Zimbio Interview: 7 Questions with Conan O'Brien
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Remember when Conan O’Brien took over Late Night and all the critics said he sucked and he’d never make it? Now he’s got The Tonight Show, yo! Of course, Jay Leno hasn’t exactly given it up. He’s just doing a show at 10, but O’Brien is still following in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Steve Allen and Jack Paar.Zimbio: Do you feel ready for The Tonight Show now?
Conan O’Brien: Yeah. Yes. Yes. If not now, when? You know, a lot of comedy is about familiarity. So there is of course fear, because a lot of comedy is about getting used to your space and you get into your comfort zone. I'd be crazy if I didn't have some feeling of well, gee, what's this going to be? It's going to be on a completely different coast, in a new studio. We're going to want to try new stuff. It's a different time slot. I'd be crazy if I didn't sometimes get butterflies in my stomach, but that's all good. I need that. I need that to get the creative juice to make this work.
Zimbio: Are you a little mad that you got The Tonight Show but Jay is still going on before you at 10?Conan O’Brien: I think as Jay got closer to the date, maybe his feelings changed about wanting to keep doing this. I don't know, but my guess is that he had an evolution of thought about things, too. It's possible. Since, what is it, 1950, The Tonight Show, has been 11:30 on NBC. That is sacred territory. This show, The Tonight Show, has huge resonance for me. So no, it doesn't in any way affect the show that I'm getting. A few people asked me, “Does this in any way diminish The Tonight Show?" My response is, "I don't need any help diminishing The Tonight Show. I've got that covered.”
Zimbio: Where is the weirdest place anyone's ever told you they had Conan memorabilia?
Conan O’Brien: A girl showed me that she had a Conan O'Brien, my face, it was a lower back tat.
Zimbio: That's so wrong.
Conan O’Brien: So right.
Zimbio: As a talk show host, you get your own theme song. What was your theme song in your head before, when you were a kid?
Conan O’Brien: It was like, "Here he comes, here comes Conan. Here he comes, that's a real cool guy," which is horrible.
Zimbio: Will you be able to bring The Masturbating Bear and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to 11:30?
Conan O’Brien: What's interesting is Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has been a guest on Jay Leno's Tonight Show several times. So I think Triumph could easily appear at 11:30 at night. There's this sort of archaic idea that there's 12:30 and then there's 11:30, and people who watch 11:30 can't possibly comprehend what's happening at 12:30 or vice versa. The truth is I see things on MTV at 4:30 in the afternoon that I would never want my children to see. That said, it's all just taking it a day at a time and figuring out, "What do I want to do on the show?" I’m changing too. I'm not the 29-year-old kid that auditioned for this job in 1993. I'm 31 now, and things have changed.
Zimbio: At least no one is doubting your hosting abilities now.Conan O’Brien: Wasn't that fun, huh? Those were good times. I liked you. Why didn't you like me?
Zimbio: Now that you have a following, how will you avoid going Hollywood?
Conan O’Brien: I'm incapable of tanning. I can never go Hollywood. I'm genetically engineered to live in a bog in Northern Ireland. I so clearly don't belong here, and you'll never see me in a trendy restaurant.
Zimbio: Where will you live in L.A.?
Conan O’Brien: I'm going to give you my exact address. You can't do anything secretly in this town. I've been in diners and I've had waitresses say, "I like your house but that foyer is high. What are you going to do?" I guess there's a website. There's a diner where I guess this woman went on a website. I don't care. I don’t guard my privacy very carefully. I'm going to live on Catalina Island. Every day I'm going to take one of those airplane boats. Jay got all this attention, like, "Look at me, I'm riding in a really cool car. Look, that's a 1911 Duesenberg." I'm going to land a seaplane at Universal Studios where the Jaws shark is and I'm going to step out in a bodysuit and walk to the studio. That's going to get so much attention, I'm going to be the seaplane guy. That'll be my celebrity affectation.
More Conan Pictures:
Also: Check out some great Conan clips on our Zimbio TV channel.
Like this clip of classic Late Night moments:
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