Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend – “Werner Herzog Returns”

Release date: September 29, 2025
Host: Conan O’Brien
Guests: Werner Herzog, Sona Movsesian, Matt Gourley

Overview

In this returning appearance, celebrated filmmaker Werner Herzog joins Conan, Sona, and Matt for an expansive, offbeat conversation that meanders through Herzog’s philosophies on truth, technology, and storytelling, as well as lighter fare like dog mishaps and children’s TV voiceovers. Through a mix of playful banter and thoughtful reflection, Herzog and Conan explore the complexities of modern life, the nature of artistic truth, and Herzog’s storied career. Listeners are treated to classic Conan absurdity and Herzog’s trademark stoic wit, making this episode a rich blend of humor, sincerity, and philosophical inquiry.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Herzog’s Creative Process, New Works & Memoir

• On Directing & Recent Films

  • Herzog describes his latest feature with Kate and Rooney Mara, where the sisters perform in uncanny unison, emotionally and physically—“something you have never seen ever before.” (10:25)
  • Film highlights the complexity and rarity of such coordination:

    “To speak in unison, have the same emotion in unison. And yet I didn’t have more than two, three—maximum, maybe four—takes.” —Werner Herzog (10:36)

• Memoir & Enduring Themes

  • Discusses his memoir Every Man for Himself and God Against All, especially the “unfinished business” chapter, which inspired recent work.
  • His drive: pursuing truth through storytelling that goes beyond literal facts.

• New Projects

  • Herzog mentions another finished film, Ghost Elephants, exploring the spiritual connection between humans and elephants, premiering at the Venice Film Festival. (13:14)

The Nature of “Truth” in Art & Life

• On Truth As Elusive and Essential

  • Herzog clarifies his view that no one possesses objective truth, and that striving for it is the most meaningful aspect of art and existence.

    "Well, nobody knows what truth is... It’s something deeply inherent in us. And I always have struggled with it… I do not claim that I am in possession of the truth. However, I have found ways to approximate what we think may be truth." —Werner Herzog (19:42)

• Artistic Truth vs. Literal Facts

  • Uses Michelangelo’s Pietà as an example: by depicting Mary as much younger than Christ, Michelangelo reaches a higher emotional truth (21:50)

    “Would he have shown the Virgin Mary as, let’s say, a 55 year old woman? He would have created what I call the accountant’s truth.” —Werner Herzog (22:34)

• Emotional Resonance

  • Discusses how in Japanese “rented families,” although the relationships are fake, the emotions they evoke are real. Similarly, in opera, implausible stories generate real, powerful feelings through music. (23:19, 24:37)

Modernity, Technology, and Distrust

• Living with Minimal Tech

  • Herzog admits he reluctantly acquired a cell phone only because of app-based parking barriers on set, emphasizing he keeps it switched off and resists digital distraction. (15:54)

    “...it’s always switched off. Sorry. Yeah.” —Werner Herzog (16:51)

  • Conan and Sona riff on the absurdity of app-enabled products (self-cleaning litter boxes, smart socks), lamenting technology’s intrusion into everyday life. (16:52)

• Distrusting Information

  • Herzog strongly warns about the overabundance of digital disinformation and the importance of skepticism—“You have to doubt every single mail.” (18:05)

    “Younger people… have a natural acquired suspicion about things. And they would not pick the poisonous mushroom or the poisonous berry... You just have to maintain a complete level of suspicion.” —Werner Herzog (33:31)

  • Herzog’s stance: Stay curious, seek multiple sources, and always suspect manipulation, especially in the age of AI/deepfakes.

Simplicity, Consumerism, and The Influence of Scarcity

• A Minimalist Lifestyle

  • Herzog describes his aversion to materialism—old cars, a single pair of shoes, few possessions, adapting only what’s necessary to modern life (37:28, 38:45)

• Childhood Scarcity

  • Powerfully recounts hunger from his post-WWII childhood, how it shaped his values, and the pain of seeing food wasted today. (43:51)

    “If I could cut it out of my ribs, I would cut it out of my ribs, but I can’t...” —Werner Herzog, recalling his mother (45:02)

• Critique of Consumer Culture

  • Cites population growth and rampant consumerism as chief threats to humanity and the planet, praising self-reliant cultures like the Amish and Inuit. (40:40)

Artificial Intelligence, Doppelgangers, and Legacy

• On AI and Digital Doppelgangers

  • Herzog is unperturbed by AI clones of himself, or parodists ("at least 30 doppelgangers"), but sees existential threats in AI’s potential for war and deception. (46:41, 50:24)

  • He observes AI-generated art lacks soul:

    “They look completely dead. They are stories, but they have no soul.” —Werner Herzog (50:24)

