Eric Idle Returns

Summary

Podcast Summary: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – Episode: Eric Idle Returns

Host: Team Coco & Earwolf
Guest: Eric Idle, Comedy Legend and Monty Python Member
Episode Title: Eric Idle Returns
Description: In this episode, Conan O’Brien welcomes Eric Idle, a member of the iconic Monty Python troupe, to discuss his new book, "The Spamalot Diaries." The conversation delves into Eric's experiences with Monty Python, the creative process behind their work, personal anecdotes, and his reflections on comedy and writing.

---

1. Introduction to Eric Idle and "The Spamalot Diaries" [08:07 – 09:26]

Sona Movsesian opens the episode with heartfelt admiration for Eric Idle, highlighting his influence and the significance of his new book.

Sona Movsesian [08:07]:
"My guest today is a comedy legend, one of the members of the iconic comedy group Monty Python. His new book, The Spamalot Diaries, is out now. I can't even. There are no words to say. I'm honored is just dumb because it's a word way beyond honored." [08:07]

Eric Idle [09:26]:
"Well, you know, you should know how I feel about it. I think you're one of the funniest people on the planet." [09:26]

---

2. Eric Idle’s Early Days and Monty Python Formation [09:40 – 12:24]

The discussion shifts to Eric’s early career, his meeting with fellow Monty Python members, and the formation of the troupe.

Sona Movsesian [11:05]:
"When you're getting started, this would be easily six years before Python, but you're just getting started. And I always looked at that poster and kind of time travel back to this other time when all of you guys were getting started and finding your way. It's before you all found each other. And it's magical." [11:05]

Eric Idle [12:16]:
"I met at Edinburgh, Terry Jones and Michael Payne, who were doing the Oxford review." [12:16]

---

3. The Creative Process Behind Spamalot [17:47 – 20:08]

Eric delves into the making of Spamalot, emphasizing the challenges, conflicts, and collaborative efforts involved.

Sona Movsesian [17:47]:
"The thing that's special about the Spamalot Diaries is when you were putting Spamalot together, and this is 2004, you kept a diary of the entire process of putting it together." [17:47]

Eric Idle [18:19]:
"It's a process, not a miracle. There are conflicts, people need to be angry." [18:19]

Sona Movsesian [20:08]:
"I could see how you have a stiff upper lip. You could be very dismissive of any kind of pain in your life." [24:23]

---

4. Reflections on Monty Python and Its Legacy [21:25 – 29:46]

The conversation touches upon the internal dynamics of Monty Python, disagreements among members, and the lasting impact of their work.

Eric Idle [21:25]:
"The secret of it was that America, you were John. But what happened in America was when the Beatles first arrived in America, what made everybody love them was they were funny." [16:19]

Sona Movsesian [24:23]:
"There's a line in the Spamalot Diaries, you and Mike Nichols..." [24:23]

Eric Idle [43:48]:
"If somebody has one view of it and somebody doesn't and somebody has another, those can lead to very bad arguments." [43:48]

---

5. Personal Anecdotes and Relationships [29:46 – 36:50]

Eric shares personal stories about his friendships, particularly with Robin Williams, and his interactions with other celebrities and collaborators.

Sona Movsesian [29:46]:
"It's funny you mention Robin, because I didn't realize how close you guys were." [29:46]

Eric Idle [32:10]:
"But that's how he was." [32:10]

Eric Idle [36:50]:
"I think it's a fascinating process. And I had some very good mentors." [36:50]

---

6. Insights on Comedy, Writing, and Success [37:00 – 50:36]

The dialogue explores Eric’s philosophy on comedy, the importance of struggle in the creative process, and his views on success and failure.

Sona Movsesian [40:14]:
"You talked about how you'd all argue in Python about, is this the right chair? No, this isn't the right chair." [40:14]

Eric Idle [41:04]:
"I think if you're content with what you're writing, you're not very good." [41:04]

Eric Idle [43:48]:
"We're all comedy junkies. Laugh junkies." [43:48]

Eric Idle [50:36]:
"You are being crucified. There's very little to look forward to at that point." [50:36]

---

7. Musical Passions and Collaborations [50:36 – 56:28]

Eric discusses his love for music, collaborations with musicians like Brian Cox and Keith Richards, and how music complements his comedic endeavors.

Eric Idle [46:50]:
"I like putting people together. I like conversation. But love at the end of the evening is a ding dong. We have a play." [46:50]

Eric Idle [52:09]:
"With Keith, you know, I mean, Keith is like the most extraordinary. He's like Noel Coward." [52:09]

Sona Movsesian [48:07]:
"They say, Always look on the bright side of life, and it's such a great song." [48:07]

---

8. Concluding Remarks and Final Thoughts [56:28 – 67:19]

As the episode winds down, Sona shares personal stories about her grandmother, drawing parallels to the themes of the podcast, while Eric emphasizes the importance of empathy and human connection.

Sona Movsesian [55:27]:
"You have this endless joy for trying to figure it all out." [55:27]

Eric Idle [67:01]:
"Let's have some good come from this." [66:56]

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Sona Movsesian [08:07]:
  "I'm honored is just dumb because it's a word way beyond honored."

• Eric Idle [09:26]:
  "I think you're one of the funniest people on the planet."

• Eric Idle [18:19]:
  "It's a process, not a miracle. There are conflicts, people need to be angry."

• Eric Idle [41:04]:
  "I think if you're content with what you're writing, you're not very good."

• Eric Idle [50:36]:
  "You are being crucified. There's very little to look forward to at that point."

• Eric Idle [67:01]:
  "Let's have some good come from this."

---

Key Topics and Insights

1. Creative Struggles: Eric emphasizes that successful projects like Spamalot are the result of intense collaboration, frequent disagreements, and persistent effort. The diary entries in his book showcase the anxiety and conflicts inherent in the creative process.

2. Legacy of Monty Python: Discussions highlight how Monty Python revolutionized comedy, drawing parallels between their work and other influential groups like the Beatles in their early days.

3. Personal Growth Through Art: Eric shares how his challenging childhood and mentorships shaped his approach to comedy and writing, fostering empathy and resilience.

4. Importance of Music: Beyond comedy, Eric’s passion for music serves as a therapeutic and creative outlet, allowing him to connect with others and express himself differently.

5. Human Connections: The episode underscores the value of genuine friendships and collaborative relationships in both personal and professional spheres.

6. Empathy and Audience Connection: Eric discusses the significance of treating audience members as individuals, fostering a more meaningful and less hierarchical interaction.

7. Balancing Success and Humility: Reflecting on cultural differences, Eric and Sona explore how success is perceived and handled differently in the UK compared to the US, touching upon concepts like the Tall Poppy Syndrome.

---

Conclusion

This episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend offers an in-depth look into Eric Idle’s multifaceted career and personal life. Through candid conversations, Eric provides listeners with valuable insights into the complexities of creative collaboration, the enduring legacy of Monty Python, and the importance of maintaining genuine human connections. His reflections on empathy, the creative process, and the interplay between comedy and music offer inspiration for aspiring artists and comedy enthusiasts alike.

---

For those who haven't listened to the episode, this summary encapsulates the essence of Eric Idle's experiences and philosophies, providing a comprehensive overview of the discussions and insights shared during the podcast.

Transcript

[Conan O'Brien]

The kind of burgers you get today tells you a lot about yourself. You're either someone who settles for sad, same old, same old burgers, or you're Edit Carl's Jr. Obsessed with a tangy OG Western bacon cheeseburger demanding a house made guacamole, loaded guac bacon fired up for the insanely hot El Diablo or craving a classic Charbold Famous star. Give in to your flavored cravings. Do your mouth to Carl's Jr.

[Sona Movsesian]

Good Burger. What's your boldest, truly ambitious life goal? Everyone has one and everyone deserves a way to get there. That's why State street offers a wide variety of ETFs to give all investors access to the market and the chance to reach their goals. Like with DIA where you get 30 US blue chip stocks in a single trade. Wherever you're heading, getting there starts here with State Street. Before investing, consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Visit ssga.com for perspectives containing this and other information. Read it carefully. DIA Subject to risks similar to those of stocks. All ATs are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal. Alps Distributors Inc. Distributor.

[Eric Idle]

Hi, my name is Eric Idle and I feel horny about being code model.

[Sona Movsesian]

I only laugh because I don't want to cry. You're always cornering me at some party. Grinding up against me in front of your wife.

[Eric Idle]

That's the closest she gets to sex.

[Matt Gourley]

Phone is here. Hear the L. Back to school.

