Why John Mayer Never Apologizes To An Audience | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

Okay so we've been talking a lot about. comedy and my curiosity is I always for. me music is the other it's the it's the. thing that I don't understand I put up. on a pedestal I've always said if I. could make my living legitimately uh in. a rockabilly band singing and playing. rockabilly music you would never see me. in comedy again because it would just. make me so happy that's an illusion cuz. it wouldn't I'd say how come no one's. laughing right well they would be. laughing actually uh Hony Ton Man Yeah.

Yeah by Johnny Horton how is this not. killing why aren't they howling right. nowl don't they know this is a real. Gretch 6120 from. 1959 it's got the CLE brand on it ah. I've got a harmonic tremolo. on uh but no I've always thought I've. always put what you do as the other and. so then I think I think what we all do. is we tend to think uh my thought is.

okay I'm hearing comedy and I'm always. living like second to Second and if. something goes wrong I've got to quickly. figure out how to fix it and it could. all fall apart at any second but if I. could play guitar and sing and write. songs like John Mayor I'd be bulletproof. and yet I talk to you and you don't feel. that way at all well I don't feel. bulletproof but for different reasons. it's i' I always tend to have a. different version of the same problem. everyone else has I worry the entire.

time I'm playing on stage but I don't. worry about whether I'm good enough to. make it happen that that's set for me. right I just happens to be said what I. worry about is am I playing The song. Anybody wants to hear right now is there. another song I should be playing other. than this one so I have the fear they're. going to walk out and go to the bathroom. not because they don't like me but. because I'm not playing what they want. to hear right right and it's the. blessing and the curse of having eight. nine albums and so many being so.

different it's not like I get up there. and I know ex and I also don't love. playing the hits sometimes what makes a. hit lacks a little bit of song fabric. that you can work with every single. night right and if I don't play. something that I'm well it goes both. ways right if I if I'm playing daughters. if I'm playing Waiting on the World to. Change I will say to myself they don't. want to hear this this is all played out. this is this is just a hit song used to. be on the radio no one cares anymore I. used should be playing something a. little deeper something a little more. texture then I play that and in the.

middle of playing that I go they're. going to walk out they they came here. they got babysitters they want to hear. the songs that made me famous so I can't. ever as I'm playing find that happy. place where I'm like they're fine. they're don't you think it comes down to. like they're fine out there they can. handle themselves they're okay don't wor. if if they if the audience could tell. you one thing it would be we're fine. have fun they took me a while to learn. this but uh audiences there's something. about a a group think audiences as a. group are highly intelligent there it's.

one organism like when you get that many. people together and they smell things. and if they if they sense one of the. things in and it may be true in music. too but in comedy they're just a lot of. times they're looking for confidence do. you have the confidence to are you. worthy of our time do you know what. you're doing and can you lead with. authority mus get are you having a good. time doing this yeah and and in comedy. too yeah they would hate to know if I if. I got on stage and said to the crowd.

it's so good to see you because I have a. really bad headache and then I went and. played the show they would they would. probably develop like you know. sympathetic pain in there or they'd go. oh he has a headache well for years on. the on the for the whatever 28 30 years. of doing late night. television I always my heart would sink. when a guest would come out and they're. doing okay and then they'd say uh these. stories suck in front of the audience. and the audience I I would always say. afterwards I mean I wouldn't lecture. them they would they right that that was.

that sounds stupid but I'd be thinking. to myself the audience was okay until. you I my job is to let the audience know. that this is just exactly the interview. I wanted whether it is or it. isn't but the minute you turn to them. and say you just bought a lemon of a car. that Dotson I just sold you sucks I know. there's not you are the spiritual leader. of them yeah that's why if you break a. guitar string most people in the. audience don't know how insignificant. breaking guitar string is they think you. might have broken the instrument and if. you go then they go if you play right.

through it they don't even notice after. that to I I never apologize I've seen. artists apologize on stage and I've told. them myself never apologize from the. stage right I'm sorry I have a cough. coold tonight you're not getting my best. show never ever say no no no you have to. you have to I mean this this is all very. Elemental stuff but it's so fascinating. to me that I love that it's true in. comedy it's true in music it's probably. true in business it's probably I mean.

it's a very uh I think uh cult leaders. don't say I'm sorry that thing I said. last week about you know an angel is. going to come and he's going to be. wearing goggles it's not it's not. goggles I misheard the angel the angel. will be Adept at Google is what I meant. you know uh yeah you just it's it's. Authority you're you're and and you know. sadly I think it works in politics too. where someone who you think is a. complete idiot if they things with great.

authority over and over and over again. and I'm not naming names but I think. we're we know that we're all talking. about Gerald Ford um well listen I've. said before if you're not a Ford guy. either good cuz we got to take him down. if if if Donald Trump weren't saying the. things he was saying right and was. saying things let's say that were benign. he would have a lovely speaking voice. yeah he could have he could have. narrated Royal tenant bombs and it would. and it would be great oh man I'm just.

imagining that someone can use AI I'm. sure a fastidious fan of yours will use. Ai and have Donald Trump narrate. wouldn't be terrible you know uh. wouldn't be terrible is my. Benchmark he just described that's our. that's our best review um no it's funny. because a couple of weeks ago I had the. honor of very recently of going to to to. talk to President Biden and I'm a huge.

you know presidential uh history buff. and and he was lovely to me and we had a. very nice conversation that wasn't. really that political uh at all um one. of the things I noticed is that he. speaks quietly but he's that what he's. saying is is uh you know was great he. was he was a terrific it was a terrific. conversation yeah and um he has a. quieter speaking voice and then I. noticed like yeah I think people as. opposed to say a trump who can say crazy.

things like uh you know uh arvar should. mate with zebras and if he he says it. loudly and everyone goes that's a leader. and I think to myself he just said arvar. should mate with another species I when. he reads from the teleprompter and. reacts to the teleprompter as he's. speaking and arars should be mating with. zebras and they should be mating they. should he's sort of reading for the. first time and you can you can always. feel the binary of when he's going oh. yeah be he's reacting good and they.

should be they should be and then he. goes back and he's reading and he's. reading and they should and they should. and he goes back I just love the moment. he realizes what he's reading yeah and. reacts to it in real time be funny if. they just if they just put a recipe in. there and he was just so he's talking. about like and we're going to do this. about the border and another thing if. you're making buttermilk biscuits a. quarter at high altitude one one egg. only one EG only takes one egg one they. should put the script to Royal ten bombs. in there but I like he's going like just. one EG you know cuz it's a high it's. higher altitude and go you feel them go.

back little bit a little bit of honey in. with the cuz you know it add sweetness. it add sweetness to the biscuit.