Taylor Swift | Econo-Meh!

Summary

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The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Taylor Swift | Econo-Meh!
Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Stephen Colbert
Guest: Taylor Swift

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Episode Overview

This episode blends Stephen Colbert's signature satirical take on current events—especially the economy—with a heartfelt, in-depth interview with global superstar Taylor Swift. The episode oscillates between comedic commentary on politics and economics, and an intimate, revealing conversation about stardom, artistry, and life transitions with Swift.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Monologue: Satirical Take on the Economy & Politics

[01:05 – 12:15]

• Theme: "The Windchill Economy"—prices feel worse than they statistically are.
• Commentary on Trump's Poll Ratings: Jokes about Trump's own supporters blaming him for the economy.

  "It's like your parents sitting you down and saying, Timmy, your mommy and I are getting divorced. But we want you to know, it's your fault."
  — Stephen Colbert [02:16]

• Riff on Cost-Cutting Tips from Trump: Mocks Trump’s suggestion that people can save money by skipping pencils and dolls for kids.
• Economic Crunch on Meat Prices: Lampoons rising beef prices and invents the "meatloaf meat loan."
• Meta’s Metaverse Fail: Satirizes Mark Zuckerberg’s failed Metaverse project.
• Font Change at the State Department: Mocks Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s (fictional) switch from Calibri to Times New Roman.
• Rumored White House Shakeups: Jokes about Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's job insecurity, veering into meta-humor about writers’ personal wishlists.

2. Taylor Swift Joins Stephen Colbert

[14:02 – 40:21]

First Impressions & Reflections

• Swift on the Eras Tour Seismic Fan Response:

  "The entire tour, there were these just sort of out of control, out of body experiences we would have on stage. ... Not normal."
  — Taylor Swift [15:55]

• Transitioning from Touring: Advice for Colbert about winding down after a long endeavor.

  "I'm bread girl now... hobbies are kind of incredible, and you love to do a million things to prepare for this."
  — Taylor Swift [17:37]

On the Eras Tour Experience

• Tour’s Emotional Impact: Discusses realizing the tour created “joy blackouts” for fans.

  "...medical professionals are diagnosing several...fans who came to the ERAS tour with, like, post concert amnesia, they were getting, like, joy blackouts, and I was like, oh, man, I think this one's different."
  — Taylor Swift [19:08]

Performing Despite Hard Days

• Dedication to Performance:

  "I just make a decision at the beginning of the tour that there's no option to not go on stage...Even if you have like the stomach flu...never let them know you have the stomach flu."
  — Taylor Swift [21:38]

• Contrast: Onstage vs. At Home:

  "I prefer to look like...If you were to see me In a window, I would like for someone to think they saw a ghost."
  — Taylor Swift [22:52]

Winding Down Post-Performance

• Swift's Rituals: Bath time ("mermaid time"), room service, and signing 2,000 CDs.

  "Immediately into the bath. Mermaid time. And then...I get, like, the most amount of room service possible."
  — Taylor Swift [24:43]

Audiobook Obsessions

• Swift describes her favorite genre as 'gothic suspense' with unreliable narrators and haunted mansions.

  "...all the elements of, like, Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca...If there's a marriage and the marriage isn't what it seems...unreliable narrator. She's the psycho."
  — Taylor Swift [26:10]

Cats on Tour

• "Benjamin Button," her youngest cat, always finds her pillow—even while traveling.

On Seeking Advice and Mentorship

• Community & Mentors: Speaks about Stevie Nicks, Max Martin, and fiancé Travis Kelce as her support circle.

  "I try really hard not to do the whole, like, oh, my God, there's no one that can relate to what I'm going through...But...I've been very lucky. I have Stevie Nicks in my life in a way that, like, affects me positively..."
  — Taylor Swift [28:50] "And another person, my third favorite person...is Travis. I can talk to him about any of this, you know."
  — Taylor Swift [31:09]

Engagement, Masters, & Career Triumphs

• Engagement to Travis Kelce: Colbert congratulates; the conversation turns playful about wedding etiquette.
• Regaining Her Masters:

  "Those were two things that just never could have happened....I'm so grateful for both of those things happening, you know, and my fans are why I was able to get my music back..."
  — Taylor Swift [32:19]

• Re-recording her albums: Delighted at improving upon original performances; likens collecting masters to a fantasy quest.

