I think the secret to my career is I
don’t know what I can’t do these things
happen to you and you think you’ve been
dealt a terrible hand you’ve had that
luck and when you just go with it
there’s a you just start improvising
suddenly you realize that you stumble
upon some of the best things that have
ever happened to you or success is a
little like a white tuxedo it looks good
but you’re very afraid of getting it
dirty and it can inhibit you he’s an
American TV show host comedy writer and
television producer he’s best known for
hosting several late-night talk shows
since 2010 he’s hosted Conan on the
cable channel TBS
he’s Conan O’Brien and here’s my take on
his top ten rules for success rule
number two is my personal favorite I
make sure to stick around all the way to
the end for some special bonus clips and
as always if he says something that
really resonates with you make sure to
leave it in the comments below and put
quotes around it so other people can be
inspired as well
I think the secret to my career is I
don’t know what I can’t do do you know
they’d be taught there are times when I
should probably sit and think but I
really want to jump you know jump out
there with Phillip Seymour I mean with
Riley and and and sing you know the
night Chicago died or I really want to
play the blues with little ed or you
know and I you just do it you just do
these things and and you become the
audience wants you to do these things
yeah I think what’s what’s I don’t know
what it is but I think over the years
people have gotten comfortable with the
notion that I try things it’s almost
cartoon-esque and they’re not worried
about me do you know what I mean I think
that’s the key people aren’t worried
about me getting hurt because I can you
know I’ll give it a hundred percent and
then if it completely falls on its face
I’ll laugh about it and move on and I
think there’s a little bit of a sense
after all these years people say you
know all right he tried it maybe it
worked maybe it didn’t work but he had a
good time
and for you you can come back the next
night in the next night and the next
night yeah I mean that’s you know the I
don’t know there’s a there’s a there’s a
over the years I’ve realized that there
are a lot of comedians that are very you
know worried about keeping their dignity
intact you know and keeping their
personal space and keeping their sense
of authority and for better or worse and
it might be worse I don’t have that you
know you don’t I mean I’m not the people
that I’ve always liked growing up and
I’m not just talking about late-night
means I’m talking about anybody in movie
in film and you know the people I liked
Peter Sellers they would let it all hang
out he just go you know if you look at a
lot of those old classic Carson Clips
he’s jumping into hot tubs with done
with Don Rickles he’s jumping through
fake walls he’s you know he’s falling on
his ass he’s dressed as Floyd turbot and
you know so sometimes I look back to
that and I remember
well you know Johnny Johnny just just
went for it so you know for better or
worse you know I’ll try I’ll get out
there and I’m very physical and I’m my
wife is always horrified I’m always
coming out of the shower just covered in
bruises and she’ll say what was that
I’ll say oh I did a bit you know we had
you know Jeff Garlin on the show and he
and I rolled down a flight of steps you
know and I and I hit a fire hydrant what
astounds me is how many young people
come up to me and say Conan someday
gonna be on your show man I say me too
what do you what is it you do yeah they
don’t know that’s the crazy thing most
people it’s the Paris Hilton phenomenon
they just want to be famous and they’ve
actually seen it work they’ve seen a
number they’ve seen someone get their
resume famous for just being famous so
that’s a little unsettling sometimes but
mostly what what what I’ve noticed or
what I would say to people is you’ve got
to go to where they’re making the thing
that you like and then work there in any
capacity you know if you have to get
coffee for somebody if you have to hold
a cable if you have to stand there and
volunteer go to where they’re making the
thing that you that moves you that gets
you excited and try and get close to it
and I mean I remembered for years I was
aware that I’m not doing the thing that
is going to be my life’s work but I’m
close I couldn’t you know I couldn’t
even tell you exactly what it was but I
knew I was close do you not I mean I was
I knew when I was a writer at CERN out
live this isn’t quite it but I’m close I
knew when I was a writer in The Simpsons
this is further away from it than I was
at CERN that live I knew that I liked
being around the live performing or the
you know so I knew when I was close I
just and and and that’s what I tell them
is just go there and don’t have an ego
about it there’s so many channels now so
many stations just exactly what I tell
them yeah and just get in the arena is
