Conan Reluctantly Signed Willie Nelson’s Guitar (Feat. Norah Jones) | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I was thinking about your path your. journey and I was thinking about how. growing up because I know your your mom. and dad divorce when you're pretty young. they were never married but oh they were. never married but uh yeah so they were. living in sin as we kind of would say I. mean I I honestly I don't even know. their story is so crazy I I don't even. know what was going on but um really. after all these years you still don't. know what was going on. I've heard a lot of different versions. I'll put it that way but um yeah no I I.

think yeah they split up when I was. really young so I just I grew up with my. mom right and this interesting thing in. Grapevine Texas yeah and I'm I'm so. what's interesting is that you have. you know anyone who doesn't know your. dad Ravi Shankar you come and and your. mom as well have both have this musical. pedigree this musical background. so. there's some of that but then you're. transplanted to Texas yeah and I think. that's got to be fascinating because you.

grew up. um. you grew up in this environment that had. to have influenced you I mean if you had. grown up in New York City. do you know what I mean or in India or. anything with my dad with your dad you. might not be you might not be you at. this moment does that does that make. sense yeah I mean my history is very. different I mean it's interesting. because I'm a musician and he he was he. passed away but he's he was This. brilliant musician Indian musician and.

my mom is not a musician but she loved. music so I grew up with my mom seeing my. dad here and there and then not seeing. him for a long period and then we. reconnected later but um growing up I I. was influenced by my mom's record. collection so yeah so who are you. listening to Ray Charles and Aretha. Franklin and. Willie Nelson so this is what's. fascinating so you grow up and you're. listening to those people and you're in. this what what I imagine is this is it a.

small town in Texas Grapevine is a huge. sprawling town now but when I was little. it was small right so you're growing up. in this environment and. you were not that connected to the pop. music of your time is that right I was. in Middle School I loved. um Casey Kasem's top 40 every Sunday. like I was obsessed with that for a. while I just listened to Casey I would. turn off the music. I just fell in love with the voice of. Casey. [Laughter]. who's gonna be number one you can you.

kind of bootlegs where it's just Casey. and then you don't hear the music I have. all. you were somewhat aware but you were I. guess Jazz was was Jazz a bigger part of. your life it was after a certain point.

but I was really into Nirvana and the. Violet Femmes at one point you know and. then maybe like ninth grade I got really. into jazz okay and then that's all there. was for like the next five years that's. all I I was obsessed with I'm so. intimidated by Jazz so a lot of people. are even I am because I'm not really a. great jazz musician it's kind of where I. came from musically. um but I never practiced enough to. really hang with you know real Jazz. musicians. session yeah but that's exactly what.

they call themselves yeah I've always. thought of jazz music as you know you're. sitting at the sushi bar and they're. they're like it's Chef's Choice and you. don't know exactly it scares me a little. bit and I and that's just because I have. some mental block I was all about. rockabilly yeah crazy intense rockabilly. and and. um that was the stuff that that pulled. me in. and kind of lit me up you know I just I. inspired me in so many ways uh great.

music but very very simple yeah. extremely rudimentary and that was that. was maybe part of the magic for me is it. I could play it I feel you I mean that's. why I I love country songs and sometimes. you just cut straight to the heart of. something with the most simple thing I. think that's. I can't play Fast Jazz either so we're. in it together. yeah and people were always calling me.

the Norah Jones of Comedy. um you know I think. that Jim Jones. yeah you're right I'm sorry because I'm. leading my followers yeah well either. way I'm fine either way either way it's. a compliment as far as I'm concerned but. you know what's amazing is that you grow. up listening to these people and then if. you could ever imagine that okay you you. were huge Willie Nelson fan Ray Charles. fan you're going to be playing with. these people you you did a duet with Ray.

Charles yeah yeah I did I mean what was. that like what was Ray Charles like he. was very nice you know we went in for. 20 minutes we did three takes of the. song and that was it but we were all. live in the room together it was amazing. he was sweet yeah yeah and then uh I. know that you have this much uh longer. lasting connection with Willie Nelson. I've been so lucky to play and sing with. Willie like multiple times I love him so.

much yeah he is such a great spirit yeah. did you see they're having a big show at. the Hollywood Bowl for his 90th birthday. in April yeah yeah he is a great. advertisement that marijuana is not bad. for you exactly. uh he he and Snoop Dogg will live to be. 600 yeah. you know what's uh what's amazing to me. is I'm thinking about the first time I. met Willie Nelson he came on my late. night show in the early days and he had. that incredible beat up guitar he has oh.

trigger trigger yeah that that he's. played forever is it a Martin it's a. nylon string that's a nylon straw I. remember but yeah but he puts it through. an amp yeah he puts it through an amp. which is it's totally cool right he's. got a little drop in uh I think. um uh pickup yeah and he plays it. through an amp and it's got a hole in it. as if it had been recovered somewhere. and a rat had eaten through it not the.

sound hole it's got a separate no it's. not a gaping it's got its own there's. the sound hole and then there's this. thing that looks like a ferret plot its. way into the guitar or clawed its way. out uh and um it's covered in signatures. yeah and it's all these people he's had. trigger forever and it's everyone has. signed he he's had all these amazing. people signed trigger and the show's. over and and I said that's just. incredible he's got like George Jones's. signature he's got all these He's got.

everybody and there's Tammy Wynette and. there's about all these public and he. said yeah sign it Conan and I said no. we shall not Sully this he's like come. on and he I so I signed it with like a. ballpoint wow oh you did yeah I'm pretty. sure that uh When Willy got backstage he. wiped it off uh yeah that's cool I don't. think I've signed trigger I that was a. dry erase marker exactly he said I said. I'll use my pen he went uh no use this. one wipes off.