John Mayer & Conan Clear The Air | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
hi my name is John Mayor and I feel. accepted about being Conan O'Brien's. friend that's very nice like you're been. accepted into an elite club maybe the. most elite club in Show Business I have. always wanted to be before this became a. catchphrase I've wanted to be your. friend you know what interesting you. were very nice you came on the show many. times over the years and uh you'd always. say the nicest things you would do these. interviews and people would be saying to. me like John Mayor it's a huge and they.
would say oh he's in an interview that. where they're trying to talk to him. about music you would you would say nice. things about our show and what we were. trying to do so very nice I mean it I. mean I don't want to do the thing where. someone says like you never invite me. over Dave you know but but I have waited. to be on this podcast I've waited for. you to ask me to be on the podcast for a. long time not angrily but that's all to. say I'm excited to finally be here I. just want to say that everyone in the. Stream has been here when they. repeatedly come in and say what about. John Mayor and I say Absolut I say abs.
lutely not I'm not having it I'm. not a fan of this guitar fellow what I. always say not. aan I'm thrilled you're here I am I. thank you and my acting assumption is. that people don't want to do it so I'm. very happy to have you so let's clear. the air on that and also clear the air. on which of us is the better musician oh. because that's a running debate no it's. not no nobody's debating oh I'm thinking. of a different debate yeah I'm thinking. of the famous Lin and Douglas debates. which I'm sorry I completely forgot cuz.
you're a virtuoso thank you you you play. from the heart you play with. love that's the way to put it that's. that you have a good personality well no. when it comes to playing the guitar I. have I play uh I play you play with. great intention I play with you play. with your. hands no you do you D you know what's. really funny is.
I've always I've I've struggled it. throughout my life to to play the guitar. and one of my go-to songs was always Bob. dyan's buckets of rain I just I love. that song and I like to play it and I. like to sing it and I always started to. think you know I I think I play this one. pretty well and then there was a benefit. I don't know if you'll remember this I. remember but it might have I don't know. if it was like eight years or so ago and. you're on the benefit too and I do my. thing and then you come out and I have. no idea you're going to do this and you.
start to say I'm going to play a Dylan. tune and you play buckets of rain. remember yeah I remember that and I went. home and I destroyed my. guitars and then I fed my hands into a. wood. chipper because it was it made such a. mockery of the one song I thought I. could really play with like feeling and. I I was like oh and it's that thing I'm. not even saleri looking at Mozart in. this I'm I'm a chamber poot looking at. saler who's looking at Mozart you know.
it didn't make you want to go home and. get it more under your hands just it. discouraged I just understood that I am. an ape who's on this Earth for so much. time and there's no amount of time left. where this ape is going to learn that. you know what I mean I just I feel that. way about so many things I I tried. standup comedy and I did the same thing. I go why would I want to be the the. 33,000 best at something when I could. devote my all my energies to be you know.
in the top right right the in the. conversation of the top something I. don't know I guess I feel like they're. different maybe The Grass Is Always. Greener but I uh the the times the many. times that I've watched you play and. heard you play I I just and I've heard. you in interviews sort of talk about. like yeah I made a decision I think you. say you saw Michael J fox in back for. the future and you're like okay I'm I. guess I'll learn to do that and I think. no that's not how it happen happens that.
is not you there's something there. there's something in you clearly that uh. isn't in other people and so it was it. was just very in a way it relaxed me cuz. I thought no I I play the guitar because. I find it kind of calming for myself and. I try not to inflict it on too many. other people but um no I did not watch. you and say well I better really get at. it now okay so I have a story about the. time I was relaxed the way you just.
explained it I was at a restaurant one. night and uh I was at Craigs not to brag. I was at Craigs and you got into Craigs. I got into Craigs I keep trying it's. like you on this podcast it just. couldn't they were like absolutely not. but anyway go ahead and Jeff Beck was in. the room oh Jesus and I was relaxed it's. so funny to hear you say that I went oh. I don't have to think about how I play. the guitar because the best is in the. room and it's not me in your mind it was. it's it's I was comforted I could. finally quiet down this noise in my head.
I didn't know was there which is the. best in the room is sitting over there. and it doesn't have to be it doesn't. have to maybe be me can I ask you a. question which is uh do you when did. this sighting happen I know Jeff Beck. passed not too long ago but it was that. long it was probably 2018 or something. see this is something I think some of. this comes a little bit with getting a. little older you're still in my book an. incredibly young person but but I think. some of this came to me later.
meaning the uh the ability to say yeah. that person's just so amazing and I'm. not going to worry about it oh I have. that I think that I don't know that I. had that in my 20s I was so you know. teens and 20s I was so hungry and then. there's this nice thing that comes later. on uh you know people malign getting old. and we have this whole culture that says. you know you oh my God that's terrible. and I'm especially in comedy that you. know I've turned 60 this year and I you.
know I was starting to get in my head a. little bit about it and then I thought. oh no I don't know I do what I can and. there's so many people that are so great. and I'm excited when I see how great. young young people are and they're when. I'm around like a Martin Short I relax. because I go okay that's Martin Short. I'm no Martin Short that's Martin Short. I have that when I go to Hollywood. parties which I don't very often anymore. but I used to go to parties and see. beautiful women and think to myself I'd. get discouraged I get sad i' never even.
went up to them and I'd get. sad and and now get sad why um I'd get. sad because I'd be so desirous of their. approval oh and their attention I would. just I remember being so young I'd want. to leave I don't even know what my. expectation was but it was to leave. walking on air or something to have. everybody just just sort of night me or. something at the party and now I walk in. and I don't mean this in any U sort of. um self-facing way I go and it's it's.
freeing they don't give a right I. say this she don't give a it's. awesome because she doesn't and that's. great so I don't even think about it. they don't care I have always felt sad. for beautiful women cuz they're they. don't get to be with me oh jeez because. I'm taken you know what I mean and I. know this I don't know what you me let. me ask let me just be really clear. please do they all go their whole lives. and not know uh the orgasmic. Beauty come on okay of being with this.
spam skin skeleton I just have an issue. with you and orgasmic Beauty being in. the same sentence.
