Jay Leno shares his unique blend of automotive passion and comedic insight in a lively conversation with Jim Farley. From his early days as a lot boy at a Ford dealership to his experiences with high-end cars and motorcycles, Leno recounts hilarious anecdotes and reflects on the evolution of the automotive industry. The discussion touches on his love for classic cars, the significance of technology, and the importance of humor in both comedy and life. Leno's charisma and storytelling make for an engaging listen, filled with laughter and nostalgia.
Jim is joined by comedy legend Jay Leno, who takes him on a journey through his early life, his storied comedy career, and his love for cars. From revealing why pirates wore eye patches to reminiscing about Leno’s teenage summer jobs at car dealerships, their discussion spans a wide array of topics and laugh-out-loud moments. Among Leno’s intriguing stories and insights are his views on modern automotive technology, reflections on memorable guests from his time on “The Tonight Show,” and tales from his early days doing stand-up.
Note from Jim Farley: In this episode, you'll hear Jay and I discuss Ford’s Mustang GTD and our goal of setting a record as the first American automaker to achieve a sub-7 minute lap at the historic Nürburgring track. In the time since we recorded this interview last fall, I'm pleased to say we did exactly that! And in April 2025, we returned to the track and beat our own time by shaving off more than 5 seconds. This was an incredible achievement and I’m so proud of our team!
00:00 Introduction
00:14 Pirate Eye Patch Explanation
03:08 Lessons from the Dealership
03:08 Falling in Love with Cars
04:30 Working at Foreign Motors in Boston
08:41 Motorcycle Enthusiasm
13:25 Technology and Historical Insights
18:22 The Art of Stand-Up Comedy
19:21 Memories of Chris Farley
20:39 Making Guests Comfortable on “The Tonight Show”
22:37 Unexpected Paths to Success
26:06 Favorite Guests and Stories
29:40 The Future of American Cars
35:35 Concluding Thoughts
Follow Jim:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jim.Farley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimfarley98/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@jimfarley98
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-farley/
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Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jimfarley98
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"...maybe 80, 90 sets of hubcaps and you have to take them off at night because kids would steal them."
Hubcaps are the round covers you see on car wheels. They make the wheels look nicer and help keep dirt out of the wheel parts.
Hubcaps are decorative covers that fit over the wheel of a car, primarily used to enhance the vehicle's appearance and protect the wheel nuts from dirt and damage.
"...in the basement were like 10 Italian mechanics and they would take care of the owner's race cars and they were just old race cars."
Italian mechanics are skilled workers who fix and maintain cars, especially those made by Italian brands like Ferrari. They know a lot about how these cars work and how to keep them running well.
Italian mechanics, particularly in the context of Ferrari, often have a deep understanding of high-performance vehicles and the specific engineering that goes into them. This expertise is crucial for maintaining and restoring classic race cars.
"...the owner's race cars and they were just old race cars. And I would just sit around during their break..."
Race cars are cars made to compete in races. They are built to be very fast and handle well on the track, often using special parts and designs to improve performance.
Race cars are specially designed vehicles built for competitive motorsport. They are engineered for speed, handling, and performance, often featuring advanced technology and lightweight materials.
"...We had everything Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, Pujo, Squire..."
Peugeot is a car brand from France that makes a variety of cars, from small ones to larger SUVs. They have been around for a long time and are known for their unique style.
Peugeot is a French automotive manufacturer known for producing a range of vehicles, including compact cars and SUVs. The brand has a long history in the automotive industry and is recognized for its innovative designs.
"...We had everything Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, Pujo, Squire..."
Mercedes-Benz is a famous car brand from Germany that makes luxury cars and trucks. They are known for high-quality vehicles and advanced technology.
Mercedes-Benz is a German automotive brand known for luxury vehicles, buses, and trucks. The brand is recognized for its engineering excellence and innovative technology.
"...any kind of Citroën, any kind of foreign cars, interesting."
Citroën is a car brand from France that is known for making unique and comfortable cars. They often have interesting designs that stand out.
Citroën is another French automobile manufacturer known for its innovative and sometimes quirky designs. The brand has a reputation for producing comfortable and practical vehicles.
"But yeah, so in fact, one day we had a guy who was buying a new Rolls Royce Corniche convertible from us. This is 1969."
The Rolls Royce Corniche is a fancy car that was made in the late 1960s. It's known for being very luxurious and well-made, often associated with wealth and status.
The Rolls Royce Corniche is a luxury convertible that was first introduced in the late 1960s, known for its opulence and craftsmanship. It represents the pinnacle of British luxury automotive engineering.
"...you could get four Weber carburetors, which to me, that was the sexiest motor of all time..."
Weber carburetors are special parts that help engines get the right amount of fuel and air to run better. They're often used in fast cars.
Weber carburetors are high-performance carburetors often used in racing and performance applications. They provide better airflow and fuel delivery, enhancing engine performance.
"...the sexiest motor of all time, the 289 V8 with the Webbers on it..."
The 289 V8 is a type of engine made by Ford that has eight cylinders. It was used in cars like the Mustang and is known for being powerful.
The 289 V8 is a small-block V8 engine produced by Ford, known for its performance in the Mustang and other Ford vehicles during the 1960s. It was popular for its balance of power and size.
"I said, I need an exhaust system for an SS-100 Brough Superior in 1927. Oh, yeah, it's got one here."
The Brough Superior SS100 is a famous motorcycle from 1927. It's known for being high-quality and fast for its era, making it a sought-after classic.