  "I'm collecting Horcruxes. I'm collecting Infinity Stones. Gandalf's voice is in my head every time I put on a new one."
  — Taylor Swift [34:40]

Reflections on Growth & Favorite Songs

• Looking Back at Her 12-Year-Old Self:

  "I'm taller, and I know more words."
  — Taylor Swift [35:55] "When you put this on, you're like, I'm sorry, I'm unstoppable today."
  — Taylor Swift [36:08]

• Top Taylor Swift Songs:
  • #1: "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)"
  • "Mirrorball" (from Folklore) likely in top five
  • Admits ranking her own work is tough and changes over time.

  "I require a little bit of time to, like, appreciate my work in a way. And it's constantly changing."
  — Taylor Swift [37:54]

Speculative Career Futures (for Colbert)

• Imagines Colbert becoming a podcaster, influencer, or mystery writer.

  "And I feel like you're gonna write a really amazing mystery thriller where there's, like, a house and it's covered in ivy."
  — Taylor Swift [39:15]

Story Improv: The Gothic Novel

• The two improvise a gothic mystery plot together—a playful cap on Swift’s love for twisty, suspenseful stories.

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Notable Quotes

On the economy:

• "I think we can all agree 2025 blows."
  — Stephen Colbert [01:45]

On her fans:

• "Honestly, your fans registered on a Richter. It’s off the charts."
  — Stephen Colbert [15:44]

On mentorship:

• "I've been very lucky. I have Stevie Nicks in my life in a way that, like, affects me positively."
  — Taylor Swift [29:24]

On her re-recordings:

• "I'm collecting Horcruxes. I'm collecting Infinity Stones. Gandalf's voice is in my head every time I put on a new one."
  — Taylor Swift [34:40]

On achievement:

• "Like those two things that you just mentioned, right? Like getting engaged to the love of my life, getting all my music back. Those were two things that just never could have happened."
  — Taylor Swift [32:19]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time (MM:SS) | Segment | |------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 01:05 | Opening monologue: Economy & politics | | 14:19 | Taylor Swift interview begins | | 15:55 | Swift on fan seismicity and Eras tour summary | | 17:37 | Workaholism, hobbies, and winding down | | 21:26 | Performing despite illness, tour resilience | | 24:26 | Swift's post-show rituals: bath, food, signing CDs | | 26:01 | Taylor's gothic audiobook obsession | | 28:50 | Mentors: Stevie Nicks, Max Martin, Travis Kelce | | 31:25 | Colbert congratulates on engagement | | 32:19 | Talking about getting her masters back | | 34:40 | 'Collecting Horcruxes', fantasy about her catalog | | 36:08 | Looking back at 12-year-old Taylor and performance | | 37:26 | Colbert asks for her top five songs | | 39:15 | Imagining Colbert’s future as an influencer/author |

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Memorable Moments

• Colbert’s running gags about politics and font choices: [09:19]
• Colbert learning wedding etiquette rules: [31:33]
• Playful story collaboration on a gothic thriller plot: [39:15 – 40:11]
• Swift’s dry humor and openness about post-tour identity and routine.

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Tone & Language

• Colbert: Witty, self-deprecating, satirically sharp, with playful admiration for his guest.
• Swift: Warm, insightful, candid, and self-aware—mixing humor with earnest reflection.

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Final Notes

This episode is a rich interplay between topical satire and an authentic, revealing conversation with one of music's biggest stars. Fans of both Colbert and Swift are treated to candid insights, plenty of laughter, and an intimate glimpse into the resilience and creativity required for longevity at the highest levels of entertainment.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[C]

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[B]

Welcome, welcome one and all to the Late show.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm your host Stephen Colbert. And it is the holiday season.

A lot of cheer in the house. It's the holiday season. Everyone's out buying stuff. Unfortunately, right now the most expensive thing you can do with stuff is buy it because prices are up and Americans are not happy about that. According to a recent poll, 76% of voters view the economy negatively. But according to CNN, actually things feel worse than they are.

Calling this a wind chill economy.

Well, windchill makes sense because I think we can all agree 2025 blows. Now people.

Are. That was a loud one.

People are blaming Donald Trump. In a Fox News poll, he has a 61% disapproval rating. And in a political poll, even 37% of Trump's own voters say the cost of living in the US Is the worst they can remember. It's gotta hurt more that it's his own voters. They're supposed to love him no matter what. It's like your parents sitting you down and saying, timmy, your mommy and I are getting divorced. But we want you to know it's your fault.

We like each other. We gotta get away from you.

But look for us.

To convince everybody, to convince everybody that the bad economy is actually good. Last night, Trump addressed a rally crowd in Pennsylvania with some sound advice on how to save lots of money this holiday season.

[D]

You know, you can give up certain products. You can give up pencils.

[B]

How much does he think pencils cost?