[Eric Idle]

Ring the bell Brand new shoes Walking.

[Sona Movsesian]

Blues Climb the fence Books and pens. I can tell that we are gonna be friends Yes, I can tell that we are gonna be friends hey there. Welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a friend. We're laughing already. And you know when we can laugh, it means we're alive and life is good, isn't it?

[Glenn]

Yeah.

[Matt Gourley]

Yeah.

[Glenn]

Yes.

[Sona Movsesian]

Would you like to talk about what we were laughing about?

[Glenn]

Absolutely not. Absolutely. Some things meant for off mic.

[Matt Gourley]

Yeah, some things are meant for not even off mic.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Listen, I'm happy to be here with you guys. Just had a lovely interaction with your family.

[Matt Gourley]

Oh, yeah.

[Sona Movsesian]

Mr. Goarly, my daughter. Your beautiful wife. Your daughter, she's how old now?

[Matt Gourley]

She's three.

[Sona Movsesian]

She's three.

[Matt Gourley]

She's turned three.

[Sona Movsesian]

She's never to come here again.

[Matt Gourley]

I understand.

[Sona Movsesian]

Without my permission.

[Eric Idle]

I understand.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, no, she was. Kids love it here because we have this nice office building and it has lots of candy and treats and.

[Glenn]

Yeah. I mean, Glenn came with a Minnie Mouse on a noose.

[Matt Gourley]

Right. And there's a story behind that.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, that Was a little disturbing. She had Minnie Mouse, and Minnie Mouse looked like. Minnie Mouse was in bondage. Your beautiful daughter. And some of it was kind of around the neck, and it looked like. It looked like frontier justice for Minnie Mouse.

[Matt Gourley]

There's an explanation.

[Glenn]

The Salem witch trial.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah.

[Matt Gourley]

Minnie committed manslaughter.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, I see. Okay. Well, then Penny and Minnie had to pay.

[Matt Gourley]

No, we had to get her to go on our b. We had to tie Minnie onto the bike so that once Minnie was on there, Glenn would go on the bike. We don't tie Glenn to the bike. She has a seat.

[Sona Movsesian]

Right.

[Matt Gourley]

But if she doesn't, if she holds Minnie, Minnie will fall somewhere. So we had to tie Minnie the bike seat.

[Eric Idle]

Okay.

[Matt Gourley]

And we did it by hanging her by the neck till she be dead.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. Yeah. It was disturbing. It was. Yeah. Because Minnie was lifeless and your daughter didn't seem to care. Shout out to the Disney company. Does Disney have any control over how they're. If once they've sold the doll, they have no say over it?

[Matt Gourley]

I don't think so.

[Glenn]

You can do whatever you want to it.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, wow.

[Matt Gourley]

Normally Glenn wears a black hood.

[Glenn]

Oh, what? What?

[Sona Movsesian]

No, just take it out for drinks.

[Glenn]

Oh, no, I wasn't saying anything like that. I was saying you could, like, stab it or light it on fire.

[Matt Gourley]

Oh, you both got her.

[Glenn]

Where did you go?

[Sona Movsesian]

Drinks. What's wrong with taking Goofy out for a drink and watch the game?

[Glenn]

Just you and Goofy. A stuffed Goofy sitting in a bar.

[Sona Movsesian]

I would like to do that and see if anyone came over and said anything. Probably not.

[Matt Gourley]

Yeah.

[Glenn]

Do you treat him Goofy like he's an actual person?

[Sona Movsesian]

Sure. Someone walks by and I'm like, hey, Goofy, you know what? What?

[Matt Gourley]

Yeah, what?

[Sona Movsesian]

I don't know what I'm feeling anymore.

[Matt Gourley]

Goofy just sits there with a full drink. And then do you try to surreptitiously drink it to seem like Goofy's drinking or what?

[Sona Movsesian]

Yes, every now and then, I drain a little bit of Goofy's drink.

[Glenn]

Oh, my gosh.

[Sona Movsesian]

So that it looks like. And then I say, excuse me. Hello, Goofy's. Goofy's running a little low here.

[Glenn]

Time for a re up.

[Sona Movsesian]

And if you.

[Glenn]

A game playing. Do you make him high five you?

[Sona Movsesian]

I go to high five him, but he just falls off limply. He just falls off the couch. And then I go like, someone's had too much over here. Goofy's.

[Matt Gourley]

Do you see Goofy back up to his room or does he come to yours?

[Eric Idle]

All right, now we're not getting into that now.

[Sona Movsesian]

You took it Too far.

[Glenn]

I did.

[Sona Movsesian]

You did. That was you.

[Glenn]

This is a classy.

[Sona Movsesian]

I do want to bring up. This was reminding me that one of my sisters, I forget, was not me. It was not me. I want to say that, but when we were really little, it wasn't you. Now, okay, someone went in, and I forget which sister it was, but someone went in there, cut off all the hair on, like three of their dolls, and then wrote. Carved their name backwards onto the skull, which is so on the forehead.

[Matt Gourley]

Your sister's name or the name of the doll?

[Sona Movsesian]

I think it was the name of my sister backwards and.

[Matt Gourley]

Are you kidding me?

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. And I remember that being. I don't remember who did it. It was not me. I swear it was not me. But I remembered seeing the results and thinking, this is like, we're all really young at this point. And whoever did it just wrote the name backwards.

[Matt Gourley]

What's the name? Nanok.

[Sona Movsesian]

No, it was not Nanok. But I just remember that being like a chilling like, oh, this is a grisly crime scene. But it was dolls.

[Matt Gourley]

But the backwards thing is what's getting me that very devil.

[Sona Movsesian]

No, but I think it was because they were trying to spell their sister's name, Neil. And. And wrote it backwards because they were very young.

[Matt Gourley]

Wait, so was someone writing someone else's name like a frame job? This was you.

[Sona Movsesian]

No, I didn't do this. I did lots of terrible things. Yeah, I did terrible, terrible things. Mostly to Justin and apologies. Justin, I've told you this, right? I would play very complicated game. He just wanted to play cops and robbers. And I would immediately get lawyers involved. I would say, well, now we have to go see a lawyer because you drew your gun. He'd be like, I didn't even fire my gun. I went. You drew it. And in Massachusetts, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. And I would make him fill out papers. He was sufferable, awful person.

[Matt Gourley]

The absence of fun.

[Sona Movsesian]

No. And there was a big gap between us. So he was a very young kid, and I was in my late 40s. But he's fine now. They just released him.

[Glenn]

I get it. People do weird things with dolls. I used to do weird things.

[Sona Movsesian]

But yeah, it's a time of life when dolls. It can be a crime scene. And it's acting things out in a safe way.

[Glenn]

Yeah. Okay. I guess that's weird, though.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, did. Your brother was a bully a little bit. To you?

[Glenn]

Yeah. Danny used to beat me up a lot. And I used to always think, hey, I got a chance. And I never did. I just.

[Sona Movsesian]

Danny's a strong guy. I can't take Danny.

[Glenn]

No, you can't. No. He was a football player in high school, and he used to. He was huge, and he would be.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, now you're making me feel like I should try and fight Danny.

[Glenn]

You would lose. He would beat you up badly. He would badly beat you up.

[Sona Movsesian]

I could choose my moment. What if he doesn't see me coming? I come up from behind.

[Glenn]

Like a sucker punch.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, no, I'm holding something. I've got, like, a stick.

[Glenn]

What? That's still, like you? Kind of a sucker punch, but he doesn't expect it.

[Sona Movsesian]

I wouldn't use my real hand. My hands aren't very strong, so I would have, like, a big bag, like a weapon.

[Glenn]

Yeah. You would probably win, but you'd be a bitch.

[Sona Movsesian]

But I don't care about that part.

[Glenn]

Okay.

[Sona Movsesian]

You see a scenario where I could take your brother Danny.

[Glenn]

Yeah. If he doesn't see Danny.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah.

[Glenn]

Suck it, Danny.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, Taze. Take it easy.

[Glenn]

Okay.

[Sona Movsesian]

Have we accomplished anything here with this opening? No.

[Eric Idle]

Nothing.

[Sona Movsesian]

This is awful.

[Matt Gourley]

All we've managed to accomplish is we've killed five minutes.

[Sona Movsesian]

Okay.

[Matt Gourley]

And so it's time to start the show.

[Sona Movsesian]

I think we start the show. I'm satisfied.

[Glenn]

Are you?