The Brough Superior SS100 is a classic motorcycle known for its performance and luxury. It was produced in the 1920s and is often regarded as one of the finest motorcycles of its time.
"I remember I called there once. I said, I need an exhaust system for an SS-100 Brough Superior in 1927. Oh, yeah, it's got one here."
The Jaguar SS100 is a stylish sports car made in the 1930s that many people admire for its beautiful looks and speed. It's important because it helped make Jaguar a well-known brand for fancy and fast cars.
The Jaguar SS100 is a classic British sports car produced in the late 1930s, known for its elegant design and impressive performance. It is significant not only for its aesthetics but also for its role in establishing Jaguar as a luxury sports car manufacturer, making it a sought-after collector's item today.
"...people at Ford who knew about the metallurgy in a Model T. Why is that?"
The Ford Model T is a very important car that was made a long time ago, from 1908 to 1927. It was one of the first cars that many people could afford, and it helped change how cars were made and used in everyday life.
The Ford Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, is one of the most significant cars in automotive history as it revolutionized mass production techniques and made car ownership accessible to the average American. Known for its simplicity and affordability, the Model T is often credited with changing the landscape of transportation and society in the early 20th century.
"...I saw your comment about Mark Royce and breaking the speed record with a Corvette. And I thought it was so awesome that you recognize..."
The Corvette is a fast sports car made by Chevrolet. It's famous for being powerful and has been around for many years, often seen in races.
The Corvette is a high-performance sports car manufactured by Chevrolet, known for its distinctive design and powerful engines. It has a rich history in motorsports and is often associated with speed and performance.
The Ford GT is a very fast sports car made by Ford. It's designed for high performance and has a racing background.
The Ford GT is a high-performance supercar produced by Ford, known for its racing heritage and modern design. The latest generation was introduced in 2016, featuring a twin-turbocharged V6 engine and advanced aerodynamics.
"You know, same thing with the Mustang. The Mustang, the Mustang GTD."
The Mustang GTD is a special version of the Ford Mustang that is built for high performance and speed.
The Mustang GTD is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang, designed to compete in the supercar segment. It features enhanced performance capabilities and advanced technology compared to standard Mustang models.
"...better looking than the Equivalent Ferrari,..."
Ferrari is a famous Italian car company that makes very fast and expensive sports cars. They are known for their racing history and luxury vehicles.
Ferrari is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer famous for its high-performance vehicles and success in motorsport, particularly Formula 1. The brand is synonymous with speed, luxury, and exclusivity.
"I mean, we're going for sub seven minutes on the ring. And we really want to beat that GT3 RS Porsche with a front wheel drive, a front engine Mustang."
The Nürburgring is a well-known race track in Germany where many car manufacturers test their vehicles. A sub-seven-minute lap time means a car can complete a lap in under seven minutes, which is very fast.
The Nürburgring is a famous racetrack in Germany known for its challenging layout and is often used for testing and racing high-performance cars. Achieving a sub-seven-minute lap time is a significant benchmark for sports cars.
"We really want to beat that GT3 RS Porsche with a front wheel drive, a front engine Mustang."
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a super-fast sports car made by Porsche. It's built for racing and has special features that make it very quick and fun to drive.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is a high-performance variant of the iconic Porsche 911 sports car, designed for track use with enhanced aerodynamics, weight reduction, and a powerful engine. It's known for its exceptional handling and speed.
"a company called Carbon Revolution came here with these carbon fiber wheels."
These wheels are made from a special material called carbon fiber, which is very light and strong. They help cars perform better.
Carbon fiber wheels are made from a composite material that is both lightweight and strong, offering performance benefits such as improved acceleration and handling.
"a company called Carbon Revolution came here with these carbon fiber wheels."
Carbon Revolution makes special wheels out of carbon fiber, which are much lighter than regular wheels. This helps cars go faster and handle better.
Carbon Revolution is a company known for manufacturing lightweight carbon fiber wheels, which can significantly reduce the weight of a vehicle, improving performance and handling.
"To me, the EV will save the internal combustion engine. I agree."
An internal combustion engine is what most cars use to run. It burns fuel like gasoline to create power that moves the car.
An internal combustion engine (ICE) is a type of engine that generates power by burning fuel and air inside a combustion chamber. This process creates a series of controlled explosions that push pistons, ultimately powering the vehicle.
"Sitting in traffic in a 426 Hemi doesn't do anybody any good. It's not fun."
The 426 Hemi is a powerful engine made by Chrysler. It's famous for being very strong and was used in many fast cars, especially in the 1960s and 70s.
The 426 Hemi is a legendary V8 engine produced by Chrysler, known for its distinctive hemispherical combustion chambers that allow for better airflow and power. It became famous in the muscle car era for its high performance.
"...when we came out with a Mustang Mach-E, everyone's like, it's not a Mustang. It's a Ford."
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a new electric SUV that some people argue doesn't fit the traditional image of a Mustang, which is known for its powerful performance cars.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is an all-electric SUV that carries the Mustang name, which has sparked debate among enthusiasts about its connection to the traditional Mustang sports car.
"...Porsche did it with the Cayenne and all those other ones too..."
The Porsche Cayenne is a fancy SUV made by Porsche. It combines the luxury and performance of Porsche cars with the space and practicality of an SUV.
The Porsche Cayenne is a luxury SUV that helped Porsche expand its market by offering a more practical vehicle while maintaining performance. It was one of the first luxury SUVs to combine sportiness with utility.
