John Oliver Remembers His Favorite Daily Show Field Pieces

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Wow, Hey, everyone is Mark Paon.

I love it.

I'm gonna editor, I I love it.

You can have started that smoothe.

I've been at the show since nineteen ninety seven. Wow, pre John Stewart. That's right, Craig Kilbourne. Today I'm here with mister John Oliver.

It's a misplace.

Missed of its of HBOS last week tonight yep. Former TDS senior British correspondent.

Fact.

And you've been gone what ten years?

Ten years? Yeah? You were here for eight O say for eight? Yeah? Right. I left at the end of twenty thirteen with my tile firmly between my legs, right right, and now I'm back.

Right And you and I worked on many pieces.

Again, we worked on many pieces. I would go so far as to say you taught me how to do field pieces by yelling at me. Your voice was in my head when I was on field chair.

I don't know if I did your first piece, because I don't think Jen used to try to get every correspondent to have their first piece with me.

Yeah, you did not do mine, right, I'm pretty.

Sure your first one was not the broken nose one, right, all that infamous broken nose.

I think it might have been or was that your first? I think it was the first one. I think it was the first one because I think it was an immigration story and for some reason it ended up with a yes, that's right, righter. John Oliver had come face to face with the true face of war. I think I've broken my nose. I broke my nose, the ultimate break in. Yeah, the tape. The tapes were sent back ahead of us because I had to be taken to the hospital for them to check my shattered nose out.

Yep, I remember. But I did not cut that one.

No, that wasn't That wasn't you.

One of them that really stands out is the Wisconsin fourteen. Oh do you remember that one?

That was the runaway senators right right, And we tried.

To try to avoid voting.

They went into Illinois, the Democratic senators because they did they didn't want to vote. I remember on something that's the Republican governor.

That's right, and so they ran over state lines and.

We treated it like it was like you were going into Afghanistan or whatever.

One of them was hiding at a tilted kilt the Scottish Hooters. Yes, Scottish Hooters. Possible, and then you found one of them. We found one of them, and we interviewed him outside the Scottish Hooters. And you know who else we interviewed in that piece, Rod Blickyvi.

No, but the other guy because I watched the piece recently, because I was showing something how the entire piece was done in a very serious tone. Yes, that's a completely full on yes.

With the Afghanistan theme.

Was the way we had.

We had like the map of you going through we used like whatever the something passed that it was.

I think I remember I remember rolling up on some kids and handing them candy through the wind.

Yes, and it was like American, American American feel like all screaming, like literally or like like refugee.

We pressed on deep into the infamous I ninety pass. We began to see local children unaccustomed to mid size the dams. If it's so inspiring, America here, American candy, American candy. Don't be radicalized.

When you found a guy and you interviewed him in a in a.

Hotel, that's right, you're right in a hotel.

We started filming in with your with your with like either it was your phone or with a small camera, and like like just pretending to translate. He's speaking English, but you're pretending to translate.

Torture batman. How long are you prepared to hide out in this cave. That's not a cave, not a cave at all. We have college, we have a bad We can relax. It's a hotel room, not a cave at all. And his message to America was chilling. What are your demands? Please look strangers of this camera. Oh it's not a demn it's just really attention American pigs. Renounce your Western way of life, or we will lay waste to your country. We will never stop. We're just asking the governor to

What I'm saying is please governor want.

Your Wisconsin cheese will run red with blood.

That was that was the other thing about you, Okay, Stephen Corbert always said that his first advice, because he was one of these. He came around when I did the second year, and his advice to all the new correspondents was leave your soul at home.

Yes, when you go to a few peace you didn't have to do that. That's right, you were all in.

That's my response. That was, what's this soul you're talking about, Stephen, Oh, yeah, I would need to find that to be able to it at home. Yeah. I never minded the tension.

I think that's what I loved about working with you, because I'm kind of the same way. If you're a fool, like, I'm not going to feel sad here. If you're idiotic enough to go on camera, I think, make a fool of yourself. Like, I'm not sympathizing with you at all. I'm not gonna let it.

Definitely part of it was I think there was some side of me that came out when a camera's on that wasn't there the rest of the time. I might be more inclined to be more pleasant to people when cameras aren't rolling, but it just seems to remove that soul.

It, or you're thinking about the next question exactly exactly. So I think those, yeah, those were the heart Those were the best. Hardest lessons. Were sitting in an edit thinking I wish I could go back four days and be in that room again now because I would behave differently. That really got the learning curve up, because then when I'm in that room talking to someone, half of my head is in the edit already thinking am I getting

That's no longer here, by the way.

Finally, class that was an absolute classic, the L shaped couch that everybody napped on, That's right.

I think a few people myles kind of thing, slept on it a few times.

