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