the idea I mean if you get it a percent
I was getting in the arena get in there
and do it and and eventually it’s just
the Brownian movement of molecules
eventually you getting in there and
doing putting yourself out there if you
have something to
for someone’s gonna see it at some point
and you’re off and running so many
people come up to me and say now that
you’ve made it don’t you just want to
stick it to some of those people and I
think no because they weren’t wrong we
had our problems in the beginning and
you know I had to this had to be a long
process that’s just the way it had to be
and I prefer it this way I was raised
Irish Catholic I have a sense of wanting
to earn it and there was nothing that
was more difficult than being proclaimed
Letterman’s successor and having
everybody have this uneasy sense of who
is he should he have said we’re done and
what has he ever done and why does he
get to do this and maybe this whole
process was just necessary this was my
way of earning it and I and I I think
some of a lot of the confidence I have
on the air now is because I went through
a very difficult period and there’s no
nobody out there who can say gee you
know he had it easy I mean I’m famous
for for having to you know overcome a
lot of obstacles in front of people on
the air and so I’m comfortable with the
way it all worked out when did you
decide you could be professionally silly
did you get a glimmer of that at Harvard
yeah well the lamp painting was a big
influence because I was you don’t learn
to be funny you don’t learn to be silly
a lot of what you are who you are you’re
you’re in in some respects has decided I
think early in life you get the basic
ingredients to me when I was a kid and I
think we all do this in one way or
another I ran through the list what do I
have you know what do I have what are my
skills that will help me you know a not
get picked on or beaten up and that’s in
my own family and be that maybe get the
attention of that girl I like those are
the things that are operating on you and
this very elemental level those are the
things that you’re thinking about when
you’re young and your kid am ia good
athlete no I was a terrible athlete
was I incredibly good-looking and all
the girls liked me no I had this laundry
list of things that would go through and
then I had this one thing which is I
could make people laugh and so what
happens I think is you find the thing
you’re good at and in my case it was so
glaring it’s not like there were a
million other things there was this one
thing and if I had been a pretty good
baseball player I wouldn’t be here today
you know the fact is I had and so I I
kept hyper developing you could say I
was hyper developing a defense mechanism
and then later on and if you look at a
lot of artists out there that’s probably
what a lot of them are doing my father
who is here and is a brilliant guy once
said to me I get it now you’re making
your living off of something that should
probably be treated and he’s right and
then it’s here but a wealthy tear not
important don’t pursue wealth
but that is something that I that I
think many of us do too in one respect
or another is we we double down on the
thing that we have that we have to offer
you’re not you don’t consider yourself
in the in the late-night Wars so to
speak because you’re on at 12:30 rather
than at 11:00 or 11:30 I I don’t I don’t
feel that I you know sometimes I’ll bump
into someone in the street and they’ll
say hey good luck in your war against
Dave and I’ll think I I have no problem
I’m not I’m on after Dave he’s doing a
good show and I wish him you know wish
him well and I I don’t I’m not in
competition with him I think you know
sometimes I’ll see cartoons in the
newspaper of I’m wearing boxing gloves
and Dave’s wearing boxing gloves and
Jays wear and I think we’re I’m not no
I’m not boxing anybody but no I don’t
really feel like I’m I don’t feel like
I’m in competition with anyone else they
most of all feel like I’m in competition
with myself to do the best show I can do
the last three and a half months has
been all improvisation the groundswell
of Internet support from a lot of young
people that are in this room completely
took my network by surprise they don’t
know what hit them they’ve I think
there’s a lot of people in broadcast
television that are very dismissive or
have been very dismissive about the
Internet and they’re also afraid of it
they and they tend to deride what they
don’t understand so when this explosion
happened on the internet when they
announced that well okay maybe we’re
gonna slide Conan over to accommodate
this other gentleman who’s having his
difficulties in another time period and
I won’t get into specifics you’ll have
to look it up
and and I said you know what that
doesn’t really work for me I think in a
fairly polite way they there was
suddenly a huge reaction from people you
know some of the people in this room a
lot of people like you across the