[Sona Movsesian]

Yes. Satisfied with less the podcast rule. My guest today is a comedy legend, one of the members of the iconic comedy group Monty Python. His new book, the Spamalot Diaries, is out now. I can't even. There are no words to say. I'm honored is just dumb because it's a word way beyond honored. I'm elevated, enervated, filled with light. He's here with us today. Eric Idle. I could not be happier that you're here. You've been on the podcast before. You're one of my favorite human beings on earth. I will say that without reservation. He hates a compliment, but as you know, I've been telling you for years and years and years, in my opinion, there's Python, and then the rest of us are just dicking around. So I mean that. And I love. I want to say this right up top, that you have brought this book in that I adore. It's called the Spamalot Diaries, and it's a joy. It's a real treat, and it's about the process, and that's one of the things that I adore about it. But first, let's talk about how much you admire me. I've allotted 40 minutes.

[Eric Idle]

Well, you know, you should know how I feel about it. I think you're can't even don't nothing yet. I think you're one of the funniest people on the planet.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, that's insanity. We're not doing that.

[Eric Idle]

No, it's his. And that was a surprise to me because I always thought you were hilarious. But then I saw you do standup at the Lago, and you kill me. And I've forgotten that, obviously. You've been doing standup for millions of years. When you were talking about.

[Sona Movsesian]

I had done. I never did classic standup. But I'm in front. In front of an audience. I'll try anything. And so.

[Eric Idle]

Well, you're like me. You're shameless in front of an audience.

[Sona Movsesian]

I am. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. It's.

[Eric Idle]

But you're much funnier than me, and I. Nope.

[Sona Movsesian]

But anyway, let's make this about you. I'm cutting it off. I don't like this. This is about Eric Idle, and one.

[Eric Idle]

Of you just invited me to say something nice about you.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, but I thought you'd take that.

[Matt Gourley]

You guys really are horny friends.

[Sona Movsesian]

Get a room. I thought you'd take that opportunity to shit on me.

[Eric Idle]

And you.

[Sona Movsesian]

You fucked it up. I've had. One of. One of the best things that's happened to me in my adult life is getting to know Eric on a bunch of occasions. And then, Eric, I know you've moved since then, but you would have me to your home. Your lovely wife Tanya would be there. Your daughter Lily would be there. My wife and I, Eliza would go, and you'd put together this salon of really funny, cool musical people. And. But one of the things that always grabbed my attention is I'd walk in the front door and there was a poster, and it was from university. It's from 1963, I think it is from 1963.

[Eric Idle]

And it's from the Edinburgh Festival.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, it's from the Edinburgh Festival.

[Eric Idle]

It's my first public performance.

[Sona Movsesian]

And it's you as a squeaky young lad. And it's a giant photograph of a.

[Eric Idle]

Handsome young man with the world ahead of him. You know?

[Sona Movsesian]

Okay, squeaky might not be the right. I meant you were clean. Squeaky clean, probably.

[Eric Idle]

Yes.

[Sona Movsesian]

But it's this poster from 1963, and it's. When you're getting started, this would be easily six years before Python, but you're just getting started. And I always looked at that. Every time you had me over, I would look at that poster and kind of time travel back to this other time when all of you guys were getting started and finding your way. It's before you all found each other. And it's magical.

[Eric Idle]

Well, that's not quite true.

[Sona Movsesian]

You see, oddly, that's true. You had worked together. Yeah.

[Eric Idle]

Quite by chance. I already met John Cleese. I'd already met Graham Chapman, who was at St. Bart's Hospital studying to become a fully qualified alcoholic.

[Sona Movsesian]

You know, I like a person who does their. Really does their work.

[Matt Gourley]

What's the time in.

[Eric Idle]

I met at Edinburgh, Terry Jones and Michael Payne, who were doing the Oxford review. So in 1963, we'd all met.

[Sona Movsesian]

You'd all met.

[Eric Idle]

With the exception of Terry Gilliam.

[Sona Movsesian]

Right.

[Eric Idle]

Whom no one has yet met.

[Sona Movsesian]

You can meet him, but you still haven't met him. Yeah. I would look at that and just think about, this is a document. This is. You know, I'm a history buff and I'm also a comedy buff. And to look at that poster. It was always hard to lure me away from it because I just thought that's the year I was born. And I just want to. I wanted to put that in just to accentuate that.

[Eric Idle]

But it's also the year of the Beatles.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, it's the year of the Beatles in England. Not the year of the Beatles in America. We think 64, but it was 63.

[Eric Idle]

Yeah, yeah. Very much so. At the Edinburgh Festival was the first time all the girlies were playing all their records and going, what's all this about? What's all this about?

[Sona Movsesian]

So, yeah, these guys with this weird hair that are living from Liverpool.

[Eric Idle]

Absolutely. And then they came through Cambridge the year after and everybody changed. The whole world changed. We used to wear little old tweed jackets with leather pads. Yeah. Suddenly we were wearing Beetle jackets and saying, who's your favorite Beetle?

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah.

[Eric Idle]

You know, and so they actually did literally change the world after that Edmund Festival.

[Sona Movsesian]

You know, it's funny, you can look at college yearbooks and high school yearbooks from 1963. You could in this in the United States. If you look at a high school yearbook from 1964, everyone's got buzz cuts and horn rimmed glasses. Everybody. And they all look kind of the same. And then you look at the high school yearbook from 1965, there's still the occasional guy with a crew cut who just can't get the message. But everybody else has that hair. It changed everything. But we'll talk about the Beatles another time. I want to talk about the Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones. They took the blues, which is deceptively simple form, and they transformed it.

[Eric Idle]

I have a theory issue, Python. Because this was all Rock and roll came in just in those years and everybody's. The band used to be in the pit and then they came up on the stage, put on tight trousers, started to play loud music, and all the girls chased them. And the comedians had to wait in the wings for a while. But my theory is that Monty Python became the first mock and roll group. Yes, because we did stadiums. We ended up playing the Hollywood bowl, we did O2. We were. We were the first ones. And the second was, of course, Saturday Night Live, because they had all. They brought rock and roll into it. So the comedians were all fighting back then.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yes. It's funny you say that because. And then. Yeah, I guess I'd be third in that line. Wait, what? I came along and people were like, you know, women were like, I gotta fuck that guy.

[Matt Gourley]

Oh, no, they were just saying, fuck that guy.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, yeah. Oh, oh, I misheard it. I misheard it. Now you're right. Okay, I gotta get the hearing checked. But you know what?

[Eric Idle]

You're. When I first did snl, the first time I did it, my first guest was Joe Cocker, and Belushi came on and mocked him. So that was actually really mock and roll.

[Sona Movsesian]

But your. This is an interesting trajectory because your good dear departed friend George Harrison famously said he felt the Beatles break up sort of, I think, technically, in 69, at beginning of 1970. That's right when Python is hitting the air. And George Harrison said he really felt the spirit of the Beatles was passed on and went into Python. And I thought, did you guys ever talk about that? Did you talk about that with George?

[Eric Idle]

We talked about almost everything because when we met, we just talked all night and we just talked and talked for about two or three weeks. But what was it like being in your group? What was your group like? You know, was your John like? But I. I think that this. The secret of it was that America, you were John.

[Sona Movsesian]

Everyone's got to have a John.

[Eric Idle]

But what was America? What happened in America was when the. When the Beatles first arrived in America, what made everybody love them was they were funny.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yes.

[Eric Idle]

And there was this guy called Ringo with a big nose, a funny name, the funny haircuts. And everybody knew Ringo first. That's the first name they knew. But it was their humor at that airport conference that broke them in America, I'm convinced of it. And so in a way, they were just as funny as we were. They just were all Liverpool comedians, really. But they went the wrong way.

[Sona Movsesian]

They went the wrong way.

[Eric Idle]

They went on the dark side.

[Sona Movsesian]

They wasted their Time in music when they really could have been a stand up, a sketch troupe. They really could have been a sketch troupe. And it's sad when people take the wrong turn, but what are you going to do? What I really wanted to start with, because sometimes people bring their project along and I think, okay, we'll get to that. The thing that's special about the Spamalot Diaries is when you were putting Spamalot together, and this is 2004, 2003, 2004, you kept a diary of the entire process of putting it together. You then set the diary aside and I remember going to your house when you and Tanya were packing it up to leave to move to a different house and you were packing everything up. In that process, you find the diary that you had forgotten.

[Eric Idle]

I had completely forgotten I'd written it. I completely forgotten I kept it and I read it and I gave it to actually Puddles, you know, Puddles, his wife, to read. And she said, this is great. And I get to my wife and she said, oh, this is fantastic. Because what's interesting about a diary is you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know it's going to be that thing and it's going to be successful. So it's full of anxieties and arguments and rows and it's the process. Yes, this is what I love saying about it. It's a process, not a miracle.