  • Sees AI as another tool, like a calculator, but insists fundamental knowledge and skepticism are essential. (51:42)

The Search for Truth: Hope & Caution

• The Never-Ending Quest

  • Concludes that the search for truth is the point—truth itself “has no past or future,” but striving for it is vital. (36:52)

    “Truth has no future, but truth has no past either. But we will not, must not, cannot give up the search for it.” —Werner Herzog (36:49)

• Dual Nature of Reality

  • Conan notes that Herzog's worldview balances optimism and darkness—"a bright one and a darker one, which I think is probably okay.” (52:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Minimalism:
  “I just need four wheels, an engine, and a steering wheel. And Flintstone had it.” —Werner Herzog (38:45)

• On Rented Families in Japan:
  “The family is fake, but the emotions are truthful and that’s a significant thing.” —Werner Herzog (23:48)

• On Technology-Dependent Modernity:
  “There’s an app on our phone for cat litter… and I now have a new rule, which is—I don’t want to buy a product that requires me to have an app… it should be a federal crime.” —Conan O’Brien (17:32)

• On Artistic License:
  “Would he have shown the Virgin Mary as, let’s say, a 55 year old woman? He would have created what I call the accountant’s truth.” —Werner Herzog (22:34)

• On the Role of Striving for Truth:
  “The search is the point. Not giving up the search.” —Werner Herzog (35:18)

• On Storytelling:
  “The beauty about storytelling, the beauty about invention… the invention somehow enters your heart and enters your dreams, but not your books of the accountant.” —Werner Herzog (31:53)

• On Suffering and Resilience:
  “Kids get over it easily. It didn’t damage me that I was hungry. It made me alert. It made me… curious. It made me looking around what is not going right here.” —Werner Herzog (45:02)

• Conan on Herzog being his GPS:
  “If I could change the directions in my car to being Verner, I would happily do that. I would happily have Verner telling me to take a left on Crenshaw.” —Conan O’Brien (47:43)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• (10:08-13:14) Herzog discusses his new films, memoir, and creative process
• (15:13-16:51) Why Herzog lives without a cell phone (and the parking-lot incident that forced him to get one)
• (17:32-18:05) Conan and Sona on the tyranny of “smart” appliances and apps
• (19:42-22:34) Herzog’s philosophy on Truth, “accountant’s truth,” and the example of Michelangelo
• (23:19-24:37) On emotional authenticity in “rented” relationships and in opera
• (33:31-35:18) The need for suspicion and comparison to prehistoric wariness of poisonous food
• (36:49-36:52) Herzog reads the final lines from his book:
  “Truth has no future, but truth has no past either. But we will not, must not, cannot give up the search for it.”
• (40:40-45:02) Consumerism, food waste, and the lingering impact of his hungry childhood
• (46:41-51:42) Reflections on AI, digital identity, and the soullessness of AI-generated culture
• (52:34-54:54) Balancing hope and despair; the intertwining fates of humans and elephants
• (54:58-56:45) Conan and Werner joke about animals: Herzog admits his fear of spiders after a traumatic jungle encounter
• (56:59-57:47) Call-back to Herzog’s iconic pronunciation: “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”

Bonus: Playful Banter & Personal Anecdotes

• Childrens’ TV Voiceover Gig

  • Light-hearted segment where Conan teases Sona and Matt about voicework for Disney’s Big City Greens (03:44), which Conan declined, explaining how such gigs rarely get finished before one’s kids outgrow the show.
  • “My own self interest is my North Star… If I’m lost in the woods, I don’t bring a compass. I bring a headshot.” —Conan O’Brien (03:44)

• Dog Stories & Staff Comedy

  • Sona’s dog Okie is a fixture and source of running jokes, including a mix-up where Conan interprets “okie shit everywhere” as a staff TMI confession (65:33)
  • Running gags about Armenian weddings, lost wedding money, and bed ham (68:03)

• Conan’s Wish for a “Werner GPS”

  • Ongoing riff about Herzog’s voice giving existential driving directions (“In 500ft, you just cease to exist… calmly, calmly intimidating. Turn left now.”) (48:05)

Summary

This episode illuminates the quirks and brilliance of Werner Herzog’s mind, his deep suspicions about digital life, and commitment to the emotional truths of storytelling. He and Conan’s mutual respect and contrasting styles (Conan’s self-deprecating goofiness, Herzog’s laconic gravity) foster an alternately hilarious and profound exploration of art, reality, minimalism, and what it means to seek (but never quite find) truth in a complicated, ever-changing world.

Not to miss: Herzog’s deadpan recounting of his tarantula trauma, the operatic breakdowns, and his philosophical “GPS” guidance—all reminders of why he remains a singular voice in film and conversation.