We checked, you know, we checked. Our fact checkers checked. A pack of pencils is $4.36 on Amazon. So saving money on pencils may not be the stupidest thing he's ever said, but I'm gonna say it's number two.

The sound advice continued.

[D]

Every child can get 37 pencils. They only need one or two. You know, they don't need that many. You don't need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice, but you don't need 37 dolls.

[B]

That's a good point. Anyone with a young child knows they're constantly bugging you for 37 pencils and or dolls. That's why they keep begging you to go to the American girl pencil store.

At one point in the rally, Trump tried to say the name of his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. And he had one little slip up twice.

[D]

Suzy Trump. Do you know Susie Trump sometimes referred to as Susie Wiles?

[B]

That's a nice save. Got the real name in there at the last minute. It's moments like this when I'm most jealous of Trump and he messes up wildly and just keeps going. I'm still not over the time I called my second grade teacher Mom.

Mrs. Williams, I know you're not my mom. Okay. I hope you've forgotten about it. I love you, Mommy. Dammit.

The president also praised the recent charitable donations by billionaires Michael Dell and his wife almost.

[D]

I want to thank Michael Dell and his beautiful Dell computer.

[B]

So close.

So close.

His beautiful Dell Computers is. His beautiful wife's name is actually Susan Dell. You want to try that again, Suzy Trump? Okay, let's just move on. Trump spoke for an hour and 40 minutes, and even though it was a sympathetic crowd, he never took the opportunity to address any of his scandals, not even the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

[D]

Minors. Do we love minors? I love minors.

[B]

I stand corrected. After Trump's Pennsylvania pencil, Pinchin Yammerthon, he went back down to the White House, took a little break, and then posted every word in the English language. Somewhere in that miasma of letters, he celebrating how often he has to get his brain checked. I go out of my way to do long, thorough and very boring medical examinations. In addition to the medical. I've done something that no other president has done on three separate occasions by taking what is known as a cognitive examination. I aced all three of them in front of a large number of doctors and experts.

That's not a great sign when A doctor takes a look at your brain and says, can we get more people in here, please?

I'm going to need backup.

A witness, and maybe a notary public.

This rant appears to be in response to a couple of New York Times articles recently, including one with the headline, trump's approval ratings have declined. So has his vigor, which says that Trump is slowing down. Well, clearly Trump is displaying the number one sign of old age. Reading the New York Times. One area where Americans are really getting sticker shock is over in the meat department. The latest charts and graphs out there say the average price of ground beef was up 26% since January of 2024. And experts say next year the prices could soar nearly 60%. It's getting so desperate, folks are going to loan sharks to get a meatloaf meat loan. And if you don't pay them back, they come and take your pinky. That's why the Hamburger Helper glove only has four fingers.

Very sad. Now Trump's beef tariffs against Brazil have really jacked our meats, as the low number of domestic cattle herds haven't helped either. But according to one meat spurt, the real problem is beef cow inventory. But demand. Do you really need to give your kids 37 burgers for Christmas? They've already got two good pencils to eat.

Now, incidentally, that analysis comes from Beef Magazine.

Which is my third favorite meat mag, right after Cosmopolitan and the new Porker. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Peabody Award winning.

[D]

Thank you.

[B]

This affordability crisis doesn't just affect regular people. Billionaires have problems too. Take Meta CEO and stranger on the plane, asking, what's your blood type? Mark.

Zuckerberg. After years of massive investment, Zuckerberg is slashing the Metaverse budget, leading tech reporters to say we can finally kiss the Metaverse goodbye. What? The Metaverse is going away. But now how am I supposed to have a scenic picnic with no food or legs?

Apparently, the Metaverse has meta sucked for a while now. It's lost more than $70 billion and at one point had a user base of approximately 38 people.

38. That's not a universe, that's a wedding. Where two of the shuttle buses got lost.

Over at the State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making America great again by forcing his staff to change fonts on all the official documents. Rubio has ordered that Calibri is out and Times New Roman is back in. Even more confusing, he made the announcement in Wingdings.

Also. Wingdings, where's your.

We're peeking.

Also not the point. But Marco Rubio, how do you have time to do this? Don't you already have enough to do? You're currently the Secretary of State. You're the acting National Security Advisor and acting Archivist of the United States. Not to mention your head is our nation's strategic ear reserve. So why did Rubio change the official font? Well, during the Biden administration, the State Department switched to Calibri, a more accessible font for people with disabilities. Or as Rubio called it, a wasteful diversity move. Yes. I am so sick. No, no, folks, he's right. I am sick of these snowflake typefaces. From now on, we need to use non woke fonts like Impact.

Look at that strong alpha font. Its daddy will be back any day now.

