Conan Compares Creating A Nightly Show To “The Bear” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

there are many things to talk about but. one thing is I feel like we have this. kinship and I of both coming up at. around the same time in very in very. different ways very much so but early. 90s and it's so hilarious to me now that. at the time that was very much it was. the present it was the early 9s now Sona. to you it probably sounds ancient yeah. ancient '90s the '90s oh they had TV.

they they just developed a television. you don't have you don't have to say it. like like that that that actually hurt. my feelings 90 that was like one of. those where she's like. tuberculosis dear God floracy I didn't. know that is that still a disease now. clear something up for me were you on a. test show of mine or not I I was not you. were not on a test show cuz the Test. shows were as as as uh dysfunctional and. insane as the early shows that were on.

air uh were I can't remember who was on. The Test shows and who were not on the. test shows I remember Mickey Rooney. being on a test show oh dear God and did. he know it was a test show or did he. think I have a very clear memory of. talking to Mickey Rooney out outside. that 30 Rock hallway and I'm nobody and. he is hanging from a garment rack his. feet dangling he's hanging on a garment. rack like a chimpanzee and he's in his. white T-shirt and he said Conan I used. to have a full of hair but Harry Warner.

made me use this shampoo and I lost it. all and I thought this is an amazing job. I have this is an incredible job he. blamed his hair loss on Harry Warner in. 1941 making him use a kind of sh. impressive is a 90-year-old man with. that agility oh yeah to be hanging off. of he was flipping around that's. incredible full. 360s for for uh uh consistency sake we. should have Sona go Mickey Rooney miy.

Rooney what when we get to a name you. know yeah just say bingo okay but until. then just deal with this as we walk. through our careers it's going to be. you're going to see there's going to. come a moment where you're like I. remember that show but it's going to be. a while I'll wait I just want to know if. you have the same feeling that I have. about this which is that there was this. period of time were and this might just. be me but I felt like a lobster without. its shell uh so young so like Jesus.

Christ this is you know 1993 doing this. show uh so raw it felt like it took. forever to get to the point where people. said yes now you've arrived that felt to. me like it took a thousand years to me. but but hold on but John let me tell you. something let me finish this so then. there's this period where finally it. felt like it jelled so it's a thousand. years of feeling like I've got to get. there I've got to get there I've got to. get there I've got to get to the point. where I'm accepted.

then it starts to gel and then before I. know it it's you're the old guy and and. no no not in a bad way it's it's nice. like you're the you're the Elder stat. the time moved in a manner that was. shockingly you know Conan it was only. yesterday yeah you're that realiz you're. the narrator from uh once the fungus on. the nail on your big toe begins to creep. what I'm talking about which it's so. interesting to me that you thought that. because you and this is not a a exercise.

and smoke but you were kind of Legend to. us already at that time because of. lampoon because of uh SNL the S like you. were already in our eyes a ma man so. it's so interesting to me that that you. would feel but nobody feels that you. don't or I don't know I think there are. people that think uh I've always heard. that Eddie Murphy right when he was. doing standup and was like 17 that's.

Mozart that's that's a prodigy. well please I don't I didn't even see. the I didn't even see the no no he's. he's Bey he's he might be the most. talented human being that's ever. wandered onto the planet so so but what. I'm saying is I know a guy a comedian. named Ron Richards that I worked with in. another lifetime in like 1985 told me. that he did. standup uh and he did stand up when. Eddie Murphy was just starting and Eddie. Murphy was like I don't know 16 years. old or something 17 and that there'd be.

nobody there were nights where there was. nobody in the club or maybe one person. so a lot of people wouldn't even bother. going on or they'd go out and just sort. of phone it in he said Eddie would go. out and do to one person would do it as. if the whole room was packed this is. when no one knew him this is pre SNL he. would do it the whole thing and then. he'd walk off stage and he'd tell people. I'm going to be one of the biggest stars. in the world wow and um he just knew he. just knew because and and that makes.

sense then uh I'm contrasting. that with my own experience of how much. of that is internal though because you. know as an outside Observer right you. know and I've heard you speak about this. and and sort of this idea of you felt a. little bit like not the cool kid or not. the ND but for those of us who are sort. of not in that stream right like Harvard. Lampoon or SNL or Simpsons.

does not see this is the other thing I. don't think that. confers coolness that was the one thing. I wish no no no no that was the one. thing I wished I could have changed. about my bio really is that what's so. cool that Dave he comes out of the Miss. he's from Ball State that's just much. better I remember before I even went on. the air people were like HED oh so some. intellectual is going to take over for. David let and I thought well no I'm. actually quite silly and I'm going to. make dick have it look like you low.

humor exactly ladies and gentlemen. Welcome To Masterpiece Theater tonight. Peter hou I can tell you we had a guy. that did our warmup before we knew we. needed to get someone to do our warm-up. and he he uh was he was the announcer on. the show Joel Goddard lovely man but we. just said we don't know who does the. announcing who does it like on The. Tonight Show they said the announcer. always does it Ed McMahon always did it. for Johnny okay so we asked Joel G to do. it and I would go out and I could always. tell the audience was like uh I don't. know about this.

