Malcolm Gladwell Dubs Conan “King Of Flamboyant Hair Club” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend
hi my name is malol Gladwell well I. didn't think about this I feel well I. have mixed feelings about being Conan. Brian's friend wait a minute why would. you say that I'm a huge admirer of your. work no no I no I like that no no no I. mean that I this requires can I can I do. a long explanation of why I have yes but. don't is it going to be another book no. no no no. short and I I hope you take this in the. right Spirit okay um I walk in and you. said come and say hello to me and I and. I see the famous hair.
and I feel like you for your entire. career had been the king of the. flamboyant Hair Club you had been all. and I'm someone who has flamboyant hair. yes all of us have looked towards you. thank you as a kind of leader in the. flamboyant hair thank you and I look and. I look and it's not that flamboyant. today no and I felt a little let down I. was like here I was to get a kind of. dose a kind of feeling that I'm on the. right track that when I when I let the. whole fro thing go crazy there's someone.
else out there doing it from the Irish. perspective and yeah I have an Irish. fro that's what it's called but those. famous there's just it's just kind of. I'll tell you exactly what's going on. what's going on uh my and and again this. could be a book for you uh Malcolm. Gladwell this could be a book but uh. unintended consequences you write about. all these kinds of things you know. what's really happening behind a. phenomenon that we that you know we all. take for granted what's really happening.
um my hair is very susceptible to the. weather and it needs there needs to be. some moisture in the air and I'm really. not kidding my hair is a barometer so. when I'm in places like Seattle Boston. uh where I'm from when there's some some. humidity in the air um my hair is. absolutely fantastic it's on fire it's. it's and it's it's big and springy and. it shoots out uh and then um uh so.
moisture in the air is the Viagra for my. pomidor I'm sorry I'm sorry but I'm. trying to use a medical terminology are. you insinuating that you have thousands. upon thousands of tiny little erections. growing out of your head say little but. sure but what I'm saying is today it's. been very dry and I'm noticing lately I. get up in the morning and my hands are. like scales and my hair is just. collapsed onto my head yeah and um I.
could have done artificial things to. pump up my hair this morning but I. didn't want to do that what artificial. artificial things what do you mean. various chemicals and bombs but I didn't. want to do that yeah Malcolm I I I so I. didn't want to be fake with you so I. come in and I could see your face my. disappointment sense you said I'm. unhappy out loud I I didn't no I want to. say I'm only I should say I'm um my.
feelings of disappointment. are they're. moderate I'm. not wow for me that's pretty good yeah. no it's just a little take it's just I. came all pumped up y because like I said. you know in every generation has a kind. of flamboyant hair leader Einstein in. his day thank you uh Angela Davis in the. 60s right we can go down the list as. always someone those of us who are.
trying to do something with our hair. look towards I took a stand my hair has. never been the popular hairstyle uh it. basically is the Bob's Big Boy uh it is. you know it's a combination of. Elvis um it's the you know star of. Hawaii 5o Steve mcgarrett uh Steve. mcgarrett it's it's there was a lot of. influences to my hair it's got some. rockabilly to it uh and I let you down. and I apologize but and you're going to. really admire this is a professional.
level segue you did not let me down. because you've written another fantastic. book revenge of the Tipping Point where. you. revisit um you're really anxious to. change the subject from your hair aren't. you well because it's coming from a. place of. disappointment and um and we're going to. talk about the Revenge of the tiing. point in just a second but I wanted to. start with something else that I just. happen to know uh uh about your your own. life which is that you're now in the. world of of being being a parent I am.
and what fascinates me is that I'm I'm. obviously very impressed and intrigued. by the way your brain works and uh to be. honest somewhat intimidated and then I. come in today thinking that's one area. where I've got 21y year head start on. Malcolm Gladwell you do was that you do. I do and and I feel like yes and and not. only you guys as well.
we can kick this guy around with our. knowledge of Parenthood yeah we're. better so you took it too far oh I'm. sorry sorry. sorry no no you are you're such an. original thinker but before we even get. into the book part of me wanted to say. hey um what's your take on Parenthood. because I bet it's fairly original and. unique no no no the in fact the exact. opposite the thing I realized really. early.
was that every observation I had about. my children every other parent in. history of parenting had already had. about their children so my entire life I. have been burdened by the obligation of. originality the burden has now been. lifted and as a parent I am free I am. free to say the most benal thing about. my kids and everyone's like oh yeah that. no one has ever ever said when I've. because I I I've turned into the person. I once despised all I do is show people. pictures yeah non-stop nonstop and uh by.
the way in fact oh let me see there they. are oh my God beautiful look adorable oh. my God adorable adorable very very cute. I could we could go on I could Sidetrack. this whole thing but. um no no one has ever said when I make. my observations no they always say yeah. that yeah yeah yeah yeah but you know. what funny I bet like oh here's Malcolm. Gladwell let's ask him about being a.
parent you know we're gonna get this and. then you say uh it makes you really. tired and people like. what what this from Malcolm. Gladwell it can be challenging at. times it's rewarding but. also none of those things none of those. things but I I do like it's the secret. Club you know before you have kids. you're not a member of the club and then. you join the club and it's like like did.
you get a whole new lease on life I had. one thing that I maybe I've said it to. you guys to Matt and Sono but I try very. hard not to tell firsttime expecting. parents any kind of all right let me. tell you sit have a seat yeah and let me. spin some wisdom for you I always try. and tell them it's like trying to. explain to someone who's never been. immersed in. water what that feels like.
it is such a profound change in your. life that you just need to go through it. and then you're going to look at me and. Nod yeah but to try and sit and explain. the only way for someone to understand. what it's like to be in a body of water. is to jump in a body of water and until. you've done that the greatest writers in. the world cannot explain to you what. that feels like yeah and so you just. have to go through it the only advice I. ever give is lots of video because. you're when.
there 10 15 20 years from now you are. going to look at all of it over and over. and over video that I'm taking of them I. thought you meant video that I'm showing. them like lots of screen times just set. them in front of a iPad I thought you. were just saying oh no you you got it. exactly specifically. VHS video uh I think it should be all. movies from the 80s and late '70s lots. of murder lots of murder and just they. should be no uh.
be funny that was my advice lots of. screen time and high fructose corn syrup.
