I was given an impossible task by the notorious assignment desk... Conan O'Brien is in town. No one is returning our calls. So I was to go down to the venue and see if I could somehow talk my way in and get an interview with Conan.
Knowing that this was not only impossible, but quite silly to think there was even a slim chance, I left the station and came back with the following. Everyone was so busy with their day that nobody bothered to approve my script until after I had already tracked and edited the piece, 10 minutes before the show. So here it is, my first package that I've had to fully shoot, write, track and edit...
Unfortunately, it was well received... thus shooting myself in the foot, as I'm sure it will become a regular thing now. Hopefully they just keep giving me stupid stuff. I like that kinda stuff (in case this blog wasn't an indication of that).
Speaking of which, Conan was in town! And I had tickets! And boy, was I ready to laugh!
The show opened strong, with a few familiar faces, as the band jammed for a good 10 minutes. No Max Weinberg, but La Bamba, Pender and a few others were there. Didn't expect that! So far, so good!
Then Coco himself came out, and came out strong! Plenty of bits about our fine governor and baller mayor. His opening monologue had me laughing hard, perhaps in part because I had been going through Coco withdrawal for so long. Hoo-wee, good stuff.
I hadn't read much about the show beforehand, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out he brought lots of friends with him, including some old favorites....
That's right, sidekick extraordinaire Andy Richter was on hand, along with... and this got a standing applause from me... the Masturbating Bear! The quintessential nonsensical comedic entity, in the flesh! Also to be mentioned... the Walker Texas Ranger Lever and a certain comedic foul-mouthed rottweiler...
There was also quite a bit of music... perhaps a bit too much, but still quality stuff. Mostly covers re-written with lyrics about getting screwed by NBC and being unemployed. Oh, Coco, good stuff.
So in the end, how did this wacky 90 minute variety show measure up? Not as much standup as Seinfeld, not as much music as Flight of the Conchords... but honestly, I think I laughed harder than I did at either of those two. Conan is a brilliant comedian, a writer who worked his way through the system and earned his spot at the top. It's truly a shame that he had the crown taken from him so publicly, but the fact that he's willing to spend the time that he's "legally prohibited from being funny on TV" touring the country with a solid comedy act really speaks to his drive and the joy that he gets from making people laugh. I can't wait to see his triumphant return to TV.
It's at least gotta be better than my crappy attempt at a package.
Speaking of which, Conan was in town! And I had tickets! And boy, was I ready to laugh!
The show opened strong, with a few familiar faces, as the band jammed for a good 10 minutes. No Max Weinberg, but La Bamba, Pender and a few others were there. Didn't expect that! So far, so good!Then Coco himself came out, and came out strong! Plenty of bits about our fine governor and baller mayor. His opening monologue had me laughing hard, perhaps in part because I had been going through Coco withdrawal for so long. Hoo-wee, good stuff.
I hadn't read much about the show beforehand, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out he brought lots of friends with him, including some old favorites....
That's right, sidekick extraordinaire Andy Richter was on hand, along with... and this got a standing applause from me... the Masturbating Bear! The quintessential nonsensical comedic entity, in the flesh! Also to be mentioned... the Walker Texas Ranger Lever and a certain comedic foul-mouthed rottweiler...
There was also quite a bit of music... perhaps a bit too much, but still quality stuff. Mostly covers re-written with lyrics about getting screwed by NBC and being unemployed. Oh, Coco, good stuff.
So in the end, how did this wacky 90 minute variety show measure up? Not as much standup as Seinfeld, not as much music as Flight of the Conchords... but honestly, I think I laughed harder than I did at either of those two. Conan is a brilliant comedian, a writer who worked his way through the system and earned his spot at the top. It's truly a shame that he had the crown taken from him so publicly, but the fact that he's willing to spend the time that he's "legally prohibited from being funny on TV" touring the country with a solid comedy act really speaks to his drive and the joy that he gets from making people laugh. I can't wait to see his triumphant return to TV.It's at least gotta be better than my crappy attempt at a package.
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