[Sona Movsesian]

There's this misconception and maybe it's. It's appropriate it should be this way. People love to think they're going to come in and they see something miraculous and that it just happened. And maybe that's the way an audience should look at it. But what's amazing is you read through this diary because I think, well, oh, yeah, Spamalot, massive hit, sold out forever. So of course it just happened. You read this and you see how much work anxiety, rewrites, and the creative wrestling between you and the director, Mike Nichols, the famous Mike Nichols. You have emails in here, you have notes back and forth. There's disagreements with other, you know, or sometimes friction with other Pythons. And you're just like, job. You're just going ahead trying to make this thing happen.

[Eric Idle]

And I think that's what's interesting because. And I'd forgotten about it. I was just writing every few days what I was feeling. And so it just comes with a direct form of honesty. And I kept in the rows. Cause I thought, no, no, people mustn't believe that the artistic process is just. We'll have a cup of tea and we'll make this thing. There are conflicts, people need to be angry. We used to row in Python about what sort of chair it should be. That's not a funny chair. This is a funny chair, right? No, no, this is a funny chair. You know, so I think those are important. And so I kept in particularly the row early on with Mike because I thought it was very important for people to understand that you must maintain your vision of something. If you were a writer and you're doing a play and the director doesn't have every say. Fortunately for us, we'd been friends for 15 years.

[Sona Movsesian]

You and Mike Nichols had met, we'd.

[Eric Idle]

Just been pals, we'd been on holidays, we'd had the best of times, been to the theater, we'd been to places, all overseas, and we had never had crossword. And then suddenly we're working together and it's a completely different relationship. Obviously.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yes.

[Eric Idle]

Now you're the real. You're that person. He's that person. And I thought, well, I'm going to leave that because I think it's important to know that people establish who they are and then they can move forward.

[Sona Movsesian]

I guess the part that is most fascinating to me is the statement that one of the themes that comes through in the Spamalot Diaries, and this applies not just to Spamalot, but to Python and I think just to comedy and all work, is that fighting, arguing is an essential part of the process. Turmoil, anxiety is part of the process. And I cannot tell you how many. When someone tells me, oh, I love to write, I just love writing, I think you must be a terrible writer, because I don't. That's not my process. And my wife is a very good writer and she will tell me, oh, I'm just. I hate it, it's miserable. And I'll say, right, exactly, yes, that's what it is. That's, you know, keep going. But that's what it is.

[Eric Idle]

I think if you're content with what you're writing, you're not very good. And almost all great writers, you know, I think Graham Greene said he'd written one or two sentences he was quite proud of sentences. I think all writing is like that because you're trying to capture flies in aspect. I mean, it's really a very difficult thing you're doing. You're putting down in these code, 26 letter code. How does that possibly even work? And how some people have the gift of making you just read any sentence about anything and you just Pick up a book and you just read them all the way through because of the way they write. I find that fascinating.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, it's also. I read a biography recently. There's a wonderful biography of Mike Nichols. And you find out, I mean, his childhood, in his experience fleeing Nazi Germany, coming to America, kind of remaking himself. He had famously had alopecia. He lost all of his hair. All that having to wear a wig, not speaking English. Not speaking English. And he completely remade himself into the coolest, smartest, most urbane guy doing comedy, along with Elaine May. The sheer. Not just talent, but will and the amount of struggle and pain you have to go through to remake yourself as Mike Nichols into that. And then I think you. We've talked about it before in the previous podcast, and you've been very open about it. You have a very difficult childhood in many ways.

[Eric Idle]

Yes, Yes. I think that's an advantage in art, I think. But nobody had a more difficult childhood. And for me, there's a new book about the making of Virginia Woolf and which he's in, and I'm amazed. It's his first film, and he's standing up to Harry Warner and saying, no, it's going to be in black and white.

[Sona Movsesian]

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? He wanted to shoot it in black and white. He's got the two biggest stars on earth, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and he's a young punk who's never directed anything in his life. And he's telling the biggest man in show business to fuck off. And so the ball's on that guy. Absolutely incredible.

[Eric Idle]

Unbelievable. But it's based on some kind of. His perception of what should be was really pure.

[Sona Movsesian]

Right.

[Eric Idle]

If Mike said something and you thought it wasn't quite right, you go, oh, it's not quite right. I never had any doubt that sometimes he would. He was the most fabulous friend of hell. He didn't write, but he wrote with you, in a sense. He'd say, well, we need somebody to say this. And then I say this. And he would encourage it out of you so that you wrote better always with him.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, there's a line in the Spamalot Diaries, you and Mike Nichols. There's a lot of correspondence back and forth between you two. And at one point, Mike Nichols writes you, and he says, I've been thinking a lot about you, Eric, and your childhood. And he's talking about. He acknowledges that he had a crazy, insane childhood, but he's talking about how your childhood was so difficult. And he said this line that really stuck with me, which is, I guess we all inoculate ourselves against our own childhood. And that really stuck with me, that whatever happens to us individually, and this goes to anyone listening, if it happens to you, you tend to dismiss it like, well, no, I was fine. Oh my God, what this other person went through. You know what I mean? And when Mike Nichols says that line, he said, hey, cause you're so good. I don't know how much of it is being English and how much of it is your own character as Eric Idol, your own personality, but I could just see how you have a stiff upper lip. You could be very dismissive of any kind of pain in your life. I'm fine. Oh, this poor other person. But how much of that is English? How much of that is you? And you're gonna be charged for therapy when this is over.

[Eric Idle]

I don't know. I mean, I think you learn empathy. I mean, you start by being an egotistical shit by going into show business. Look at me, I'm in show business. And then you can behave very badly. And I learned from lots of very good people, like Robin Williams taught me how to be nice to fans. I would just tell them to fuck off. And they would laugh and go away, you know. But that was good enough for them to say, oh, he told me to fuck off.

[Sona Movsesian]

I just was told to fuck off by Eric Idle.

[Eric Idle]

And that became a thing. And then I thought. And then I watched Robin and his empathy and remembering that this is somebody's moment in their life and it's a big moment in their life because they've waited, they love you, they want this moment. So if you are a shit or dismissive, it's a nasty memory. So what I always do is I always say, well, I'm Eric and I get their name.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yes.

[Eric Idle]

And then you were on a one to one human basis with them, and you're not some kind of God and they're not some abject fan. So I try and I think that works in all sorts of situations where you remind people that they're people and we're just here at this moment.

[Sona Movsesian]

Sona. When you take a big trip, trip with the family. And I know that you love to travel and your kids are getting old enough now where they like to travel too.

[Glenn]

Yeah, that's true.

[Sona Movsesian]

Who looks after the house?

[Glenn]

That's the thing. Nobody. And so I've actually been toying with the idea of maybe, you know, putting my house up on Airbnb, making some extra cash, having someone there.

[Sona Movsesian]

It's like you're hosting people.

[Glenn]

Exactly.

[Sona Movsesian]

It's like you're getting paid to travel. You can use the money that you get from putting your house up on Airbnb to help finance your trip.

[Glenn]

Exactly. And you know what? There's people there that are looking after my relics.

[Sona Movsesian]

You have a lot of people don't know this, but Sona has a lot of ancient Greek relics. Etruscan relics.

[Glenn]

Yes, exactly.

[Sona Movsesian]

You have a lot of sculpture from the Assyrian empire. Sona has billions and billions of dollars worth of ancient, ancient artifacts that have never even been looked at by archaeologists.

[Glenn]

They should all be in a museum.

[Sona Movsesian]

They really should be.

[Glenn]

Yeah.

[Sona Movsesian]

But it's nice when you're away. Your home could be an Airbnb and that's something to keep in mind. So your home, AKA your future Airbnb might be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] host there's nothing quite like the feeling of an upgrade when you're traveling. Well, as a T Mobile customer, you can take the perks with you. Check this out. Whether you're going on a weekend getaway to the mountains or let's say you're on a dream vacation or in my case, a work trip to Thailand. It's just fantastic. Let me explain. It starts the moment you take off with free in flight wifi so you can stream your favorite show on the go. I mean, that's incredible.

[Glenn]

That is actually pretty sweet.

