Robert Smigel On The Origins Of “In The Year 2000” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

so much to talk about but we got to. start with the dog we just have to. because one of the things it was the. first thing that I loved about the dog. and it's still the thing I love the most. about the dog are the eyes I know the. eyes the eyes of the dog I mean dead and. crazy at the same time everything. everything you know the writing has. always been spectacular a lot of writers. help me always the voice was uh always. uh crazy A crazy choice.

um we should tell people the origin. story because it came out of this thing. we were doing on the show which was a a. talent show and there was a fake um the. idea was maybe they'll this talent show. and we'll use whatever we have to do all. came out of this. insane like uh directive we created for. the show and that was a mantra that I. drove the writers crazy with which was. just like we're not going to do any. found humor right like I was obsessed. with.

we're not going to Copy Dave Letterman. because we worshiped this guy even when. we were at Saturday Night Live we. secretly knew that Dave's show was the. coolest show on TV yeah and as much as I. loved Conan and believed in him I didn't. I just thought nobody can do stuff that. Dave's doing right including remotes. which shows what a shitty producer I was. I was like Conan can't do remotes. because Dave doesn't and I've seen Pat. say Jack do it and Pat s Jack's as good. as Conan and he fail who could follow. sjck yeah if s Jack can't do it how can.

my best friend do it it's impossible no. I was I but you know we had because I. remember even before the show started we. would talk a lot about yeah. the almost like we had these rules and. and a lot of it was there was a don't do. anything that Dave had done but also I. don't I didn't think that was as big a. worry because we both loved cartoons too. much no we were naturally suited to what. we wanted to do wanted to do very silly.

strange uh things that that were but but. even when we used to do actual items and. it was the first piece we ever did on. the show which was our was our shot. across the bow yes because Jay would do. the thing where he'd go Oh see it just. real ads from like Sears and robu and. this and fairness that was small town. news from Dave yeah Jay borrowed borrow. I borrowed. it they can have it back they can have. it back he just can't do The Tonight.

Show you know but he can have it back. anytime he wants he can have it anytime. he wants I like doing da invented. headlines all of a. sudden so he did no no no no you do it I. you do it cuz I'm you know whatever um. but whatever we did a fake one of those. where we would just hold up I don't even. remember what they were but we had. everybody writing them and they were. some of them were so dark but they were. hilarious we would alter these ads and. then it would be you know like I would.

say we we've talked about this but we. would say cuz I always loved this bit. and um it would say look at this it's. for nice trampoline that kids can play. on but look at over here and in the. corner there'd be a Charles Manson yeah. saying what's it there for yeah and I'd. be like what's Charles man and always. Charles Manson saying something like. it's my favorite trampoline to murder to. whatever it didn't make they were they. were much funnier than that but it was. and then I would be incredulous and well. you and you would guys would always say. you can't make this stuff up make this.

stuff up and if you wanted to and then. I'd go too far if you wanted to and had. writers and a graphics Department yeah. right that was the first um first bit we. did and yeah Lauren Lauren really wanted. that on the first show yeah Lauren. Michaels yes laen Michaels from. television and uh and now from. everything um every I'm everywhere I. make clothes now I'm under hi everybody. I'm right here do you have my leisure. suit Conan do you really want to go with. those sneakers he's.

um uh I want to take people back in time. to when I first met you would be 1988. the very beginning of 1988 yeah my. writing partner Greg Daniels and I get. hired to come in to work at SNL were. petrified and I remembered finding there. was just this natural thing where I. gravitated towards you and Bob Odenkirk. yeah uh and uh who's now the jlan Von. Dam.

I always knew knew always knew that guy. that guy's gonna that guy's gonna have a. John Wick franchise he's gonna have a. stunt man and yeah um but and then we. started uh naturally just all goofing. around together and then uh I think the. thing that was really life-changing for. me is that you a few years before had. done a show in Chicago a stage show and. the writer strike hit and you and Odin.

Kirk were talking yes and you said hey. um we might go to Chicago and do a stage. show with sketches that are too weird to. get on SNL right and then you guys asked. me would I come along I was thrilled I. had a 1973 uh Plymouth Valiant that I I. flew to uh la which is where my car was. and I drove my car to Chicago by myself. uh and the car kept overheating like. it's that old movie uh duel it would.

overheat on hills and I would have to. pull it over and by the way I think he. was driving also a similar car was um I. would pull it over and the steam would. and then it would calm down and I had. things of water and I would pour them in. and I made my way to Chicago and that. was where yeah that changed that changed. things for me because I thought I love. this I love working with these guys I. love that we're doing a stage show in. Chicago I loved that summer the whole. thing was magical yeah no I I still feel. like my years in Chicago before I even.

got Saturday Night Live or like. professionally in some way the happiest. years of my whole life just being in. total control of your own show and and. just I love the city of Chicago too. obviously but um but yeah no we loved. you so much uh when we met you you're. such a funny guy and uh Bob and I like I. thought I was going to get fired from. Saturday Night Live in the summer of. 86 I I did one season at SNL and I just. barely hung on and uh Franken called me.

over the summer Frank it's not looking. good I don't know you know just a lot of. people are you know it was a hard year. and you know who really was funny swore. it. swell remember what he wrote anyway I'm. sorry it's just yeah so but then Lauren. called me in at the last minute but but. Odin Kirk and I were developing a sketch. show that summer we were going to call.

it. sketchcomic in 1988 yeah and we would. all stand there in the year 2000 and. then we would make these insane. predictions about what was then the. future yes it was all based on this. Jetson's Concept in the 60s that 60s. kids grew up with which was the idea. that like the space age is coming. like by the year 2000 they had so much.

Mystique to it and then as we got closer. to the year 2000 it was quite clear that. was going to be well then the. awward was doing it still I mean late. night we never late night despite. everyone's predictions yes kept going. and going and going and lasted and. actually started you know worked and. then we were doing it and then it is the. year 2000 and the year 20 and then and. we kept thinking do we need to change. like in the distant future and I and I.

said no it's just got to still be in the. year 2000 and in 2006 I'm like it's time. to look into the future all the way to. the year. 2000 uh but it's a good problem to have. um yeah I uh so so we did that show. together and we work together a lot at. SNL and the one thing I remembered is. feeling very much like you could finish. my sentence and I could finish your. sentence.

I only connected with a few writers in. my years there like really connected in. different ways Dana was one of them Dana. Carvey and not as a performer almost. because I love doing silly voices and. Impressions and so we wrote a lot of. like musical impression kind of sketches. like mlin and U Regis and things like. that and Johnny Carson and then um Conan. I connected in a completely different. way just we had this um we just saw.

people from a distance and we were able. to kind of like reduce everybody to a. cartoon yes yeah I was because over the. years people have said your biggest. comedic influences and it's so cool to. say well I would watch uh you know old. clips of Ernie Kovac and that really and. it's like no it's not true nothing. inspired me more than Warner Brothers. cartoons oh God and uh so that the idea. of anything can be alive which then.

Paul Ruben so brilliantly in peewee's. playhous oh yeah the idea that. everything chair is Cherry um but but. anthropomorph this is a thing I've done. a thousand times in comedy and I can. never pronounce it anthropomorphize. anthropomorphize and um the uh even the. word anthropomorphize can be a. character hi I'm. anthropomorphizing what's up. anthropomorph isy uh but but but you why. are you so damn hard to pronounce that's.

just me I. guess.