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00:05The 30 Rock of Thunder Plaza in New York, it's Late Night with Seth Meyers, tonight Nathan Lane, musician Noah
00:16Kahn, an all-new closer look, and now Seth Meyers.
00:28Good evening, everybody. I'm Seth Meyers. This is Late Night. We hope you're doing well.
00:32And now, if you don't mind, we're going to get to the news.
00:34President Trump said in a post last week on Truth Social that anyone running for president should be required to
00:40take a cognitive exam and added, quote,
00:43I took the exam three times during my three terms as president and aced it all three times.
00:49So, first of all, you can't ace a cognitive exam. They're famously pass-fail.
00:54And secondly, if you aced it, then I guess they didn't ask, how many terms have you had as president?
01:02President Trump complained about his first impeachment in a post yesterday on Truth Social and said, quote,
01:07I got impeached for a perfect phone call. I'll have to take your word for it.
01:11That was so many impeachments ago, I don't even remember what it was for.
01:16Here's the rule. If I made fun of you for it while wearing a suit, it basically didn't happen.
01:23While speaking at a retirement community on Friday, President Trump said that First Lady Melania Trump is a movie star
01:29now.
01:29Oh, no, that was actually about someone else.
01:34Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
01:37said in a post on social media yesterday that he rescued a starling at Dulles Airport.
01:43Then he took it straight to the airport McDonald's to find some dipping sauce.
01:51A lot of people will tell you you can't eat starling,
01:55but it's actually a delicious bird.
01:59Don't believe people who tell you not to eat
02:03a bird you catch out of the airport.
02:07There are no red dyes.
02:13President Trump attended the PGA Tour Cadillac Championship
02:16at his Doral Miami Golf Club yesterday
02:18with his sons Don Jr. and Eric.
02:20Said Trump, I got two under par.
02:27Ew.
02:28Anyone?
02:32Good news.
02:33If you got that right away, you passed your cognitive test.
02:37President Trump posted an image on Truth Social on Friday
02:41that shows himself holding Uno cards
02:44with the caption quote,
02:45I have all the cards.
02:47Okay, but you know the point of Uno is to have none, right?
02:53That's like bragging you got the highest score in golf.
03:00Also, I play with the big cards.
03:03Because I'm old and I can't see good.
03:06Well, if you had a Spirit flight booked over the weekend,
03:10good news, you were upgraded to not having one.
03:15That's right.
03:16Spirit Airlines on Saturday ceased operations.
03:18Oh, my God.
03:19This is the worst news for my writers
03:21since they fixed LaGuardia.
03:24If the Mets start winning,
03:25we might have to put them on a psychiatric hold.
03:29Amazon has reportedly discussed the possibility
03:31of rebooting The Apprentice
03:32with Donald Trump Jr. as host,
03:34airing right after the new Bar Rescue.
03:39And finally, wildlife researchers in Florida
03:42have placed GPS collars on raccoons
03:45in an effort to track Burmese pythons
03:47once they swallow the smaller animal's hole.
03:51Said one raccoon,
03:53I'm sorry, what's this for?
03:58Well, uh-huh.
04:00That was a monologue, everybody.
04:02Here we go.
04:06We've got a great show for you tonight.
04:08He's a wildly talented actor of all stages and screens.
04:12You know him from shows such as The Gilded Age,
04:14Only Murders in the Building,
04:15as well as classic movies like The Lion King,
04:17The Birdcage, and The Producers.
04:19He's back on Broadway as Willie Lohman
04:21in Death of a Salesman,
04:22now playing at the Winter Garden here in New York City.
04:25One of our favorites, Nathan Lane,
04:26is back on the show tonight.
04:31And he is an acclaimed musician and songwriter
04:36whose fourth album, The Great Divide,
04:37just debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
04:40with the biggest streaming debut of the year,
04:43his brand-new documentary, Noah Kahn,
04:45Out of Bodies, on Netflix now.
04:46He's on a massive stadium tour starting June 11th,
04:49and to cap it all off,
04:50he returns as musical guest host this week
04:52on SNL with host Matt Damon.
04:53Noah Kahn is back, everybody!
04:56So thrilled to talk to those two wonderful gentlemen.
05:01Before we get to all that,
05:03oil and gas prices surged again on Monday
05:05as a new poll showed Americans overwhelmingly opposed
05:08to the war in Iran,
05:09which has already resulted in higher prices
05:11for almost everything,
05:12and the collapse of a major airline.
05:15But don't worry, Donald Trump announced a plan
05:16to fix the situation by guiding tankers
05:18through the Strait of Hormuz
05:20without sparking a new round of fighting.
05:23And even though the details were vague and unclear,
05:25I'm sure it'll all work out and gas will be cheap again
05:27and the war will be over and everyone will be happy.
05:29And wait, hold on, I'm getting worried
05:29the administration has unveiled a new name for the mission.
05:32Oh, it doesn't sound great.
05:33Let's see.
05:34What is it called?
05:35Oh, no, Operation Cluster
05:36Plus just bad marketing.
05:43For more of this, it's time for a Closer Look.
05:49Donald Trump ran on three big priorities,
05:52bringing prices down, ending foreign wars,
05:54and deporting violent criminals.
05:55And as we all know, he's crushing it on all three.
05:58There's no war in the Middle East.
05:59His immigration policies are a smash hit,
06:01and groceries are so cheap,
06:02they're paying us to take them.
06:04Point is, everything's awesome,
06:06which is why I was shocked
06:06when I saw the president's latest poll numbers.
06:08A record high that no one wants.
06:11That is where President Trump's disapproval rating
06:14stands this morning.
06:15A new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsys poll
06:18showing Trump's disapproval rating
06:20at a record 62%,
06:23an all-time high for the survey's history.
