How David Bowie Inspired James Corden To Retire From Late Night | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

it's very interesting cuz I don't know. what your experience was but I can't. talk to many people about. this uh my experience was I was so glad. I got to do it I loved it every second. of it not every second but I loved A lot. of it and then when it was over there. hasn't been a moment where I've thought. gee I wish I could be doing that a late. night show again exactly the because I. think I get one life there's so much to. try there's so much to do did that and. so you how do you feel exactly the same.

I haven't the only thing I miss really. is is being part of a a gang like going. and sitting with sitting with people who. I am every day would be blown away by. how funny they are I just could not like. that's what I really miss sitting with. Ian and Lauren and Cece and sha and they. like I just sitting with these people. that was your mistake you had funny. writers my my god did I ever I only.

hired absolute terrible people the worst. the right Sona the worst aw of them are. in this building oh they're still here. they're still oh yeah yeah but they're. not smart enough to figure out how to. get into this room okay so I'm safe no. no but I know what you mean that I. missed the idea of having like an idea. in the morning and being like yeah let's. let's do it tonight like I remember the. you know I that's what I miss I don't. miss I certainly don't miss walking out.

of a curtain and being like let's have a. look and see his on the show tonight I. don't miss going stick around we'll be. right back I don't miss any of the. actual doing of the show I would go so. far as say I haven't thought about it. yeah the thing I think about is the. people yeah like I I remember the the. day after the Oscars when the the the. Will Smith Chris Rock thing happened. like this was a sort of real example of. of how our show used to work where it. was. like okay everybody's going to be. talking about that everybody's going to. be talking about that moment what's our.

show's version of that how do we do that. and it's ticking down it's now midday. and you're like okay we tape at. 5 okay we're probably just going to do. some jokes about it and that's we. haven't come up with a good idea and. then you know one of our writers goes uh. I think it was Molly who worked on the. show just. goes I've got this written down I don't. have any more than this.

but um we don't talk about Jada because. we don't talk about Bruno was the big. song of that year we don't talk about. Jada and everyone goes oh that's it okay. great so now we need to write the song. so uh Molly why don't you go with Dave. and with uh Lawrence and then okay right. probably need dancers but hang on we. need dancers who've been covid tested. and then someone's like we've just found. out there's a steady cam operator in the. building doing a thing for I don't know. whether was like Dancing with the Stars.

over he's covid tested he can be here at. 6 but we'll have to tape it after okay. that's probably a positive and then it's. like are we going to sing it live and. then that's the thing that's the stuff. and then you're kind of feeding it. almost live down the line to be on the. East Coast at 9:30 cuz an idea that. happened at midday and then you get the. thrill of the next day x amount of. million people have watched it on. YouTube and you go huh that was great. and then the absolute horror of going oh. what what are we going to do.

tonight yeah did anyone slap e anyone. last night I love that I completely. understand I I you know absolutely loved. working with talented funny people and. having the gang the gang aspect of it. and and and oh damn it we just thought. of this we got to throw it together but. the other thing I've missed and I've. mentioned this a couple of times. recently um but having a live band as a. reg part of my life gave me so much joy.

and I realized that um it's not so much. the the show that I miss anymore but if. I could get my band to play when I come. down in the morning to get my. coffee you know I just there was or and. then it's like well breakfast was great. we'll take a. break I just loved the power of that and. also being around so much live music all. those years we just missed your birthday.

right yeah I think this is what I would. say to the team here it's unlikely that. I'll be here but I would say for for. colan's birthday next year you should. get him a band from when he wakes up in. the morning no but if you have it from. he'll he'll he'll he won't miss it if. they're a. card all right I'll do fine I thought. this was a different environment James. James this is what we're you really do. need a friend.

this that's why I wow you I'm not. around with the title of that I. need a friend because this is what I get. a card and guess what it won't even be. it it will be like a h congratulations. on your bris. card it won't even be for my birthday. yeah it'll be one I we find just grabbed. it but that's fascinating to me that. that there are little elements you can. miss but um yeah the I think you know.

when it's time to like let's let's go. and do the next thing I knew for quite a. while I was gonna leave at year five I. was real close like I have genuinely had. like one foot out the door. and and then I I'm very I'm very very. pleased that I chose to stay because I. think then if I'd left then I think it. would have been way too soon and I would. have thought ah what did you leave for. you got to you were just reaping the. rewards of it being good getting good. guests all that stuff but uh I I.

really you know I really felt like so. many things. changed from when you know when we when. we started the show it was like Obama. was the president MH and then there was. like then it was Trump and then it it. just then it felt like it it changed and. somehow if you didn't if you didn't do a. deeply political monologue You Were. Somehow complicit with the Trump. organization which I didn't quite. understand not being from here and.

then and then and then it and then it. was covid so then like you're doing a. show in the gar in your garage and. you're like well this isn't this is. you're just trying to keep as many of. the team in work as you can and trying. to find you know jobs and everything for. people and and stuff like that and so I. was like ah this isn't I just this okay. it's time it's time to it's time to to. to go now it's time to to move away from. from this and again I'm I I will always.

