Conan’s Band Replaced Him With A Drum Machine (Feat. Ben Stiller) | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

early on you're a musician drummer well. just of super early on but was did you. ever think that was going to be it or. did you always know no I was not a great. drummer I was just I was a I was a. terrible drummer I know you were in a. band called capital punishment. punishment right I was in a band called. The Bad clams and I was a drummer and. then I told them I'm out I I don't have. time for this I've got other thing and I. and I remember thinking good luck. without me and they replaced me with a. drum machine oh and it like a can we do. that on this podcast.

and people were just like whatever it's. it's better it's keeping time correctly. but yeah that was just a that was a that. was a moment for you yeah I it was I had. a friend in high school who was the band. leader and he was really talented we're. still friends Chris roing and but I I. was not a great drummer I really wasn't. great at keeping time what's that um. documentary about Ginger Baker Ginger. Baker yeah from cream yeah there's a. great documentary about him and he's. like so like hard ass in terms of like. you got to like either you have time you.

don't have time oh and in that. documentary they're saying things like. you mean great like a great drummer like. uh you know um Keith Moon from The Who. and he goes no I'm talking about Real. Drum I mean people are mentioning icons. to him or John bonam from let and he's. like no I mean a real this guy who. thinks of like maybe three people in the. universe are real drummers and everyone. else is just. shite um yeah you have you know. had just in addition to to all these.

movies you're directing and you had all. this um crazy success as an actor and. then it you've sort of made a conscious. decision to step back a little from that. I'd say in the last five seven years and. say okay what I really want to do is. craft things direct produce was that was. a conscious decision yeah it was a. moment that kind of hit me um I always I.

always love directing since I was a kid. so like that and then you know I was. directing a lot of these movies I was in. over the years but I never except for. cable guy I never directed anything that. I wasn't in but I always thought of. myself more as a director than an actor. really I felt like that was more where I. was um I thought I was better at that. definitely not a live performer for my. short time on SNL it was so. nerve-wracking for me to be it's still. anytime doing something live it's like. you know I don't enjoy it I'm happy when.

it's over and if it goes well it's great. but um so directing to me was always. like a comfort area and just happy you. know it just made me happy and so it was. really after Zoolander 2 came out that. was like sort of the inflection point. where it's like the movie you know. didn't do well it was a it was not. well-received and it was this moment in. time where I was like oh man you know. like what am I going to do what do I. want to do next and I had some space.

just to kind of like think about it then. this project that I'd been developing. kind of right when the movie came out um. Escape at damura this yeah this limited. series about this prison escape in New. York that happened in 2015 I think um. that was there and I had the time to. work on it because I wasn't doing other. stuff save the date prepare for chaos. get ready for your cordially invited a. hilarious new movie starring comedy. icons will Ferell and Reese Witherspoon. together on screen for the first time I.

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uh you get to craft something you get to. take some some time and I I can I know. how much telling a story visually is. important to you and so you get time to. let's get this exactly the way we want. it and I always think the the plus and. minus of doing things that are live or. done quickly is we'll grab it it may not. go our way um sometimes when it goes. well you get the rush when it goes badly.

it's over and it's time to do another. one um but if you get to really craft. something it's a very different feeling. I would guess over a long period of time. you get to think about what is this. going to look like how am I going to. tell this story right and which is. daunting too you know because it's like. all right how do I do this but it's also. to me it's like sort of the most. subjective thing where you just okay you. know how would how do I see this how. would I want to see this I think when I. just got to the idea of like B basally.

like what would I want to see what would. cuz I do love comedy and I I've Loved. comedies growing up but I also really. love just dramatic movies um so I just. started thinking like well what would I. want to see and with thec d was like. yeah I would love to see this if it was. a movie limited series whatever and the. vibe and the feeling I think for me was. so much like it was so. clear and yeah then you just take the. time and work again collaboratively with. people who you think are really talented. and you you have a similar.

sensibility and you know you have these. Partners you're cinematographer. production designer costume designer um. uh Dana Mora was Michael tolken and. Brett Johnson these two great writers. and you know the truth of what happened. in that story was to me was sort of like. what I was like most interested in. because it scared me too because I'd. never done a prison. escape uh movie and I was like all right. well I have no idea how to like how do I. do this and make it real how do I make.

it feel authentic and so it just went to. the real facts and the and and the more. I learned about what actually happened. and got to the real places I just said. all right I'm just going to go for the. real thing because that was what was. fascinating to me about that story was. that how could a prison escape like this. happen in 2015 that feels like something. out of like escape from alcatra or. something yeah you don't think it's. possible anymore yeah and then you. realize oh there's like the the system. that's in place at this old prison you. know it's it's there's so many places. where you know things can go wrong and. also so the hierarchy of how it works.

there in terms of with the the guards. and the prisoners and I mean the. Dynamics in a prison it's a huge prison. too so you know it's like its own little. you know City or something and uh so the. more I talked to real people who. experienced it and got the details I was. just that was really fun for me and then. cinematically yeah it's fun to like. figure out how to do something that you. know hopefully look cool and be. intriguing did you ever consider being. imprisoned for several years do you. really.

I mean if you really I'm sorry if you. really if he really wants to capture the. story I think you should have if you. took it seriously I think you would have. done three years in prison years Well. yeah if you want how know I mean not. like I thought you did a fantastic job. but think about what you could have done. if you had been in prison if I actually. experienced would you ever consider. going to prison for 3 years I would like. to be put in prison many of our. listeners want me in prison right now.