Transcript

We Went to Abbey Road With Conan O'Brien | Video Exclusive Bonus

From The Rest Is History · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 16 min · 2,838 words · 79 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "We Went to Abbey Road With Conan O'Brien | Video Exclusive Bonus", an episode of The Rest Is History published December 14, 2025 (16 min, about 2,838 words). It mentions 39 people, works and ideas, including She's Leaving Home, My Dark Hour, Steve Miller band, Paul Ramon, Austrian Alp.

What this episode is about

The content centers around a lighthearted conversation involving Conan O'Brien and friends as they discuss their visit to Abbey Road, sharing humorous anecdotes related to The Beatles, trivia about Paul McCartney, and the nostalgic significance of the iconic zebra crossing. Key moments include a quiz on McCartney's history and the group's shared fondness for Beatles lore.

Key takeaways

  • Zebra crossings and Abbey Road covers—Paul McCartney turned mountains into molehills for iconic shots.
  • Paul Ramon: McCartney's mysterious alter ego grooves with Steve Miller Band's 'My Dark Hour.'
  • Fame's crucible: McCartney stays sane where others fall to the 'Elvis Effect.'
  • Abbey Road's original title 'Everest' buried under iconic covers—thank you, cigarettes!
  • Lennon dissed 'Yesterday,' but McCartney's hits stood tall—just ask Conan!

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 3:00: My Dark Hour, Paul Ramon, Steve Miller band
  2. – 6:00: Abbey Road album, Austrian Alp, Everest, How Can You Sleep
  3. – 9:00: Blind Applause, Melanie Co, Yesterday
  4. – 12:00: She's Leaving Home, Abbey Road Studios, Brenda Lee, Let's Jump the Broomstick
  5. – 15:00: Chattam High Street, Come On, You Are the Best, doo-op groups, Elizabeth the First

Notable quotes from "We Went to Abbey Road With Conan O'Brien | Video Exclusive Bonus"

  • What pseudonym did Paul McCartney use when he contributed drums and backing vocals to a Steve Miller band song, My Dark Hour, in 1969?
    about My Dark Hour · at
  • That's fine I love that but during the filming of help which song to the Beatles mime to in the Austrian Alp.
    about Austrian Alp · at
  • Untethered. And I think he was interested in being tethered. What was the original title for the Abbey Road album? And a bonus point if you know Everest.
    about Abbey Road album · at
  • Me and they get to the art where you see John, the famous footage of him playing How Can You Sleep with George and he's going through it and I'm aware Paul's sitting I mean he's sitting 6 ft behind me in a very small.
    about How Can You Sleep · at
  • Emotions that clearly he felt powerfully Ian Leslie talks about this in his book but he you know after John shot when he's leaving the recording studio and he has that moment on camera where he says it's.
    about Blind Applause · at
  • She's leaving home. And the song that she danced to was Let's Jump the Broomstick by Brenda Lee.
    about She's Leaving Home · at
  • Him on once in the commercial break. I said, Ringo, do you ever get back to Liver Liverpool? The band's playing and I'm sitting at the desk. I said, Do you ever get back to Liverpool? And he said Why?
    about Liver Liverpool · at
  • Which is the one with the animal sounds. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. It's fixing a hole.
    about Fixing a hole · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Paul Ramon — Person · 1 mention · first at
    No. So, go on. Ramon, give that man a point. It's Paul Ramon.
  • Jeff Emry — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Roland Demerick — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Melanie Co — Person · 1 mention · first at
    In 1963, Melanie Co was the winner of a dance competition judged by Paul McCartney on the TV show Ready, Steady, Go. What song did her actions inspire Paul to write 4 years later? And you'll.
  • Brenda Lee — Person · 1 mention · first at
    She's leaving home. And the song that she danced to was Let's Jump the Broomstick by Brenda Lee.
  • Loren Michaels — Person · 1 mention · first at
    In 1976, Loren Michaels made a financial offer to the Beatles to regroup and perform three songs on Saturday Night Live.
  • Vanderhook — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Elizabeth the First — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Chattam High Street t-shirt as modeled by all the cool people. So you'll see there's Nelson. There's Elizabeth the First. There is who else have we got?
  • The Churchill — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Voytech — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Elvis — Person · 1 mention
  • Ringo — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

Companies & orgs

  • Steve Miller band — Company · 1 mention · first at
    What pseudonym did Paul McCartney use when he contributed drums and backing vocals to a Steve Miller band song, My Dark Hour, in 1969?
  • Ready, Steady, Go — Company · 1 mention · first at
    In 1963, Melanie Co was the winner of a dance competition judged by Paul McCartney on the TV show Ready, Steady, Go. What song did her actions inspire Paul to write 4 years…
  • Abbey Road Studios — Company · 1 mention · first at
    What was the only track on Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to be recorded entirely outside of Abby Road Studios?
  • Regent Sound Studios — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Is it recorded at Regent Sound Studios because this place was fully booked.
  • The Plaza — Company · 1 mention · first at
  • Wings — Company · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

