Nathan Lane Gave Mike Birbiglia His Big Break | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

you have uh amassed this really cool. body of work you're a terrific. Storyteller and um a terrific you make. these these oneman shows that are um. beautifully constructed than and you are. not so I want to take a second here and. and and acknowledge what you've done. which is you are not I have so much. respect for standup but what you do it. feels like you've carved out really. something quite unique.

and I think that's that's my highest. compliment to musicians and comedians is. when I say this person found something. they work they they worked hard in the. dark alone they figured it out and they. came out with something that's truly. them and I think you've done that like. people you have a this huge following. which is people want to want to hear. Mike bigia tells stories that are very. personal to him no I appreciate it it's. I'm lucky I just you know I'm doing a. new tour called please stop the ride.

it's like a whole new hour and it's uh. and it yeah it seems like people still. want to see the next show you know it. it's weird every time I always talk. about this with my friend Jack antinoff. who's from bleachers great musition and. we've been friends for like 20 years. we're both touring acts and like when. you put a tour on sale you find out if. anyone still cares yeah you know what I. mean and it's like and so it's exciting. that I've made these yeah like you're.

saying like I made these things that and. it's kind of by accident that I made it. specific it's really just because I'm. like I'm really interested in plays and. I'm really interested in movies and. drama and then also I'm really. interested in standup and along the way. I started working with a theater. director Seth beish and I just I started. working with theater producers and all. at a certain point it just became a. thing like it wasn't an overnight thing. it just and at a certain point like my. probably my biggest break was like in 20.

8 um Nathan Lane agreed to be present My. Show Off Broadway Sleepwalk with Me. which is the first one of these and that. was helpful because it like sort of put. me it made people show up and and think. it's a piece of theater as opposed to. just writing it off as stand up little. to have Nathan Lane true no but but like. to have Nathan Lane's imprint I mean he. is uh he's a gold standard he's a gold. standard and so for Nathan Lane to say.

you all need to pay attention to Mike. biglia I mean to give yourself credit. you've also had you are uh You' you've. had a fascinating life uh you've had a. very interesting life you've had a lot. of um health issues and you've been. really honest about them and they are. quite dramatic and these stories you. tell are riveting I mean they're really. like and to the point where I mean I. remember like the the highest compliment.

I can pay to someone this sounds. terrible but Los Angeles is a very. specific place and Theater in LA to get. to theater in La you need to it's not. like New York where you say I want to go. check out that show I'm going to walk 15. blocks this way and go see the show I. heard that you were doing your show and. and Greg Daniels and I were talking. about it and we decided let's go down. and and and see Mike biglia do his uh do. his show so we uh we drove to downtown. Los Angeles to see your show and I. remember thinking as I'm driving into.

downtown LA this is. commitment cuz it's like a 40 minute as. far Odyssey and you feel like it's like. Lord of the Rings like there's different. tests along the way and uh we lost the. ring for a while but we got it back and. we crossed the river and we we you know. and then finally we ended up at this. wonderful theater and we saw you and you. were worth it definitely worth the trip. oh thanks yeah it's weird how yeah it's. weird how you end up where you are and. then also like you were talking about. the Nathan L thing it's a little bit.

like with Lauren Michaels with you with. late night yeah cuz like I remember when. that happened in the 9s when they were. like and the new host is a writer who. you do not know who's replacing also to. put it in context I always I used to I. did this bit once uh on Charles Groen. show but he was like now what was it. like when you replaced Letterman and I. was like what is it what was it like I. said. imagine I can't imagine I said imagine. um imagine that because you know.

Letterman 1993 and this is back when. there were very few comedy Gods you know. that it's a very different landscape now. but he's this he's the biggest icon in. comedy and and Carson's retired and so. it's like it's Letterman in in my world. and then uh imagine them saying uh in uh. in baseball you know Joe dagio is now. retiring today ladies and gentlemen. gentlemen gentlemen gentlemen he is. leaving the field forever forever. forever forever goodbye Joe deio.

greatest Legend in Yankee history. history history history but don't worry. ladies and gentlemen gentlemen gentlemen. Here Comes his replacement 19-year-old. chip. Whitley and like a bat a Bat Boy comes. running out like hi everybody I'm going. to disappoint you for a while while. while but don't worry worry worry if you. stick with me with me with me after. about four four or five years years. years you'll grow to love me love me. love me and that's what it felt like and.

