There Will Never Be Another Conan O'Brien

serious allegations likable one moment angry and dismissive the next see where I'm going with this at least oh my God there's just too much people too much pressure as a host she's amazing you knew I liked you but as a boss she's a different person restaurant owner band Cordon calling him the most abusive customer since the restaurant opened I've been walking around thinking that I hadn't done anything wrong who said okay to this why are you doing this so what exactly makes a good talk show host is it kindness you don't take any money for this out of the goodness of your heart a sense of humor you're making a lot of money you're in a big theater I don't think it's last maybe it's relatability your zipper is down or perhaps it's a combination of these things things that in this dwindling New Era of late night seem to be in short supply but there was a time when it thri thank [Applause] you God sake man be a professional can you see on Earth from space every time we fly by California we see your chip my wife is dead I'm sorry to hear that high five I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege i b you a very heartfelt good night after 30 years on TV Johnny Carson would retire as the host of The Tonight Show NBC would announce that frequent guest Jay Leno and not David Letterman would be its new host just how pissed off are you Letterman was understandably bitter would I like to have the show oh sure I mean this was his dream job at Carson's advice he would leave NBC after 11 years hosting late night his staff would follow him to CBS NBC was now left without a host or a show SNL Creator Lauren Michaels was brought in to salvage what they could Dana Carvey and Gary Shandling would both decline to host and popular figures like John Stewart and Drew Cary would audition for the role but Lauren had another idea last April NBC rocked the entertainment World by picking an unknown comic and writer to replace David lman he would pitch an individual who at the time was a relatively unknown writer with credits on The Simpsons and SNL whose experience in front of a camera amounted to about 40 seconds of airtime his days are full with Conan O'Brien what is funny about Conan he's very generous as a performer he's not looking to score at your expense and he's just funny after an audition that included interviews with Jason Alexander and Mimi Rogers O'Brien would land the position as new host of late night alongside his young sidekick Andy RoR a friend of mine some might even say a sidekick Andy RoR the show would Premiere to a flood of negative reviews Conan was tall lanky and where some would see energy it is exciting it is exciting others would see uneasiness I got to admit that this is a little unusual his fidgety nature and VIs ible lack of experience would make him a prime target for critics one more thing you better be as good as Letterman or else so large was this influx of negative press that interns would have to fill the seats that audience members had left empty these were big shoes to Phill after all but shockingly that didn't deter him Conan's humor despite not as refined as the years that would follow was Apparent from the very first episode Help me out here Andy ow ow ow wow wow ow ow Drew I'm I'm sorry but it's on the Q cards I have to do as I'm told oh it is after almost being fired and reaching near cancellation a number of times the tide would begin to turn Conan's monologues became sharper his timing grew Tighter and a few '90s Mega Stars such as Tom Hanks and Kelsey Grammar would provide the attention he needed ratings would inevitably pick up and the critics would turn fans this would set the foundation for an almost 28-year run ladies and gentlemen uh in August our first guest will take over as host of this very program it's called the late night ladies and Gentlemen please welcome the new guy Conan O'Brien Conan's preferred style of Comedy is absurdist clever and often dumb humor one of the most striking images was this shot of North Korea's Kim Jong-un arriving at the summit Warner Brothers gave me my own security detail okay that's me now despite having a degree from Harvard in history and literature he is susceptible to missing the mark Cam Newton more like Fig Newton I'm not saying he's perfect but here's the thing about playing it safe you know his name's Cam Newton and then I just I said yeah yeah I Pig Newton instead I heard what you said not only does it make for painfully boring TV but it's almost always expected president Trump gave his big speech at the UN General assembly today and at one point he threatened to totally destroy North Korea so he has a good plan to do it to he's going to run for president of North Korea guys it means he's going to run for president of North Korea Trump is going to run for president of North Korea a joke is usually made funnier by completely subverting your expectations all right well Kenny I'm going to plug you now uh while these blindfolded the album is the gift shut up what did you say Conan is not only a master at this but can do so at the expense of himself and I didn't even know there was an audience I'd heard the monologue but you know self-deprecation is something he uses constantly when I was growing up no one ever said Ginger it was just like hey redhead and then bang um it not only disarms the viewers and guests but also humanizes him then you watch someone like Jimmy Kimmel who has a tendency to joke at the expense of everyone else there's oddly enough a yearly Halloween gag where the only goal seems to be making kids cry Kim unlike Conan has a tendency to leave guests or staff in the blue about whatever bit he's Conjuring up I can't this now what happened there who's Larry um yeah Larry is the cinematographer um this is so embarrassing this creates unnecessary tension and can make guest appearances feel more like a chore then you have someone like Jimmy Fallon whose kindness is not only disingenuous but wildly overdone and his belly goes in my mou he uses laughter and endearing praise to smother his guests so they feel more at ease there's no host in late night that pretends to care the way you do thank you I mean no one captures phoniness the way you do it's a it's a gift this eagerness to please the guests and fear of dead air can cause him to habitually interrupt no I sort of don't they allow dogs at the hotel aren't you supposed to let people talk on the show often times to the the