He unnecessarily slept overnight, thinking he was exactly when he could easily have been done by eight thirty. But yeah, that was that was a bit big, big learning curve was realizing that you should try and put your head in the edit because then you're not really emotionally present.

Yeah, I mean I would. I would always say that to you guys, like, if you're screwing something up, just stop and start over. Yeah, definitely, you're not doing this live.

I remember. I remember once you spinning around to me and saying, hey, you know, what would have been great? And I said what? And you said, if you'd said something funny then, And the thing is you were right.

Like when they when they open up a hole for you to drive a joke through, and you don't, You don't say anything. Yes, yeah, yep, that would happen a while, Yes, with everybody.

Yeah, but you know it's a blunt lesson, but it's a good one.

Yeah.

You have to be listening, not thinking about other shit. Definitely, what was your favorite piece? Do you think you had to pick one at the Daily Show?

In my whole time here, I really liked how the three part gun special came out the Australian one. Oh right, But to learn how to do that that piece that we did on gabone. Do you remember that we do with Tim Greenberg when he and I went to Africa. It was about their membership in UNESCO. I think it's very simple. America cannot change its laws with his bad.

Laws, why can we change them?

That's a good question. This actually made perfect sense when I was back in the United States. Someone please explain to this woman that our laws can't be changed.

No Congress could overturn this life it wished.

Wait, what of course it could, right.

We could do it easily. Yes, but we're not going to do that because we're dicks.

No, we didn't create this problem.

That's the headline. We didn't create this problem, although we did create the law. Although we did create the law. Right, got me confused again. We're the good guys. We're the good guys here. We're the good guys.

And don't forget that.

I'm not going to forget that. We are the good guys for sure.

For short.

Yes, and when those programs are getting shut down, we still feel like the good guys because.

We are.

We are because we are. It is just that simple, that's right. And that was the first time that we were actually slightly changing the way that we normally did feel pieces because previously that we were so very much following that Colbet model of embodying the counter argument, whichever room you were in is completely perfect way of doing things.

We had a massacre at a place called Porta.

Seventeen years ago and there have been none since.

Zero gun massacres. Hold on, did gun control actually work? Zero mash English?

What they Australia has still has murders, rapes and robberies.

Last I checked. Unless you can get rid of one hundred percent of crime, it's not worth doing at all. We'll put it this way.

It's illegal to have crack cocaine anywhere in the United States.

Do you think if somebody really wants it, they can get their hands on crack cocaine in America? So unless we can completely get rid of drugs, there's no point in having drug laws at all.

Then you think about that for a minute.

That I am proud of that came out right.

I got an my for that too.

He did.

Yeah.

Oh good for him. Yeah he cut the whatever it was part two or yeah? Yeah, yeah, those were great. I forgot they were really good and.

I got to edit all yeah, which I'm assuming must be dear to your heart.

The World Cup, the World Cup ones, they were good.

With the hooligan, Yes, the English Hooligan's pieces.

Yes, a classic Doctor Danny Jordan CEO of the entire World Cup committee? Who would you be supporting during the World Cup?

But finma fun South Africa? You?

Who are you guys here supporting Australia. I was back the Netherlands. You guys like two lips, right, yes, right, read these two lips go yourselves. I also really liked and I think I did that with you the Herman Kane inside the Actors Student. Do you remember that? Didn't you do that? Like three D Yeah, but we did the first one.

I did one of them. I don't know, I don't remember which one. Yeah, no, I did one of them.

I think the one that we were kind of James Lipton and he basically committed to everything. Yes, and it was slow. Again. What I liked about that was the rhythm was very choppy, right, it was fast and choppy, like you get the bits out cut cut, cut, cut, cut, with the with the herman cane peace. It was really nice to be able to just sit in that room long pauses. I spoke really slowly, and he just committed

Immediately that's the one I cut.

Earth is being attacked by aliens. You are standing on the smoldering remains of what used to be the Oval Office. You have thirty seconds to address the Earth's inhabitants, to inspire them to rise up and repel their alien invaders. Look into that camera and.

Action, citizens of Earth. It was the spirit of humanity that built this planet. It is that same spirit of humanity that will allow us to defend ourselves against unknown enemies. It is that same spirit of humanity that will allow us to destroy the aliens.

After that, he kept coming back because he would do anything.

And then while I was like, can we just stab he ran.

He ran the joke into the ground like he ran a presidential campaign into the ground. I think you've already answered this one.

And they want to describe the experience of working with me.

I would say, how I made you. Yeah, that's right, you sculpted me out of clay, but not not like a potter, who know, like using their hands gently. You were like thumping the clay saying why are you not a vase yet? That was your pottery style.

Let's see what else.

Give me something, doctor, we'll talk about your evolution. But like I feel like you regressed so English women and left. I don't know what the what the what I would describe it gentleman.

