Jim Downey Shared An Office With Bill Murray At “Saturday Night Live” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

hi my name is Jim Downey and I feel. entirely Unapologetic about being Conan. O'Brien's friend. and let me explain let me explain okay. there are there are many many uh figures. in our society who contribute an. enormous amount to our culture and. people who have unconventional. personal lives. um and and yet they're they seemed. exempt from criticism.

um you know uh Jeffrey Epstein wait a. minute. wait a minute no. no I said Jeffrey Epstein I see it no. one no one you know uh uh criticizes him. and yet oh wait a minute I have to. apologize for the fact that I know Conan. O'Brien wait a minute wait a minute is a. double standard wrong hold on okay hold. on but hold on much has been said much. has been said about Jeffrey Epstein. Terrible Things Jeff I'm talking about. Jeff Epstein the New York financier.

yes we're talking about the same Jeff. Epstein yes no yes I what I never I. never heard oh it was a big story in the. news huge no yes for you to say no one. ever yes chef Steve yes the financier. the island yes he had an island that. I've never been to yeah. I I'm pretty sure with respect if there. was some news about Jeff Epstein I would.

have heard no I. don't know it was. it was Jeff Epstein is I have to tell. you he's gone he's dead what do you mean. he's dead he's dead he's dead sorry nice. try if Jeff is Jeff Epstein if Jeff. Epstein were deceased I'm pretty sure I. would know about it now I I meant I've. not. probably since the pandemic I have not. talked to him that would make sense that.

would make sense I've been dead for a. number of years yeah I'll tell you. there's one easy way let's call Julian. Maxwell no we're not calling jalaine. Maxwell one okay he's in prison she's. imprisoned for crimes she committed with. Jeff Epstein. chilean's in prison yes stop calling her. how do you know these people. I'm. your friend you you know what.

I I. whatever you whatever your it doesn't. matter what you do in your private. attention I don't do anything in my. private life okay but anyway I'm your. friend all right well thank you for the. worst I make no apology for the worst. worst introduction to this podcast I've. ever heard uh now I'm gonna put the. focus on you sir. because I'm going to tell you something. all right there are some listeners this. may shock you who may say I don't know.

of this Jim Downey because we're. listened to by billions of people around. the world. a lot of people in Asia. Pacific grim countries and they may not. be familiar with Jim Downey and I want. to explain to them right now. that you are considered. the greatest comedy writer. possibly. of the mid to late 20th century. petering out very rapidly in the early. 2000s yeah when you just hit a wall uh.

you uh you brought me to Saturday Night. Live as a young pup you launched so many. careers uh you are intimidatingly funny. and you are uh referred to by many. comedians as the great great comedy. writer the great comedy writer that we. all Revere and you're just gonna have to. accept that right now hey Sona think of. all the amazing things in life that are. expressions of just you yeah I mean like. the chocolate that you had on your face.

when you came in because you just ate. that what was it you were eating I was. eating a giant cookie giant cookie yeah. and that's so Sona okay or that song you. stream over and over again it's just so. you what's that song For You Twinkle. Twinkle Little Star yeah but it's for my. boys I know still it's nice okay or you. know that podcast that comedy podcast. you just gotta listen to yeah Conan. O'Brien needs a friend is that what you. listen to in your spare time yeah I love. it everything that makes you you makes. all the difference State Farm believes.

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eligibility may vary we're going to. start from that premise. and fantastic comedy writer who has. influenced many careers and written many. sketches that are beloved what do you. think of that well that's that's very. kind of you I mean I um I just um. I I the only thing I I would say I mean. I you know that they're funnier comedy. they're better comedy writers than me I. but I you know I I'm good enough that I.

could you know play with them I I just. felt like who would you think who do you. think was better than you well I mean. there's I mean Robert smile is a. brilliant guy Roberts Michael Jackson. and I'm saying this listen I'm going to. say this I'm a good friend of Roberts. Robert was the original head writer on. my late night show and Robert and I are. good friends but I tell him this almost. every day he's a piece of okay he. couldn't write his way out of a wet. paper bag Jack Handy I didn't even know. he was a comedy writer.

you you. could have been the greatest ever if you. weren't so lazy. I mean some weeks it was it was all it. was all I could do to get you to show up. to work I'm sorry I know it's like Conan. it's Wednesday the others have been here. since Monday I'm tired I'm I'm in a show.

everyone did a show last week that is a. spot on impression and Jim I had other. interests you know I got into. glassblowing and it was something that I. enjoyed and I made you a beautiful. beautiful glass Beaker this is something. that I pursued on my in my spare time I. I I have that Beaker it's it's a it's a. treasured possession I will uh I will. tell you that yes Robert smeagle also. one of the greats of all time Jack candy. we could play this game forever but. I just want to walk people through your. pedigree you come to Saturday Night Live.

at almost the beginning. 1976 uh you're there for though that. formative four of those five seasons. that begin that show really the nuclear. bomb blast with the classic cast you're. there you were very young when you were. hired you were right out of college yeah. from a little 22 22 and your first day. of work was also Bill Murray's first day. of work is that that's right we we. shared an office for four years.