  • Everest — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    The original title for the Abbey Road album? And a bonus point if you know Everest.
  • doo-op groups — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    A different way of looking at their music is they were very much inspired by doo-op groups. And got a little bit in that.
  • Battle of Trafalgar — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

  • Austrian Alp — Place · 1 mention · first at
  • Mount Everest — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Yes. Why? Why would Because Paul wanted to shoot it the cover of all of them on Mount Everest and they told him to [ __ ] off. Let's walk outside.
  • Liver Liverpool — Place · 1 mention · first at
  • Chattam High Street — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Right. So, I'm going to hold this up for the viewers. This is a all roads lead to Chattam High Street t-shirt as modeled by all the cool people. So you'll see there's Nelson. There's Elizabeth the First. There is who else have we got?

Full transcript with timestamps

Um, this isn't doesn't bode well for walking across the zebra crossing. I think that's the first thing we ask.

Everyone's done it. Everyone, do you want to go barefoot or shy? It's not going to be me. Yeah, there's a great shot of John, Paul, and George sitting here, I think, waiting to take the photo. It's

Yeah, that's right. That's But I was looking kind of over it, you know. Okay, a history question, so no pressure.

Paul McCartney was born on the 127th anniversary of which battle? Trafalga. He's got it.

Water. Good. So, what's the score now? Now, is anyone keeping track? Here's the thing. He has this pocket full of candies that he can give to anybody and he said, you know, Conan uh wants I we had a question backstage about how is this all going to what's going to be the order? What's And he said, well, something will happen. He said, you know, Conan, that was the saying we had in the Beatles. And I said, something's going to happen. He said,

yeah, it all came from we were it's ' 63. They're doing a tour. They're in the little

the little van little van. And at one point it's a lot of rain, maybe some ice. They slide off of a street. They go down into like a gully and the car doesn't tip, but they're just stuck down there. And one of them said, he said, I don't remember who said what, but one of us said, um, what do we do now? And the other one said, something's going to happen. Like in a calm, don't worry, something will happen. He told me that as like that's my mantra. What pseudonym did Paul McCartney use when he contributed drums and backing vocals to a Steve Miller band song, My Dark Hour, in 1969?

No idea. It's not multiple choice. No idea. Uh, I can give you a clue. Yeah, give me a clue. Is it the same pseudonym he used when traveling incognito in Europe?

Oh, you're good. Yeah, you're good. I'm not here to [ __ ] around. No. So, go on. Um, Ramon,

give that man a point. It's Paul Ramon. I've run into him, seen him, interviewed him many times. You don't know if what you're getting is a carbon copy of a carbon copy of a carbon copy of a carbon copy of a carbon copy. And it's not his fault. If you were one of the most famous people in the world, your entire life

Yeah. I mean, I'm 62. And if the part of my career that really interested people ends in 1984 85 1985 no that's not true. It would have been like 87 for me and then everything I've done since I was like no that's fine I love that but during the filming of help which song to the Beatles mime to in the Austrian Alp. Yeah well done Conan give him a round of applause please you not doing the applause. You know what? I won't have forced applause.

I think it's amazing how normal these people are, the surviving ones, given most people that are exposed to that scale of superstardom for that long a period are insane. I think the the equation of unbelievably famous and not driven mad by it. I think Paul McCartney is

the greatest exemplar of that. I mean considering how famous he is and has been for most of his life.

Yeah. He's amazingly notm. Yeah, he is. And he I think never I would say to his credit he was always really interested in family. He was always very interested in those dynamics that create gravity in your life to some degree.

And and you know what you see with an Elvis or a Michael Jackson or so many of these people they they're completely untethered. And I think he was interested in being tethered. What was the original title for the Abbey Road album? And a bonus point if you know

Everest. Yes. Why? Why would Because Paul wanted to shoot it the cover of all of them on Mount Everest and they told him to [ __ ] off. Let's walk outside.

No, that's just wrong. No, I'm sorry. Cigarette. Cigarette. Yes. Well done. You are good.

The engineer. The engineer. I'll give you an extra bonus point if you can guess the engineer's name because we've mentioned him a few times.

Robick. It's Jeff Emry. Jeff Em. Whatever. Jeff. Robert. Jeff. It's all the same.

Is there somebody who directs massive blockbuster films? That's Roland Demerick.