Is yeah ruffian scamp, yeah, scamp yeah, yeah. I think the only the only evolution that had was eventually getting confident in field pieces to the point that we could stretch it a bit. The thing I liked about that Herman Kane thing was we hadn't really done anything like that where you just sit with one person in a room, no other tricks. Well then one person.

I don't remember if it was before or after Herman came, but we did the the.

Oliver's travels that would that was almost ambassadors. That was. That was one of the first things I did because I like the idea of just sitting in a room with one.

Person, and those are really funny because they.

You would just be mean to diplomats who as usually deserve it well. And also it's because their skill set is also their weakness, which is engaging in diplomatic language, which means you can be as rude as you like one of them and they're not going to react. Ambassador, as a long time residents of the Middle East, what is Qatar doing to destabilize the region.

Well, first of all, Kappa is a moderate country playing a good role.

And the international you.

Think you'll find it pronounced Qatar, It's op Qatar, Kappa Qatar.

That's the classic Arabic.

Your nation has given us the forty fourth President of the United States of America. Congratulations, well you know that, thank you.

We are we are. We are very grateful that he has come onto the scene.

You know when he when when he did? Who else have you got?

Words?

Are we got? We need some financial gurus, we need a banking zar, a cars are and we need a new American idol.

Tell you what we could bring you. A Massai. They are the warriors, the traditional warriors of the of the Masai.

People and can they sing?

Can they do?

What?

Could they sing? I'm just thinking can they do that the dream Girl songly? No, no, no, no, wait, I am not sure they can't do You strongly agree or strongly disagree with this statement Death to America. Strongly agree or strongly disagree. Definitely strongly disagree. Yes, disagree, Yes, I'm sure, Yes, I'm putting it down.

Yes, of course.

Okay, so yeah, they were fun, but I liked to put those who were akin kind of Daily Show choppy like. There was a lot of running, run and gun bits was what I liked with Herman Kane was just letting that play out going.

Yeah, I find character. It was easy because it was so controlled. Yeah exactly. Yeah, but it ended up feeling different than what we normally did.

Oh wait before we have to get.

One second that I loved and like a lot of people loved in the building, especially US sports fans. Yes, it's the Daily Show Sports desk. Oh yeah, and John Well there was you did a couple of them.

We did one you down in Philly when the Giants were playing the Eagles on the same day.

As the Yankees were playing the Phillies. In the world series.

That's right, And so it was who has the biggest gumbay fans?

Oh my, you and Jones were like the sports center guys.

Yes, wait all, I want to stike JJ nothing short on the title of American sports dude. She is fans And.

I gotta tell you, joh this atmosphere is absolutely electric.

Let me hear you, Ju.

And then you did another one for do we there was a guy who wanted to start at basketball league of only white players.

In the middle of it, they cut.

Away to like commentary from like the sports desk guys, and it's you and this one it's you and Wyatt and why and Whyatt does like a full sharp You guys had like the suits with like the ape buttons.

His suit was so good, but you had the same kind of suit. Was so funny. I couldn't look at him. Thanks Josie boy. Oh boy, the moose has been on fire today, running his mouth all over the court. He's burning up like a cross in my grandma's yard. I got you. That's because when it comes to the fundamental, moose is the best. Let's take a look at that last comments again.

It was so funny and like we were like this needs to be a regular thing. Delis show sports sets. We couldn't get enough of it. And then John just just like not interested in.

I remember those Philly fans. I remember being absolutely amazed at how many fans never made it into the stadium just because they passed out totael Gate. There was just bodies everywhere.

And I think the original intent to that piece was you guys were gonna go and like actually do like man on the street. Yes, but instead they kept you in the like director's chairs. There was no weight again, and they just had the people. They just went to people to the They just took the cameras to the people.

Yes, just be douche because that was the thing. There was no way to control the atmosphere, so you just lose.

So you just sat there and had comments in the.

And Jones was JJ, I remember the line, JJ, you're a former douche and He's like, yes, I am.

Yeah, J I've always wanted to ask you this as a former douchebag yourself, Okay, how do you motivate yourself for a day like today? I'll tell you tell you.

It all comes down to the fundamentals of being of douche.

That was amazing. Where normally you have to kind of ask people if they want to be interviewed with Philly sports fans, all you need to do was take a camera out of the bag, and like moths to the flame, they just emerged and started Just.

Tell them, what do you think about? What do you think about New York?

It doesn't even matter asked that question. That's the first thing they're going to tell you was what they think.

Me and Berger watched that piece a little while ago.

Yeah, that was it.

Yeah, that was a disappointment to me because I was like this Jones and why there are all three of you guys, just like should have been a regular thing.

Yeah, doctor, pleasure, always a pleasure, always a pleasures pleasure.

Never sure to have you back in the building, Flanks Mite all right, alright bye.

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