[Sona Movsesian]

I love that. I mean, that's insane. I'm always there with my credit card, you know, I can't figure it out. I lose the credit card, the phone is stolen, someone punches me, you start crying. I cry a lot. When you land, T Mobile's got you covered with 15% off all Hilton brands and an upgrade to Hilton Honors Silver. Plus you're covered with 5 gigabytes. 5 gigabytes. That's more than 4 of high speed data in over 215 countries and destinations with the Go 5G or next plans. These are just a few of the perks that feel like big wins when you travel with T Mobile and it's nice to stay connected to your family. I travel a lot. I do these travel shows and if I'm filming another country, I know I can get to my family right away. They usually don't want to speak to me, but they screen your calls a lot, don't they? I suspect them of screening, yes. Find out how you can experience travel better@t mobile.com travel today. Qualifying plan required. WiFi where available on select US airlines. Registration and Hilton Honors membership required for Hilton Honors Silver. Terms and conditions apply.

[Conan O'Brien]

Carl's Jr. S Big Carl fans know nothing beats the layers and layers of flavor of a Big Carl. Not nothing beats that Char, grilled beef, American cheese, and tangy Carl's classic sauce. Nothing except getting a second big carl for just $1. Big carl just one upped itself for just one buck. Then buy one Big Carl, get one for a buck. Deal only. Carl's Jr Big Burger Good Burger available for a limited time at participating restaurants. Tax not included.

[Sona Movsesian]

Price may vary.

[Conan O'Brien]

Not valid with any other offer, discount or com.

[Sona Movsesian]

It's funny you mention Robin, because I didn't realize how close you guys were. You guys were very close. And I was lucky enough to have some great interactions with Robin Williams before he passed. One of the most memorable examples to me of his kindness is when I went through my whole Tonight show debacle and finally the show is done. And I don't know if I have a career anymore. What am I going to do next? You remember this, this part very well, Sona, because Sona was with me during all that. And I'm lying on the floor in the living room of my house and my phone rings and I pick it up and it's Robin Williams. I don't even know how he got my phone number. And I'll never forget, he goes, like, how you holding up, Chief? And I said, oh, Robin, thanks so much for calling. And he said, listen, you're going to be fine. You're going to be great. I know you like to ride bikes. Because he was really into bicycling. And he said, I know you like riding bikes. Go down to this, the bike shop down in Santa Monica. I want you to go down there and I've set up a bike for you. And I said, what? And he said, no, no, no, just head on down there and so. And ride around. You'll feel better. And I went down and it was a Colgano, which is a very nice bike. And he said, I told him to paint it in all these crazy Irish colors. And I get down there and it's the most. It's the ugliest. I mean it. You know, greens and shamrocks and everything. And I couldn't believe. And he was like, oh, you're going to like that bike, Chief. Don't worry about it. And I just thought. I thanked him many, many times. I just couldn't believe that he was thinking about me. You know, how we are in life.

[Eric Idle]

But that's how he was.

[Sona Movsesian]

You think about someone oh, that's too bad. What happened to him? Oh, whatever. Anyway, I'm going to go get a sandwich.

[Eric Idle]

No, no, he reached out. He thought, what might please you? He went and got to a shop and chose. I mean, he would put a lot of effort into making you feel better. Which I thought, that's very, very Robin. That's fantastically typical, Robin. And that generosity and kindness is something combined with the wit on the man is not a common combination. You know, I don't think Dr. Johnson was busy sending people maybe, I don't know, but I think he had Boswell do it. He had Bosw.

[Sona Movsesian]

Boswell send that fucker a bike. There's so much in the book that I want to make sure I weave in because you hit on so many themes I love. As you're approaching the premiere, of course, now we all know how the story turns out. But when you're reading through the book, it is very much what you say. You're reading these texts, these messages, these diary entries day by day, you don't know what's going to happen. And you can feel the anxiety, you can feel the self loathing, you can feel the gloom. And at one point you say, I think the English, there's an English tendency to prefer failure. And I thought that is so fantastic because in a strange way I understand how failure can feel more comfortable and a big hit. It's the tall Poppy syndrome, which is very Irish, it's very United Kingdom. It's, what do you do with a big hit? And everywhere you went, people were congratulating you and you, you're uneasy with it.

[Eric Idle]

I wasn't used to it, but also I didn't quite expect it. And it takes a while to know what to do with that because you're still trying to understand, have we fixed it? Did it really work? And Mike would always keep on making it better and better. He'd cut little bits and keep improving it. But I think there is a thing in England that failure is a noble and a wonderful of thing. And if you look at like Dunkirk and some of their great victories, the English ran away quite a lot, which is often a wise choice, maybe a good choice.

[Sona Movsesian]

If the English don't run away in 1940, they are not there to fight Hitler in 1942.

[Eric Idle]

So, yeah, no, I mean, I think there are many reasons for it. But also I think the tall Poppy, which is what the Australians also call it, is also that when you're on a small island, people are envious of people's success. And so people Try and either play it down a bit or, oh, yeah, I did happen to climb Everest last week, but I'm also working on some Latin thesis, you know, I mean, people, they tend to try and diminish. Yes, it's not a. America's great because let's all try and be successful. That's the starting point. And it's fine. When in England, if you've been successful, you got a car, people will scrape the car with their knife, you know, as they go by. Yeah, bastard. Whereas in America, the reaction would be, one day I'll have one of those. And I think it's completely different attitude.

[Sona Movsesian]

This is something Bono said. Bono said that, you know, in America, if you see a house on a hill and you walk by and you see a mansion on a hill, you think, someday I'm going to have that mansion. He said, in Ireland, if you see a big mansion on a hill, you think, I'm going to burn that fucker down. Yeah, I understand that. I don't want it for myself. I just don't want that asshole to happen. It's funny because this leads into my next question, which is that you bring up that you had this realization at one point that the Holy Grail, which is Spamalot. The. You know, that it's really about Python and the members of Python and when. And this resonated with me right now, because all you do, you just said it right now is, you know, there's this tendency to want to run away. All throughout Holy Grail. One of the reasons Sir Robin is able to. His only strategy is to run away. Run away, run away. And I've, you know, I've always.

[Eric Idle]

King Arthur says, run away. It's a command.

[Sona Movsesian]

It's a command.

[Eric Idle]

Yes, Robin does.

[Sona Movsesian]

You're quite happy.

[Eric Idle]

Robin denies he's running away. He's pissing off and buggering off home. No, no, no. I'm not, you know, brave.

[Sona Movsesian]

Brave Sir Robin. Yeah, yeah. But. But you talk about, and you go through and you talk about the different members of Python and how they kind of fit their role in the Holy Grail, whether it was intentional or not.

[Eric Idle]

Because I had. I mean, there were 98 characters in the Holy Grail, so I put that on stage. So what I did was I collapsed as many as I could of the characters played by Michael Palin into one character or aspects of that character. And the same with me and the same with Lancelot, John Cleese, you know, so that. Then when you do that, you do find more of Michael, who's always like, you know, he really wants a bit of temptation, but he better hadn't, you know. No, no, I gotta go. I gotta go.

[Sona Movsesian]

No. Yeah. One of my being rescued from all the.

[Eric Idle]

From all the girlies.

[Sona Movsesian]

All the girls who are horny. Oh, and you could tell he's. Yeah, it's.

[Eric Idle]

He made two films about that too, of his own, which. That's basically the same theme. Perhaps not. No, men are not. I think it's very significant about.

[Sona Movsesian]

It's so funny because I relate to both your character. I relate to running away and, you know, oh, there's some temptation. Oh, well, I should probably go watch my cholesterol. I'll just be over here. But I'm going to think about it a lot and I'm going to hate myself a little bit. But, yeah, you go through. It's very convincing that whether it was.

[Eric Idle]

Intentional or not, I think that often writing reveals yourself. I mean, I think good writing is definitely all about yourself in some really bizarre way. And when you're adapting something, a piece of work, it's very nice to come across themes that are just in there. There's one scene when Michael is being led away from Castle Anthrax, you know, and Cleese is getting him out. Come on, let's go. He said, no, couldn't I have a bit of temptation? No, no, don't worry. Temptation at all. No temptation. And just as in Ephraim, you hear Michael say, oh, I bet you're gay. And we use that for a whole scene where Lancelot's whole rage and anger is explained by the fact he's repres. You know, he really is. He's repressing something, he's repressing it all. And out he comes and he dances a song going. His name is Lancelot. He likes to dance a lot. There's a huge Peter Allen number. And I. I find that that's really the most exciting thing about adapting work is finding little things in there which will make it work on stage. Because Mike and Casey there. There was a whole scene we kept trying to write the spanking song, you know, because the girls say, oh, spanking, spanking tonight. And we keep writing spanking, spanking, there's going to be. And they say, no, no, no, and they would not have it. So the way out was this. Just this hint in the script, which I improvised. And it was fabulous to find because it makes Lancelot's character very much more. He's not just angry, he's angry because he had an angry father and he Stands up for Herbert, saying, this man is your son. And he comes up with the most wonderful. Like it could be Arthur Miller. He comes out and stands up for him. And it's a very nice dramatic twist in Act 2, which I understand, like.

