John Mulaney Explains His Beef With The SNL 50 Afterparty | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

You know, there was the the show and. then there was a party at the plaza, man. And I went to that party at the. plaza. I got beef with that party again. What's that? I got beef with that party. again. What? Which is the the 40th and. the 50th. Uhhuh. Everyone's trying to. talk and these musicians get up and. start playing. Yes. And it stinks. I. want them off the stage. They're so. loud. We can't have a conversation. You. can't have a conversation. We all want. to sit and stand in various areas.

talking poorly about our contemporaries. and you're out there trying to do an. arcade fire. Get out of here. Yeah. I. wanted to get a little spray bottle of. water and just scoop them off stage. I. was so mad. Like you're training a. puppy. Exactly. No. What about us looks. like we want to move our bodies and. dance? We're all tired and we want to speak. lovingly but poorly of our. contemporaries, co-workers, the show as. a whole and what the planning was like.

Yes. And you remember with the 40th that. um who's that guy Prince gets up. and everyone talks about this like it's. the greatest night in New York history. It stunk. They sounded like a wedding. band. It was like Elvis Perkins, Paul. McCartney, you know, uh, maybe Acid, all. of them just playing at once, uh, loudly. and then Prince got up and we had to act. like that was a big deal trying to I. just was like, I just wanted to talk.

with Bobby Moahan. Yeah. Um, it was. such a bummer. It's so not what this is. about to me. Loud guitars. I was really. mad. And then when I saw them start to. plug in at the 50th, I left. I said, "I. can't I can't do everything." Okay. Well, here's here's I know how to make a. good party. We would lower the music and. we would all quietly say say slightly. negative things. Yeah. Yeah. Um there. were different levels at the plaza and I.

walked in and I decided I knew there was. music and I didn't go towards the music. I stayed down. There was a a bar. I. ended up in the lobby where there were. couches. Yeah. Yeah, just hung out. there. I went past the lobby. There's a. bar area and I'm standing at the bar. area and I had said hello to a couple of. people and I turn around and Paul. McCartney is standing right there and. I'm an insane Beatles fan. I've. interviewed him a bunch of times, but I. always assume I think correctly that. he's he's met too many f he's met too.

many people in his life. So I don't say. like, "Hey Paul, you know who I am." We. start chatting. I tell him I really. liked the Golden Slumbers medley and I. like the how the guitar parts at the end. are so distinctive because the three. Beatles played them. Paul first really. cool, dude. Sounds really I know. I. know. I know. I like three guitar parts. Sorry. I know. I'm saying I know. I'm. I'm celebrating my dorkom. Three guitar.

parts cuz all three of you Beatles. played them. Yeah. I didn't remember the. other one's names. Yeah. All three of. you. And so he Joel and but he's. chatting and he's like, "Oh, you know,". he's talking about it. We're having like. a nice conversation, goes on for a. while. I said a couple of things about. uh I think a couple of nice things about. more contemporary work he's done. He he. seemed to like that and then he said, "Um, well, you've said some nice things. to me." He said, "And then he said, "Maybe you want to even it out a.

little." Like, you know, you've said. some nice things. Maybe you should maybe. you want to go the other way for the. next comment and I said okay um you guys. peaked uh Jesus. Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. I said you guys peaked with the. Corey men. Everything after that was. That's great. And he didn't laugh. He looked a little surprised but I. basically told him the group they had. before they were the Beatles was the. best and everything after that was. And then I knew to walk away. And um I.

thought maybe maybe that's going to. penetrate everything else he's heard. tonight. Maybe he's going to wake up at. 2:00 in the morning go did that. say that I peaked with the queen. Like. three people in Liverpool probably said. that. And it stuck with them. Yeah. Like. when you was playing weddings you was. better. and they're like you know it stays with. you and you go like yeah I'd like to see. that lady see us now. You know. and with the Tony McCartney insult I bet. his head was spinning. Yeah, he didn't.

know. He had he was taking punches left. and right. My point, sorry, the thing I. was I failed to say was that those. conversations with Lauren, like I feel. like in a marvelous way in order to get. the collective heart rate where it. needed to be, that show was not planned. till much closer to it than realize. I. mean, you would know, but it really was. It was really. fun. It was humorously down to the wire. and then it passed the point of. humorous. Yeah, it was great. I knew.

that that would be the case because. that's the way it has to be. I also knew. and and it got there and it was really. hard with a two-year runup and this is. selling but he got it there. Very hard. to do that. They announced two years out. that they were going to be going to the. to to Mars with a rocket and it's the. night before and they're trying to. figure out where the nose cone is or. they're like or it could be Venus and. you're like. like to get everyone there with such a. good feeling, but by Thursday to to.

create an atmosphere where like me and. Tina and Seth and Jo are running into. each other going, "What the hell is. happening?" Like that was real. That was. a work of art. the the stress leading up. to it was a work of art. Well, I selling. out Jim Downey, but I know it was. because Jim Downey was calling me. pitching things. Oh, yeah. To me, like. showing that full Bob New Hart sketch. Yeah. A week before. and and saying, "Wait, I I I said, "Yeah, I think I'm going to be able to. come, but wait, you want me to do.

something? I don't think I'm doing. anything." And he's like, "No, no, it'd. be great. Be great. And also with Norm, you could do a Norm thing and and but. you could also do this." And I said I. and I got the impression I started to. have the impression that he was. wandering around the basement of 30 Rock. with a phone and the cord had been. snipped. Like he wasn't talking. And so. I I he was pitching things that I don't. think had any chance of happening. Well, he wanted to show in its entirety a cut. sketch that Bob Newhart started called.

Dave's Supertore. Have you ever heard of. It's like based on, you know, those. Midwestern stores like a Ben Franklin. which sells Hmel figurines and kites and. any Oh, is it the store that has. everything kind of? Yeah. And so it's, you know, hey, do you have a a crossbow. made out of white chocolate? Uh, we we. have one I and so it's that bit with Bob. New Hart. It sounded great, but uh in. the middle of the 50th, Jim wanted to. show it in its entirety. And I thought. that that was such a funny thing to be.

pushing within 72 hours of the. broadcast. Yes. Yes. And I was getting. these calls from Jim like, "So, it's. all, hey, it's all planned. You're going. to introduce a sketch." And I I I It's. all planned. Yeah. It's, you know, the. fix is in. You're going to And so I. discreetly uh I discreetly reached out. to some other people who said, "No." The. best call was uh the Saturday before I. was about to fly in for the week and Jim. goes, "Now, when are you going to be in.

the office?" And I go, "Well, I land. Monday at this time." He goes, "But what. time are you getting in?" I was like, "I'm not sure what time I'm arriving at. the office." He goes, "I will commit now. to keeping banker's hours if you do.". I will commit now to keeping bankers. hours.