Introduction
Pirate Eye Patch Explanation
Lessons from the Dealership
Falling in Love with Cars
Working at Foreign Motors in Boston
Motorcycle Enthusiasm
Technology and Historical Insights
The Art of Stand-Up Comedy
Memories of Chris Farley
Making Guests Comfortable on “The Tonight Show”
Unexpected Paths to Success
Favorite Guests and Stories
The Future of American Cars
Concluding Thoughts
Select text to request an explanation
I should mention I'm wearing an eyepatch because I fell down a hill and smashed my eye and
all of a sudden.
Oh boy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So people wonder why I'm not a pie.
Actually, you ever watch a movie and you see sometimes that things on the other eye you
think it's a mistake?
Do you know why pirate term?
Because when you're fighting, if you're a pirate, you're fighting, okay?
You want to have one eye dark because at some point you're going to have to go below deck.
I see.
So you can go like this.
And you can move it over.
So that eye would be accustomed to the light.
I had no idea.
Because a lot of guys who come on the ship, they hide down below and then when the pirates
came in without adjusting it, they would stab them because the eye hadn't adjusted to the
light.
But that's why they do it.
That's why they switch it back and forth.
That's amazing.
Jay Leno is a household name for anyone who's been turning on their TV for the last few
decades.
She always has a lot to say about cars, absolutely, and comedy.
Who knew he would have so much to say about pirates?
I'm Jim Farley and this is Drive.
I wanted to start at Wilmington Ford because you did a show for when I worked at Toyota.
You did the best dealer show I've ever been to was you actually got out of a trunk of
a car to start the show.
It was unbelievable.
And the dealers went crazy.
But during the show, you started talking about your time at the dealership.
And to me, it was like amazing.
How did that happen?
How did you get the job?
What did you do?
Well, I was 16 and it was a summer job.
The concept of summer jobs doesn't seem to exist anymore.
But when I was in high school, everybody just had some summer job lined up because your
dad was a big shot, maybe an intern with his company.
Or I like cars, so I went around to all the dealerships and Wilmington Ford hired me.
So I went there.
And what did you do?
I was a lot boy.
It was one of those acres of car places, so every morning you'd put on maybe 80, 90 sets
of hubcaps and you have to take them off at night because kids would steal them.
I see, okay.
In fact, I think I told you that story.
So one day I got about 80 hubcaps and I come around the corner and the used car salesman
is coming in the way.
He's banged into me and they all fall down.
He goes, you can't treat our pride.
You're fired.
Get out of here.
I go, you bumped into me.
I'll get out of here.
So he fired me and I was so ashamed of being fired.
I didn't tell my parents.
I was like a 40-year-old guy, lost his job.
I pretended to go to work every day, but I wrote a letter to Henry Ford and to everybody
on the board of directors.
My dad's got a galaxy and mom's got a Falcon.
I'm saving for a Mustang.
I got fired unfairly and I love Ford and everyone's with me.
And then Ben Rastusha called me.
He goes, I don't know who you know in Detroit, but you can have your job back if you want
it.
You're kidding me.
No.
I wrote it to Hank Taduse.
I don't get any letters from kids.
I don't get any letters from kids.
Okay.
But anyway, maybe that's why they did it.
That is incredible.
I was hand before the second.
Yeah.
You just see it on my back.
My first experience when I fell in love with cars is we moved to Greenwich, Connecticut.
I didn't know anyone.
I got a paper route and on Saturday I go downtown to deposit my money in the Greenwich savings
and loan or whatever.
And then I would drive my Schwinn when I got it down the post road to the Ferrari distributorship
that happened to be in our town for the whole country.
And in the basement were like 10 Italian mechanics and they would take care of the owner's race
cars and they were just old race cars.
And I would just sit around during their break and they would tell me about, oh, this is
this kind of Ferrari of this.
And that's where I started to learn about cars from those guys.
So I totally am with you like you, you know, working in a dealership.
That was Chinetti dealership.
It was.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yes.
I knew.
I knew that one.
Yeah.
And it was a brick building on the post road.
He, he sold, you're the only person I know who would know this.
He sold Heath Kith motorcycles.
Oh yeah.
That's funny.
Yeah.
I only saw one of them in my whole life.
You probably have one in your, in your collection.
I don't have one, but what did have like a puke motor or one of those like a two stroke
from Yugoslavia or whatever it was at the time.
Yeah.
I always say, I remember that.
Yeah.
It was funny.
Did you get a job at foreign, foreign motors in Boston?
Then I worked at farm motors in Boston.
Yeah.
Yes.
And what was that like?
Oh, that was a great job.
You know, I, I was always pretty confident as a kid.
Like I was, I was going to college in Boston and I, I said, I'll get an apartment near that
dealership and I'll work there.
It never occurred to me that I wouldn't work there.
I see.
So I went in to the farm motors, Tom Mix was the owner and Selden Loring was the guy,
my boss and I said, Oh, I'm looking for a job and we're not hiring anybody.
We're new.
I can, but no.
So I said, Monday morning, I just went into work and I went over to the detail guys and
I started working on the new guy.
How are you doing?
In no way.
Yeah.
Yeah.
After about four days, Selden Loring.
So what are you, what are you doing?
I said, Oh no, I'm working here now.
Yeah.
And the guy said, No, he's good.
He's doing a good job.
All right.
And so they hired me.
Yeah.