that's exactly what it was it was. crazy yay boo y lots of fun to do if you. like it Hol yeah and if you don't but. uh but um it was it was absolute Madness. but it's so funny that you remember that. but fan like people that are into our. stuff now or like the podcast whatever. and people in their 20s they have no. idea yeah they just think oh you you're. like Mickey Mouse you were just always.

around like no no I'm no there was a. there was a time when it was really. rough yeah like I and I feel like the. thing that's happened this Show's called. the old man in the pool and by the time. people yeah I'll say it's on Netflix now. it's called the old man in the pool cuz. it will cuz it's out right now it's out. right now and I want I had a fear about. it which was I was like the vision was I. want to do a show that's that's 90.

minutes of jokes and stories about death. because I feel like if we you know face. the thing that we're more scar most. scared of in in my case death um that. there's a catharsis for that for. everybody potentially and I did have a. fear of like oh I'm going to go out with. this and then some people are going to. be if they're going through you know. sorrow or dealing with deaths of people. close to them are going to have a bad. it's going to have a bad.

effect and it was the opposite like. literally the people who would come up. to me like when I was doing it in LA. like I remember like this woman came up. to after the show and she was like I. recently lost some people in my life and. I lost my dad and a bunch of people and. and tonight when I was in the audience. like I felt like I was laughing with my. dad and it was like and genuinely like I. feel like that's the thing about being. in my 40s that I did not expect first of. all I didn't expect to be doing comedy. in my 40s somehow like in my 20s and 30s. and didn't anticipate that it would.

continue somehow but I feel like the. thing that I've I've started to realize. is like oh it really is about them it's. about the audience it's about their. experience and if like if you can get. people to that point that's why I'm. excited that it's on Netflix now because. it's like oh well maybe it'll have that. effect with the you know the hundreds of. millions of people who who are able to. get to Netflix that's been my Discovery. but you know the thing is uh like like. in your it's funny cuz.

to and this is a compliment again hard. to categorize you because you are very. funny and you are a comedian and you are. doing stand-up comedy but it's also not. stand-up comedy because you're telling. stories and we've talked about this. somewhat I know and you mentioned your. mom I know your mom was a major. influence on you because like my parents. she comes from this Irish storytelling. uh Trad and I just knew that I I grew up.

in a similar kind of situation where. telling stories and and and being able. to make something that happened to you. funny was sort of just a way of life. it's how you it's it's how you grew up. it wasn't even thought of as a Prof as a. possible profession right yeah it's like. it's definitely not I mean I grew up I. was at of Worcester I didn't even grew. up I was at of Boston like people don't. even understand when I explain where I. live like central Massachusetts they're. like why would any anyone live there in.

the middle yep the middle in shury. Massachusetts which I love and I just. went back there recently I love it but. it's also like no one in the town. thought Show Business wasn't a job that. anyone even had right I it was an. outrageous thought uh but uh yeah I feel. like even when I go home now it's like. and my mom's a great Storyteller you. know and my my siblings you know my two. sisters Gina and Patty my brother. they're a riot and like the most fun is.

my wife always comments on this is is. that when I'm home it's not the. dinner the Christmas dinner that's funny. it's like the 11 12 at night 1:00 a.m. sitting around the kitchen aisle kitchen. yeah kitchen and just telling stories. about kids you grew up with and what's. going on with everybody and what's this. person up to and like and that's like. I'm getting choked Ed up even saying.

it's like weirdly that's my favorite. thing to do yeah be with people you love. and just tell stories about things right. but I think you've been done a really. good job of replicating. that that there's an alchemy that. happens specifically around the kitchen. island or for us I can I I I still see. it when I go home and my parents are. still uh with us it's so funny melany I. was last time I was talking to him. and I mentioned that my dad is 94 and he.

said I think it's I forget how he said. it because his diction is so perfect his. word choice but he just said I think. it's like something unseemly or silly. that a man your age still has his. father and I was. like no but it was I could kind of see. like oh come on Conan you're ancient and. you're saying I just saw my dad that's. ridiculous but um but I I kind of knew.

what he was saying but uh I think he. said was he like it's not dignified it's. almost not dignified like oh stop that. like oh stop that Conan that's. ridiculous but uh I I go back and see my. folks and it's the same house I grew up. in in Brookline and there's that there's. that Round Table that's still there and. I'm sitting at that same table and all. that stuff comes back which is oh this. is where I really cut my teeth this is. where I everything else. uh has been a refinement yeah of that.

you're just refining and adjusting and. and but but the basic concept of how it. all works happens around your kitchen. table.