[C]

Ooh, ooh.

[B]

Oh. There is some hot gossip out of D.C.

Because Donald Trump is reportedly considering getting rid of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Mann. Oh, yes. Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. Potentially really soon. Like in time for Christmas, maybe. Oh, Santa. Oh, Santa. Oh, Santa, please. Oh, Santa, please. It's the only thing I want besides The Le Creuset 3 1/2 quart signature oval casserole dish and the classic whistling kettle and ceramic mug set in shallot colorway. Ooh, and if there's room in the bag, the porcelain enamel 2 quart brazier with a fitted glass lid. And then you can't not also get the enameled signature cast iron trivet. Okay, how about this? The Kristi Noem thing, plus a gift card to Sur la Table.

That joke was written by one of my writers who actually wants all of that and asked me to say it on air in hopes that she would get it. Her name is Caroline Lazar. Carol.

[C]

Give me the trivet.

[B]

Thank you, Caroline. Please, just do it. We're worried about her.

The administration is denying that Noem is about to be taken to the White House gravel pit. But according to reports, the White House is frustrated with her leadership, particularly her employment of Chief Advisor Corey Lewandowski. And it gets juicier fam, because I heard from my cousin's brother's roommate, by which I mean the Daily Beast, that the two have an alleged relationship which has been referred to as DC's worst kept secret. Nope. Sorry. No, sorry. DC's worst kept secret is Al Gore's tale. We got a great show for you tonight.

[E]

Coming up.

[C]

Taylor Swift.

[F]

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[C]

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[E]

Up to the last.

[C]

Minute. Like a designer perfume for that friend who never RSVP'd wishlist topping toys for her kids who came.

[D]

Too.

[E]

Mm. Belgian chocolates for the neighbor. A cozy scarf for your boss. And a wool jacket for your husband that you definitely did not. Almost forget Marshalls. We get the deals, you give the good stuff, even at the last.

[B]

Minute.

[E]

Phew. Find a Marshall's near.

[B]

You.

Welcome back, everybody. Give it up for Louis Cato and the band.

Thank you very much. All right, ladies and gentlemen, my guest Tonight is a 14 time Grammy Award winning global superstar.

You know her because everybody does. Please welcome to the Late Show. Taylor Swift.

Ladies and gentlemen. Please.

It's.

[C]

So. That was so nice. Aren't they pleasant people?

[B]

Yes. They're so.

[C]

Excited.

[B]

Yes. You know, it's so lovely to have you. We've met before. You did a bit on the show a few years ago, but this is the first time we've had a chance to sit down and chat. Hey.

[C]

Taylor. Hey.

[B]

Stephen. It feels, I imagine this is what it felt like when the Beatles came into the Ed Sullivan Theater in.

[C]

1964. I don't know, I think they had a whole thing going. Do you know what I.

[D]

Mean?

They had a good.

[C]

Time. But that was so nice and so wonderful and you've been so supportive over the years. You've just, like even very early in my career, you would just say the nicest things. You're so supportive of people. You're so passionate about what you do. It's a joy to get to watch you and a real honor to get to actually Sit.

[F]

Here.

[C]

So. Thank.

[B]

You. Oh, that's so lovely. Thank you so much. It's our honor completely to have you.

[C]

Here. Thank.

[B]

You. We're longtime fans and I'm so glad we could do.

[C]

This.

[B]

Okay. Your fans move mountains for you. Almost literally. I love this headline. Seattle Swifties match 2.3 magnitude earthquake at Taylor Swift Eras Tour. Man, your fans registered on a.

[C]

Richter. It's off the.

[B]

Charts.

I'm curious, I'm curious. When you're performing to like an earthquake like that, do you feel that on.

[C]

Stage? Yes. It's insane. The entire tour, there were these just sort of out of control, out of body experiences we would have on stage. And I've had the same band. Most of my band has been with me since I was 16 years old. And we just kind of look at each other and be like, this isn't normal. Not normal. And so it was really just the most special, phenomenal feeling every single night being on that tour. And I'm really glad we get to relive it because we have this concert film and docu series coming out on the 12th about the eras.

[B]

Tour. Well.

I want to get to that. Your eras tour wrapped almost one year.

[C]

Ago.

[B]

Yeah. I need a little advice. I've been hosting a late night show for 21 years. I've got six months left here approximately. Any advice on what to do? Because you have to come down from a two year tour like that, I'm sure there's a little bit of a transition to do. Any advice for.

[C]

Me? I mean, for this specific situation? No. But I can sort of see from afar. Right. That I think that I can speak for both of us to say that we're both very passionate, hyperactive people. Right.