06:26President Trump's numbers souring over inflation
06:28and cost of living,
06:29as the average price of gas
06:31now reaches $4.46 a gallon across the country.
06:35That's nearly $1.50 more per gallon
06:38since the start of the war with Iran.
06:40Trump's disapproval is at an all-time high,
06:42higher than COVID and January 6th.
06:45A virus and a riot.
06:46That's how much people hate high gas prices.
06:49Trump could release an army of bats infected with COVID
06:52to attack the Capitol,
06:53to fly away with Ted Cruz.
06:54But if gas prices were under $2,
06:57voters would be like,
06:57eh, it could be worse.
07:00He loves to travel.
07:02So Trump's disapproval is at an all-time high of 62%,
07:06but I just have a quick question
07:08for the 37% who approve.
07:11What's your deal?
07:13I get that, like, you're MAGA,
07:15but, like, what do you actually approve of?
07:17Is it worth it for you to pay high gas prices
07:20if it means liberals also pay high gas prices?
07:22Is that how much you want to own the libs
07:25at the cost of owning thyself?
07:28I mean, seriously, what's left?
07:30The dancing?
07:30Is that what you like?
07:31Because the dancing is the next to go.
07:33Have you seen how tired he is?
07:35He barely has the energy
07:37to get through a meeting in the Oval Office.
07:38Dude always looks like my kids
07:40when I'm on the last few pages of Goodnight Moon.
07:43Seriously, what's your deal?
07:44Do you like the corruption, the wars?
07:46Oh, do you like his beautiful poetry?
07:48Nothing bad can happen.
07:49It can only good happen.
07:52Does that resonate with you?
07:54Because I'm pretty sure he got that
07:55from a fortune cookie written by Frankenstein.
08:00This has been What's Your Deal?
08:02Anyway, Trump's disapproval is at an all-time high,
08:05which is why Republicans have given up
08:06on persuading voters
08:07and moved on to a new strategy
08:08of rewriting election rules.
08:10President Trump is calling for elections
08:12to be thrown out and redone
08:14in the wake of last week's Supreme Court decision
08:16to strike down one of Louisiana's
08:18majority black congressional districts
08:20that dealt a severe blow to the Voting Rights Act.
08:22Republicans are now pushing several states
08:24across the South to redraw their congressional maps
08:27before November's midterm election.
08:30So Republicans overnight in Florida
08:31pass a new congressional map
08:32that would allow Republicans to gain four seats
08:35in the midterms.
08:36South Carolina, Tennessee, and Missouri
08:38could try to redraw their maps
08:39before voting begins, too.
08:41When the Democrats have the chance,
08:43they will end the filibuster.
08:44They want to turn America into a one-party nation.
08:47They'll pat the Supreme Court.
08:49They'll, you know, turn D.C., Puerto Rico
08:51into states.
08:53They will nationalize our elections,
08:55automatic registration, mail-in balloting.
08:57So we need to stop them.
08:59That's your nightmare scenario?
09:01Automatic voter registration?
09:02That sounds awesome.
09:03It shouldn't be harder to vote
09:04than it is to gamble on sports.
09:06And yet, to register to vote,
09:07you have to fill out a six-part form
09:08with your DMV number, proof of residency.
09:11But to gamble on sports,
09:11all you have to do is open your phone,
09:13wait for a notification from FanDuel,
09:15and be willing to get divorced.
09:17And should anyone run into my wife,
09:19the Kentucky Derby is next week, okay?
09:22Don't you dare tell her the race happened already.
09:24You let her enjoy her Mother's Day.
09:27It's her last one before we have to sell the kids.
09:30So Republicans want to redraw congressional maps
09:33and pass restrictive new voter ID laws,
09:35but they can't even explain those laws
09:37in a way that makes sense.
09:39There's a lot of things that we can be doing,
09:41like voter ID.
09:42Like, every time you walk into a restaurant or a club,
09:46you have to show your ID.
09:47No, you don't.
09:49You have to show your ID to buy alcohol,
09:50but not to walk into a restaurant.
09:53They don't card you at the door at Outback Steakhouse.
09:56Although, personally, I think you should have to be over 18
09:59to eat a blooming onion,
10:00because it is better than sex.
10:02Oh, man, it is so good to say that out loud, finally.
10:05You know, after they said it was too weird
10:07to be a subway take.
10:09Also, there are plenty of restaurants
10:11that don't even serve alcohol, much to my dismay.
10:14You know how many times I've walked into a Friendly's
10:16and asked for a shot of bourbon in my fribble?
10:18Hey, don't judge me.
10:20If you were there with two boys and their friends
10:21arguing over whether fire Pokemon
10:23are more valuable than water Pokemon,
10:25you'd want bourbon in your fribble, too.
10:27Point is, Republicans are reeling from bad poll numbers
10:30on the Iran War and the economy,
10:31a situation that's so bad, it's toppling major airlines.
10:34Breaking news this morning.
10:35Spirit Airlines is announcing it's shutting down
10:38the ultra-low-cost airline,
10:39making the announcement early this morning,
10:41saying all flights have been canceled,
10:43telling guests to not go to the airport.
10:46After 34 years, Spirit Airlines is no more
10:49posting a message overnight that it was ceasing operation,
10:52all flights canceled, and there is no customer service.
10:55So if you're holding a ticket,
10:56you will have to reach out to other airlines.
10:58Now, the airline's parent company is saying
10:59it has already, quote,
11:01started an orderly wind-down of operations
11:04effective immediately.
11:05Only Spirit could cancel all flights
11:07and tell customers not to come to the airport
11:09and also describe it as an orderly wind-down.
11:12But, you know, compared to a normal Spirit flight,
11:15that kind of is orderly.
11:17Spirit flights, God bless them, were chaos.