Roland Demerick. Yeah. Christian Lost the Will to Live. There's a Wings documentary and I was invited to a very small screening of it in LA, not knowing anything. So I go, the first person I see is Larry David. So he and I are chatting and in walks Paul and Ringo's there. This is a couple months ago. and he walked right up to us and he's like, "Oh, you know, David Conan." and you he's we're right away we're making jokes and chatting and there are times where you think I mean I'm stepping outside myself watching this happen

but he's there and then we watched this very intimate raw film about him going through a nervous breakdown after the Beatles broke up and he's sitting it's a very small screening room he and Ringo are sitting just a couple of rows behind me and they get to the art where you see John, the famous footage of him playing How Can You Sleep

with George with George and he's going through it and I'm aware Paul's sitting I mean he's sitting 6 ft behind me in a very small space and I'm watching this and I got unc uncomfortable and I'm thinking and so afterwards everyone it was really a good documentary and told the story really well and afterwards we're People were going up and saying that was great Paul and amazing. And then I hang back a little bit and then I walk up when Paul's alone and I said I have to ask you what's it like to watch that footage and he said you know I'm thinking all I you know cuz in the song John says all you wrote was yesterday and he said all of it was yesterday. What about and he starts firing off

all this and and Paul is saying this to me as if it were still a wound. He said, "You know what about and he lists all the other great songs, you know, that he's written. Not all of them, but just a handful." He starts rattling them off and I'm thinking to myself and and Paul said, "And I'm thinking to myself, "Fuck you, John." But you and I'm just standing there talking to him. He says, "Fuck you, John." But then I think, "Oh, he was crazy, but I loved him." That was a nice way to end it.

Yeah. But against that, you know, the the kind of lack of sentimentality. So the thing he said when his mother died, he's told his mother,

"What are we going to do for money? What are we going to do for money?" Yeah. What are we going to do now? Something will come.

He's always said he felt bad about that. Yeah. But it's But he's thinking, you know, thinking about his dad.

Yeah. I guess. Yeah. And and I you sense a reluctance to go deep. Yeah. emotions that clearly he felt powerfully Ian Leslie talks about this in his book but he um you know after John shot when he's leaving the recording studio and he has that moment on camera where he says it's a drag you you look at that now and you realize

I'm in pain yeah and I think Ian Leslie captured it perfectly he's in terrific pain he's unmed but he's not going to talk to you about that. And Leslie makes the point, which was something I was thinking, too. Oh, no one does that anymore. They just don't walk out in front of cameras after a tragedy and start talking. That's not how it's done. A statement is issued and then, you know, a one-on-one interview is done at the appropriate time and all the appropriate things are said. I mean, if you also if you compare it to when the Beatles break up, it's as though his reaction to very deep pain and humiliation and grief is to say something glib and then retreat like a kind of hedgehog. Go to Scotland.

Go to Scotland or Yeah, we spent this entire journey talking about Paul. Yeah, my favorite beetle.

Well, he's the one we can, you know, still get to have us over. In 1963, Melanie Co was the winner of a dance competition judged by Paul McCartney on the TV show Ready, Steady, Go. What song did her actions inspire Paul to write 4 years later? And you'll get a bonus point. There are two points here. If you can name the song that she danced to on Ready Steady Go.

Wait, what actions? Meaning she did something that made that inspired Paul to write a song.

Penny Lane. Strawberry Fields Forever. No. No. He's going to get on this guy with diamonds. Um,

she's a teenage girl. What might she be doing? She might be dancing about He's got it.

Tom Holland. Yeah. My god. She's leaving home. And the song that she danced to was Let's Jump the Broomstick by Brenda Lee.

Okay. Now, Conan, if you don't get this one right, there is something wrong with you.

Yeah. Well, I I've come off a long flight. How's that? No, it's not good enough. I'm sorry.

And I've had an anger. This is a Saturday Night Live question. Ah, in 1976, Loren Michaels made a financial offer to the Beatles to regroup and perform three songs on Saturday Night Live.

What was the value of the financial offer? Was it $5,000? No. It was uh a million dollars.

No, no, no, no. It was very small. It was like uh $10,000. $3,000. He's got it.

I don't think that counts cuz that's multiple goes. I don't think so. Uh Chris has got some calculation about what it's worth in today's money.

Bonus point if you can say what that's worth today. Bonus point if you can say what it's worth today.

$250,000. No. No. It would be worth uh $15,000 today. Oh, you're supposed to give him another I mean give him that.

I'll give him that. I spend a lot of time judging the value things between 1976 and today.

Right. I mean, don't we all? I mean, that's I spend my time this is ridiculous. This whole quiz is ridiculous.

No, you're going to win. Don't. Yeah, but is this how we want to win? Could I win if I

Yeah. I think if you get these three right? Right. Okay. I'll give you the whim.