So it was okay.
It was all right.
I mean, it never occurred to me not to do that.
That's amazing.
Well, so what brands did foreign motors represent?
We had everything Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, Pujo, Squire, which was a kind of a replicard
of England, any kind of Citroën, any kind of foreign cars, interesting.
It was foreign motors.
That's what I got.
Yeah.
What was the fanciest car you drove or you saw?
Well, the Rolls Royce is actually because what I always tell this story, but I Rolls
Royce would come into Port Elizabeth.
And although it's a well known name, it's not a big company.
Even to this day, Rolls Royce is pretty small.
Yeah.
For example, like when you buy a new Rolls, the phone charger is in the center console
on the side because an Asian country is not allowed to have a phone visible in your car.
I see.
And they realize, well, we're going to sell it worldwide.
Let's just make it, this is where our phone chargers, this is where we don't have to change
it for every market.
You know, if it was Ford or Chrysler or GM, they would obviously make the adjustment for
the local economy, whatever it might be.
But yeah, so in fact, one day we had a guy who was buying a new Rolls Royce Corniche convertible
from us.
This is 1969.
And it was the most expensive car in America.
It was $29,000.
Oh, my God.
That's how much it was.
And it was $35,000, I think, out the door.
So I had a guy who wanted to buy one for cash, wink, wink, I wonder what kind of business
he was in.
Yeah.
So I picked the car up.
Okay.
I delivered to him.
He gives me the $35,000 in cash.
Okay.
I go back to the jocks to get another Rolls to drive up because they didn't use transporters
in those days.
Right.
They had people like me drive them.
Yeah.
Why so many miles?
Although it's just test miles done by the factory, you know, 18-year-old kid being in
it.
700 miles.
Yeah.
So I got the $35,000 in a paper bag.
I pick up another Corniche at the time of convertible.
So I go, well, let me go to the Improv in New York and maybe do a set, you know.
So I pull up in front of the Improv and Bud freed me.
Oh, it comes out.
This kid in a Rolls Royce, who is he?
You know?
Put him out of here.
I don't know.
It was fun.
So I got on stage and put the $35,000 in a paper bag on the piano and I got my little
tape recording.
I'm doing my routine, blah, blah.
I'm getting big laughs.
That's great.
I come on stage.
Hey, thank you, everybody.
Man, I get back in the car.
You know, I'm driving up.
I get to the first toll booth and I think it's in Greenwich.
Yep.
And I go, wait.
Where's the $35,000?
Oh, my God.
I was so excited.
I left it on the piano.
Oh, my God.
So I turn the Rolls around.
It's about an hour back.
I go back.
Now it's one in the morning and there's like one singer and two drunk.
And I see the bag and I go, excuse me, I left my lunch on the piano.
Excuse me.
And look, yeah, but I'd just be getting out of prison now if that was.
That is incredible story.
Yeah.
Luckily, nobody saw it.
So you're a motorcycle person.
I kind of think of you almost motorcycles first.
Well, I did have motorcycles first because you would get 10 motorcycles in a spot where
you park one car.
Yes.
So that seemed to make sense to me.
But have you been riding motorcycles your whole life?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I always think I got one crash left.
My last crash was a year and a half ago.
It was a pretty bad one.
But I think I probably got one crash left.
So yeah.
Yeah.
Well, I find motorcycle people really amazing.
Like you go to like because of my job, I go to Pebble Beach or I go to this show or
that show and then I'll go to a motorcycle show.
Gordon McCall has this quail event and motorcycle people are fantastic.
I don't know about your experience and I just want to ask you, what is it about motorcycle
people?
Like you go to a car show and they're like, how much does that car cost?
I was like, I don't know.
I don't think your car is that way, but a lot of people do.
But no one in a motorcycle show goes like, how much does that thing cost or work?
Well, motorcycles are fun because, well, I'll give you an example.
I have a friend of mine.
He collects Maytag washing machine motors up to about 19, well listen up to about 1908
because up to that point, when you bought a Maytag, the engine was exposed.
Had a lot of nickel, a lot of brass, a lot of polished aluminum.
So it looked cool.
It looked really cool.
So when it worked, you see the agitator, it was like look at the back of a grandfather
clock and the agitator moved back and forward.
And then somebody decided, you know, let's just put a box over it.
We can just paint everything black.
We don't have to work.
And they just put a white box over it.
From that point on, nobody cared about them.
But when you see the early ones, they're just see all the little things moving in and out
and little gears and all like, I like mechanical watches.
Why anybody would wear a battery watch?
It just doesn't interest me because I just like, I like all the minutiae that goes with
it.
You've got to wind it every day and it's fun to look at it and see how the pieces work.
I mean, it's the tiniest computer you can carry around with you.
So that's what attracted you in some ways to a motorcycle.
Well, I like the exoskeleton look of it.
The idea that the engine is on the outside.
I mean, you open the hood of a modern car, boy, there's not much to see.
I mean, to me, the era when I grew up, he had the Mustangs in the 60s, you know, and you
get the Ford dress-up kit and that had polished valve covers and you could get four Weber
carburetors, which to me, that was the sexiest motor of all time, the 289 V8 with the Webbers
on it, maybe the six Webbers, whatever they had.
And oh, it's just cool.
It sounded great.
It was fun to watch it all kind of work.
I see.
What's your favorite bike in your collection?
Well, I like Brough Superior.
I like Vincent Blackshadows.
I like English motorcycles.