[Sona Movsesian]

You said in Python, there were disagreements, I know, in my comedy career, I just became, with all my different collaborators and creative partners, arguments and fights. And you'd come down to, if someone else was listening to it, you'd think you were insane. You talked about how you'd all argue in Python about, is this the right chair? No, this isn't the right chair. No, the dead parrot should look like this. It shouldn't look like that, because that's not funny. But this is. And I remembered Robert Smigel, one of the just genius people I've been fortunate to work with over the years. I remembered once us going back and forth, arguing about something forever, and this is maybe 30 years ago. And I said, no, but it got a big laugh. And he went, yes, but that's not the kind of laugh we want at that point.

[Eric Idle]

And I was thinking, it's a goddamn laugh.

[Sona Movsesian]

What do you mean? It's not the laugh we want at that point, But I also understand what he's saying. And so. But anyone else listening outside the door would think, these two idiots, what is their problem? But I think that is the common thread just in this process. I think if you're trying to do it right, which is.

[Eric Idle]

I think it's a fascinating process. And I had some very good mentors. We used to write for jokes for David Frost. And I had Barry cry and Dick Vos were people who taught me how to be, what to do and how the ropes. And then you become. You find your own companions who then become argumentative. It really was very argumentative. I mean, sometimes rows, huge, basic rows would break out. But again, I think that's because if you don't care, it's not important. And I think irony was not very good at standing up, because I was a solo writer in that group. And I remember. And then that's why I think I got on with George. He was a solo between two big forces of Lennon and McCartney, right? And I was between. You know, Mike and Terry wrote and John and Graham wrote. And I remember when George came out to the filming of the Life of Brian, he paid for. He said, how's it going? He said, well, it's all right. It's hard to get on screen, you know, with Michael Palin and John Cleese. He said, imagine How I was trying to get into the studio with Lennon and McCartney. Mic dropped. Okay, you got it. I got it.

[Sona Movsesian]

You think you have problems.

[Eric Idle]

Yeah, exactly.

[Sona Movsesian]

Cry me a river. This is. And we don't have to talk about this, but it's something that, as a lifelong, someone who's been so influenced and odd by Python, I think of it as sort of Santa Claus, like a child. I just want to believe that everyone's getting along. And you and Cleese, famously lately have had your disagreements and that have come out in public. And I know I'll think, oh, I don't want Mommy and Daddy to fight, but that's childlike of me. Because you're human beings that disagree, and you've known each other a long time.

[Eric Idle]

You don't disagree about comedy. This is only about money. This is only about business. And there's no reason. I mean, a fool and his money are easy. Parted, you know, six of us, you know, much more quickly. I mean, I think there's no right or wrong way to deal with business. And if somebody has one view of it and somebody doesn't and somebody has another, those can lead to very bad arguments.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yes.

[Eric Idle]

And unfortunately, we don't see each other enough. I haven't seen them in ten years. And if you don't.

[Sona Movsesian]

Ten years since you saw John, nine.

[Eric Idle]

Says John, ten says Mike. If you don't sit across the table and know that person and what decade they're in, I think there's a lot of room for disagreement. And we're just old, and it's like, we never disagreed on the very important things, on what was funny, really. But that was a while ago.

[Sona Movsesian]

There's a misconception that anyone could have, which is, wait a minute. Monty Python, the most, in my opinion, influential show of all time. And then that led to these movies which are, in my opinion, flawless and beautiful and fantastic, and that you've all gone on to these things. And then, of course, Spamalot, a huge hit. And you talk about how there's this perception that, well, everyone in Python must be driving around in Bentleys with cash, you know, in convertibles with cash, just flying out. And that you say, you know, we're all touring at this age to keep it going. And that's. That's a misconception that people can have.

[Eric Idle]

I think so. Because, you know, it sort of depends what sort of deals you have. And nowadays residuals are becoming a thing of the past. You know, they got. They've got rid of all the music residuals, you know, You've got Spotify and YouTube. Everything takes everything, you know. I mean, I think it's very difficult. I don't mind it because I quite like doing what I do. I quite like going out there and making people laugh, see if I can still make them laugh. Because I think that's a sort of little joy that we get. I think it's a secret, little, secret little joy. We're all comedy junkies. Laugh junkies. And I. And so I'm about to go and do a tour of Australia, New Zealand, and I've got some really wonderful surprises. I like surprising people. I like making my shows about something. So there's like a through line. I was with Professor Brian Cox last week and he said he's doing a show and he said, what's yours about? And I said, mine's about the meaning of life. And he said, well, so is mine. I said, yeah, but mine will be deep.

[Sona Movsesian]

You introduced me, you introduced me to him at a part. I mean, again, this is one of the gifts of getting to go to Eric Idle's home is you said, oh, here's Brian Cox. And we chatted and he's this brilliant mind. And the next thing you know, I become somewhat friendly with him. And I think this is. You have salons, you have. It's nice what you do. You get really smart. It's not just funny people, it's music people, it's people from science, it's people from astrology, it's people who are historians. And I can just see that you have this endless joy for trying to figure it all out.

[Eric Idle]

I like putting people together. I like conversation. But love at the end of the evening is a ding dong. We have a play. And so I love musicians and so I've always got musicians. Anybody like Brian Cox, if he's gonna tell you about Quantum, and that's very nice over dinner, you know, but. And he also plays the piano, so we have gigs. His son George plays guitar. And I've been playing with this group who been playing with the Monkeys and they're really great. And we just sit around and play hit after hit. It's just. That's my happy. That's when I'm happiest. After dinner, out come the guitars. We'll just sing for hours.

[Sona Movsesian]

It's funny you say this because what is it about. I've love playing guitar. I could never make a dime off of it. But it's, it's. It just. It's my hobby and I really love doing it and I got to do the Newport Folk Festival a month or two ago and there's footage of it and I'm up there playing with all these amazing people and Jack White came. But the comment that shows up every time I'm up there is Conan seems. This is the most joyous I've ever seen. Conan, he seems so much happier doing this than comedy. I thought I love comedy. But they're not wrong.

[Eric Idle]

I love that major. And just playing and gigging with people and having fun and listening because it's a different part of your brain. You're not thinking, you're not obsessive and where's the next laugh? You know, you're just feeling the next chord. I love that. And I'm doing a show now which is really a one man musical. And I do a couple of songs. So one's a tribute to George Harrison I wrote, which I really like because I miss him a lot. And one's for Rob, which I wrote for his memorial. And it's a very sweet song and I put up pictures of them and it's kind of a nice way of recognizing that people have moved on and gone and say, for one, this isn't all like, you know, this is normal maudlin. I mean, there's a lot of. There's some good jokes, but.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, you've written. First of all, it's the most requested song at funerals, I think certainly in the uk, maybe in the world.

[Eric Idle]

And what's the second?

[Sona Movsesian]

That's a really good question, actually.

[Eric Idle]

It was my way it replaced. Which is really a terrible song for when you're dying. Yeah, I did it my way.

[Sona Movsesian]

I smoked, I smoked and smoked they said I shouldn't, but I did. I ate fatty foods, they said I shouldn't. But you wrote Always look on the Bright side of Life and it's such a great song. I mean, it's an amazing scene in Life of Brian. And at the time, I remember it extremely controversial because, you know, people are being. They're dying, they're on a crucifix and singing. Always look on the Bright side of Life. And I think it's everything. It is the perspective that I completely 100% agree with, which is this is terrible and ridiculous and silly at the same time. That is sometimes the only way we can go. We can move on. And it's just. And it's got my. One of my life's got a funny plot. You're here and then you're not like it's. That's all there is to it, I think Yes.

[Eric Idle]

I mean, what's really funny about always looking on the bright side of life is you are being crucified. There's very little to look forward to at that point. Let's face it, if there's any.

[Sona Movsesian]

Eric, I think you're being overly negative. Yeah.

[Eric Idle]

You're giving it a bad rap.

[Sona Movsesian]

You're getting a good stretch in the low back.

[Eric Idle]

Oh, God.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, you are.

[Glenn]

Oh, man.

[Sona Movsesian]

Between the L4 and L5, you get. Gravity's giving you a little pull.