country said wait a minute we like this
person and this person kind of you know
is is where we’re with him and they
started reacting on the internet and the
first thing that happened at my my
employers they saw this huge explosion
on the internet and they thought that I
was doing it and they really had this
attitude of make him stop why is he
doing this and they just didn’t
understand what was happening I think
they still don’t understand what’s
happening and my feeling is what I’ve
learned is I had nowhere else to go so I
started on Twitter because I literally
had no other option I was I oh I was and
am legally prohibited from appearing on
television radio and doing performances
on the Internet
so it was just literally like a prisoner
in a 14th century cell writing little
things on a scrap of paper and throwing
them out the window and hoping you know
a peasant would go by and it would cease
he’s in the tower so I started to do
that and send out these little things
and it exploded overnight and at first I
started to hear a little bit of stuff
from the other side saying well we’re
not sure you should be able loud because
of the and then they realized the
absurdity of shutting down my Twitter
account
so that started with that and then I
started to think about the tour which
I’m allowed to do and so we started this
idea for a tour and then what was
fascinating is by the time we launched
the tour or announced the tour I did not
do one I didn’t spend one penny on
advertising I sent out one tweet that
directed people to a website where you
could buy your ticket that was it and
the show sold out in a couple of hours
across the country and that’s got
everybody a lot of people rethinking how
things are marketed and I didn’t there’s
not one billboard there’s not I didn’t
have to go to one radio station and sit
with morning DJ’s like you know and hock
my show I didn’t have to do any of that
it was one tweet and I think people are
starting to understand that the world
has completely changed and you know it
has it is thankfully and I think we can
do better
sorry I’d that was great oh god I wasn’t
running for something but but I think
that’s what’s uh what what are the
biggest lesson that I’ve learned in the
last three and a half months is just a
good life lesson and I’m not trying to
sound corny or anything but these things
happen to you and you think you’ve been
dealt a terrible hand you’ve had bad
luck and when you just go with it
there’s a you just start improvising
suddenly you realize that you stumble
upon some of the best things that have
ever happened to you and what’s
interesting about Twitter is that
because you’re limited to I think it’s a
hundred and forty characters someone’s
going to correct me right now so
um you’re all gonna rush the stage beat
the crap out of me but because you’re
limited it’s actually a great comedy
writing tool you’re forced there’s this
economy of words so I’m constantly
writing things and then I run them past
Blair big bleh who’s taking the pictures
over there as if he doesn’t have enough
photos of me but but but and he’ll say
like well let’s you know that’s actually
three words over and it forces you to
look back at the sentence and it’s it
forces you to crystallize your comedy
idea which is fascinating and the other
thing is I’ve been this whole tour
wouldn’t have happened this tour is a
dream come true for me I’ve always
wanted to it’s half rock show half
comedy show and then it’s this fantasy
to get to do this so the last three and
a half months have been the most
interesting time in my entire career and
I wouldn’t have traded this for anything
in the world and so three and a half
months ago what looked to everybody like
bad luck has become amazingly good luck
and I think that is a lot of what we’re
what relates to everybody here you’re a
lot of you were in your 20s and you take
for granted that well this is what the
way the world is right now but from my
perspective it’s changed dramatically in
just seven years and I don’t even know
where we’re gonna be five years from now
so I don’t know what television is gonna
be five years from now there’s a lot of
people that think you’re just gonna
experience it all through your server
and people don’t even know how the
business is going to change there might
not be really network television as we
know it so you know I mean there’s just
who knows so you know
seize the day carpe diem I hate it when
people say carpe diem I really do I just
wanted to work it in I’m gonna keep
talking to you ask me another question
expect difficulties is something I think
everybody in this room has gotten into
Harvard some of you will probably are
here snuck in but I don’t care let’s
just say for a point of argument that
everybody here got into Harvard and you
feel this incredible press
to succeed and I gave a speech here back
in 2000 and at the end I said famous a
little like a white tuxedo it looks good