You know, England's a nation of scribes, so they write it all down.
So you have some excellent motorcycle writing back in the day, you know, which makes it fun.
You know, the English always make me laugh because they build one of anything great.
You build that.
This is great.
You go, I need two more.
They go, I need two more.
You know, it's such a different way.
Yes.
I remember when you buy a Brough Superior motorcycle, the clutch had these little cork inserts.
You put them in cork squares to keep the plates, you know.
So I call this place called Armors in England.
I said, oh, yeah, I got a Vincent Brough Superior motorcycle.
I need some of those clutch gears.
Oh, no, yeah, don't carry those anymore.
I don't care anymore.
I don't care.
I'm not going to discontinue it.
I said, boy, that's funny.
That seems like that would be one of those items that will wear out constantly.
People want them because that was a problem.
People calling every day.
We need clutch, we need clutch.
We finally discontinued.
There's too much.
It was too much trouble to sell them.
I remember I called there once.
I said, I need an exhaust system for an SS-100 Brough Superior in 1927.
Oh, yeah, it's got one here.
90 quid, 90 quid.
This is a while ago.
Oh, great.
Great.
I like to get it.
It's good, good.
He goes, we're rather busy now.
Can you call back when we're not so busy?
I said, yeah, what time should I call back?
Can you call back in the fall?
In the fall?
I said, it's February.
I want motorcycle season.
I want to ride it.
Well, we're not going to do it until the fall.
I go, what are you talking?
What are you talking about?
It just makes me laugh.
It's just the whole English way.
I'm so thankful I've gotten a chance to visit you a couple of times and see your collection.
More importantly, for me, see you and what's exciting for you about your collection.
What always strikes me is that you are incredibly accomplished and
understanding the technology in our industry.
What is it about the technology?
Like, you're the only person I've ever met.
Literally, even some people at Ford who knew about the metallurgy in a Model T.
Why is that?
That was Harold Wills.
Yes, it was.
Will St. Clair, right?
He did that after.
What did I say?
Yeah.
How do you learn about the technology of these cars?
Because you're so knowledgeable.
I like the old magazines.
You know, I have some magazines from like...
I have one that's great.
Would a Christian drive it on a mill?
I think not, says the Reverend Sozo.
It is the work of the devil, a machine that can travel up to a mile a minute.
You know, all the reasons why the devil was involved in all of this.
I mean, just these wonderful articles and you see this rather pompous guy,
I believe a Christian would not drive it on a mill.
In fact, there's something funny that you see.
People always see these, but there's a little seat sometimes off to the side.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Well, back in the day, you see, men did not take women out underscored it.
It's a turn of the century, the last century.
You would court a woman at her house.
You'd go there and you'd sit on the front porch and her parents would sit with you.
And you'd talk to the girl and be flirtatious or whatever it might be.
When the model T came along, men could take women out,
they could take them away from the farm and get them away from their parents.
And that was like, oh, scandalous.
So the idea that a Christian would not drive a car unless it had a chaperone seat.
I see.
Like a lot of dealers who show that they're good Christian car dealers,
you put the chaperone seat so the brother or the father could go on the date with you.
I see.
And they would be facing you while you're driving.
You know, it would be hilarious.
Sounds like, well, my wife and I, we've been together forever.
And she was an actress in New York and I got into UCLA graduate school.
So headed out there and we decided to take a trip across the country, but we weren't married.
And my dad and my wife's dad were at a meeting together.
And my dad just found that my mom and dad sat me down and said,
we just don't think this is right.
You should not be going across the country with your girlfriend unless you're married.
I was like, wow, okay, well, we're still going to do it.
They're like, well, we just don't, we want you to know we don't support that.
So we're playing this trip.
And then my dad goes to my wife's father, man to man, you know,
Joe, I just don't think this is right.
These kids are going across the country and it's just not right.
And Leah's father was super smart.
So he looked at my dad and said,
I don't understand what you're talking about, Jim.
It's a brand new car.
And he's like, that's not what I'm talking about.
You know, my, my cousin Chris and we could talk about it.
But I was always impressed that he and his dad, his dad was like his,
you know, resource when it comes to a good joke or a skit,
he would always call us dad and go, what do you think about this?
Should I, you know, fall off or should I jump on the table?
And his dad would suggest thing and almost always work.
Did you have someone in your life that you could use as a resource for your comedy?
Well, everybody, everyone.
You know, you know, I mean, I did a joke last night.
It worked pretty good.
I said, technology is unbelievable.
Today I got flipped off by a driverless car, you know,
and it got, it got a good laugh.
So you just, you ask people around, they seem to think it's okay.
And he'd do it on stage.
I mean, it's as simple as that.
Yeah.
Yeah, I liked that joke.
I thought it was so funny.
It's so stupid.
No, I have to, I have to tell you the day my, it resonates with me because the day
my mom passed away, she, I was ready to give her this like serious talk about what a great mom
she was.
And she goes, just make me laugh.
And that's the last time I saw her.
And I, and she goes, no, no, no, tell me something funny.
And I said, well, mom, she was from Michigan.
Mom, you remember all those trips we took from Connecticut to Northern Michigan in the summer?
Remember, we go into Ohio and remember, you know, all those rude people in Ohio.
She, oh, I can't stamp people from Ohio.
They, every time they see our car, they would do all sorts of vulgar gestures.
And I said, mom, I was in the back and anytime anyone's passing us, I'd flip them off.
And then they flip you off.