[Eric Idle]

But it is an ironic song and I think it's a war song. And I think it comes from my father, their generation. Those songs were always like, oh, always look on the bright. The blue flight Blue skies will open. You know, blue birds over the bright. They were always about future optimism because they're in a war. So I think that that's what that sort of song is. It's just like a war song.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah.

[Eric Idle]

And it was played on the. In the Falklands when HMS Sheffield was hit by an Exocet and they had to wait for rescue for three hours. They sang that for three hours. And so I think there is something recognizing that it is a ridiculous thing. And teams see it when they're losing at football. I mean, they move on the bright side, you know, there's nothing to look forward to at that point.

[Sona Movsesian]

But right, right, we're down, it's over. There's not enough time left. I have to ask you this because I know that you talk about playing guitar with these iconic musicians. You played for hours and probably thousands of hours with George Harrison. You also stayed up all night once in Rome playing with Keith Richards. And I'm just curious how you can. Don't you leave your body at some point and say, that's Keith Richards I'm playing guitar with, or that's George Harris I'm playing guitar with. How do you get over that?

[Eric Idle]

Oh, I think pretty quickly. Cause you're playing along, you know, so you're in the moment if you're playing with somebody. And luckily, I had a pretty good back. I had a jazz guitar background, so I knew better chords than they did often. But with Keith, you know, I mean, Keith is like the most extraordinary. He's like Noel Coward. You know, he behaves. Oh, dear boy, do come up and have it. What can I get you? I mean, he's looking. Wearing, you know, dressing gowns and very calm. You know, he's not. Where's the lunatic? You know, that's hilarious.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, come in, please. Please do come in. And he's Wearing like a caf. He's wearing a caftan.

[Eric Idle]

Not a caftan. Dressing gown.

[Sona Movsesian]

Dressing gown.

[Eric Idle]

Little, you know, little smoosh. Fancy biscuits. Can I get you a glass of brandy? What would you like? How can you take, you know, I mean, quite. Quite a different world of that you'd expect. And what we did sing all night that night. And you know, it was in Rome and when in Rome, so I was. Then the next, I turn up at the set and Chevy, I hadn't got any words left. It was my last scene. And then Cherry comes up to me, he says, I've written this big new scene for us.

[Matt Gourley]

Oh, is this for European vacation?

[Eric Idle]

Yeah. And I went and he said, fuck.

[Sona Movsesian]

So you had to lose a scene.

[Eric Idle]

I lost in European vacation because you.

[Sona Movsesian]

Were up all night playing and singing with Keith Richardson.

[Eric Idle]

I'm sorry. Yes.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, that's probably as good an excuse as anybody.

[Glenn]

Yeah, I think it's worth it.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. I'm going to miss the next podcast. I'm sorry, I was singing all night with Keith Richardson. No, no, no, he's in London. What are you talking about? You're in the Pacific Palisades.

[Matt Gourley]

You were with Richard Keats.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, we got on this very dark topic of death and everything. You have one of the funniest ideas ever I've heard for an inscription on your tombstone, which I really like. I'll tell you what it is because you've clearly forgotten. Eric Idle C Google.

[Eric Idle]

I'm glad to know that still stands up. Good.

[Sona Movsesian]

Why? Why not? I mean, what are we getting into here exactly? The rest is nonsense. Yeah. Well, I want to thank you. It's a great day for me when I get to spend any time with you. You're one of my all time heroes and you changed my life in so many ways with your work when I was a young lad and you guys completely, I think, reordered the universe and showed us all what could be done. And I still think you're far ahead of everyone else. My love to your family, Tanya, and of course, Lily, who I adore. The book is the Spamalot Diaries and it is a joyous read. It's a little harrowing at times, but it's great. And it's a great book for anyone to read who's in the process of trying to make something happen. It doesn't have. It could. It could be a Broadway play. It could be anything you're trying to do. It's very inspirational.

[Eric Idle]

Yes.

[Sona Movsesian]

And so you've given people a real gift here.

[Eric Idle]

Oh, that's Very kind. I like that. I'm glad that's so. Because I do think it's a process, not a miracle.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. And let's end with just explaining our shirts.

[Eric Idle]

Indeed.

[Sona Movsesian]

You want to explain these?

[Eric Idle]

Well, these shirts are to raise money for statue for Terry Jones and they're going to build a statue statue for him on the promenade in Wales where he comes from, Colwyn Bay. And they're raising money on a go for fund me basis. And so we're here promoting Princess.

[Sona Movsesian]

I think there should be a statue to Jerry Jones. I think this is a lovely idea and we are hoping it will be.

[Eric Idle]

The nude organist, but we're not sure.

[Matt Gourley]

And you said it was a GoFundMe. Is that correct?

[Eric Idle]

It's a GoFundMe. It's a GoFundMe. Yes, it is.

[Matt Gourley]

So people can just. Well, they can see Google.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. Very nicely done, sir Eric Idle. Go. Go forth and do good works.

[Eric Idle]

Thank you. It's been always a joy to talk to you.

[Sona Movsesian]

Everyone's got the big villain in their life. You know who mine is?

[Glenn]

Who?

[Sona Movsesian]

The person in my house that opens a vanilla yogurt a little bit, takes like one or two spoonfuls and then closes that foil back up again.

[Glenn]

This is so passive aggressive because it's just you and your wife. Yeah.

[Sona Movsesian]

Gotcha, baby. I need just a little for my smoothie. Take the whole thing and leave it alone. It's not that big. She's the villain in my life. How do you sleep at night, honey? Well, you already know the answer. Mattress Firm. Mattress Firm will find you the right bed with their wide selection of quality mattresses at every price. Rest easy with Mattress Firm's 120 night sleep trial. Love it or your money back. You can sleep on this for 120 nights and then say maybe not and ship it back. I don't think so. You're going to love it. See a lower price somewhere else. Mattress Firm will match it with their low price guarantee. Wow. Get matched at Mattress Firm's Black Friday sale and sleep at night. Restrictions apply. See mattressfirm.com or store for details and text Conan to Stefan 66693 for 100 bucks off your next purchase at Mattress Firm exclusion supply. God, I love football season. I love the rituals of football.

[Glenn]

Like what?

[Sona Movsesian]

Don't do that. What are you talking about? From defending your favorite team after a bad loss to obsessively checking your fantasy line. You know what I'm talking about. Football fandom is bigger than just Sundays. And you know who knows that? Miller Lite. Miller Lite knows the passion that comes with rooting for your team. That's why Miller Lite keeps it simple. Undebatable. Quality. You can try and debate it. That debate won't last long. You'll lose Miller Lite. You'll lose great taste. Only 96 calories. It's the beer that strips away everything you don't need and holds on to what matters most. Who says, hey, get me a beer with everything I don't need in it? Nobody. It's the original light beer since 1975. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Red Sox won the pennant that year. Yeah, make your game time taste like Miller time. Tastes great. Less filling. Let it be both. Why fight? You know there's enough fighting in America.

[Glenn]

You can have both. There's space for both.

[Sona Movsesian]

Thanks, Sona. To get Miller Lite delivered right to your door, visit millerlight.com conan or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells be beer. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories per 12 ounces. Fewer cals and carbs than premium regular beer.

[Conan O'Brien]

Carl's Juniors Big Carl fans know nothing beats the layers and layers of flavor of a Big Carl. Nothing beats that char, grilled beef, American cheese and tangy Carl's classic sauce. Nothing except getting a second big carl for just $1. Big carl, just one. Up itself for just one buck. Then buy one big carl, get one for a buck. Deal only. Carl's Jr Big Burger Good Burger, available for a limited time at participating restaurants. Tax not included.

[Sona Movsesian]

Price may vary.

[Conan O'Brien]

Not valid with any other offer, discount or combo.

[Matt Gourley]

On an episode not too long ago, we talked about your grandma Mod. Modi, right?

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. Maddie. Yes, this would be my mother's. His mother, Ruth Reardon. And yet for reasons we didn't know when we were kids, everyone, we all called her Madi. And then I asked her once, why do we call you Maddie? And she said that there was a cartoon strip back maybe even before the turn of the century or at the turn of the century. I believe she was born in 1890 and she was on a playground and some kids were harassing her or teasing her and so she kicked at them and they started calling her Maddie. Maddie because there was a well known cartoon at the time about a. I don't know if it's a mule or a horse that kicked people. Oh my God, here it is.

[Matt Gourley]

And this is the mule or the horse kicking someone right there. And her name was Maude.

[Sona Movsesian]

And her name was Maude, this is it. Oh, my God. I'm trying to see what the date is on this. That would be cool to know. I can't see. I can't make out the date.