or success is a little like a white
tuxedo it looks good but you’re very
afraid of getting it dirty and it can
inhibit you and I think I would tell my
19 year old self that everything you’re
feeling right now I used to think that
if I could look at someone like myself I
thought they had figured it all out and
they were fine and wouldn’t it be
magical if I could be had my own show
and be funny and everyone knew who I was
and most people liked it that would be a
great thing and it would solve all my
problems and I would like my future self
to say that’s not the case it’s actually
day by day how you do your work how you
conduct yourself how you treat people
you know what the joy you get out of
your work that that is far more
important and I’m not saying that as
like to try and take away from I’m
really proud of some of the things I’ve
achieved but I wish I had not put myself
so low on the totem pole when I was 18
or 19 years old and thought that these
other people who were sitting up on
stage talking knew so much more than me
and had happy problem free lives because
that’s not true you know I’m not saying
that to depress you I’m actually trying
to say that as a way to sort of liberate
yourself a little bit you know it’s not
allow for mistakes allow for problems
I’ve had my career blow up on me about
two different times and I’m still here
and very grateful and I learned a lot
during those moments and wouldn’t really
change a thing about any of it and so I
think Harvard is great as it is can
sometimes instill and I don’t think it’s
no one’s telling you this it’s just
subliminal it what comes a lot of you
have this is I have to do great things
and I need to succeed and you just have
to be willing to screw up and not
freak out when you do screw up because
you will screw up I mean you’re really
gonna screw up it’s in a week
we’ll talk later I think what’s what I
what I’m doing is I made a conscious
decision I’m not gonna try and do what
they do I’m not gonna I didn’t spend the
summer going to comedy clubs I’m a real
person I’m just gonna go out there and
say things that I think are funny and
and just be Conan and I think that
that’s so far I go out there and I’ll
tell a few jokes or stories every night
and the audience laughs and they’re
things that I think are funny and I
think I’m presenting them you know in a
way that’s honest in a way that it’s
it’s just Conan it’s just Conan talking
and that’s all I’ve ever wanted from
this show I just want this show to be my
only goal is that I get myself out there
a hundred percent if people don’t like
that and don’t accept that I’ll say well
that’s all I can do but sometimes it’s
even hard to do that I mean it’s hard to
make sure that you are natural and
comfortable and that you are that’s what
takes time I mean it took it took Dave a
while it’s gonna take me a while to it’s
a very strange thing to say what we’d
like you to do is go out there and just
be yourself completely uninhibited on a
set in front of cameras 200 people in
the audience and we’ll critique you
every night and and and critics will
watch for when you rub your fingers
together or touch your nose or anything
like that and I think that that’s it
takes a little while to become
completely unselfconscious in that
environment how is it different today
and doing your show like night than it
was 10 years ago
are you more instinctive are you more do
you think less about it and just do
muscle memory it is used to it might be
laughs when you crunch down your and
you’re constantly trying to learn you’re
you’re constantly you’re still thinking
but your ratio of thinking to acting is
very different you know you’re at the
beginning I was thinking about it this
much yeah you know in my cognitive brain
and then there was this much just
whatever a thin read of talent you have
is
there and then you’re thinking about the
rest and then over the years I think you
know they always say the reptile brain
you the reptile portion of your brain is
where you you know respiration heartbeat
right that’s the stuff that even if
you’re knocked unconscious it’s still
working
I really believe a lot of my talk show
or comedy instincts are now in my
reptile brain that you could knock me
out and it’s nice heart would still beat
I’d still breathe and I’d still be
asking Lindsey Lowen you know stupid
question you have become some way as you
part of your D it’s become part of your
DNA yeah I mean I think a lot of it is
you have to have some ability but then
it’s just how much will I really do
think there’s just think people
underestimate it doesn’t sound sexy
it doesn’t sound cool how much don’t
want it work ethic you know and just how
badly do you want it and there’s been
you know many times in the you know
throughout the years of doing my show
where I’ve thought you could shoot me in
the chest before I walk out there and
I’ll still walk out there and do that
show and then I’ll come back stage and
die but we’re doing that show it’s been