And she goes, you didn't do that.
I said, I did it for four years.
She goes, that's pretty funny.
I didn't know that you were that.
Yeah.
That's pretty funny.
So you really learned from, is that how you did it at the Tonight Show?
You would try material when you performed?
On the road, I worked every weekend somewhere because I know TV jobs only last a certain
amount of time.
Sometimes it's 13 weeks.
I was lucky it lasted 22 years.
That was great.
But then it's over.
And then you have to have, you know, so to me, I always
kept my hand in.
I always did stand up because stand up and all the things.
Once you leave, you can't come back because when you do come back, why is that?
Well, because if they think you're funny and then you leave and you come back 10 years later,
oh, he's going to be 10 years better than he was, but you're starting all over.
You're starting all over.
You know, you build an act, one joke at a time, like the joke I just told you.
That's one joke.
And then next week I come up with another really good, that's two jokes.
Right.
That's three jokes.
And you build on it, you know?
I mean, that's how it works.
That's how it works.
And it takes you a while to finally get an act that can go anywhere, you know.
You were, actually, the first time I met you, I was just working at Toyota.
I didn't have any fancy job.
And I was there to escort my cousin, Chris, to your show.
His first time he was on The Tonight Show.
And he was nervous.
And I was nervous.
And you were so wonderful with him.
You were so kind.
You know, I always loved him.
He was just a gentle creature, you know?
He was a lovely guy.
I mean, as the English would say.
He had a sweetness about him that was endearing.
And he would do anything for a laugh.
He would do anything.
And to the point where, whoa, Chris, you don't have to push it this hard.
You got me.
I'm here, you know?
But he would, you know, the head shaking, you know, this kind of stuff back and forward.
Yeah.
And it was so sad when he passed away.
It was, I mean, everybody loved him.
He wasn't a guy.
You know, you meet other people.
And I hate that guy.
He stole my actor, whatever it might be.
Never anything like that.
He was always very, oh, you don't like that?
Okay, I'll do something.
No, no, no, I like it.
No, that's good.
I just don't want you.
I don't want you to hurt yourself.
I don't want to hurt myself.
Well, Chris, take it easy.
You know, you know.
I mean, he was so childlike.
Yes.
But in a good way.
That's a great way.
Well, how did you make people so many people feel so comfortable like Chris?
Because he loved being on your show because you made him feel so comfortable.
Because he was always nervous.
But how did you do that?
Well, you know, show business is for oddballs.
You know, it's, I went to school with a girl who was just incredibly beautiful.
Just, I mean, I mean, people would stop in the street.
Oh my God, look at that.
And she went to Hollywood and we all thought she's going to be a movie star.
But she's just another pretty girl.
I mean, just another beautiful girl in Hollywood.
And then you get somebody who's a little off or they have some funny quirk or something.
And that's the person who kind of rises to the top because they're different.
I mean, beauty is not rare.
You know, funny is rare.
Unusual is rare.
But beauty is not rare.
So, you know, the number of handsome men and beautiful women that come here,
unless you got something else, you're going to be in trouble.
Interesting.
But I can safely say, I think if we all met you, you know, early in your career,
you were always so gifted.
And Chris was the same.
I mean, he, I think he got kicked out of Marquette like, I don't know, three or four or five times.
I don't know.
And he, I remember we had a family reunion and he just lost his job as a
lifeguard in Madison, Wisconsin, which is the seasonal job.
And my dad goes, what are you going to do?
You know, we have a kind of competitive family.
What are you going to do, Chris, with your life?
And he's like, Uncle Jim, I'm going to be a comedian.
He's like, but that's just like, you have to make people laugh for money.
Like, can you do that?
He's like, yeah, I think I can, I think I can.
And he was able to do it.
No, he was great.
He was great.
He was a genuine original.
When did you know you wanted to be a comedian?
Well, I always thought I liked to do that kind of thing.
I mean, I like to tell jokes, to tell stories or whatever it might be.
I just figured I'd do it until I had to get a real job.
I just never had to get a real job, you know.
At some point you figure, all right, let's settle down.
You know, your parents, they tolerated it, you know.
And then when I bought my dad a Cadillac and Lincoln,
it was like, oh, well, I guess this is his comedian.
But they always encouraged me.
And they were good about it.
You know, they were, they just worried about,
have something to fall back on.
That was my mother's thing, have something to fall back on.
You know, but I was not going to be a speech therapist, good hitman.
What advice would you give to people like me about being a good host?
About being a good host?
Yeah.
Well, when I did the Tonight Show, I was a comedian during the monologue.
And then I was a listener during the,
you know, a lot of times I'll watch shows and people bring someone on
and they top, the guest says something and then they say something that tops the guest
and it gets a big laugh, but that guest doesn't come back.
Yeah, good point.
I had my story in each other.
So you got to learn to just pull back a little bit, you know.
I mean, I found that we weren't always the most controversial,
but like we got the stars to come back.
A lot of people that did our show that didn't do other shows, you know,
we got Obama when he was just sitting president because they, they kind of knew.
And that's kind of a funny story, you know.
Yeah, tell us.
One day I see him on TV and I said, let's call him.
So I call him up and I say, hey, I want to have you on the show.
Okay. And he drives himself to this show.
Really?
And I went to the car.
Really?
Well, he flew in.
He wasn't anybody, you know.
He had the, his coat over his shoulder, you know.
He was like, Jay, my name is Brock Hussein Obama.