11:20Running down the jetway to get a seat in overhead space
11:22was like racing through an obstacle course on Wipeout.
11:26Here's the thing, though.
11:27We make plenty of jokes about Spirit on this show.
11:30Spirit, it's like UFC, but in the air.
11:33But it was a budget airline that employed 17,000 people
11:36and made flying affordable for millions more.
11:38But now it's out of business due to high fuel costs
11:41caused by the Iran War,
11:42or as Trump put it recently, Obama.
11:44Spirit is an airline that's had some trouble.
11:50They were going to merge with People Express,
11:54or one of them, a number of years ago,
11:57and Barack Hussein and Obama decided it was a bad idea.
12:00How did that work out?
12:01Yes, we all remember when Obama stopped Spirit
12:04from merging with People Express,
12:07an airline that ceased operations in 1987.
12:12Which, which, which makes sense
12:15when you realize Trump's brain also ceased operations
12:19in 1987.
12:21Spirit, you know Spirit.
12:24Spirit was going to merge with People Express,
12:27and then when that fell through,
12:28they almost had a deal with Panda Express,
12:30which made sense because Panda Express
12:33is already at the airport,
12:34and who wouldn't get excited about a panda pilot?
12:39Beautiful panda bear with a little pilot's cap,
12:41but Obama said no because Obama hates fun.
12:44Also, a good bellwether
12:46as to how much bull Trump is dealing
12:48is if he's using the Hussein middle name
12:50in Barack Obama.
12:52He's so bummed Joe Biden didn't have
12:54a foreign-sounding middle name he could lean on.
12:56Although, Joe Biden's real middle name is Robinette,
12:59and I'm kind of surprised Trump never used that.
13:01You know, the country is a bank,
13:03and Joe Biden is Robinette.
13:06Joe Robinette Biden.
13:08Over the weekend, Trump officials were asked
13:10about the collapse of Spirit and said,
13:12don't worry, you guys, don't worry,
13:13there are still other airlines.
13:15In the statement Spirit released
13:16explaining why they were shutting down,
13:19they said, quote,
13:20the sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices
13:22in recent weeks ultimately has left us
13:25with no alternative.
13:27Are other industries also at risk of collapse
13:30or other major companies due to this energy shock?
13:34Well, don't forget that Spirit Airlines
13:37was Chapter 11 twice
13:40because they basically didn't have a business model
13:43that was working.
13:44That's right.
13:45And the other airlines are still operating.
13:47I just flew out here to discuss these matters
13:49at the Milken Conference in L.A.
13:51on United Airlines,
13:53and the other airlines are operating.
13:55That doesn't make it better.
13:56If a restaurant in your neighborhood burns down,
13:58the fire department doesn't say,
13:59relax, there's a chili down the block.
14:01Just bring your ID
14:03because eating those baby back ribs
14:04is basically
14:07So Trump's Iran war is spiking fuel prices
14:10and destroying airlines.
14:11Can you at least tell us how long this war will last
14:14or if it's even a war at all?
14:17You said the blockade is still on.
14:19A blockade is an act of war.
14:21Are we at war with Iran?
14:23Iran shut down the straits.
14:26Iran shut down the straits.
14:27Right.
14:28And the only ones they were letting through
14:30were Iranian ships,
14:31and President Trump didn't think that was acceptable.
14:34So we are still at war with Iran?
14:38You know, I don't know what the definition of war is
14:42when we're not shooting and we're negotiating.
14:44You don't know what the definition of war...
14:46Did Merriam-Webster also go bankrupt?
14:50Also, the answer is yes.
14:51We're at war.
14:52A blockade is an act of war.
14:53If I park my car in front of my neighbor's driveway
14:55and refuse to let him in or out,
14:57that's an act of war against my neighbor.
14:59And I will admit I did that once,
15:01but only because I had one too many bourbon fribbles.
15:05So now a major airline has collapsed
15:07due to rising fuel costs
15:08caused by an unpopular war started by Donald Trump,
15:11which means, of course,
15:12and I know you're all thinking this,
15:13so say it with me,
15:14it's Joe Biden's fault.
15:16All right, nobody said it.
15:18Spirit tried to merge with JetBlue.
15:20The Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg administration,
15:23and DOJ tanked that deal.
15:25Immediately after that,
15:26they filed for bankruptcy.
15:27They were having financial problems.
15:28Martha, they filed for bankruptcy again last year.
15:31They were bleeding money.
15:33And so this was in their works for some time.
15:36Spirit Airlines closed operations.
15:39The Treasury was supposed to be doing a deal
15:42to save this company.
15:44Can you tell us what happened?
15:45Uh, sure, Maria.
15:47So, this is just more of the mess we inherited
15:50from the Biden administration.
15:51Maria, it's just more of the best we inherited
15:54from the Biden administration.
15:55I'm so angry I can't even open my mouth.
15:59Maria, my jaw is permanently clenched
16:00because of how outraged I am about Joe Biden
16:03causing the collapse of Spirit Airline
16:0515 months after he left office.
16:06That's why I talk like I just ate a jar of peanut butter
16:09mixed with sand.
16:11You guys can blame Joe Biden
16:13for the collapse of Spirit all you want.
16:14No one's buying it,
16:15mainly because Joe Biden wasn't an airplane guy.
16:17He was a train guy.
16:17We all know that.
16:19Hey, no, Joe.
16:20I was best friends with Jesse James.
16:22Yeah.
16:23Hey, that's how I got my middle name.
16:24I told Jesse when I see a train.
16:26Jesse.
16:27Jesse, when I see a train.
16:31I'm robbing it.
16:33I'm not kidding around.
16:35Trump's desperate for a way out of this mess,
16:37which is why he keeps announcing new fake solutions
16:39to the crisis he started
16:40that don't make sense
16:41and catch everyone off guard.
