>> SO I CALM UP IN STUP WHERE ST WHERE YOU DELIVER IT AS YOURSELF
AND AS AUTHENTIC AS YOU CAN CAN BE TO YOURSELF IS HOW GOOD YOU
WILL BECOME AS A STAND-UP.
YOU CAME UP AS AN ACTOR AND IMPROVISATIONAL GENIUS.
>> Stephen: NOT GENIUS.
NEVER DID STAND-UP.
>> BUT ALWAYS WORE, EVEN ON "THE DAILY SHOW" SOME SORT OF VERNEAR
OF CHARACTER AND EFFECT.
>> >> Stephen: YEAH.
>> DID THAT FAIR LONG TIME.
NOBODY HAD EVER DONE IT.
>> Stephen: 25 YEARS.
>> AND ON "THE COLBERT REPORT" RENDERING THAT CHARACTER IN REAL
TIME, LIKE A SUPER COMPUTER.
NOBODY COULD BELIEVE YOU WERE ABLE TO PULL THAT OFF.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO THEN PULL OFF ALL OF THE CHARACTER, ALL OF
THE FACADES, AND FEEL-- DID YOU FEEL VULNERABLE SHARING-- ALL
THE CHARACTERS YOU PLAYED WERE INCREDIBLY OPINIONATED.
WHEN YOU FIRST CAME OUT HERE, THE VULNERABILITY YOU FELT
EXPRESSING OPINIONS THAT PEOPLE KNEW THAT THEY COULD PEG TO YOU.
HOW HARD WAS THAT?
>> Stephen: THAT WAS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS THAT EOH, IF I SAY TIT'S REALLY ME
SAYING IT, NOT A CHARACTER.
YOU DON'T HAVE THE PROTECTION OF THE MASK.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHICH I WORKED SO HARD TO NEVER LET GO AT THE OLD
SHOW.
I THINK I TOLD YOU BEFORE, I BEFORE I WALKED OUT ON STAGE
EVERY NIGHT BEFORE OLD SHOW I'D SLAP MYSELF ON THE FACE HARD,
TWICE, AND THE RULE WAS I HAD TO SLAP MYSELF HARD ENOUGH TO
REGRET HAVING DONE IT.
( LAUGHTER )
DON'T DROP THE MASK!
YOU'VE WORKED SO HARD!
IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS!
DON'T DROP IT TONIGHT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
OKAY, GOT FOKAY.
AND I WALKED OUT, BECAUSE THERE'S NO OTHER TAKE ON IT, SO
I WOULD GO DO IT.
FIRST, COMING OUT HERE, "A," I DIDN'T KNOW WHO I WAS.
I KNOW WHO I AM AS A HUMAN BEING, MY WIFE, EVY, I WOULD
HAVE HER SIT FIVE ROWS BACK IN THE CHAIR FOR THE FIRST MONTH
SHE SAPT THERE BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, OH, OH, I'M MARRIED TO
HER.
BECAUSE MY CHARACTER WAS MARRIED TO LORRAINE AND NOT A GREAT
RELATIONSHIP.
>> A LOT OF BREAKUP SONGS.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY.
I WOULD LOOK AT HER AND GO I'M HER HUSBAND, I'M THEIR DAD, HER
HUSBAND.
BUT I WAS COMPLETELY UNCOMFORTABLE STANDING OUT THERE
DOING JOKES.
WE DIDN'T DO A PROPER MONOLOGUE FOR SIX MONTHS, SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, FOR SIX MONTHS.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT MOMENT ALLOWED TO YOU CONFIDENTLY STEP
INTO WHO YOU REALLY ARE HOSTING SHOULD SHOW AND WHEN IT
HAPPENED?
>> Stephen: UH, THERE WERE SEVERAL.
BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT ASPENTS OF THE SHOW.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SHOWS HERE.
I MEAN, THE MONOLOGUE IS ONE THING.
DESK IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.
AND THE INTERVIEWS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT BEAST IN A WAY.
FOR THE INTERVIEWS, I GOT THERE A LITTLE BIT QUICKER, THOUGH NOT
QUINTLY, WHEN JOE BIDEN WAS ON, AND JOE BIDEN, REALLY ONLY I, MY
REAL SELF, COULD HAVE RECEIVED WHAT MR. BIDEN OF WILLING TO
SHARE WITH ME AND THE AUDIENCE.
>> TWO CATHOLICS THAT HAD DEALT WITH TERRIBLY PAINFUL LOSSES.