I'm running for president of the United States.
And he thought, you know, he had a pretty good, and he was a great comic.
He had a good sense of humor, you know.
So we became friends and he gave me his cell phone number.
You're kidding me.
Yeah. So the next time he came on, he came on as president of the United States.
And the whole parking lot at NBC was tented.
So if a satellite was following the president,
it couldn't tell, it couldn't tell where it went when it came in, you know.
So he got on.
So, and had a president ever been on the tonight show?
Never, never, right?
Not, not, not a sitting president.
No.
Wow.
No.
So that was pretty cool.
So I'm telling you, this is what happens when you come from a small town.
It's the same idiot friends they have when I was in high school.
So I'm telling you, I got Obama gave me his phone number.
Oh, let's call him.
I'm not going to call him.
You don't have it.
No, uh-huh.
No, uh-huh.
No, uh-huh.
It's like, just call this guy.
I'm not going to call.
It's three o'clock in Washington now.
There's nobody doing it.
It's not going to wake anybody up.
You don't have it.
So I take out my phone.
I got my finger over the number.
See, it says president of the United States.
Yeah, I usually put that in there.
I say, all right, I'll call.
So I dial the phone right here.
Brock here.
This president.
Jay, don't know.
What can I do for you, Jay?
Just as some of my friends lose this number, Jay.
Click and he hangs up.
Who's the number, Jay?
Click and he hangs up.
Made me laugh.
Very funny.
Oh, that is really funny.
Do you have a favorite guest on your show
or someone that you really enjoyed?
I enjoyed Terry Bradshaw.
Terry Bradshaw was great.
He was amazing.
I liked Sean Connery because Sean Connery was not James Bond.
I mean, Sean Connery.
What do you mean, like the person?
No, no, he was a longshoreman.
He was third runner up Mr. Universe 1953.
He was a tough.
I mean, this guy would fight anybody.
You ever hear of a gangster named Johnny Stampinato?
No.
Johnny Stampinato was a gangster, a real gangster,
and he was dating Lana Turner.
So Sean Connery is in a movie with Lana Turner
where he's an extra and he's a big handsome guy.
So Johnny Stampinato gets wind that he's been flirting
with Lana Turner.
So he shows up at the set, puts a gun to Sean Connery's head.
Johnny takes the gun, takes the bullet out,
whacks him in the head with the gun.
You're not putting a gun to my workplace.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, he was a tough guy.
Oh, that's you.
He would come to the show.
He'd go, hey, Jay, Jay, what's the latest filthy joke
going about here?
You know, and I'd tell him the joke.
And he would laugh like a pie.
He would laugh like that.
You know, to the point where the newsroom would go,
hey, who's making all the quiet down down there?
I said, Sean Connery, you come tell him to shut up.
I'm not doing it.
And he's the only star.
You remember those little tiny showers
they had in the dressing room?
He's the only star who took a shower in one of those.
Oh, really?
And he'd be in there and he'd sing, oh, Scotland.
You just sing at the top of his lungs and people go,
tell Sean Connery to shut up.
I go, you go tell him.
I'm not going to tell him to shut up.
Yeah, he was fine.
I liked him.
I liked him.
Rodney was a great one, too.
Oh, Rodney Dangerfield, unbelievable.
I sometimes wish that we could have navigation
where you could customize the voice
and Rodney Dangerfield could give you directions home.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm kind of glad we don't have that, actually.
Yeah, thank you.
Only because it's not really.
You know what I mean?
And then it gets sort of diluted down.
I mean, that's why I don't do HBO specials or anything else,
Netflix.
Because if you want to see it,
I'll come to where you are and do it.
I have so many friends of mine.
Hey, I said so-and-so special.
I didn't think it was that funny.
Why?
What you watching on my iPhone?
Well, you watch a comedy special on your iPhone.
It's not going to be funny.
You're not participating.
I mean, the difference between listening to a comedy
shows through the window of a nightclub
and then being on the other side of the window in the room
is a totally different experience
because you're immersed in it.
People laughing around you.
I see, I have a good time.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, so yeah.
So to me, I would just rather go to where the people are
and do it as opposed to do one show a year
and get a big check, you know?
I see.
They had this great show that we went to
as a Farley family in Chicago.
I don't know if you've ever seen it,
the Late Night Catechism,
where you go back into grade school and we raised Catholics.
So there's a nun and she kind of runs the audience
like a Catholic grade school.
And so I got one of the questions wrong
about the Virgin Mary or something.
And I had to put my nose on the blackboard in a circle
and I was there for 45 minutes and it was really funny.
It's a really good...
But like you said, it was live.
It was like we were all participating.
Right, right, right.
Yeah.
Well, I'm so thankful for your time.
And I do want to say I saw your comment about Mark Royce
and breaking the speed record with a Corvette.
And I thought it was so awesome that you recognize...
Because that is such an amazing car.
Well, you know, to me, I love the fact that American manufacturer is...
You know, my day, we're bringing Bob Johns from Maytag
and so on and so from Whirlpool
and they're going to be handling the marketing
of the new Falcon in order.
Yeah.
And they never got it.
I mean, at least since that whole...
What do you call it?
The Bank of the Seas, what do they call it?
Yeah, yeah.
Everything is engineers now.
Yes.
I mean, as you, you guys at Nureberg ring every week.
Mark Royce is there every weekend.
And to see American stuff be the envy of the world.
I mean, the fact that you can build like the ZR1.
Yes.