16:43President Trump announces Project Freedom,
16:45a U.S. military plan starting today
16:47that will offer what's being described
16:49as a defensive umbrella
16:51to help cargo ships pass safely through the strait.
16:54You said the hostilities in Iran
16:55that started have been terminated.
16:58How can you say that,
16:59given that the naval blockade
17:00is still being militarily enforced?
17:02Well, it's a very friendly blockade.
17:04A friendly?
17:06A friendly blockade?
17:07Is there such a thing?
17:09I mean, what would you even call a friendly blockade?
17:11Oh, a fribble.
17:13It's a friendly blockade, a fribble, if you will.
17:16Friendly blockade sounds like slang
17:17for when a girl at a bar needs a friend to come over
17:19and get her away from an annoying guy.
17:21Quick, this guy just asked me to do whippets with him.
17:23He said nothing bad can happen.
17:24It can only good happen.
17:26I need a friendly blockade.
17:28But you heard him, financial markets.
17:30It's a friendly blockade.
17:31Everything's chill.
17:32Tankers should start going through the strait of Hormuz
17:34without issue any minute now.
17:36Now we all just sit back
17:37and watch gas prices plummet.
17:39The ceasefire between the United States and Iran
17:41under strain right now
17:43as we've learned that both sides have traded shots
17:45in the strait of Hormuz.
17:47It began after the U.S. began guiding vessels
17:49through the waterway,
17:50including two U.S. flag commercial ships.
17:53In response, U.S. Central Command says
17:55that Tehran launched multiple cruise missiles,
17:57drones, and small boats.
17:59The U.S. says it's blown up
18:00at least six of those Iranian small boats.
18:03I spoke with President Trump for 20 minutes
18:05about the situation with Iran.
18:06He talked about Project Freedom
18:08and the U.S. efforts to guide vessels
18:11through the strait of Hormuz,
18:12issuing a new warning to the Iranian regime,
18:15saying if the Iranians try to target U.S. ships
18:18in this area, they will be, quote,
18:20blown off the face of the earth.
18:22What happened in the friendly blockade?
18:25Trump's dumb plan went south faster than Spirit Airlines.
18:28Although, is that the solution?
18:29We just send a bunch of decommissioned
18:31Spirit planes to the strait, load them up with oil,
18:33and see what happens?
18:35Trump got himself into this mess,
18:36thinking it'd be quick and easy,
18:38and now he's spiraling.
18:39He can't get himself out of it.
18:40Americans are overwhelmingly against it.
18:42If the election were held today,
18:43it's very likely voters would send Trump packing
18:45with a one-way ticket on his favorite functioning airline.
18:48People Express.
18:49This has been A Closer Look.
18:55Let me be right back with Nathan Lane, everybody.
19:03For more of Seth's Closer Looks,
19:04be sure to subscribe to Late Night on YouTube.
19:16Our first guest tonight is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor.
19:19You know from shows like The Gilded Age
19:21and Only Murders in the Building,
19:22as well as classic movies such as The Lion King,
19:25The Birdcage, and The Producer,
19:26he returns to Broadway's Willie Loman
19:28and Death of a Salesman,
19:29which is playing at the Winter Garden Theater
19:31here in New York.
19:32Please welcome back to the show
19:33the one, the only, Nathan Lane!
19:55Hello, man!
19:56Hello!
19:57How are you?
19:57That was a great closer look, by the way.
19:59Thank you, my friend.
19:59Very funny.
20:00And I don't think you get enough credit for your impressions.
20:03Oh, wow.
20:04Really?
20:04There should be.
20:05Is there an Emmy category of impressions during monologues?
20:09There should be.
20:10They say the key to me winning one
20:12is they just keep getting more hyper-specific.
20:16I'm going to tell you right now,
20:17you look a lot like my dad used to look
20:20when he came home from work.
20:21Oh.
20:22Like the hair, the mustache, the suit.
20:25This is Larry Myers in his finest form.
20:28Yeah.
20:29What time is dinner?
20:30Yeah, not far off.
20:35I feel bloated already.
20:39Now, by the way, there are no easy jobs on Broadway,
20:41but playing Willie Loman,
20:43this is historically known as one of the hardest roles
20:45on Broadway, and so we so appreciate you
20:47spending your night off with us
20:48instead of just resting.
20:49There's nowhere I'd rather be than here.
20:57And the Emmy for audience pander.
21:03Yeah, it's a tough mountain to climb eight times a week,
21:07but let me tell you, I'm not complaining.
21:09It's become a huge success,
21:11and it was a big gamble to bring this play back.
21:15It's been seen many times.
21:16And then to put it in the Winter Garden Theater
21:19was also a big swing.
21:20This is famously where Cats played.
21:21This is a massive room known for musicals.
21:24We were supposed to do it next fall,
21:26and then Scott Rudin called and said,
21:28I think I can get us a theater in the spring.
21:29And I said, oh, great, what theater?
21:32And he said, the Winter Garden.
21:33And I said, are we doing the musical version?
21:37Willie, exclamation point.
21:40But it's the brilliance of Joe Mantello
21:44who has given us this revelatory production,
21:46and I think they both realize
21:48that because of the scale of this production,
21:52it works for that theater.
21:54And strangely, and I'm an old school guy in the theater,
21:59and I don't like wearing mics.
22:01You know, you wear them in musicals.
22:03But, you know, the sound man,
22:05when he gave me the mic to put on,
22:07they put it in your hair.
22:08And I said, so, okay,
22:10so I can speak quietly, can't I?
22:12And he said, sure.
22:15That's my job is to make sure you're heard.
22:17And so it has given, I think, the play,
22:21the kind of intimacy I was worried about losing.