be dumbfounded that it was something I. was able to do that it was something I. was even given the opportunity to do I. thought it was a stupid thing to give me. the job or mystifying to give me the job. a year in I was like oh this is was so. stupid just some guy from a play like I. didn't do a pilot I didn't do a test I. didn't do it was just nuts though I had. some days where I thought oh I think. they've hired me to end the franchise.

what I went through which which I do not. believe you experienced was uh a year. into my gig I could read in the paper it. was a big mistake to give this guy the. job signed Conan's dad um that's the. twist ending but it was uh it but but I. like I say you can you can always remake. your own reality if you just you know. like I say put your stamp on it well I. think I was so so that it wasn't going.

to work I was so it I I was going to. work harder than I'd ever worked hard I. was going to do everything I could to. make it a success but I was like I was. saying to my wife like we we will be. home within a year yeah like we rented. Furniture yeah like we all of our. furniture in our first rental on which. me and used to live on the same road you. lived right up the street from me and we. realized that so you came over to my. house cuz I was not going to sit on. rental furniture correct well I would.

have been embarrassed if you I was a. real and I was a real prick about it I. said you said please come in and I said. if that looks like rental furniture I. will not come in correct well then you. were right cuz I would drive past your. house and it was only when I was driving. past your house and I had to fill up. with gas halfway through the hedgeway of. your road I was like wow this is quite. the property I bought seven homes and I. had them all stitched together yeah and. and it's hideous but I just it was pure.

ego just pure ego but uh beautiful I. used I always used to enjoy uh dri. because I used to drive past you and you. would you would be putting your kids. would be getting on the bus to go to. school and I'd be driving mine uh down. to school cuz they were like uh you know. they didn't get on the bus because it. was a they were much younger and I'd. always enjoy sometimes we'd wave and. sometimes you wouldn't see me and I. would really I I genuinely mean this. from the bottom of my heart I would say. this happened about six or seven times. if you are Lu enough to watch uh Conan.

O'Brien uh hugging his kids and putting. them on a bus you're like a man that is. that's some real dad goals cuz my kids. were here's the problem those weren't my. kids oh God yeah and it it ended. badly that that. really such a nice thing why why did I. do that really that was such a nice. thing and I I I don't know why I did. that no I used to look I used to think I.

used to think oh that is genuinely I I I. know this sounds so silly I mean it I. used to look and think oh that's it. that's it if you can if you. can keep a relationship with your kids. that long that they want to hug you on a. bus before before they get on the bus. it's like that's that is that's a great. thing you know and I look at my kid and. go why got you be like that. now your kids in the backseat smoking a. cigarette no then I realiz on dad then.

I'd realized I'd forgotten the kids like. no yeah so it's funny too because I I. read an interview where you uh I believe. you mentioned this David Bowie quote. that really resonated with you yeah that. and I'm such a Bowie fan and because I I. was lucky enough to be doing my show. back when we were able to have him on. and uh do a bit with him and he was on a. couple of times and he was a such a nice. man such a lovely man to me to the point.

that once I was in some Club watching a. show and someone tapped me on the. shoulder and it was David Bowie and he. was with himan and he was just like hey. you know he saw me and he came over and. just wanted to say hi and I thought this. is the he's such a gentleman such a. lovely man have you seen the film have. you seen moonage Daydream oh my God I. mean that I never met David Boe but I. felt like I was catching up with an old. friend when I watched that film it's. like it's man so what is it he said that.

spoke to you when you were thinking of. moving on I mean I would honestly watch. this clip like sometimes multiple times. a day because I was really walking away. from I was walking away from a a a. contract offer that I was pretty. certain I'm never going to earn that. money like that again I'm pretty certain. that that is that that's that that won't. come my way again and uh and he says in. this.

he says in this clip he says uh he says. you should you should never try and. fulfill other people's. expectations never try and fulfill other. people's expectations and uh and any. says and I go so far as to say if you're. comfortable in the area that you're. working in you're working in the wrong. area and if you know you should you. should always swim a little further out. y so the so The Waters at your chin and. your your feet are just ring the bottom. and if you if you feel slightly scared.

and you you feel out of out of control. in it you're you're probably in about. the right place to do something very. interesting and I just used to watch it. all the time and go no no I'm I am too. comfortable here I think if I. stay I you know it's not that I'd be. miserable I didn't think that in any way. I was very happy doing it I loved doing. it I loved doing all all the people that. I was working with but I was like if. this this can't be the last thing I do. yeah it can't be I have to go and see.

what I have to go a little further into. the water I have to go a little further. into the woods and see what else is. there safe in the knowledge that it. might be nothing safe in the knowledge. that it might never ever be as big as. this again or as you know acclaimed or. talked about in any of those things but. like you know like I'm about to do a. play at the Old Vic in London for eight. weeks I have never in my life felt more. scared really than what I'm about to do.

like I gen have you played the Old Vic. before I've never played the the Old Vic. but it's because it's a really really. serious play it's a really it's called. the constituent and I and I can't and. I've never been more I when I say I've. never been more scared what I mean is I. am I have woken up in the night I think. for the last two. weeks terrified by the notion that I. will forget the words. because I've just never ever done.

anything like this before but that's the. reason to do it yeah but it's the all I. mean again it's to be able to say I play. I ruined the Old Vic I I was the last. person to play the old shut down I I. aren't you the one that that's me that's. me.