Video summary
Craig Ferguson challenges the conventional definition of his career by insisting that he is not a traditional talk show host, despite the format's superficial similarities to late-night television. He explains that while he acknowledges the public perception of his role, his internal drive has always been rooted in storytelling rather than standard interview structures. For Ferguson, the act of telling stories is an essential impulse that persists regardless of his state of sobriety or social setting, echoing the oral traditions of his Irish and Scottish heritage where fiction and reality often blend through poetry and song. He finds his greatest comfort in creating or absorbing fictional worlds, suggesting that as he ages, he realizes much of what we consider "truth" is inherently fictional anyway, placing him in a unique space between fact and narrative.
The essence of Ferguson's work goes beyond the typical metrics of a talk show host, offering a depth that distinguishes him from peers who might be viewed as shallow by comparison. He reflects on the danger of becoming so identified with a specific job that one loses sight of other aspects of life, noting that while he is proud of his show, it represents only a fraction of his existence. This sentiment was notably validated by comedian Ricky Gervais, who during an interview recognized that the program was not a standard talk show but rather an improvisational exploration of ideas and connection. Ferguson describes his show as a space for "coming and going" without rigid constraints, where the focus is on spiritual connection, time, death, and the human condition rather than just comedy or celebrity interviews.
Ferguson delves into philosophical reflections on time, evolution, and the nature of existence, drawing parallels between scientific theories and religious apologetics to illustrate how human perception limits our understanding of the universe. He discusses his past experiences with alcohol and psychedelics, noting that while substances like acid can induce a sense of being overwhelmed or "bamboozled," they do not provide the clarity he seeks; instead, he finds himself trapped in a liminal space where despair and survival coexist. This introspection reveals a man who is acutely aware of the scope of life's complexities without necessarily struggling against them openly, preferring to acknowledge the vastness of these concepts rather than trying to control or fully comprehend them. Ultimately, his journey highlights a pursuit of meaning that transcends the entertainment industry, focusing on the profound connections between people and the transient nature of their shared experiences.
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Uh,
what do you what's most of your time
spent on? And I don't even mean like
what are you doing? What are you feeling
and thinking?
It's the broadest possible question I
could ask and I thought as a talk show
host you would appreciate it.
>> Yeah.
Um, I never thought of myself as a talk
show.
>> No, I know. I know you know.
>> But but but what's interesting
>> And what's funny is the more you go on
the the less I'm like he was not
I didn't realize how funny you were.
Because you never made me laugh.
>> [laughter]
>> No, I then I would see [ __ ] and I'd be
like this [ __ ] guy's quick.
>> Mhm.
>> And but I didn't know think you'd be
that quick cuz I cuz of that job.
You you everyone who does it pretty
quick.
>> Mhm.
>> But you're very quick I would say. So so
>> Yeah, I am.
>> So anyway, so what do you spend most of
your I'm going to ask you this in a
rather oblique way, but I think it does
answer it. Which is if I couldn't do
anything but write, I'd be fine.
So I think I have to
for some reason, for whatever reason,
for whatever impulse I have, I need to
tell stories. When I was drunk I told
stories. When I was got sober I told
stories. How I stay sober is to tell
stories and hear stories. You know,
um, the the idea of of, you know, I'm
Irish and Scottish. I I, you know, my
people tell stories.
>> Yeah.
>> We make [ __ ] up, you know. And and it's
poetry usually and and songs and and
and so I feel like that that's where I
live in most comfort is in some in the
either the creation or the absorption of
fictional or partly fictional worlds.
And the truth is the older I get I think
a lot of this [ __ ] is fictional anyway.
And so the
I kind of I think that's where I live I
think most of the time it
>> Well that's the other thing is your your
your you have more depth than
a talk show host general I mean again
not like Colbert and these guys are
shallow but like you you
you know maybe it's the algorithm
but like you're and again I don't also
it's just a part it's a fifth of sixth
of your life so like
>> Yeah.
>> but it's just how for for most of for
other people it's 80% of your output so
>> I understand I understand that it makes
sense and I'm happy
>> but I like I like the deep part that's
the part I like so that's what I'm I'm
curious about
>> I think that
the the trouble sometimes I think if you
do a job that becomes very identifiable
is that old joke you know you [ __ ] one
sheep and you're the sheep [ __ ] you
know I mean is that you host one talk
show and you're the sheep it's like you
do a thing and everybody likes that
thing or wants that thing and I like
that thing and wanted that thing and I'm
proud of that thing and
and I'm I'm I'm in no way dismissive of
it at all
but there's other things you know and
and I really
there were times
doing the talk show
you know we had I I had this skeleton
sidekick you know and
>> [laughter]
>> somebody asked me one night about why do
you have the scale it was so it was
someone a show business haha question
about
what's with the scale and I said it's
the mocking presence of death reminding
me that this is transient it is my
triumph I am Caesar this is my slave
and I could see them like
>> We'll be right back.
>> [laughter]
>> They cut to the commercial break that's
how bad it was um
I think but the people that connected
with me on that show and still connect
on that show cuz it still runs all over
the place on the of stuff.
>> The people that connected with me on
that show, they know
that that show I used to say this over
and over again in the show, this is not
a late night talk show.
I'm not a late night talk show host.
And there's very few guests that
actually picked up on it, but there was
one I remember and I'll always We don't
see eye to eye on everything, but it was
remarkable. So, about halfway through
the interview and we're just [ __ ]
around, comedy, comedy.