[B]

Right. I like the.

[C]

Grind. Yes. So it's like a. Let's not say workaholic. Let's just say we're passionate, hyperactive.

[B]

People. We're work.

[C]

Pertoonists. We like it. Right. And so it's like I think that when I take time off, it's always just like, I can't slow down. The fact that I need to get up and do a lot of things today, but I can change what those things are. Like, I'm like, I can figure out how to like chill out, but I'm never gonna be a chill.

[B]

Person. So you're gonna chill out with.

[C]

Intention and very hard too is like, I became like, I'm bread girl now. Like, I like, I'm like, I've got.

Or I'm like, oh, you know, this isn't Gonna cross stitch itself. Do you know what I mean? Or I'm like. It's just sort of like, hobbies are kind of incredible, and you love to do a million things to prepare for this. And you give everything to the people that watch your show. And, like, you can give that to your friends and family, your community. You.

[B]

Can. But my friends and family don't chant my name. Taylor.

You talked about the new documentary. Because I'm special. I've seen two episodes of it already, and what I didn't expect was to be teared up in both episodes.

The music is beautiful and the story is fascinating, but your fans, yeah, it's seeing especially those young girls and what you mean to them. Did you know immediately, like, when you started this tour that this was gonna be something different or when did it hit you that, oh, we've actually created something that's really above and beyond our expectations.

[C]

Here? It took a second. I think what I thought in the beginning was we were seeing all this insane demand for the tour, but I just kind of chalked it up to, like, I've put out, like, five albums. I haven't gotten to tour any of them. There's just built up demand. And I just thought, wow, this is. We're really lucky to get to have this passionate response from the fans. I didn't realize it was gonna be this until you started hearing about people's experiences at the show. Because my whole life I've been trying to study, like, how do you not just. Not just entertain people, but really transport them out of their problems, their life, their stresses? How do you really create a sense of escape? And when I was reading articles where it's like, medical professionals are diagnosing several. You know, all these fans who came to the ERAS tour with, like, post concert amnesia, they were getting, like, joy blackouts, and I was like, oh, oh, man, I think this one's different. I think this tour is different.

And it was ultimately because of the fans connecting with what we created that made the ERAS Tour what it is. So thank you guys so.

[B]

Much.

We have to take a quick break. We'll be right back with more Taylor Swift. Everybody stick.

[G]

Around.

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[H]

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[B]

Magic.

Hey, everybody, we're back with Taylor Swift. You know, her work.

As, you know, not at this scale, but as somebody who has to be out here every night and do the show. No matter how I feel, whatever's going on in my life, you're here for the fans. You feel better being on stage anyway. But I'm just curious, how do you on your down days, because you have to have some. How do you become who your fans need you to be by the time you hit the.

[C]

Stage? Man, didn't you like do your show with like a burst appendix.

[B]

Once? I did, I.

[C]

Did. I did.

[B]

Man. I did a two show night.

[C]

With a burst appendix because I've never done that. That's.

[B]

Crazy. You'll get.

[C]

There. Oh, my God. Yeah. So for me, when I'm on tour, especially the ERAS tour, I just make a decision at the beginning of the tour that there's no option to not go on stage. That's not an option. And it's not an option to perform. You're not like, oh, I think I'll do this show at like a level six tonight. That's not an option. Even if you have like the stomach flu, which I had multiple times during the tour, my goal was like, never let them know you have the stomach flu, you know, and so by the end of the night you're like.

[B]

There'S a quick way to let them know. By the.

[C]

Way. There's a.

Self control, you know? No, but it was like, I think that it's also about knowing that there is something bigger than you. And for me on that tour, the bigger thing was these people have saved up their money, they have rearranged their schedules, they have arranged transportation, they have had parties, they have created costumes, they have made friendship bracelets. I'm doing the.

[B]

Show. Biggest difference between Taylor Swift just walking around and Taylor Swift who appears on.

[C]

Stage. Where am I walking around? Just like your home, just shuffling around the.

[B]

House. Yeah. You got the athleisure.

[C]

On.

[B]

Yeah. And you're.

[C]

Just. I've got like a, like a old Victorian nightgown on. I prefer to look like. If you were to see me In a window. I would like for someone to think they saw a ghost. Do you know what I mean? At home, for sure. Anyway. So, like, I think that at home, I don't want any paraphernalia. I don't want any, like, plaques or, like, I don't want a studio. I don't want to, like. I don't want there to be any evidence that, like, a music person lives here. Except for, like, my piano and, like, a guitar, but the guitar's not, like, hung in a prominent place. It's like, I like it to feel very cozy at home. And, like, if I'm gonna go to the studio, I go to the studio. Studio. And it's like, special day today. I get to go to the studio. I also feel like. I don't know, I am really, like, my close friends and the people in my life and my family are all just so locked down in terms of, like, I can tell them anything. And it never ends up in the press. It never does. And it's really nice.

