( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS A CO-HOST OF
THE SOCCER PODCAST AND THE TELEVISION SHOW "MEN IN
BLAZERS."
HE HAS JUST WRITTEN A NEW BOOK, "REBORN IN THE USA: AN
ENGLISHMAN'S LOVE LETTER TO HIS CHOSEN HOME."
PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," ROGER BENNETT!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) 7♪
>> Stephen: WON'T YOU PLEASE.
HEY!
NICE TO SEE YOU.
SO WHERE'S THE BLAZER?
>> LOOKING GOOD, STEPHEN.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
SO YOU AND YOUR CO-HOST MICHAEL DAVIES, YOUR "MEN IN BLAZERS"
CO-HOST -- THERE YOU GO.
THERE'S A SHOT OF THE TWO OF YOU TOGETHER.
>> TWO BULLS.
>> Stephen: OKAY, OBSESSED WITH SOCCER.
>> INDEED.
>> Stephen: OKAY, WHAT WE CALL SOCCER.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: BUT MOST AMERICANS STILL AREN'T SOLD ON SOCCER.
WHAT IS IT YOU LOVE ABOUT THE GAME?
>> WELL, THE GAME IS REALLY A TELENOVELLA PLAYED OUT BY 22
HUMAN BEINGS WEARING POLYESTER SHORTS ON THE FIELD, AND WHEN
YOU SEE A WORLD CUP, STEPHEN, IT'S OFTEN SAID ESSENTIALLY THE
TWO TEAMS WALK OUT AND THEIR NATION'S HISTORY TAKE THE FIELD
BESIDE THEM.
IT'S ONLY SOCCER ON THE SURFACE, BELOW THE SURFACE IT'S ABOUT
POLITICS, HISTORY AND CULTURE.
BUT THE THING THAT'S REALLY MADE IT TAKE OFF IN AMERICA IS IF
YOU'RE IN A BAR AT 7:30 A.M. IN THE MORNING AND YOU'RE HAVING A
BEER AND A SCOTCH, SOCIETY FROWNS ON THAT BEHAVIOR, BUT IF
YOU'RE IN THAT SAME BAR, THAT SAME BEER, THAT SAME SCOTCH, AND
CHELSEA ARE PLAYING MANCHESTER UNITED, YOU'RE A SOCCER FAN!
AMERICANS LOVE ANY EXCUSE TO DRINK.
>> Stephen: THE TIME DIFFERENCE MADE AN EXCELLENT
EXCUSE FOR PEOPLE TO DRINK AND SOCCER'S MERELY A MASK.
>> IT'S A LIFE.
>> Stephen: NOW, YOU ARE ALSO FRIENDS WITH OUR FRIEND JOHN
OLIVER, OKAY, AND HE IS OBSESSED WITH LIVERPOOL, AND IS THERE
SOMETHING I COULD SAY ABOUT HIS TEAM THAT WOULD UPSET HIM?
( LAUGHTER ) NOT THAT I WOULD EVER DO THAT.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WAS SOMETHING YOU COULD ARM ME WITH.
>> THIS IS A FAMILY SHOW.
THERE'S A LOT I COULD SAY.
THE ONE THING, JOHN IS A REMARKABLE HUMAN BEING.
I THINK IN A SIMILAR WAY TO ME, FOOTBALL ALLOWS HIM TO FEEL JOY,
MISERY, SUCCESS, FAILURE, FEELINGS NORMAL HUMAN BEINGS
EXPERIENCE IN REAL LIFE, BUT WE'RE BOTH DEAD INSIDE SO WE
ONLY EXPERIENCE IT IN FOOTBALL.
IN LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL I SUPPORTED EVERTON, AND, JOHN AND
EVERY LIVERPOOL FAN DREAMED FOR WINNING THE TITLE FOR 30 YEARS.
EVERY MORNING JOHN WOULD GET OUT OF BED AND DREAM OF WINNING THE
TITLE.
THEY WERE SO CLOSE.
BT DURING COVID THEY WENT ON A SEASON OF DREAMS THAT ARE MADE
OF AND WON THE TITLE.
BUT BECAUSE COVID SHUT DOWN FOOTBALL LIKE ALL SPORTS FOR
THREE MONTHS, YOU COULD SAY, YES, JOHN, YOU WON THE TITLE,
BUT THERE'S FIND OF AN ASTERISK BESIDE THE TITLE.
LOOK AT JOHN AND SAY ASTERISK, AND JOHN WILL LAUGH IT OFF AND
SAY, NO, IT'S AMAZING, I FELT JOY I NEVER FELT BEFORE, BUT
WHEN HE GOES TO BED AND HE'S IN HIS UNDERPANTS AND LOOKING AT
HIMSELF IN A MIRROR, HE WILL SAY, EVEN STEPHEN COLBERT THINKS
THERE'S AN ASTERISK AGAINST THE TAILWIND AND WILL FEEL HAUNTED
FOREVER.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WHAT I WILL BE
HAUNTED BY IS THE IMAGE OF JOHN OLIVER LOOKING AT HIMSELF IN HIS
UNDERWEAR.
>> SOME DAYS THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS ME GOING IN
LIFE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU'VE WRITTEN A
NEW BOOK, "REBORN IN THE USA: AN ENGLISHMAN'S LOVE LETTER TO HIS
CHOSEN HOME."
WHAT IS IT YOU LOVE ABOUT THE U.S. AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS
AS YOUR HOME?
>> IT'S A JOY TO BE WITH YOU, STEPHEN, BECAUSE I ALWAYS JOKE I
LOVE AMERICA MORE THAN KENNY POWERS LOVES AMERICA.
I THINK THERE'S KENNY POWERS THERE, ME THERE, MAYBE DOLLY
PARTON AND SPRINGSTEEN JUST ABOVE ME, BUT YOU ARE THE
LeBRON OF LOVING AMERICA.
TO BE WITH YOU, CELEBRATING THIS BOOK, ITS SUCCESS HAS BEEN
REALLY HUM BEELIKE.
THE REALITY IS I GREW UP IN LIVERPOOL IN THE 1980s, IT'S A
MAGNIFICENT CITY BUT IT'S WHEN THE COAL PITS SHUT DOWN, THE
STEEL MILLS, THE COTTON MILLS IN LIVERPOOL AND IT WAS A DARK AND
TWISTED PLACE.
THE REALITY IS WAS IF YOU'VE SEEN BILLY ELLIOTT, YOU GET THE
PICTURE.
HE HAS BELLY DANCING BUT MY ARABESQUE SKILLS NOT SO MUCH.
SO WHAT MADE HE SURVIVE IN A CITY WITH MASSIVE
UNUPEMPLOYMENT, HOPELESSNESS, A HUGE HEROIN EPIDEMIC, WAS
AMERICA.
I EMBIBBED EVERY TV SHOW -- LOVE BOAT, MIAMI VICE, CHICAGO BEARS,
MOLLY RINGWALD, BEAST BEASTIE BOYS AND TRACY CHAPMAN -- AND
THEY ALL SPOKE TO ME LIKE A SIREN AGAINST THE ROCKS SAYING
COME BE HERE, YOUR LIFE MAY BE HOPELESS, THERE MAY FEEL LIKE
THERE'S NO FUTURE, BE UH THE REALTIME IS COME HERE, LIFE CAN
BE LIVED IN T TECHNO COLOR.
>> Stephen: COME BACK AND I WILL ASK WHAT WAS IT LIKE LIVING
LIFE WHEN AMERICA WAS GOING THROUGH SUCH A DARK AND
TRAUMATIC TIME.
STICK AROUND.