22:23And it's almost cinematic in that sense
22:26because there are moments that are very quiet.
22:28The subtitle of the play is
22:30Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem.
22:33So that's really helped.
22:35It's also a very unique staging that Joe has come up with.
22:38You know, it's very stark.
22:40Yes, it's set in this, well, you know,
22:42they decide, he and Chloe Lamford, the designer,
22:45they decided to make the car the major image of the play.
22:50And so it's set in this,
22:51a friend of mine, Robbie Bates,
22:53said it looks like the warehouse
22:55where the American dream went to die.
22:59But I have a car, I drive a car.
23:01And now this is, I want to ask about this.
23:03You drive a car.
23:04Yes, because this is, you know, how he makes his living
23:07and also how he ends his life.
23:09But you are, you are not a licensed driver, Nathan.
23:11In real life, I am, I don't drive.
23:13And not just, not just because I'm Amish, but.
23:20But, no, I was always, I was a nervous driver.
23:23I shouldn't, I just shouldn't be in a big metal thing
23:25that can kill people.
23:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:28So.
23:28No one's complaining, I think, about this joint.
23:30Not at all.
23:31So I, I had to get a theatrical driver's license
23:34for the play.
23:35Oh, they make theatrical drivers?
23:36Oh, sure.
23:36Okay.
23:37Oh, sure, you take the written test at Sardi's.
23:41And then you go out on a road test with Betty Buckley,
23:44who's, who is a taskmaster beyond.
23:49When, this play was written in 1949,
23:52when was the first time you were introduced to it?
23:54I saw it on television in 1966.
23:57I was 10 years old and they had the original stars
24:00in this presentation, Lee J. Cobb and Mildred Dunnick.
24:04And I remember just being really upset,
24:08even at 10, by what was happening to this man.
24:11Now, I'm going to say, I'm going to venture
24:13that a lot of 10-year-olds,
24:14this was not so that 10-year-olds could see it, right?
24:16Like, you were probably unique among your peers
24:19in choosing to watch.
24:20Well, there were no, you know, warnings saying,
24:22this is mature material.
24:24You just watch whatever you want to watch.
24:27Well, certainly, Death of a Salesman
24:28didn't sound like it was for kids.
24:31Death of a Salesman is the biggest spoiler ever.
24:37But, you know, I, but I was sort of fascinated.
24:41Other kids were watching I Dream of Jeannie,
24:44and I was fascinated by this indictment
24:46of the American dream.
24:48I mean, but, you know, it really hit me.
24:53And, you know, I don't want to depress you,
24:55but a year later, my own father
24:58essentially committed suicide.
25:00He drank himself to death.
25:01And I always sort of connected it to Lee J. Cobb
25:05and what he was going through.
25:07And then it was only, it was years later,
25:1030 years later, I was working with Joe Mantello
25:12the first time on a play.
25:14And one day, out of the blue,
25:16he just turned to me and said quietly,
25:19someday I'm going to direct you in Death of a Salesman.
25:22And I said, don't threaten me.
25:26But he, you know, I was sort of surprised
25:29because I was in my 30s at the time,
25:31and that seemed so far away.
25:34And yet I was touched that he thought
25:36I might be worthy of this play someday.
25:39I've got a lot more to ask Nathan.
25:40We'll be right back after this.
26:01Welcome back, everybody.
26:02We're here with Nathan Lane, a fantastic cast.
26:05Christopher Abbott.
26:06Oh, the best.
26:07We just won a New York Drama Critics Circle Award
26:10for Best Ensemble.
26:11Congratulations.
26:11I found very, I was thrilled
26:15that everyone was included
26:17because it's an extraordinary company.
26:20Ben Ahlers, who I had worked with on The Gilded Age,
26:23I believe he served me tea once.
26:26And Chris Abbott, who's just so brilliant,
26:29and I couldn't do this play without him.
26:32And my old pal and favorite actress,
26:34the incomparable, Laurie Metcalf.
26:35Laurie Metcalf.
26:36When did you and Laurie first meet?
26:38We met in 1986 at the Williamstown Theater Festival
26:43doing the School for Scandal.
26:45Wow.
26:46She was Lady Sneerwell,
26:48and I was Sir Benjamin Backbite.
26:52And I saw her.
26:53I walked in on a rehearsal.
26:55She was sitting in a vanity in front of a mirror,
26:58and she was in a bustier in a rehearsal skirt,
27:01and she had a riding crop,
27:03and she was delivering this opening monologue of the play,
27:06and you thought she uses that whip
27:08for more than just equestrian pursuits.
27:11And I said,
27:12who is that formidable woman?
27:14And, you know, we became friends.
27:17This was all even before Roseanne.
27:19Yeah.
27:19But she's, you know, there's nobody like her.
27:22She's fearless and so brilliant in this role.
27:26I knew she would redefine it.
27:28I knew it would be not sentimental,
27:30and she would find a whole new way in,
27:32and she's incredible.
27:34It's fantastic.
27:35You also have a film coming out
27:37with two of my favorites.
27:39Yes.
27:39Jonah Hill and the incomparable Kristen Wiig.
27:41Kristen Wiig.
27:42Yeah, fantastic.
27:43Just.
27:45I mean, I will say, like,
27:47I believe I first encountered Kristen Wiig
27:49the way you encountered Laurie Metcalf.
27:51Like, the first time I saw Kristen,
27:53I was like, okay,
27:54so you're going to be around forever.
27:55Yes.
27:56Like, we're all going to love you forever.
27:57Well, she's just a sweetheart
27:59and then this comic genius.
28:01Yeah.
28:01And it's called Cut Off,
28:03and we play,
28:05Bette Midler and I play their parents.
28:07We play, we're billionaires.
28:08We have a, we have a,
28:10we're in the diarrhea business.