>> Stephen: EXACTLY.
WHEN HE LEFT, I TURNED TO TOM OVER THERE, AND I SAID, "THAT
NICE OLD MAN JUST GAVE ME MY SHOW."
BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE TIMES WHEN I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE
MYSELF AND THAT WAS SOMETHING TO HOLD ON TO FOR-- WELL, FOR THE
SIX MONTHS BEFORE WE FIGURED THE (BLEEP) OUT.
>> BY THE WAY, A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT.
>> Stephen: IT WAS LOVELY.
>> IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHEREIS WAITING FOR THE TWO OF
YOU TO COALESCE.
>> Stephen: YEAH, IT WAS A REAL PRIVILEGE.
AND THEN... WELL, CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY, WHEN CHRIS LICHT CAME
ON.
HE SAID, YOU GUYS ARE SO GOOD AT RESPONDING SO QUICKLY TO WHAT
JUST HAPPENED.
WHAT IF YOU JUST DID A MONOLOGUE THAT WAS ABOUT THAT EVERY
NIGHT?" AND I WENT--
>> SATIRICAL NEWS!
>> I SAID I'M NOT GOING TO DO A MONOLOGUE WHERE I DO ONE SET-UP
AND ONE PUNCH LINE, I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT.
HE SAID DO THE THING YOU SEEM TO LIKE THE MOST.
AND I SAID THERE'S A CRAZY IDEA.
>> ENJOY DOING THE SHOW.
>> Stephen: HONEST TO GOD, WHEN YOU FIRST COME TO DO A SHOW
LIKE THIS YOU THINK I HAVE TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY.
I SAID TO YOU-- WE WERE ABOUT TO OPEN AND YOU CAME OVER AND YOU
SAID, "SO HOW DO YOU FEEL?" I SAID, WELL, MAN, GOOD, I FEEL
GOOD.
I LIKE WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO."
"WHAT?" YOU SAID?
AND I SAID, "I HAVEN'T FOUND SOMETHING TO REPLACE THE
MONOLOGUE."
AND YOU SAID, "OH, SO AFTER 60 YEARS OF THERE BEING LATE SHOWS,
IN THE SIX WEEKS YOU HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT DOING THE SHOW,
YOU HAVEN'T REPLACED THE MOST RECOGNIZED FORM OF SNAG HAS AND
EXISTED FOR 60 YEARS."
>> IN MY DEFENSE, I'M A BIT OF A (BLEEP).
GO ON.
>> Stephen: AND I REALLY THOUGHT, THE WHOLE OBJECTIVE--
THEY'RE TOTALLY DIFFERENT BEEFLTS.
THE OLD SHOW WE WERE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING THAT HADN'T BEEN
DONE BEFORE.
AND HERE WHAT I DISCOVERED IS, I CAN HAVE SO MUCH FUN DOING AN
OLD FORM-- >> YES!
>> Stephen: BUT WITH OUR FLAVOR.
AND SO I REALIZED LIKE, OH, I'LL JUST FIGURE OUT WHAT MY
MONOLOGUE WAS.
WHICH WAS A DIFFICULT TRIP FOR ME BECAUSE I HAD NEVER DONE
STAND-UP.
I HAD TO GET USED TO STARING AT THE CAMERA AND DOING JOKES
MYSELF.
THE LIVE SHOWS ARE WHAT DID IT FOR US.
WE STARTED DOING LIVE SHOWS.
OUR SHIP SORT OF BATTENED DOWN FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
THEN WE STARTED DOING LIVE SHOWS, AND LIVE SHOWS GAVE
EVERYTHING IMMEDIACY.
AND I SAID I KNOW HOW TO DO THE SHOW NOW.
YOU HAVE TO DO IT WITH IMMEDIATE PEACE AND URGENCY, AND ALL THE
THINGS WE DID THROUGH THE OLD CHARACTER WORKAND THE CHARACTER.
AND IT WAS TRUSTING TOM AND TRUSTING THE WRITERS AND KNOWING
I DIDN'T ACTUALLY HAVE TO STEERT SHIP SO TIGHTLY.
THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND THEY KNOW THE KIND OF COMEDY AND
SATIRE I LIKE.
AND THAT TRUST PAID OFF IN THE SHOW WE'RE DOING NOW.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> DWRRKS DID.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
>> WHEN WE COME BACK, MORE WITH YOUNG STEPHEN COLBERT.
>> Stephen: IT'S EXCITING.