[B]

Yeah.

I promise you, nothing you say tonight will end up in the.

[D]

Press.

[C]

Yeah. This feels like that kind of situation.

[B]

Again. I do a show every night. Not at that level. I'm not dancing and singing, but I'm filled with.

[C]

Adrenaline. When it's over, I feel like you dance.

[B]

Sometimes. A little bit. A little.

[C]

Bit. There's some singing as well. Don't shortchange.

[B]

Yourself. How do you. I'm a huge fan of me. Don't worry about that. What? How do you wind down at the end of the.

[C]

Night? Well, okay, so like, after the show, you know that kind of feeling where you're just sort of like a flickering light bulb of just sort of like that just.

[B]

Happened.

[C]

Sure. It's crazy. Like, it's crazy that these people are here being so nice and wonderful. And that's hard to go to sleep after, right?

So I'll go back to the hotel, you know, get out of the costume, into the bath. Immediately into the bath. Mermaid time. And then. And then I get, like, the most amount of room service.

[B]

Possible. French fries. What's the go.

[C]

To? Everything. Everything that I want on that given night, you know, like. And I'm just like, I gotta power up for the three and a half hour show. It's the best. So then I sign, like 2000 CDs, because me doing activity, that's like tactile hand activity. And I'm making something. It's like when I'm, like, doing bread stuff, right? Like.

[B]

My. Straight in the tub, make some bread. That's.

[C]

It. Like, if I had known about Sourdough. Probably, yes. Like, if I had known about it at the time, but it hadn't discovered me at that point in my life yet. But it'll be like, I'll sign CDs, because when I'm doing something with my hands and my kind of, like, profession is, like, coming up with ideas for stuff. So if I can turn off the ideas for a second. Very exciting. I'll put on, like, I'll put on my date line. Do you know what I.

[B]

Mean?

[C]

100%.

[B]

Yeah. Do.

[C]

Audiobooks? Yes.

[B]

Constantly. What's your jam on the.

[C]

Audiobook? Oh, okay. So it's always a different one. As soon as I finish one, I start a new one. But I'll tell you the elements. Is that okay if I.

[B]

Just. Yeah, just the elements.

[C]

Of. What I'm looking for is, like, you know, all the elements of, like, Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca, that.

[B]

Book.

[C]

Yeah. Right. So if it's like. If you've got, like a. If you've got, like, an old, like, shoe, like, rambling shambles, old British mansion covered in moss or ivy, and there's, like, a mysterious relationship, and he may not be what he seems, and there's, like, a murder that has happened in the past, but you hear whispers of it. There's, like, the idea of a ghost, or an actual ghost. If you present me with a plot line where there's, like, a family compound on an island off the coast of Maine. There's secrets in this family, right? This brother, like, what's going on with him? Why don't we know where he's been for 10 years? Why did he just show up? Do you know what I mean? If there's a marriage and the marriage isn't what it seems, and it seems like this dude is, like, clearly, like, why are you with him? He's horrible to you. Oh, plot twist, unreliable narrator. She's the.

[B]

Psycho.

That sounds like a great book. That sounds like a great.

[C]

Book. If you got any of that, I'm gonna need to read that. And when I say read that, I'm gonna need someone to read that to.

[B]

Me. You bring your cats on tour. Yes, I understand. And you say. And is this. You say at one point you woke up with a cat on your head. Is this the moment we're talking.

[C]

About? Yeah, that's pretty much what it looks like when you have a cat that sleeps on your head, because it's really like. This is my youngest. His name is Benjamin Button, and he's really.

Really attached to my pillow, wherever that may be, in whatever country that is. They travel with me.

[B]

Everywhere. I gotta say, there are worse things. There are worse parts of a cat to wake up on your face, you.

[C]

Know? I know the.

[B]

Paw. The paw's pretty.

[C]

Good. No, he's really thoughtful about that. And he makes sure not to, like, obstruct any airways and stuff. So it's.

[B]

Good. It's nice. We're gonna take another break here, but stick around more. Taylor Swift when we come back.

Hey, everybody, look at there. It's Taylor Swift, ladies and gentlemen.

So few people have experienced the level of stardom you have in this sort of. This mammoth global tour. Who do you possibly turn to for.