28:12Uh-huh.
28:13You know, like Pepto-Bismol.
28:15Sure.
28:15But ours is called Liveria.
28:18Okay.
28:19And we've made billions of dollars,
28:21and there are very spoiled children,
28:23Jonah and, and Kristen,
28:25and then they do something terrible to us,
28:27and we cut them off financially,
28:29and they have to go live,
28:30we're, we're in Los Angeles,
28:32they have to go live in the valley
28:33and try to find jobs.
28:36Bette, uh,
28:37inserts chips into them
28:38so that they can't cross back
28:41into Beverly Hills
28:42or they get zapped.
28:44Um, anyway,
28:46just to, you know,
28:47be in that,
28:48the presence of Jonah and,
28:49and Kristen,
28:50who, you know,
28:50they love to improvise.
28:52I mean, scenes went on for hours.
28:54And it,
28:55and they're just hilariously brilliant.
28:57Oh, well,
28:57I, I cannot,
28:58I cannot wait for that.
28:59Also, you know,
29:00I, not to make this about me
29:01or that your success
29:02be helpful to me,
29:03but like,
29:03we've talked at length
29:04about our Broadway musical,
29:06Cicada, Cicada.
29:07Oh, my God.
29:08And I feel as though.
29:09We have got to get serious
29:10about dates.
29:11I know.
29:12You know.
29:12Well, you're so busy.
29:14Okay, go ahead.
29:14Talk to me.
29:15But I finished negotiations
29:16with, with Christine Baranski
29:18and Harvey Fierstein,
29:19which was.
29:20They're locked in?
29:20Well, it wasn't pretty.
29:22There's a lot of,
29:23a lot of no green M&Ms
29:25in the bowl kind of stuff.
29:26Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
29:27They'll be worth it in the end.
29:28They'll be worth the hassle.
29:29And I've raised the money.
29:31I've raised all the money
29:33from a lot of relatives
29:34and a lot of it
29:35comes from Russia.
29:36Okay.
29:37I have no problem with that.
29:38I don't care
29:38where the money comes from.
29:39Strangely enough,
29:40the Kremlin
29:41is really behind this.
29:42Oh, no.
29:44Do they want to give notes,
29:45rewrites?
29:45They might.
29:47You know, because now
29:48celebrity co-producers
29:50have told the rage
29:51and Putin loves musical theater.
29:54Oh, I'm torn,
29:55but I want to do it so bad.
29:56Oh, who cares?
29:57Who cares?
29:58Money is money.
29:58Money is money.
29:59Yes, as long as we get it on.
30:01So I'm ready to go
30:02in the fall.
30:03Okay, great.
30:03If you are.
30:04I think everybody said,
30:05they say you're going to be
30:06the first Loman
30:06to go right into Cicada, Cicada.
30:09They said nobody ever
30:10has done it before.
30:11That's right.
30:12That is true.
30:12Can't wait.
30:13I'm very proud of that fact.
30:15Great to have you here.
30:16Congrats on the show.
30:17Congrats on
30:17a hit Broadway show.
30:19Jason Lane, everybody.
30:19Definitely a salesman playing
30:20at the Winter Garden
30:22through August 9th.
30:23We'll be right back
30:23with another time.
30:39Our next guest is a Grammy-nominated singer,
30:42songwriter, musician whose fourth album,
30:43The Great Divide, just debuted at number one
30:46on the Billboard 200
30:47with the biggest streaming debut of the year.
30:49His brand-new documentary, Noah Kahn,
30:51out of body, is streaming now on Netflix.
30:53You can catch him on his Headline Stadium tour
30:55this summer, kicking off on June 11th.
30:57And he returns his musical guest this week
31:00on SNL with host Matt Damon.
31:01Please welcome back to the show
31:02our friend Noah Kahn, everybody.
31:17Hello, friend.
31:19How are you?
31:19Very good to see you.
31:20How are you?
31:21I'm wonderful.
31:21It's nice to have you back.
31:22Honor to be here.
31:23This is a nice, hefty album.
31:25I feel like when you pick it up,
31:27you know that a lot of work has gone into this.
31:28Well, there's like 300 songs on there,
31:30so it starts away a little bit.
31:32That's what I thought was like.
31:33It feels like about 300 here.
31:35This is a different kind of album than Stick Season.
31:40You wanted to make sure your fans knew that going in.
31:43Yeah, absolutely.
31:44I mean, they waited four years.
31:45They were very patient.
31:46And I wanted to make sure they had a lot of music.
31:47And it took a lot longer to write.
31:49I'm very grateful for their patience
31:50because I'm really proud of it.
31:52But, yeah, it's long.
31:53It's sad.
31:54It makes you want to look out the window.
31:55Yeah.
31:56I like that you were like, here's what you're going to...
32:00You're not the ones playing.
32:01You're inside.
32:02I'm inside.
32:04Don't think when you're listening to this,
32:06you know what's going on in their heads.
32:07No, no.
32:08You're the guy back here.
32:09I'm just a creepy babysitter inside,
32:10making sure they're not dead.
32:12But you wanted to make sure people knew
32:14based on the timing,
32:15because obviously things are warming up.
32:17You were like, this is not a summer album.
32:19No, it happens to be coming out in the summer.
32:21Yeah.
32:21Yeah, it's depressing, sad, winter.
32:24So on April 10th,
32:25do you let people know,
32:26two weeks till you're sad.
32:27I do not care about the weather.
32:29You will be sad this summer.
32:32Yeah.
32:35It's like a real, like,
32:37this is the real opposite of, like,
32:39a Charlie XCX move.
32:40Yeah, no, it's not Brett Summer.
32:42It's, oh, my God, I'm on Lexapro again.