And it was Ricky Gervais.
>> Uh-huh.
>> And he said,
"Hang on a minute. This isn't a [ __ ]
talk show at all, is it?"
>> Yeah.
>> No, it's not. Congratulations. And he
got it.
>> Yeah.
>> Because he works in improvisation and he
works in It's not. It was like, "Come
and improvise. Let's see what [ __ ]
happens."
>> Yeah.
>> That's what that show was.
>> Yeah.
>> So, was it a talk show? I guess. People
talked. But was it that? No, because I'm
not that.
>> I'm talking about
the I'm interested in the party that
wants that
the spiritual part
of what you're doing.
>> Yeah.
>> Even what you are. What your what your
essence is.
>> Yeah. What do you think it is? Because I
I don't know.
Let's talk Let's you talk about me for a
while.
Don't be flippant. That's defensive.
>> [laughter]
>> Um
I'm Well, I I What's it When I'm it
feels like something there's something I
I feel like there's something about time
with you and about
there is something about death and about
connection and [ __ ] around.
>> Yeah.
>> And there is like a little sadness to
it.
>> Definitely.
>> And
um
>> Time's a good one. Time is You know
what? Time, you're right about time.
Here's Here's an interesting You ever
read any C.S. Lewis? Uh
>> I haven't because because it it's like
it feels too too Christian and too But
I'm sure it's great.
>> is. He's a Christian apologist. If you
don't like him, go I mean go you can go
deeper GK Chesterton
>> Okay.
>> uh who is like kind of his uh origin
story if you like for CS Lewis. He's
pretty good on this. But but CS Lewis
does an interesting thing talking about
cuz I think GK Chesterton as well was
like this.
HG Wells was a big atheist, you know,
socialist and stuff.
>> You have to say something with a full
first name.
Herbert George
>> Great. Thank you.
>> Go on.
>> Herbert George Wells was a I think it's
Herbert George uh could be Harry Gumbel.
I don't know. Harry Gumbel Wells. It's
definitely HG uh
>> Hey, how you doing?
>> Hey, how you doing? That's me, HG Wells.
But HG Wells
and GK Chesterton were friends.
>> Yep.
>> And they would used to have arguments
about Christianity and you know one's an
atheist and one's a big Christian
apologist and stuff like that. But one
of the arguments I heard which I loved
was the idea about time.
Uh is the the idea that evolution is
somehow the theory of evolution is
somehow negates the idea of there being
a god. And I'm like I it doesn't even
doesn't even touch it. I don't know why
anybody thinks that. Um
the idea that if it takes you know, 50
million years for something to happen in
the terms of the universe, that's
>> Yeah.
>> It's nothing.
>> Yep.
>> Um
and so the idea of we measure
time by our life spans
or the life spans of our civilizations
or our families or and that's like we
measure you know, we count up to 10 cuz
we got 10, you know. It's not really a
thing.
>> No, it's the right amount of
>> It's the right amount of things. Yeah.
Yeah. And I think that I think there are
so many
ways to look at the world
that are interesting and many of them
encouraging.
Because I spent a lot of time but I
think when you're drinking the way I
drank is a you spend a lot of time in
despair.
For a you're in this trap you can't get
out. The thing that's keeping me alive
is also killing me.
>> Yeah, there's something psychedelic
about
>> Yeah.
>> you're like living in this
anomaly or this contra- this some net
liminal space.
>> Yeah, I think that's why. I mean the
iPhone weirdly enough I took acid a few
times. And maybe like
15 to 30 times. I'm not entirely sure.
And I didn't care for it at all.
I did not enjoy it once. And then it's
kind of interesting because
but I didn't take it the right way, you
know. I I if there is a right way to
take it, you know. I certainly didn't do
it by a river, you know.
>> You didn't do it with the mattresses the
way they
>> No, no. I did it after 10 pints of
Guinness in the Griffin, which is a pub
in Glasgow, which you know, it's a
completely different experience.
Um
but the
the idea of of it's weird enough.
That's the way I feel about it.
>> Life.
>> It's weird enough. It's like I'm
bamboozled by it.
And
and sometimes it's too much like the
when I was talking to you about
Kierkegaard the the Fear and Loathing
book. I've read halfway through that
book. The reason I brought it up is cuz
I'm in it right now. But I can't take it
too much. I have to put it down and
leave it alone for a minute. I'm like,
"Oh, shut the [ __ ] up. Give me a
>> Yeah.
>> I need can fall it or something. You
know what I mean? It's something else,
man. And you know, like it's like a
a Buddhist river or something. I don't
know. Like I can't do all this. It's
gets too big. And acid felt like that
for me. It's like, "Oh, too much."
>> That yeah, but I think that's what I one
of the things I like about you is that
you are like openly not even struggling,
just openly like
aware of
scope.
The scope of just like all of these
things.
>> I know that you know that thing
when you
And and I've noticed that a lot with
comedy. Has comedy has this
It happened a quite a few times when I
was doing the old late night show. It
happens a lot when you're messing around
with other comedians.
That you guys hit something you don't
know why it's funny. But it's so
you're like weeping with laughter over
and I mean I don't even think it's just
comedians. I think everyone does that.
But that is magic.
>> Yeah.
>> You know, or like when you're on stage
and you hit something
>> Yep.
>> Hey.
You should like and subscribe.
>> [laughter]