[C]

Advice? I try really hard not to do the whole, like, oh, my God, there's no one that can relate to what I'm going through. You know what I mean? It's like, nobody wants to hear that, and I don't want to hear it. It annoys me when I do it in my head when I start to, like, go down that path. So I try to find through lines in many people's experiences. Like, I think that we can, like, relate to each other, even if our lives aren't identical. But that said, I've been very lucky. I have Stevie Nicks in my life in a way that, like, affects me positively.

[B]

Constantly. That's.

[C]

Fantastic. Like, being able to talk to her and have a phone call with her and, like, hear what she's been through and, like, she. You know, she paved the way for me and any other artist to get to do this on this level. So I feel very lucky that she's kind of like. She's, like, lended her very, like, magical, wonderful, wise approach to life to me. Also, I work with Max Martin, who I think is, like, one of the greatest, most legendary creators, producers, songwriters that I think we're very lucky to live in the time that he's continuing to make music. Like, he wrote Baby, One More Time for Britney Spears, you know, and now. And I was very lucky to get to work with him on my new album, the Life of a Showgirl. And.

[G]

He'S.

[B]

Thanks.

As long as we're.

[C]

Talking. There it.

[B]

Is.

There you.

[C]

Go.

So I get to talk to him a lot about, like, he's reinvented his sound so many times. And I think that what I look up to the most in people is career longevity and career longevity, friendship longevity, longevity in their relationships. You know, how do you keep a good thing going? I think there are certain corners of our Society that really love that and look up to longevity. There are also corners that are like, give someone else a turn. Can't you just go away so we can talk about how good you were?

I'm like, I don't want to, you know, so.

And another person, my third favorite person, and it's not in any. Because I do talk to him a lot more than the other two is Travis. I can talk to him about any of this, you.

[B]

Know. Well, congratulations. Congratulations on your.

[C]

Engagement. Oh, thank.

[B]

You. You're.

[F]

Welcome. Thank.

[B]

You. Or actually, best wishes. I think you're supposed to say best wishes to the girl. Congratulations to the.

[C]

Boy. I never heard that until right.

[B]

Now. Yes. It's so rude. No, congratulations to the man because congratulations that you were able to get, you know, this wonderful woman. And best wishes to the woman because it was a fait accompli that of course you guys would get.

[C]

Married. This is so good to learn. I love.

[B]

This. Come to me for all the wedding.

[C]

Stars. I'm going.

[B]

To. Okay. Everybody loved the way you posted.

[C]

It.

[B]

Thanks. Your English teacher and your dim teacher are getting married. That's really great.

Plus, you got the new album. Plus you got your masters back this.

[C]

Year. Yes, I.

[D]

Did.

[B]

So.

Man, pretty good.

[C]

Year. It's a really. That's a good year. Like those two things that you just mentioned, right? Like getting engaged to the love of my life, getting all my music back. Those were two things that just never could have happened. They could have just never happened. It wasn't like, oh, it's just a matter of time. Like, both those things could have just never arrived in my life. And I'm so grateful for both of those things happening, you know, and my fans are why I was able to get my music back, you know, that's how I spent that Aristotle.

[B]

Money. So.

Everybody admires.

Everybody admires your initial reaction to not having a masters, which is to re record your albums, to do Taylor's version of everything. It was like, oh, that's a really strong response to.

[C]

That.

[B]

Yeah. Do you know John Fogarty's story? John Fogarty of Cretan's Clearwater Revival, he lost his masters in the early 70s, and it kind of haunted him. He just got them back.

[C]

Recently.

[B]

Yeah. He's 80 years.

[C]

Old. Let's go.

[B]

John. He was on the show the other day. He's 80 years old. He just got him back. And he went, man, it's like, I never lost him. And I'm just curious, what did it mean to you to actually have these masters back? Because it meant the world to.

[C]

Him. It's the same. It's the same feeling for me. Like, I used to have this very strange, conflicted feeling of. I'd like hear the song ready for it, and I'd be like, man, this song goes so hard.

You know what I mean? It's like.

Tear, right? So it's like. It was this strange, conflicted feeling of, like, man, those are my memories. And that's when I was going through that. Right. Cause a recording is such a snapshot of where you are in your life. I'm stoked about the RE records I got to do because I was like, you know, I'm really happy that I was able to. I felt like I picked the ones first that I felt like I could have sang that a little better. Do you know what I mean? And so I feel like I actually kind of improved upon some of the performances. And so the way it all happened.

I just. Man.

Yeah. Congratulations to John Fogarty. Congratulations to.

[B]

Me. Thank you.

I want to ask you.

In an interview in Time magazine talking about the RE recordings, you said, quote, I'm collecting.

[C]

Horcruxes.