32:47This was, uh, people,
32:48your fans have obviously responded,
32:50and they appreciated, I think,
32:52that you gave them a heads up.
32:53This one just finished the new Noah Kahn album.
32:56I thought that was really nice.
32:57Just let you know.
33:01Somebody, here's a nice list.
33:02The bottom one,
33:03how do I get Noah Kahn to pay for my therapy?
33:07Look, man.
33:08Keep streaming, baby.
33:11You, uh, you know,
33:12you talked about appreciating
33:14the patience of your fans.
33:15You have a very, uh, you know,
33:17a very passionate fan base,
33:18and the fan base
33:19that you really appreciate connecting with.
33:22That's been something that's been true
33:23from the beginning, right?
33:24Yeah.
33:25My fans have been so dedicated
33:26to this music for so long,
33:27and they've been really patient
33:29with me as a person.
33:30I really like they see me as a human being,
33:31which is really nice,
33:32and they understand that life
33:34goes all sorts of different directions,
33:36and they've given me the chance
33:36to kind of experience that
33:37before putting out music.
33:39So they knew it was going to be sad
33:40no matter what.
33:41I think, like,
33:42they saw the bad weather,
33:43and they're like,
33:43oh, he's cooking up something for sure.
33:45But, yeah, they've been...
33:46I'm very, very grateful to my fans
33:47for the connection we share.
33:49Like, I love playing shows
33:50because I like watching them,
33:52listening to the music,
33:53and singing it out loud
33:53for the first time.
33:54Like, it's all for them.
33:55Do you, uh, are you the kind of...
33:56I think with comedy,
33:57it might be different,
33:58because I never want to see somebody's face
34:00while I'm telling a joke,
34:01but a song is very different,
34:03I would imagine.
34:03Do you like to actually see
34:04their faces in the moment?
34:06Yeah, well, stand-up comedy,
34:07I've always thought was so hard
34:08because, like, as a musician,
34:10if I play a song
34:11and everyone's silent,
34:12I'm like, oh, I stunned them
34:12into silence.
34:13But, you know,
34:14if they don't laugh,
34:15you're just not funny.
34:15Yeah, yeah, yeah.
34:16It's like an immediate indicator.
34:18I'm never like, wow,
34:19they're really feeling that one.
34:22It's a thinker.
34:23It's a thinker.
34:23Wow, that's a really...
34:24Um, congratulations on this as well.
34:26This goes online.
34:28A video interview as well.
34:30Cover of Rolling Stone.
34:31This is very cool.
34:33What the hell?
34:34I will say,
34:36as someone who appreciates
34:38how iconic a Rolling Stone cover is,
34:40this is also a very iconic photo.
34:41I feel like you nailed,
34:42like, old school Rolling Stone,
34:45cover.
34:45Everything I am
34:46is just a bunch of people
34:47making it happen.
34:48So, like, the clothing,
34:49the hair,
34:50even the face,
34:50to a certain extent.
34:51Like, there's all sorts of people.
34:53There's no way I look like that
34:54data guys.
34:55You guys are seeing now.
34:56Not your boat?
34:57Can I venture not your boat?
34:59No, it's not my boat.
35:00Yeah.
35:01No, I just hang out in the boat
35:02amongst the trees all the time.
35:03You were like,
35:04they, like, walked out
35:05with their photo gear,
35:06and you're like,
35:06hey, I just happen to be in the boat.
35:08What's going on?
35:08No, they had, like,
35:09three people making the wind
35:10hit my hair perfectly.
35:12It was a very authentic moment,
35:14obviously.
35:14Calculated stuff.
35:16SNL, again.
35:17Very exciting.
35:18Congratulations.
35:20Thank you very much.
35:21Mother's Day.
35:23The Mother's Day SNL.
35:24Will your mom come?
35:25My mom will be there.
35:26That's fantastic.
35:27Yeah, she came the last time, too.
35:28Very, very cool.
35:30I think, you know,
35:31again, even when I was on the show,
35:33like, my parents had a real
35:34understanding of how,
35:35you know,
35:35they had grown up watching SNL.
35:37Obviously, your mom did.
35:38Was that a cool thing for her
35:39to go to SNL for the first time?
35:40And obviously,
35:41she did a very cool experiences
35:42through your career,
35:43but that one must...
35:44Oh, it's incredible, yeah,
35:45but it's funny,
35:45because she just had to kind of
35:46be my mom,
35:47because I was so nervous,
35:47and I feel like I didn't
35:48let her enjoy it all,
35:49because I was, like,
35:49needing her to support me
35:50through it, so this time,
35:52I'm hoping I can let her
35:52enjoy the experience more,
35:53and I'll just be nervous
35:54and scared on my own.
35:55That's good.
35:56By the way,
35:57that is what getting older is.
35:59You don't stop getting nervous
36:00and scared,
36:01you just stop bothering
36:01your parents with it.
36:02Yeah.
36:03Yeah, just keep it all to yourself.
36:05Yeah, that's...
36:06Just eat it.
36:07Just eat the fear.
36:09Also, last time,
36:10Emma Stone host,
36:11this time,
36:11a fellow New England icon,
36:13Matt Damon.
36:14Oh, yeah.
36:14This is very nice.
36:15Yeah, I like it.
36:16For a New Englander,
36:17extra special,
36:18I would imagine.
36:19Oh, my God, so cool.
36:20He's an icon of New England.
36:21I'm excited to hang out with him.
36:22I have lots of questions for him.
36:23That's good.
36:24Want to get a look
36:25at that face up close, obviously.
36:26Yeah.
36:27I'm very excited for that.
36:28Is one of your questions,
36:29can I look at the face up close?
36:31I've learned you do need to ask.
36:33Yeah.
36:34Depends, I guess,
36:34how close you want to get.
36:35Yeah, yeah, yeah.