and uh and I I came the Chevy's last. two weeks were like my first two weeks. so we kind of overlapped there and um. yeah that was a that was. I wish that it hadn't. been my first two years of adulthood. because it was a very strange way to. enter. adulthood you know I I didn't appreciate. all the stuff that was going on around. me at the time right and um I uh would.

love to. to to get to you know reconfigure those. early years I mean you're there John. Belushi's on the cast. I remember you telling me once oh and. then he got into you know he. he started coming by with records and. playing us all these old you know Stacks. records his Blues records and he'd sing. them and you acted annoyed when it. became the Blues Brothers became this. massive Title Wave but you had this.

different perspective which is I I. thought I mean The Blues Brothers. um I just said Danny. Aykroyd always he understood that it was. it was kind of a joke it was a goofy. kind of thing to do although the first. time I saw it I saw it as I mean it was. really a sketch to me Danny was a great. music John became he got very very. serious took about and he thought of. himself as a musician and and Danny was. actually really good harmonica player. and and and dancer and so Danny.

um that began as a warm-up act yes for. the show and uh so audiences that would. come in to see us Saturday Night Live. just to warm them up that say her these. goofy guys The Blues Brothers and it was. really kind of a comedy sketch almost. that you you get them in the you get to. bring the audiences in the show tapes. live at 11 30. and um the audience is. the doors close at 11. so the um you. have to have the crew there and working. at they're mixing the sound they're.

doing lots of notes and you sort of have. to keep them entertained. um and so um we would have it's it's all. it was a tradition at the show that it. were that it would be done by by cast. members. who had like hidden talents you know. like in later years uh we would have. Maya Rudolph and anagastire sing. together and um but in that in that. stage I mean I can't remember. everything we did in the years before.

The Blues Brothers sort of formed but. initially. I mean Danny may have a different take. on it but um it was um. it was it was definitely like a comedy. thing we were having fun with it and the. audience loved it because we had. our house band is I know you know. incredible some of the most incredible. like. you had to know a fair bit about music. to write but it would be like wait a. minute the Howard Johnson his YouTuber. player the Lou Marini the AL Rubin the.

you know yeah the David Sanborn that was. our house band yeah and our that. that was Howard Shore was the band. director then Paul Shaffer was the. keyboard player. um and uh Steve Jordan yeah who's the. drummer now the Stones drummer you know. um or is he isn't he is he I think I. think he is I stopped following the. stones in about 1966. did they do much. after 66 I think so yeah I mean I heard. there was a goat's head soup and I. didn't uh I didn't check it out.

um but anyway so we had anyway so they. backed The Blues Brothers and then when. they went when they took it you know on. the road National they had had Steve. Cropper yeah from and and duck done. fascinating to me what people don't know. is it started as a sketch and then they. it became the number one selling album. and a tour and uh this this whole other. uh this whole other thing and I remember. that record playing everywhere uh those. songs playing everywhere and it became.

this Mania uh and and I remembered you. see this is an important part of my life. because you get started. 76 I come along in 1988 and I have a. very clear memory if you brought me on. with my uh with my writing partner Greg. Daniels you brought me on and I remember. walking the hallways at night when I was. trying to think of an idea and seeing. these iconic photos. of the original cast the 1975-1980 cast.

you know Chevy Chase. aykroid Belushi Lorraine Newman Jane. Curtin you know uh it just this. incredible group of people and these. black and white photos and you were in a. bunch of them because you were in a lot. of sketches back then they would put you. in sketches because you were quite good. and they thought let's let's use the kid. let's put him in there Bill Murray and I. remember looking at those photos in 1988. 1989 and at the time I'm 24 years old. something like that and I'm looking at.

these photos thinking wow. that was like a thousand years ago they. looked like Civil War photos yeah and. this is in 1988 and I had a very clear. memory of well I wish I had been around. for that because this thing is probably. at the end I had a very clear I'm not. being a jackass or being a wise guy I. just thought well this probably has a. few more years and I'm lucky to be a. small part of it but and of course now. anyone thinking about my time there. that might as well be a hundred years.

ago to them now you know young people. today it's just it's it's amazing that. you were there at the beginning and the. show now is about to celebrate its 50th. yeah. I was wondering how they were going to. do that but um. but it is I confirm that it is going to. be as it should be. February of 2025 because you were around. when we did the 15th anniversary but we. did it in 1989 yeah and I was one of the.

producers I'm going uh Lauren. the show came on the air in 1975. shouldn't we shouldn't this be next year. the 50th Anniversary I mean anything you. know because if you count from this is. the 15th you see you know yeah and yeah. but people don't think of it I think. it's because Prince said he would do it. then I literally think it was I. remembered Prince being there for that I. remembered it being uh and again I. thought wow I'm here for the 15th. anniversary of Saturday Night Live it'll.

never make 20. I'll be long gone by then. probably dead.