and I would think well that's that's all. on me and one night a couple of weeks. into the show late night 93 I'm like. putting on my tie and I wander out and I. hear Joel talking to the crowd and he. went and of course he went to Harvard. where he wrote a thesis literary proera. on the works of f o Conor and William. fogner this man had was born with a. silver spoon in his ass and you're going. to laugh and I thought what the. why can I tell you yeah the angry.

announcer character maybe that is an. archetype I I would hope that Johnny. Gilbert does that on Jeopardy this. this don't. think that he doesn't know the questions. he. does they're on a paper he'll act like. it's coming to him but it's not it's all. written out but in but this is you're. talking about the broader world like in. our so for Comics right and and you. probably same as me came of age in sort.

of the 70s late '70s or early ' 80s. National Lampoon was it and those guys. came out of Doug Kenny Henry beard right. you know yeah and they were Legends in. comedy and you knew that they had. created right a kind of new Anarchy and. a new form and they were so idolized and. knowing that you would come out of that. same stream you know that so where the. larger world might look at it and say.

like oh it's Harvard it's going to be. academically removed or intellectualized. he's going to be giving lectures right. you you won't you won't do a pratfall. you'll just go and I waited three. seconds and then allowed gravity to do. its thing like yeah the the way so. coming out of that yeah was like Legend. well here's the thing I guess the larger. point I'm trying to to I need a Sona. yeah you do you need a Sona you can have.

guess what I gift there's nothing. politically hey there's nothing. Politically Incorrect about saying I. gift you this woman I think I'm on. pretty Solid Ground no question Sona I. gift you. um know this is so up well. don't worry this will never air um guess. what I I want you to know that if. there's anything that you say on this. podcast you feel good about that it'll. come out you can you know what's. interesting I will allow that is my Ru. for my guess but Gorly if I up.

leaves it in intentionally he leaves in. all of the so I don't get that courtesy. but I guess what I'm trying to say is. that we I think we came up at the same. time we're we're the same age we've had. these wonderful experiences but what I'm. noticing just in general and I'm. wondering if it feels the same way to. you is that there was this period of. adrenaline uh I often feel like when you. watch the bear that's what it felt like. to me to put late night show together.

early on it felt like you have to live. there you're constantly living on the. edge you feel like you have to re you. have to reinvent the menu every night. it's and then there's this brief the. period of oh my God people are coming to. the restaurant we got our Stars. everything's good even though I it. doesn't feel this way to other people. that felt quick and then ah the eldest. States right you better take a nap that. felt like that part lasts a lot longer. yeah and uh and the the new guys and the.

new gals come up real fast and I don't. know that's how it just felt to me and. I'm not complaining I just find it like. like a trick in time well there's. definitely I feel that time Jump related. more towards I think the physical. manifestation of erosion that I see in. the morning like it's not I don't feel. that way about necessarily uh the career. but I also think we followed a slightly. different path in that as a standup like.

I did face a tremendous amount of uh I. guess what uh my agent called failure. yeah uh and I'm unfamiliar unfamiliar. this word unfamiliar but having been. cancelled or having been you know done. all those those different things so I. think I had a different expectation. right of what making it was and I I. think ultimately. and I'm sure it was a rationalization or.

some kind of mechanism that the success. for me coming from where I came from was. impulsively moving to New York with no. money or prospects or anybody in my life. mentioning that I might have ability. right and having a six- week sublet and. saying it I I Trent New Jersey. ain't it and I'm not working at the. bottom half and for the rest of my life.

I'm getting that you know I'm I'm. putting Springstein in there and going. it is a death trap it is a suicide rap. and you got to get out while you're not. young but you know 24 25 remember those. lyrics at all do you know who Bruce. springston is bingo good yeah yeah yeah. no no no not Rick Springfield similar. okay yeah not Harry. Styles no imagine Harry Styles with a. bandana.

well bandana placement Harry Styles. would wear it like a. gond Harry Styles would have it on. here taking you a that's right. spr back pocket to to wipe the working. man's sweat off The Working Man brow. whereas Harry Styles would wear it as. like where it's covering my pearls I. don't know what's happening that's all. it is you have to. you have to cover the pears but it's the.

same idea Styles and Spruce spring it's. basically the same thing that's right. that's right if you know one you know. the other exactly I was took my daughter. to um uh it wasn't Outside Lands it was. Coachella and Harry Styles performed and. I saw and at one point he turned around. and he had an h on one ass pocket and an. s on the other and I thought why didn't. I think that I tell you something I saw. that and the whole time I was thinking. who's sh I was reading it.

in in Hebrew that's the problem and so I. and I said Sally hemings what what are. we looking at here I you know what the. problem is why is he doing and also you. had your torist stick out what is the. name for that goddamn stick I've been uh. I think tourist sck tck godamn tourist. stick godamn tourist stick probably. doesn't sound where's my goddamn tourist. stick but whenever I've gone to concerts. with John whenever there's any kind of. reading you know if they put up anything.

on he always takes. out he takes his T stick out and he goes. he goes right doesn't make any. sense these aren't even. words why would he start yes why would. he start with Born to Run no no no no. John that's the last song.