36:36I'll have to ask him.
36:38You also are going on tour again.
36:40And I was at...
36:42Very exciting.
36:44I was at Fenway Park.
36:45I brought my son
36:46to his first Red Sox game,
36:47and they were telling me
36:48how excited you're going
36:49to do four shows at Fenway.
36:51Yeah, yeah.
36:51That's unbelievable.
36:52No one's ever done four in a row.
36:53No, no, yeah.
36:55Yeah, I'm very excited.
36:57First time anyone's done it,
36:58I think, which is really cool.
36:59Yeah.
37:00Kind of, like,
37:00dissociating about it a little bit.
37:01I can't believe it's me
37:02getting to do it.
37:03I'm so excited.
37:04When you play,
37:04and obviously there are
37:05other venues where you play
37:06multiple nights in a row,
37:07like, how does the course
37:08of your relationship
37:09with the space change
37:10over the course of, like,
37:11four days of doing a venue?
37:12Oh, that's a good question.
37:14I don't know.
37:15I think I'm, again,
37:16dissociating mostly,
37:17so I usually just pretend
37:18it's not happening
37:18until I'm, like,
37:19right up on stage.
37:20Yeah.
37:20But Fenway,
37:21it's, like, one of those places
37:22you want to let sink in
37:23a little bit.
37:24So we go,
37:24we look at the green monster,
37:25you can go into that little,
37:26like, hole
37:26where all the players went.
37:28Yeah.
37:28I pretend I'm doing
37:29my first pitch over again.
37:30It's always fun.
37:31You're pretending
37:32you're doing it over
37:33because you wanted
37:33to relive the moment,
37:34or you wish it had gone better?
37:35Because I'm hoping
37:36that there's, like,
37:37some security guard,
37:38like, kind of in, like,
37:38one of those movies
37:39where, like, an average Joe
37:41becomes a sports star.
37:42Oh!
37:43You know?
37:44You want that moment
37:45where someone's, like,
37:45filming you for, like,
37:46the press,
37:47and then they're like,
37:48whoa.
37:48And then, like,
37:48Mr. Red Sox is like,
37:50whoa, we got to check
37:50this kid out.
37:51Mr. Red Sox?
37:52Throw a 19-mile-per-hour
37:53fastball.
37:56If someone named
37:57Mr. Red Sox
37:58ever offers you
37:59a contract,
38:00that is a trap.
38:00Yeah.
38:01That is a trap.
38:02Where's Noah?
38:03Like, I don't know.
38:04He said there's a guy
38:05with a contract
38:05in a white van.
38:07You just gave his credit card
38:08to a guy with a Red Sox.
38:09Mr. Red Sox.
38:11I would imagine
38:12SNL is a little bit
38:13like Fenway Park, right?
38:14Like, you can't pretend
38:14like you're anywhere else
38:15when you do SNL.
38:16No.
38:16You play bigger venues.
38:18I mean, SNL is shockingly
38:19smaller than I think
38:20anyone expects.
38:21But in that moment,
38:23do you feel
38:24the nerves
38:25more than other places?
38:26Oh, it's horrible.
38:27Yeah.
38:28I mean, you know,
38:29it's like,
38:30at a big show,
38:31again, just dissociation,
38:32sick tool.
38:33But you can,
38:34you can, like,
38:35pretend it's not happening.
38:35When you're there,
38:36you can see, like,
38:36every person's
38:37facial expression change.
38:38Like, you hit a bad note
38:39and some lady's like,
38:40mm, and you can, like,
38:41see that happen.
38:42Sucks.
38:42Yeah, it's brutal.
38:43Brutal.
38:45But is everybody excited?
38:47The whole family excited?
38:48We're all so excited, man.
38:49They've been so,
38:50they've just been
38:51so supportive of me.
38:52Like, my mom and I,
38:53you know,
38:53drove to Rhode Island
38:54to audition for
38:55America's Got Talent.
38:56We've been to every open mic
38:57in the Upper Valley.
38:58So, like, getting to do
38:58these kind of things
38:59is really special
39:00for me and my family
39:01because they've kind of
39:02supported me the whole time.
39:03Well, it's very special for us
39:04because it gets you back
39:05in the building.
39:06Yeah.
39:06And then we get to see you again.
39:07Yeah, I love it here.
39:09It's truly such a pleasure.
39:10Do please come back again soon.
39:12It's very special to talk to you.
39:14Thanks so much, Noah.
39:14Honored, Steve.
39:14Thank you very much.
39:15No Conn, everyone.
39:16Great Divide.
39:17Available now.
39:18We'll catch another
39:18sold-out headline stadium
39:20for you this summer
39:21at Rolling Stone
39:22Stateside Music Festival
39:23this July.
39:24And don't miss SNL
39:25this weekend
39:25with host Matt Damon
39:26and musical guest No Conn
39:27right here on NBC's
39:28and I'll go right back.
39:42Come join the audience
39:43at Late Night Live
39:44in Studio 8G.
39:45For tickets,
39:46head over to
39:46latenightsethtickets.com.
39:48Follow us at
39:49Late Night Seth
39:50on all social media platforms.
39:52Subscribe to
39:52Late Night Seth
39:53on YouTube.
39:54Find us online
39:55at latenightsetth.com.
39:57And subscribe
39:58to the Late Night Podcast
39:59featuring a closer look,
40:00guest interviews,
40:01and more.
40:02Available wherever
40:03you listen to podcasts.
40:12I want to thank my guests,
40:13Nathan Lee and Noah Conn.
40:15Thank you all for watching.
40:15We love you.
40:28We love you.
40:30We love you.
40:33Bye.
40:41Bye.
40:44Bye.
40:47Bye.
40:48Bye.
40:49Bye.
40:50Bye.
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