Video summary
Craig Ferguson reveals that his affable and easygoing demeanor is actually a survival mechanism developed during his childhood in violent Scotland during the late 1960s and 1970s. Although he was not raised by criminals, growing up in an era marked by intense sectarian hatred between Catholics and Protestants exposed him to significant societal tension reminiscent of "The Troubles" in Ireland. This environment fostered a sense of constant alertness where violence was normalized, leading Ferguson to develop what he calls "violence apathy." He illustrates the absurdity and danger of this period with an anecdote about a funeral for an IRA soldier in Belfast, where a stray bullet from the ceremonial salute killed a pigeon that landed on the coffin; the priest's casual comment that the bird was involved highlights how death and conflict were woven into daily life.
The pervasive nature of violence extended beyond street crime to include institutional brutality within schools, even state-run Protestant institutions. Ferguson describes being physically punished with thick leather belts as a young child, an experience he initially perceived as normal but later recognized as abnormal when compared to peers raised in places like California. While corporal punishment was eventually outlawed by the European Court of Human Rights just after his high school graduation, the era left a lasting impact on how he interacted with others. He contrasts this upbringing with his twenty-five-year-old son living in Brentwood, who views boxing as merely a way to burn calories for fitness rather than a necessary skill for self-defense or social survival.
Ferguson suggests that this background shaped him into someone skilled at "people-pleasing" and maintaining charm under pressure, traits often associated with Scottish comedians he admires like Louie Anderson. He acknowledges the cultural divide between East and West Scotland, noting that while his family roots are Irish from the west coast near Glasgow, there is a distinct difference in character compared to Edinburgh forty-five miles away. Despite these regional nuances, Ferguson believes that anyone who stands up on stage carries an inherent darkness within them, yet he maintains that his ability to make small talk and remain affable was not merely personality but a learned tool for navigating a world where conflict was ever-present. Ultimately, his humor serves as a shield against the trauma of growing up in such a volatile environment, allowing him to connect with audiences while masking the underlying severity of his past experiences.
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I think that you are more opinionated
and more irritable than you let on.
>> Oh, 100%. I think that's that's
absolutely That's very astute. Yes.
>> I look opinionated. You look affable.
>> I I I do I do affable because I grew up
in a very violent situation. Not at
home. I I mean, my family weren't
violent to me. But, the
uh
>> Wait, say What do you mean to you? They
were violent to neighbors? To passersby?
>> were I didn't I wasn't raised by a crime
family.
>> Well, I don't I don't know anything,
yeah.
>> don't know, right? I was raised in in
Scotland in the late '60s and 1970s. So,
or the '60s and '70s, really. And and it
was a time where I was raised was
uh
It was very jumpy. You know, there was a
lot of sectarian hatred between
Catholics and Protestants. It was It was
a kind of adjacent to the troubles in
Ireland. There was a lot of that stuff.
>> Troubles one of the greatest
terms, names for uh conflict.
>> Yeah, violence.
>> So [ __ ] Irish.
>> Yeah, what's that? A wee bit of trouble.
>> [laughter]
>> What's a wee bit of trouble there?
They're killing each other.
>> Oh, that's some trouble.
>> You know, there was this story
>> make a big deal of it.
>> This is This is a true story. A friend
of mine told me this who was at a
funeral
for an IRA soldier in
uh Belfast.
And at the end, you know, at the funeral
part of it is they shoot um
you know, you get the salute with the
guns fired. And they fired a gun, and
somebody hit a [ __ ] pigeon. And it
landed on the coffin.
And the priest The priest said, "Well,
sure, the pigeon was involved."
>> [laughter]
>> They used to say that about somebody who
was in in the, you know, part of the
whole
>> Part of the troubles.
>> Yeah. He was He was affiliated. He
wasn't involved.
>> Oh, that's very funny. Um And so, you
grew up around violence. You grew up in
a violent time and a violent
>> private and the the the and the
actuality of it. And so, what you do is
you
you develop
>> violence apathy. in Is there violence in
your neighborhood in your
>> Yes.
>> region?
>> school we we had a
They had corporal punishment at schools
when it was outlawed uh
just after I dropped out of high school,
but
>> Just in time.
>> Yeah, just in time. It was outlawed by
the European Court of Human Rights.
That's how far they had to take it
before they got rid of it. Um but they
used to belt us when we were very very
young. They I mean, I'm 5 years old I'm
talking about being
thumped by a thick leather belt uh that
was specially made for the purpose. You
had to hold out your hands and they
would just bash you with that.
>> school?
>> No, this is Protestant Well,
>> State school. Right. Okay, but so it's a
state It's a Protestant state.
>> school. It's It's a state school. It's
the government school and it was and
there was a lot of kind of
And I would think I think of it as
normal like pushing and shoving and
violent with young men, but but I I
don't think it is that normal really.
I've When I've talked to people who grew
up outside of that, they did not grow up
with violence between young men. I think
of it Like my oldest son, who's 25, who
grew up in California, I would be like
teaching him how to box and stuff and
he's like, "Dad, it's not Scotland."
>> This is for to burn calories [laughter]
so I can have a beach body.
>> But I was like, "No, you got to keep
your left up." And all that kind of
stuff. He's like, "What are you talking
about? I'm going to art class, you
know?" I mean,
>> We live in Brentwood. What do you
>> it almost Yeah, it was that kind of
Yeah.
>> Yeah, there you go. [laughter]
And it was it So, it was a kind of it
you develop a people-pleasing thing. I
think that's right to say that that
affability becomes a useful tool. You
know, you
>> Do you think a lot of Scots are like
that as a result? Because it doesn't
seem You seem I I will say that the
Scott comics I'm I'm aware of and know
are really
really affable. They're really like fun
and like they can make small talk and
it's very charming and moms like them
and girl like you know what I mean?
>> Depends on what part of Scotland you're
from to be honest cuz I'm from the west
of Scotland which is
I mean my grandparents are Irish, you
know, and so it there's a there's a
there's a kind of difference between the
east and the west of Scotland weirdly
enough. It's 45 miles, you know, from
Glasgow to Edinburgh, but there's a
world of difference and and the
>> So is it the west is more Irish, do you
think?
>> I think the west is more Irish and the
west is
>> put it on a darker is it a darker note?
>> I think they're all pretty dark. I think
I think the whole thing is on a dark
note. I think I think anyone
who does stand up has a darkness. Anyone
at all. I'm talking anyone.
>> I completely agree.
>> The most like, you know,
uh affable, lovely
>> Yeah.
>> Louie Anderson was the the best.
>> I I knew Louie, yeah. That's yeah.
There's a lot of darkness in there.
>> Yeah.
>> I can't stay long. I'm in between meals,
so bear with me.
>> Okay, so you find yourself affable as
like a a survival in in mechanism.
>> that
that's fair enough to say. I think it
was probably developed I genuinely I'm
not looking for trouble.
>> No.
>> You know, I mean
>> But you know how to like you can
>> I can hang.
>> You can hang. You can give somebody a
real good three, four minutes. Most
people.
>> I think so.