[B]

Yep. I'm collecting Infinity Stones. Gandalf's voice is in my head every time I put on a new one. I'm just curious, what was Gandalf saying to.

[C]

You? You know, it was like a tone thing really, but I imagine it was like.

You know, like anyone who didn't make your music and owns it shall not pass. You.

[B]

Know.

We're gonna go to commercial, but come on back for more. Taylor Swift, ladies and gentlemen.

Hey, everybody. We're.

With one the only Taylor Swift.

Your birthday is on Saturday. Happy.

[C]

Birthday.

Okay, thanks.

[B]

Guys. I'm curious, what is the same and what is different between this 12 year old Taylor Swift? Look at her and the woman you are.

[C]

Today? Um, I'm taller and I know more.

[B]

Words. It's helps in writing, I'm.

[C]

Sure. So like, you know when you're like 11 and you've got that one outfit that you just know.

Like, goes so hard, like where you just know that when you put this on, you're like, I'm sorry, I'm unstoppable today.

And when you've got the like sparkly American flag shirt with the red duster and it's 2001 and you've got this red headband, like, this was my national anthem performance outfit. So it was like I'd be walking in and I'd just be like, this is the one. If I got my look on and it's kind of similar to how I feel about.

The first look that I got to wear in the ERAS tour. I got to wear this very sparkly Versace bodysuit. At any time I put it on, I could be like. I could be like, coughing from a horrible virus. I could be like, stomach virus. I could be aching. I was constantly in a lot of physical pain, but when I put that on, I was just like, no, this is popping. I'm doing.

[D]

It. We're.

[E]

Going.

[B]

So.

Now I have. Let me get this right here. I have asked Dolly Parton, Elton John, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and more people their top songs from their own catalog. May I ask you, Taylor Swift, what are Taylor Swift's top five Taylor Swift.

[C]

Songs? Oh, wow. Oh, my God. Okay, so don't. Like, this is so much pressure. You're already writing five. Oh, my God.

Okay, so I think I'm gonna say that I'm gonna need a little time to get back to you on all the five. Right. Because I don't have enough. See, it was too soon to get it out. Right.

I think that I.

[G]

Require.

It's.

[C]

Those. But I think I require a little bit of time to, like, appreciate my work in a way. And it's constantly changing.

[B]

Right. Too.

[C]

Soon. It's a little too soon. But I will say, I think number one is all too well, the 10 minute version.

I'm really obsessed with the life of a showgirl right now, the whole album. So I'm like, I can't really do any of the others. Except I will say, somewhere in this list, I think is gonna be a song called Mirror Ball from the Folklore.

[B]

Album. Put it at.

[C]

Three. It's like, you know, like, it came on the other day. A friend sent it to me and she was like, talking about it, and I put it on and I was just like, mmm.

You know, and then you asked me this question, so I said it. But can we, like, we could do an update at some point. If I have some time to, like, look back and be like, no, this is the top.

[B]

Five. We could do it. You've got all the time you need between now and.

[C]

May. Yeah.

No, you're gonna be like. You're gonna be like, podcast guy. You're gonna be doing like, really?

[B]

Yeah. You're gonna be like, legally, I have to get a.

[C]

Podcast.

[B]

Yeah. Legally, I have to get a.

[C]

Podcast. Yeah, you're gonna be podcasting. You're gonna be an.

[B]

Influencer. Am.

[C]

I? Yeah. You're gonna.

[B]

Make. What do I need to do for that.

[C]

Tiktoks? Yeah. You're gonna do.

[B]

Tiktoks. Could I make one with.

[C]

You? You're gonna.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Great. Yeah. And I feel like. I feel. I feel like you're gonna write a really amazing mystery thriller where there's, like, a house and it's covered in ivy.

[B]

Right. Maybe off the coast of.

[C]

Maine. There's a mistress.

[F]

There.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Yeah. But.

She'S related to.

[F]

Them.

[C]

Oh. And so it's really bad, but it's an amazing book. But it's grim. Right. And then somebody falls off a cliff. Oh, no. It was a ghost. It was a ghost. It was a ghost. And then it turns out that they don't actually own the.

[B]

Island. Don't own.

[C]

It. Right. They don't actually own it because their father is actually his twin.

[B]

Brother. Got.

[C]

It. And the father died in a mysterious drowning.

[B]

Incident.

Done. Done. If it sells, I'll give you half the royalties.

The album is the life of a showgirl, the end of an era and Taylor Swift. The eras tour. The final show premiere Friday on dis. It's Taylor Swift.

Thank you for listening to the late show pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and.

[E]

Exclusives.

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