point of genuine confrontation Taylor see where I'm going with this at least nobody ever listens to me oh finish a thought oh my God so what I was saying is you're not even looking at me because I'm cuz I'm trying to think of what to say next Conan is The Sweet Spot not too harsh not too soft somewhere in the middle with an incredible ability to relate to nearly anyone she said when does the nervousness and self-doubt end and I said I have really bad news for you there's always some of that this ivy league education of his gives him a vast array of insight and knowledge into most personality types allowing him to adapt and improvise in whatever exchange he's having at the moment your voice changed when you were 10 about 10 yeah yeah I think mine changed during the uh second term of Obama's presidency Conan isn't phoning in these conversations he seems genuinely interested in whatever he's discussing encouraging his guest to give just that little extra then you have his sidekick in Andy RoR who's just incredible at playing off of a no I like the ocean I do I like the ocean very much yeah do you float a lot in the ocean sure what do you sink might be that cast iron heart I'm doing so without taking over the conversation this combination of factors can effortlessly make a guest feel at ease take Rooney Mara for example for context she's an incredibly talented actor who just so happens to be timid and shy in real life Conan having known this begins with somewhat of an awkward Icebreaker I've read in interviews that you talk about how you're very shy notice how her eyes drift away in discomfort and she begins picking at her nails he starts at a point of high tension creating a purposeful bit of anxiety here so she can get used to these emotions what follows is a fairly easy softball question that almost anyone can relate to for example you hate it when people sing Happy Birthday to you yeah I do and surely enough he does exactly that I actually relate to that then he follows up with a complaint or two that warms the crowd up yeah I don't love it either I don't like praise for something that I didn't have anything to do with that's not a joke I really do feel like people are happy but and what do you you're supposed to just stand there and go yes I survived so embarrassed he takes the lead here gradually chipping away at the initial tension shouldering the blame for re whining here so she won't have to now watch what happens in the very next exchange so you you you hate it people give you that kind of attention yeah like when you rap a film they're they announce it and everyone starts clapping and I always I hate it I always get turn bright red and I just get really embarrassed the direct eye contact the expressive hand gestures The Confident tone in just around 40 seconds he's given her the self assurance needed to command the conversation at this point he takes his foot off the gas and the discussion shifts to a more even back and forth Conan's ability to resonate with almost any guest makes for some pretty incredible and long running bits like the one where Paul rud substitutes whatever clip from the film he's promoting with a scene from the 1988 sci-fi film Mack and B I did bring a yeah we can cut to the to the to the real one but it's not just the guests Conan is unanimously praised as being an incredible boss I was an intern for Conan O'Brien my junior year for a summer people have asked me before what's your what's your biggest influence comedically and I said without a doubt it's Conan O'Brien one of the most surreal moments of my entire life has been the first night I went on that show you can see that I actually end up tearing up because at the end he takes a moment in the segment to say how proud he is of me and and I'll never forget it what you see on camera though is a completely different story is this your favorite late night show and be honest you are my favorite personality [Laughter] wise then there's the 2007 writer strike where Conan would pledge to pay the salaries of 75 non-writing staffers out of his own pocket should the need arise he would end up doing exactly that or how about the time he' choose to continue filming Conan using iPhones and no audience during the pandemic keeping his entire staff on the payroll so none of them would have to file for unemployment but this is his staff after all maybe he's not as kind towards the competition when David Letterman would air the final episode of The Late Show Conan would have one simple request for his audience okay it's now 11 35 oh record us but switch to Dave bye in an industry so fiercely competitive he'd set the standard by Leading with kindness he said I think that guy an NBC said the writer with the weird hair his bizar yet brilliant comedic style was relentlessly Innovative I got about 10 on here that's all yeah check this out rarely does this man ever give us a half-hearted monologue or a boring hour of Television you have a bird on your uh you know Conan I'm happy to come on your show but I don't want to talk about my personal life okay even better is the fact that his personality isn't the product of a carefully curated routine his ongoing podcast titled Conan O'Brien needs a friend is a perfect example of that and then we're about to leave and this gentleman comes up to me and he says Mr Brian I'm here to walk you past the paparazzi we look outside nobody in this everchanging digital climate posting will continue to thrive Network will continue trying out new figures and ideas there will always be a demand for a live audience and genuine conversation when it comes to talk shows there will always be a new star in the world of late night but there will never be another Conan O'Brien I have devoted all of my adult life all of it uh to pursuing this uh strange Phantom intersection between smart and stupid I will tell you I think when smart and stupid come together it's very difficult but if you can make it happen I think it's the most beautiful thing in the world world try try and do what you love with people you love and if you can manage that it's the definition of Heaven on Earth I had a terrific time tonight I hope you'll come back and uh thank you very [Applause] much

Channel: Renzy

Views: 3,103,448

Keywords: Conan O'Brien, Late Night, Late Night TV, Jokes, Comedy, Video Essay, Monologue, Jay Leno, Fallon, Letterman

Id: 4cjBFa6MdUQ

Length: 13min 16sec (796 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 30 2023