Jim Downey Helped Conan Identify His Comedic Style | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

this takes me back to because you. mentioned it. all this amazing work for the original. Saturday Night Live then you go and. you're the first head writer for the. launch of Late Night with David. Letterman. well Meryl Marco was the very first I. feel I took over for Barrel who was at. the time Dave's live-in girlfriend so. you can imagine the the pressure of. um and she desperately that I had met. with I'd been a fan of Dave's morning. show that he did in summer of 1980 that.

only lasts about six months that's the. summer that I was in a senior in high. school and I saw that and it it it tore. the top of my brain open I just I just. thought what is this it was my mother. who turned me on to that show and and. because it was a daytime show so it's. the kind of thing I wouldn't have been. exploring right at that time of day. anyway and she said I think you'd really. love this David Letterman is marvelous. he's just so funny and and so I started. when I go normally I don't go to my mom. for you know movie recommendations or TV.

but I uh I you know I said this is. really funny and and so when he was. started his late night show he made an. inquiry about my availability and I I. just want to meet him so I I knew I was. committed to this to this uh film thing. that that ended up going nowhere but so. I did so I I was I went in and I said. like and I had a package of stuff and. from the show right and um some other.

ideas and they said oh we really love. your stuff we want you to be the head. writer and I said uh I well I I do want. to do it but can I can we like rain. check it and do a little later and they. were and so anyway so I but I. recommended other writers like George. Meyer George Meyer one of the greatest. and Max Frost and Tom Gamo and and um. and uh that lineup was incredible yeah. they found Andy brackman on their own. and I recommended Steve O'Donnell. um and so that was like the nucleus of.

that staff that's a great. writing staff and and. um and then I joined the show like. I remember like my 30th birthday. fell the first week of our show and I I. was like three hours late to this my own. birthday party because we were reading. small town news and looking for like. goofy things go A few things that Dave. could talk about but um yeah that was a. I mean I'm just thinking about to try. and uh I don't know just to be there for.

the beginning of SNL. and then to be there at pretty much the. beginning of the of uh of. Late Night with David Letterman and as. you know it's the beginning of these. shows that's always to me the part where. the real Foundation gets laid. the sensibility is set and I I think. that's true of so many of these shows I. think it was true for for my show and. then you can evolve it beyond that but. it's really that beginning that's that's.

so crucial and to have that experience I. mean I remember that show was the show. I'd have given uh my bone marrow to work. on that show. that was my dream was to work on that. show and I I applied and got very close. and didn't get it and is that true yeah. and then it was just that was after I. was going yeah after you were gone and. then uh you're at SNL and then I get. hired at SNL you know my life has. changed so much Sona has it yeah let me.

tell you how I can just get all this. stuff delivered right to my door I mean. if you grew up when I did in the early. 1920s that was unheard of you know a kid. in a cap you had to hey boy boy you know. and you'd have to say yes sir and you'd. have to say you know toss him a coin go. get me that goose in the window and he'd. say yes sir Mr Scrooge but it was that. was was like back then yeah but now it's. not so much of our world digitized and. automated why stick to Old School. mailing and shipping if you mail or ship.

often let stamps.com do the hard part. for you simply print Postage and. shipping labels right from your home or. office it's ready to go in minutes no. long lines or complicated setup required. it's the easiest so it's the best yeah. postage rates just increased again hello. luckilystamps.com has the best discounts. in the industry avoid the hassle and get. started with stamps.com today sign up at. stamps.com Conan for special offer that. includes a four-week trial plus free. postage and a free digital scale no.

long-term commitments or contracts just. go to stamps.com Conan you kind of. uh you you. appreciated. whatever thing I had you appreciated it. right away and that made meant the world. to me like that was that was a huge deal. for me that you I think anyone would. have uh in my position I don't think you. were like a. you know it wasn't like you were a. diamond in the rough you know you you um.

well I think anyone you really yeah it. was I I what I remember is you told me. you identified something you said. Conan you're very funny when you're back. on your heels you said when you're when. you're slightly off kilter and playing a. part where you're kind of off balance uh. it's very funny and I think I I thought. about it since because you put that in. my head that in the all these years 30. years now being. in front of the camera.

it's my recovery that people really. laugh at do you know what I mean a lot. of the time it's my oh yeah it's my uh. readjusting myself and saying well well. what I meant was in that kind of Bob. Hope Woody Allen way uh and and you know. uh just a couple of weeks ago Harrison. Ford yelling at me going okay all right. well you know you have to understand and. that's what people really like it's the. and you identified it very early on. which was was it it's a great move and. and and uh yeah I mean but I mean you do.

all kinds of things that I think are. really funny but also a contortionist. which you didn't know oh I yeah yeah I. can get my leg completely behind my head. oh don't do that oh there's a terrible. ripping when I do it.