and I kind. of just kept doing it and I was kind of. good at it but I never like you know. what I realized like I would get off. stage and I don't feel good but most. comedians I know get off stage and feel. incredible about themselves you know. they're like on a hot whereas I'm like.

the one person who didn't laugh the joke. I forgot whatever it is I feel like I'm. fixating on you know what didn't happen. or comparing it to my best show I've. ever had and it doesn't live up or you. know did you do a lot of. improv I do when I do stand up I do like. to like riff a lot but I I definitely. write my jokes like I was just talking. to Niles abston this younger comedian. and he was saying he goes on stage and. just talks to develop material and I was. like that sounds so terrifying to me you.

know like I would definitely write jokes. and then try to play when I felt. loved and speed talk if I don't I would. be so afraid too of you can come up with. something really lovely on stage in. front of people and that's joyous but uh. I always want to go out there with armed. with thoughts that that I've bounced off. other people that I've I don't know that. yeah you want to have something that. you're guaranteed to win with you know. it's it's it's a it's a good feeling I.

mean although I've always kind of wanted. to be like more coughman like like what. if I went out and all I did was say one. word over and over you know or whatever. and I would like try to do bids like. that and bail on them because it's just. not my personality right um like if I'm. bombing I talk really quickly and my. friend Brendan like I noticed if he's. bombing not that I've ever seen it but. um he slows down which I thought was. fascinating like it's almost daring yeah. it's that thing of okay you're not. giving me what I want and I understand.

that I think I'm just going to slow down. yeah I have found at times uh when. because we would we did so much uh. volume material for so many years and a. new audience another audience another. audience an audience you know five hours. a week you know felt like like 40 weeks. a year you're just like oh my god there. were times when it wasn't clicking and I. would almost in a masochistic way the. way you like pick it a scab or a wound I. would I'd be like oh man they're not.

they're not with me I'm going to enjoy. this I'm going to enjoy this silence. right now um it didn't I found it. usually wasn't the way to go but there. were times times when it felt like it. saved you saved me saved my sanity. anyway yeah it's I think that that's. what people loved about you because I. feel like I don't know it's like then it. feels like we're on your team we're. relating to like yeah this can't you. know there's challenges and.

well I liked good I mean we'd always. start the show with jokes and I like. good jokes but they the jokes weren't. the point the jokes were just a device. to get me. to okay I just told the joke and then. live in that moment and try and find. something organic but that's where I was. happier I was happier with that than I. was the joke was just a thing that got. me to that yeah like I I like in in. acting comedy acting I like to be the. person that's like this is CRA you're. all crazy you know and I feel like I.

feel like you were doing that a lot as. well like surrounding yourself by. Insanity that you clearly approved I was. there at rehearsal my favorite thing. that was to act like what is happening. yeah like bulking at it yeah what no. this is wrong and it's like no no no I. was at rehearsal I was there the night. before I'm part of all of this but I. love pretending yeah uh whereas actually. a lot of the madness here is uh is I. mean there is no script with this but. there many times where I'm quite upset.

with both of you yeah many yeah most of. the time yeah that seems to be the. secret formula just raging.