Conan Regrets Being “Too Intense” About Working At SNL | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

hi my name is Tom Ang and I feel blank. about being Conan. oama you feel blank I love it you don't. even like give hint words you know you. could you just put adjective in there in. parentheses or something like that. what's wrong with that I feel. blessed going and O'Brien's friend I. feel old. I what year what year did we would the. first year I was on SNL and you were. back in we called you I called you the. Boiler Room boys it was you and Odin.

Kirk and smel in the back the guy uh. back in the day when I was working at. SNL who was money in the bank and still. is to this day was Mr Tom Hanks because. because he would show up Anda were that. there were the caffeinated ready to go. hey hey everybody what have you got and. um he I remembered coming out once and I. I swear to God I think it was maybe 2 in. the morning most hosts they hang around. a little B they sense the sadness the.

desperation they smell the odors and. they leave and then they come refreshed. at read through I came out and there's. this giant in the conference room. there's this big table and you were. sitting there and you had been working. on your own idea God and you were lying. on they had shoved all the tables. together you were lying on the tables. like like Christ with some pages over. your eyes cuz you were trying to catch a. a couple of winks before you woke up and.

got back to writing at 3 in the morning. I had always heard that that was the. that was the great power of the hang. that you got there an all night Monday. and all night Tuesday you're going from. now they kind of like take the host. around and the a but I you know I want. to get in there and uh get in there and. mix it up because here's one thing I. learned about maybe the third time I did. the show there is you say hey you're the. host and said hey I have some ideas for. some for some sketches and every writer. goes well that's just great.

oh my God you have. ideas that will rob us of the. opportunity to get our ideas oh no read. how. wonderful and I would like to say I. don't think I you then learned that look. you're the host concentrate on the. monologue and then walk away let but. it's a great hang man everybody's. everybody's carrying on and yeah it's. amazing to me that again I've had this.

experience at The Simpsons I've had it. at Saturday night life I've had it. places where I worked there and as I. left thought this probably has a little. bit of time left you know I remember. thinking that at The Simpsons like this. is going great I bet you they got a. couple more years but I think I'll step. off now and get you know or the same. thing with SNL I remember thinking this. is great but the idea that when I got. there I get there in 88 I'm there only. 13 years after after it begins and I'm.

looking at the wall and it's black and. white photos of acoid Belushi and it. looked to me like Civil War photographs. it looked to me like the oldest types. yes like oh my God the olden times now. if someone says hey let's look at. Conan's first year 1988 as a writer that. is on a giant one and A2 inch brick. someone has to put into a machine they. don't.

there was a period of time where to. watch TV you needed a a $8,000 video. deck that had more moving Parts yes than. the cars we drove uh to Conan Conan land. Conan Conan land Conan land today. Absolut but you know this REM I was um I. went to the Joanie uh Joanie Mitchell. Jam at Hollywood uh my wife Rita was. singing along with everybody and I sat. next to Fred armson you know and Fred's. a Fred Fred's a we compared notes on how.

many uh listen I'm a guy who drew grew. up in a house without any women I know. four Joanie Mitchell. songs they're going to sing 32 of. them tonight I'm going to love it it's. like going to the Opera it's great but I. asked him you know because uh because no. I mean no I I don't I completely. appreciate it I'm an absolute fan but I. asked him that question that I always. you're trying to say like anytime. somebody has retired you know I said. when you you left the show were did you.

know that it was time to leave the show. or you know five five months later do. you start getting cold sweats at the. same time you got cold sweats do you. start writing things and God God bless. anybody who is a really great thing they. said no no no you know after all my time. there it was it was time to move along. because I come from that school of you. do not walk away from a gig if they are. inviting you to come and be funny make.

sandwiches uh sharpen pencils have an. idea or I don't walk away from that gig. but I guess after a while the devourers. you and you and you got to go along or. did you get fired. Conan did Len Leno came and took my. writing job atnl yeah did you get this. oh oh oh here's a note from Lauren let. me open it. up Conan thank you for all your service. we're not going to jeez no I burnt out I.

burnt out Lauren could not have been. nicer I said uh this is a couple years. before he contacted me about the late. night show but I was burnt out and I. said I've I've got to go and that's when. I went to The Simpsons I just have to I. wish I could go back in time people. always say no regrets I regret nothing. but nothing but I regret uh being so. intense about that job I was way too I. was way too intense and I think uh. robbed myself um of some fun that I.

could have had I did have a lot of fun. but I think I could have had more fun. and I think I could have maybe written. there a little longer if I didn't make. it such a grind for myself well people. have asked me what what is it about and. I think the creative atmosphere of that. is the writer is on the floor producing. the piece and that's un that's not. that's not standard stuff a guy who. wrote it with great passion is over. there in between sweating bullets and. vomiting out of anxiety he's he's. telling sting how to do a comedy bit you.

know at you know or you know say could. you make you know but that's I think. that's a great power of it you get to. produce the thing that you wrote then. and there the thing that Lauren does. that's brilliant that I didn't exist. anywhere else I had only I'd only worked. about three years or in television. before that but no one had let me near. anything you get to SNL you write a. sketch and Steve Martin's gonna be in it. and Lauren says well go in and tell. Steve how it should be done and what.

you're thinking and then go and talk to. the props people about how the. restaurant should look and I thought I'm. 26 I've never been to a. restaurant I don't know and I remember. Lauren once saying to me like what. restaurant are we in here you you bought. fast food but it's s actually sitting. down you remember you did a sketch that. a couple of us did called Mr short-term. memory oh God and so we wrote the sketch. Mr short-term memory and Lauren called. me in and he said what restaurant are we.

in and I said what do you mean and he. said are we in Oro are we in elanes and. I didn't those are just I don't know. what those are and I said the worst. thing you could say to Lauren I said. it's a it's a restaurant like in a Carol. Bernett sketch immediately nine. assistants took me out of the room. Lauren was immediately anesthetized not. not not that she is an Legend I just saw. like oh restaurant like big menu okayy. waiter now I have the B you got to it is.

a you do have to learn how to survive. physically when you do the show and the. last the last time I did it I I told uh. everybody who was in charge of me. particular our wardrobe and Stage. manager people I said I I want you to. understand that my my goal on this. week's hosting duties is to take as few. steps as. possible so I am going to I am going to. come here and you will will get.

dressed and where can we get dressed. next time cuz I don't have to walk all. the way back here I'm going to take as. few I've noticed that you were you were. sitting in most of your SK I'm going to. do that I'm going to do that as much as. possible because look you know it's a. young man's game and there was a time uh. there was a time that you just you know. it's just Balls to the walls and you. just fill up every minute with activity. no no no take it easy tongue.