Why can't we have more question about the classic thing that people do? They start winging when they're struggling. They starting the question.

I'm not I mean I hope the listeners and the viewers are noticing who's winging and who's not winging. I'm not winging. They're winging.

If I want to see Ringo, I maybe probably walk 35 ft. He's probably in Bair somewhere.

Of course. Does he have Does he still have a base in England? Ringo, I don't know. Did I tell you this? I had him on once in the commercial break. I said, "Ringo, do you ever get back to Liver Liverpool?" The band's playing and I'm sitting at the desk. I said, "Do you ever get back to Liverpool?" And he said "Why?"

What was the only track on Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to be recorded entirely outside of Abby Road Studios?

Oh my god. Uh, She's Leaving Home. Nope. Um, Chris, you're feeling so smug now, right?

I feel like I was at first I thought that maybe the questions might be too easy because

too easy. Demonstrated such a encyclopedic beetle knowledge. Yeah, you're not getting the pleasure from this that you thought you would.

No, you're just feeling cruel. Yeah, I think you went too far. Uh, which is the one with the um animal sounds. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. It's fixing a hole.

Is it recorded at Regent Sound Studios because this place was fully booked. Incredible. So, the Beatles wanted to record a song at the height of their fame and popularity.

Yeah, they're booked. And they're booked. They're booked. They were doing a history podcast.

Well, that's the thing. Nean Leslie really nails is a different way of looking at their music is they were very much inspired by doo-op groups. And

got a little bit in that. Yeah. Good. We'll get to that. That's something no one thinks about, but the minute he brings it up

cuz it's the song that John is singing when Paul first sees him. Yeah. Making up the lyrics.

What was the name of that song? Tom Holland. Can't remember. It's on my notes. Come go with me.

Come go with me. Yeah. So, um, Malt Lew on that. Um, John didn't know the song enough to have leared the words. Paul only knew it enough to know the words John was singing weren't the real ones.

Yeah, it's a nice way of putting it. I spent a day with him and he was he was saying, "Okay, that building right there was the Western Union office where Brian Epstein went in and sent the telegram to the Beatles telling them um

number one." Yeah. Or Yeah. more songs. Um he meant more covers. They interpreted as write more songs. They did. But he can

you tour around with him and he'll tell you that is where Ringo had an injection for syphilis.

Just the doctor's name was Who told you that? Vanderhook. What? Who told you that?

I made that up. Final question. Um, what hotel did the Beatles stay at on their first visit to New York City?

The Plaza. Well done, Conan O'Brien. And Conan, you are the champion. Can I say these are absurd? These are absurd. Um, but I do want that t-shirt.

Right. So, I'm going to hold this up for the viewers. This is a all roads lead to Chattam High Street t-shirt as modeled by all the cool people. So you'll see there's Nelson. There's Elizabeth the First. There is um who else have we got? The Churchill. Who's the bear?

That's Voytech. Voytech the bear. Yeah. So this is now yours. You leave fantastic t-shirt. Enjoy.

I'm going to cut it so it's a crop top. So you can see my navl. Richly richly narrative.

Listen. No. Listen. But a a delight with this gentleman who agrees with me. Yes. I don't know what your problem is. I don't think you should be filming what dog's problem is.

They should probably cut this. No one wants to see these people disagree with me.

Whatever is good for business, I'm with you guys. Uh I remain I'll say it on camera. This is the best podcast in the world. You guys gentlemen have and I uh I can go now.

We got what we wanted. Okay, got we got it. Uh yeah, really beautiful. It's great.

Uh thanks Ken. That's kind of you. Um, it is kind. Are we done? But appreciate it.

Yeah. Great. Great. Great. Cool. Wonderful. Thank you. Congratulations, champ. Thank you for

Thank you. When you two are hackling about something, it's about as I'm just delighted.

Questions about this episode

What is "We Went to Abbey Road With Conan O'Brien | Video Exclusive Bonus" about?

The content centers around a lighthearted conversation involving Conan O'Brien and friends as they discuss their visit to Abbey Road, sharing humorous anecdotes related to The Beatles, trivia about Paul McCartney, and the nostalgic significance of the iconic zebra crossing. Key moments include a quiz on McCartney's history and the group's shared fondness for Beatles lore.

What is mentioned in this The Rest Is History episode?

39 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including She's Leaving Home, My Dark Hour, Steve Miller band, Paul Ramon, Austrian Alp, Abbey Road album. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "We Went to Abbey Road With Conan O'Brien | Video Exclusive Bonus"?

The episode runs 16 min; the transcript is about 2,838 words in 79 timestamped sections.

More from The Rest Is History

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated December 17, 2025.