It's an incredible car.
It's a tenth of the price of the McLaren or any of those.
For the sales tax on a supercar, you could have that.
Yes.
You know, at least in California.
You know, same thing with the Mustang.
Yes.
The Mustang, the Mustang GTD.
You know, I've got the...
I bought in 2005 about the Ford GT.
Yes.
It was $129,000.
Unbelievable.
It was the bargain of the century.
Then when the second one came around,
oh boy, they smartened up pretty quick.
Yeah, we got a lot smarter.
Yeah.
And I love what you're doing with the Mustang.
I love that the Mustang is taken on Porsche.
I like the audacity of it.
I like the idea that, oh, how dare you?
Who do they think they are?
You know, and that's sort of a uniquely American thing.
It is.
You know, the great thing about you guys
is you didn't change the name of the company.
No.
When the Ford GT came out, it didn't become majestic
or some stupid brand name.
I remember people said, no one's going to pay $450,000 for a Ford.
I said, well, like, well, if it's good enough.
Yeah.
And it was good enough.
We sold everyone.
Yeah.
When you have a Ford that is better looking than the Equivalent Ferrari,
but that's pretty amazing.
That's pretty amazing.
Well, thank you for recognizing that ambition.
And we are trying to be the underdog, even though we were pretty comfortable.
They're hilarious.
I definitely want to, I mean, we're going for sub seven minutes on the ring.
And we really want to beat that GT3 RS Porsche with a front wheel drive,
a front engine Mustang.
So, well, I have to ask you the same question I ask everyone,
which is, what advice would you give the CEO of Ford Motor Company?
Oh, have more comics on.
Yeah.
No, what advice?
I don't know.
I'm an enthusiast.
I'm not a business person.
I realize you have to sell.
I mean, the thing that, you know, years ago, maybe 10 or 15 years ago,
a company called Carbon Revolution came here with these carbon fiber wheels.
Yes.
And they were $20,000 a piece.
And I said, who are you going to sell it to?
Well, Lamborghini, Ferrari, maybe Porsche.
So he put some on a Porsche and they were 13 pounds of wheel lighter.
And you could really feel the difference.
Yep.
Okay.
And they said, oh, we're working with the original equipment manufacturer.
I can't see who it is.
Okay.
Now that was $80,000 for four wheels.
Five years later, the Mustang GT comes out with those wheels.
It's $62,000.
Plus you get the car and the wheels.
But just using American manufacturing techniques and understanding how to make supply and demand.
You know, the idea of something hand-fitted.
Oh, it's all handmade.
The English get away with this.
Yeah.
You know, I remember I went to the Bentley factory in England before.
And I go over to the poultry department.
There's a tea kettle whistling.
Hello, dearie.
Hello.
She got a pin and she's sewing the leather together.
Make her some seats for a new Bentley here.
It just made me laugh.
The idea that this is better than a laser.
Not really.
But that home-built thing just makes me laugh.
You know, it's always amazing to me.
I mean, Mark Twain said, I like progress.
It's a change I don't like.
And, you know, I don't understand why people have this anti.
To me, the EV will save the internal combustion engine.
I agree.
Because there'll be more gas for us.
And your Mustang or whatever it might be will be like a snowmobile or recreation vehicle.
You sit in traffic.
Sitting in traffic in a 426 Hemi doesn't do anybody any good.
It's not fun.
It's eating gas.
It's polluting.
Yes.
So you drive your electric car.
Then on weekends, you drive your Hemi to the car.
Go have fun.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Oh, no, I think it's a great savior.
It's so good that you said that.
Because when we came out with a Mustang Mach-E, everyone's like, it's not a Mustang.
It's a Ford.
Yeah.
Okay.
But it allowed us to have a V8 manual Mustang coupe that's affordable because we have an
electric version.
Like, please understand what's happening here.
Yes.
Well, Porsche did it with the Cayenne and all those other ones too.
Same thing.
Same thing.
No, no, I think it's terrific.
When the Model T came out, Henry Ford was seen as the great savior of the American horse.
Because 60,000 tons of manure would dump to New York City every day.
People got dysentery.
Junk men, the horse would collapse of exhaustion on hot day.
They'd cut the reins, leave the carcass in the street, then it'd get dysentery and all
kinds.
And suddenly, oh, a little puff of blue smoke in your face.
This is so much better than 60 tons of horse manure.
Totally.
And of course, that becomes the problem eventually.
I got it.
Well, thank you, Jay, for your time.
Hey, thank you.
You know, you're the best.
And I can't wait to go to one of your shows.
And thank you for your time.
We know how busy you are.
Well, wait for my Ford.
I'm waiting for my GTD.
Why don't they start building it?
We built our first one yesterday.
Oh, good.
Yep.
I was just with the engineers.
And we built our first, you know, like production, tooling,
multi-matic last week.
So yours, you're one of the first ones.
So yours will be built pretty soon.
Well, thanks.
Well, I appreciate it.
Thank you so much, Jay.
And have a great day.
Jim, thanks a lot.
Talk to you soon.
OK.
You're the best.
Drive is produced by Jesse Baker and Eric Newsom of Magnificent Noise.
Our production staff includes Julia Knatt, Sabrina Farhi and Kristen Muller,
with help from Laurie Arpin, Ven Gobal, Max Owen Dunal,
Ann Roberts, Darnell Macon, Brandon Kennedy, and Mark Truby.
Our host is Jim Farley, and this is Drive.
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