This Is Later with Lee Matthews, The Lee Matthews Podcast. More of What
You Here Weekday Afternoon is on the Drive. He is a multi multi Grammy
nominated, Peabody and Emmy Award winning actor, writer, producer, director,
comedian diverse career encompassing film, television, and stage. Also makes Love Like
a Roman Gladiator star of Late Night with Craig Ferguson. Craig Ferguson joining us.
Hello, Craig, Oh, Hello, I'm intrigued by the description of
that I make love like a Roman gladiar. First of all, how say
you know that? And secondly, how does the Roman glad ear or make
love? Do you like? Are you not entertained? I knew you'd appreciate
that. That's why I came up with it. Ferguson, Go ahead,
God, I'm just it's nice to be back in Oklahoma at this time of
year. I'm guessing that I actually am at the time of year with the
corn is as high as an elephant's high. Right about that? Oh?
And that when keeps that wave in wheat sure smells sweet. When it's when
the sun comes right behind the rain. I mean, I'm in fact it's
waving in my face right now, like a Roman Gladiere. Yeah. Craig
Ferguson is bringing his interview talents to a new discussion of the modern state of
joy his podcast Joy heard on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere you get pat podcasts.
And my first question, Craig Ferguson, is the world lacking in joy
right now? Oh? I don't know if I'm qualified to answer that,
But I think what I'm interested in is how different people, individuals, you
know, manufactured forth themselves. I think if I have any discernible skill as
an interviewer, it's been able to talk to someone like their parson and and
so I'm I'm fascinated by the idea. If the discussion is about joy,
what it does do excuse me, is it forces the conversations to be personal.
It's not personal at the end of you know, how do you know?
Do you make love like a Roman blooded here? But more about how
you how you view the world and what's your philosophy? How do you how
do you cope when things aren't going your way or you know, things are
aren't aren't quite as joyful as you would have them be. How do you
cope with things so I think that you know, and it's fascinating. Like
the first three yess in the In the first three episodes, no gabriel I
Glazings, who's you know, the fabulously succession comedian. And then my next
guest was excuse me, Kathie Lee Gifford. There was a very different outlook
on life, excuse me. And then you know, week three is Tony
Hawk, who was from like a completely different background and a completely different thing.
And what I want to do from get Toggett, it's just good people
from wildly different areas of the human experience and talk to them about how they
do it. As time goes on with the podcast, I want to try
and find, you know, not just celebrities, but people who are dealing
with difficult jobs as doctors, detectives, to be undertakers, people who deal
with with the more difficult areas of life. How do you how do you
disassociate or do you do you disassociate? How do you find joy in the
difficulties of what you do. I'm fascinated by it because people do need it,
and I think what happens and you know, right now, people obsessed
about social media for some reason, like it's the only thing that exists.
And I'm kind of fascinated by that too. Why would you Why would you
take all your information from a non fact checked amateur journalist doesn't make any sense
to me. Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson's host, he's bringing his interview
talents to a podcast on the iHeart radio app and everywhere you get podcasts.
Joy is what it's called. And uh, what what? What? What
is maybe the primary thing you've learned talking about joy with all these different people?
I think so far? What it? What emerges from the midst for
me that it seems to be the cultivation of gratitude seems to be if you
can it's always easy, I mean, but if you can find some way
to get a sense of perspective on your difficulties or your life, that I
mean, gratitude seems like a kind of magic bullet if you can find it.
And some people find it from religion, some people find it through other
forms of spirituality, some people find it in a in a bomb. I
guess I don't know, but it's if you can manufacture for yourself, cultivate,
no manufacture, cultivate for yourself. A same sort of wondering gratitude.
That's what seems to bring most people joy that talk too too far. And
also it's wide range, and it's a it's a it's a non specific thing.
It's also an impairmanent thing like happiness or fear. It will come and
it will go, and so you you know, it takes many forms.
For me, it comes down to when I'm in the midst of the hard
times or a difficult time, I find I have to make a list,
make a list of the things I can control regarding the issue, and then
a list of the things I can't control, and then maybe try to find
the middle ground between those two things, and then just start going down the
list and trying to change the situation to where I have joy. Again.
I guess I'm too methodical. No, I think that sounds like a sensical
approach to it. It sounds like a methodical approach, which is you know,
I mean, I get that's who you are. There's no shame in
being methodical. I think that I think that the idea of making a list
is good. It's what works for you. It seems a little it seems
like a healthy idea to me. I I do it slightly less formally,
but I kind of I try and focus on it. Look when I when
I look at someone else's problems, it doesn't take my problems away, but
it sometimes gives me a sense of perspective on the problems that I have.
So you know, I think a sense of perspective can lead you down to
the past to joy if you can do it. Craig ferguson The podcast is
Joy and it's available on the iHeart radio app and everywhere you get podcasts for
you. What is it about interview you you're good at interviewing? Do you
do you only talk with people that you find interesting? Or is it the
other way around? You try to find something about a person that you find
interesting. Well, I think that I think the idea is that if I
have only discerniment skill, I think it is maybe that when other people are
talking, I can listen. So sometimes I think, and oft times this
happened to me in my life. I think this person is not going to
be interesting, and then I listened to them and I go no wrong Again,
they are interesting. Doesn't mean that I necessarily agree with them, but
I don't need to agree with someone to find them interesting, and I think
that that's a that's quite a common error. I think that the people make
right now is that you think, you know, to find someone acceptable,
you have to agree with what they say. And I don't really subscribe to
that. I think it's probably healthier to try and find common ground or at
least politeness with the people you disagree with. I think that that's a that's
a skill. And also listening to someone requires you to shut up, and
I quite like having to shut up, because, as you can probably tell
by now, it's not much strongest point. Well, I always say,
if first of all, you've cut to the heart of my whole theme of
my whole program, and that is a polite discourse, that's what you'll find
here. Secondly, uh yeah, Unfortunately, my business anyway is replete with
people who have the inability to listen and shut up. Yeah. I think
it's I think it's the politeness is It sounds kind of trite, but it's
not particularly I noticed when people attack the politicians are very guilty of this.
If they don't agree with the section of society, they insult them, you
know, And why are you insulting these people, particularly if these people are
pore. I grew up in no wealthy and when you come from a modest
background, manners are kind of they're super important because for a lot, that's
all we have, you know, And I think that when you treat people
with a lack of courtesy or respect, you do not help the situation.
And I think that it's actually very important, much more important, I think
than anyone know, anyone than a lot of people realize. The podcast is
Joy. You can hear it on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere you get podcasts.
The hostess Craig Ferguson the one you remember from Late Night with Craig Ferguson.
I'd love to talk more, but he must be off to make love
like a Roman gladiator. Thank you for joining us, Craig Ferguson, don't
dug me up too much. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Later with
Lee Matthews, the Leigh Matthews Podcast, and remember to listen to The Drive
Live weekday afternoons from five to seven and iHeartMedia Presentation