[Matt Gourley]

I thought it said 1904 somewhere, but that'd be too late.

[Sona Movsesian]

No, I don't think so. You can still kick people when you're 14. This is really cool. This is.

[Glenn]

Her classmates sound like dicks. Well, don't they?

[Sona Movsesian]

I mean, kids don't change.

[Glenn]

I know, but she. They were bugging her so much that she needed to kick them, and then they started calling her a kicking mule.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, yeah, but it's not like the name stuck and her grandchildren ended up using it. Oh, no. This is so cool. This is a good. Good. There's a guy who gets kicked by a mule. He's angry, so he takes the mule. He says, I'll fix this pesky critter. He ties the mule up. The mule kicks some more people. It's kicking automobiles. It's kicking everybody. And then the people realize that the owner's the one that caused all this problem, so they go and they kick him. And the mule then gets to laugh at the owner who just got kicked. Hee Hawkins.

[Matt Gourley]

Oh, and by the way, you can see this. Just go to Eamco podcasts on Instagram.

[Sona Movsesian]

My question is, did they do the same bit every week?

[Matt Gourley]

I don't know.

[Sona Movsesian]

How many of these cartoon strips did they do? At least this is a cartoon strip. That's acceptable today. If you look at a lot of cartoon strips from the turn of the century, they would not pass muster anymore. They're incredible.

[Matt Gourley]

You find out that mule's politics.

[Sona Movsesian]

Wow. This is an America first mule. He wants closed. This is a closed border mule. This is so cool to see this. To think that my grandmother would have seen this.

[Glenn]

It does say to be continued next Sunday.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yep.

[Glenn]

So I bet there's a whole story.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, I think this. My guess is this mule just keeps on kicking people. I have a little info about it. And her name was Maude is the name of this strip is a comic strip by Frederick Burr Opper.

[Matt Gourley]

It first appeared in the Hearst newspapers.

[Sona Movsesian]

On July 24, 1904. That's it. The rest of the stuff is. Wait. Can I just say, Adam, you approach the mic like, I've just got some news. The Hindenburg has exploded at Lakehurst, New Jersey. All souls have been lost.

[Matt Gourley]

Even you seem surprised by your own lack of information.

[Sona Movsesian]

This is less interesting than I thought. Her name is Maude in 1904 newspapers.

[Matt Gourley]

Although Hearst papers though it probably does have some politics.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, well, this is, I don't know, I love that kind of connection to just, I mean, first of all, this is as I've spoken about before. I loved my grandmother and after my grandfather passed, she lived with us for a while and she, yeah, she was this amazing link to the late 19th, early 20th century. And I remembered her telling me it was once New Year's Day. And she told me she had a very clear memory of New York City because she was staying with relatives in New York City in 1900 on New Year's Day. And she was describing it, she was describing the carriages going by, how cold it was, the snow. She said, I can see it right now, like perfectly. And I thought, I'm always fascinated by time travel, that concept that you can have a human connection to somebody. I don't know if you had this with. Because I know Sona, you lived with. With.

[Glenn]

Oh my. Yeah, my grandparents. Yeah, Yaya and De both lived into their 90s.

[Sona Movsesian]

Into their 90s. And they came from, they came from Istanbul. Yep.

[Glenn]

And I mean my, my grandpa started, he was a butcher when he was 12. Like they just put him to work really early.

[Sona Movsesian]

Right.

[Glenn]

So it's like the idea that you are trusting a 12 year old with slaughtering animals is just feels like a completely different world.

[Sona Movsesian]

But also just the fact that then they come to this country and they're living with you and it's. You're going out to in n out to grab a burger and whatever else you're up to. It's just this amazing clash of cultures. I find that stuff fascinating.

[Glenn]

Well, my great grandma also lived with us and she was old as shit. She was really old.

[Sona Movsesian]

You don't say old as shit.

[Glenn]

She was really, really old. And I remember she was this old wrinkly lady and I was really young, I was maybe like 10. And my mom's like, she's gonna sleep in your room. And I I that it. From then on I was terrified of the dark cuz I thought she was like a old witch lady. And she was just like.

[Sona Movsesian]

Wait, when you say she was, what did you say? Old as shit.

[Glenn]

Yeah.

[Sona Movsesian]

How old is old as shit?

[Glenn]

She was, I mean when I was 10, she was like 95.

[Sona Movsesian]

Because there are young comedians out there that now see me and go, you're old as shit. So it's all, it's all relative.

[Glenn]

That's right. I was 10 and she was 60.

[Sona Movsesian]

No, no, seriously, how old do you think she was?

[Glenn]

She was 95. Yeah. But she was like an old, wrinkly lady. And I was young, and I was like, why is this old person in my room? And I. I got terrified of the.

[Sona Movsesian]

You sound like an awful grandchild.

[Glenn]

I was really bad.

[Sona Movsesian]

I love this. Like, old and wrinkled. Why is that in my room?

[Glenn]

I have. We did something else. I don't want to.

[Eric Idle]

I shouldn't.

[Sona Movsesian]

Well, we got to now.

[Glenn]

This is really bad. So she had a son who passed away that no one told her passed away. And then my uncle, who was still in Istanbul, and we'd hold up two fingers and be like, men, you know, touch one of them. And she would touch him and be like, oh, that's, you know, Bejo Dai Dai, who was my uncle. And she'd just instantly start crying. And we thought it was. So, wait, I don't understand what was happening here, because we kept reminding her of these people she hadn't seen in a long time, and we'd instantly make her cry, and Dani and I were like, let's go make Menzie cry.

[Eric Idle]

Whoa.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, my God. You're a monster. You're a sociopath. How is that.

[Glenn]

We were just fascinated with her instant, like, sadness.

[Matt Gourley]

I thought he was a true sociopath.

[Glenn]

But it's you, Twist.

[Sona Movsesian]

No, no, no.

[Eric Idle]

I.

[Sona Movsesian]

To be fair, I did it to my grandmother. Marty, too. I used to go, remember that? That loved one that perished? It was fun. We used to call it. It was the old fun. We called it the Parish game. Hey, let's go play Parrish. And we go into Monty's room. Remember the one you loved who perished? Look at them. Waterworks. You're an awful, awful person.

[Glenn]

No, no joke. That was really bad.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, you're a bad person.

[Glenn]

It was bad. We wouldn't make her laugh just for.

[Sona Movsesian]

All right, well, listen, let's have some good come from.

[Matt Gourley]

You don't need to clarify. No joke.

[Glenn]

We would make her cry just for fun, because we were terrible.

[Sona Movsesian]

Let's have some good come out of this. If you're listening right now and you're tempted to go mock a very, very old relative by reminding them of someone they lost long ago, think twice. Yeah, that's a little word from Conan O'Brien. Needs a friend.

[Matt Gourley]

Conan O'Brien needs a friend. With Conan O'Brien, Sonam of Session and Matt Gourlay, produced by me, Matt Gourlay, executive produced by Adam Sacks, Jeff Ross and Nick Liao. Theme song by the White Stripes, incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy. Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair, and our associate Talent producer is Jennifer Samples, Engineering and mixing by Eduardo Perez and Brendan Burns. Additional production support by Mars Melnick Talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista and Brit Kahn. You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts and you might find your review read on a future episode. Got a question for Conan? Call the Team Coco hotline at 669-587-2847 and leave a message. It too could be featured on a future episode. You can also get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign [e-mail] Conan and if you haven't already, please subscribe to Conan O'Brien needs a friend Wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.

[Conan O'Brien]

The kind of burgers you get today tells you a lot about yourself. You're either someone who settles for sad, same old same old burgers or you're at a Carl's Jr obsessed with a tangy OG Western bacon cheeseburger, demanding a house made guacamole, loaded guac bacon fired up for the insanely hot El Diablo or craving a classic Charbold Famous star. Give in to your flavor craving. Get your mouth to Carl's Jr.

[Sona Movsesian]

Good Burger. The new Sonic Queso Smasher is now available. You're going to want to try this. They made the Sonic Smasher you love because you do love your Sonic Smasher, don't you son?

[Glenn]

I love Sonic smashes and I love queso.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, well guess what? They took the Sonic Smasher you love and they added the new creamy Queso in hand. Smashed patties made to order just makes my brain explode. I just saw your brain explode and queso came out. The Sonic Queso Smash is the perfect combination of Angus Patty's Creamy Queso jalapenos and a Southwest aioli. Sounds like juicy goodness to me. All that's left to do is choose a double or a triple. Make mine two triples. That's a sex tuplet. The new Sonic Queso Smasher Live free. Eat Sonic.