a lifelong do you mind to touch your
hair so
yeah about you working here I solve that
problem but guys no more touching
questions please are you talking about
yes let’s touch it up all right you know
I’m sorry I feel really crass I don’t
even know your name
can I just know your name later on my
wife’s gonna be like what happened I
don’t know I don’t even know her name
what did you do we rubbed our heads
together what is your name hi Kelly
we should have done this before we
rubbed up against Conan O’Brien here now
a lot of people have been calling me out
on this ALS ice bucket challenge I just
want to say I accept this sounds like a
really sweet deal apparently if I get
ice water poured on my head ALS will
then pay me $100 that’s a pretty sweet
deal let’s do it all right
wow that was cold
okay ALS send the cheque to Conan
O’Brien clear the accountancy firm
everybody hello hello you don’t get paid
you get dunked and pay okay this is a
charity why would I do both why would
anyone we give you $100 if I get a lot
of ice cold water poured on it’s a
charity they’re not gonna give you do I
don’t get paid anything you need $100
just you and really need $100 fix Hey
well guess what psych ALS check this out
plastic ice
water was a balmy 92 degrees I felt
nothing in your okay you got a challenge
people oh yeah challenge a challenge to
me Carter
Pele Haley Joel Osment
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because David mayor’s
asked me to so if there’s a famous
entrepreneur
you want me to profile next leave it
down in the comments below and I’ll see
what I can do
I’d love to know what did Conan say that
really inspired you or motivated you or
had an impact on you what was the most
important message you got from this
video leave it down in the comments
below I’m gonna join in the discussion
thank you guys so much for watching I
believe in you I hope you believe in
yourself and whatever you’re one where
it is I’ll see you soon
moment you were actually part of I was
on the air for about you know two months
I think and Chevy Chase had just been
canceled and my staff was happy they
said Oh at least we’ve outlasted Chevy
Chase and I remembered saying you don’t
understand the critics just destroyed
one show there’s blood in the water now
they’re gonna look who’s next in line
they don’t have to look you know very
far I mean David let have been replaced
by this guy from total obscurity and the
show had a lot of flaws they weren’t
wrong I was new and was making rookie
mistakes on the air so they came looking
for me and I was on this show I don’t
thinking it’s maybe october/november
fact it wasn’t you know nineteen
ninety-three hadn’t been on long you had
me on the program and we shot it in the
morning and you started the interview by
saying Conan I don’t know if you’ve seen
the Washington Post this morning but Tom
Shales reviewed your show and then you
started to read this review little thing
to do well yeah I respected you for
doing it at the time that’s how I get
most of my information being told by
other talk show hosts and so I I read
the review and then went back to my
office and climbed underneath the desk
in my office and lay down for a while
put a blanket over here I know I did I
just laid down and I have very long legs
and they stuck up from underneath the
desk and the word got around the office
the owner is on the floor underneath his
desk and I remembered there being a lot
of murmuring and then the producer of
our show Jeff Ross leaning in and said
you okay I went I’m okay I’m just under
my desk but then I’ll get out and then
from there I really do believe that I
wanted to do this show more than anybody
else didn’t want me to and I knew we had
the elements I knew that we had all the
elements of a good show I had a very
creative and still have a very creative
and adventurous writing staff and
directors a very funny guy and there’s
not a presence like him on television
the Max Weinberg 7 is an amazing band
that can play swing music but can also
play rockabilly they can play funk they
can do anything
and I knew that we have all the elements
and I knew that I had the elements they
just weren’t all there yet it’s like a
baby skull has to come together isn’t
that a nice baby skull yeah I like a
baby I think I told you the time as you
reminded me just to stay on the field I
say you told me you said remember what
Joe DiMaggio said stay on the field and
at the time I walked out of here and
said what an ass what an idiot what’s he
talking about amazed at my job both of
you I love you both together I’ve
contempt for anyone who’s achieved
anything but no but but it was it’s good
advice which is keep doing your show and
the network put me through my paces a
bit and they put me through some things
one week extensions yeah they they they
I was being renewed hourly at one point
you can go you can do this show but no
more right making any promises forty
minutes if you’re still a talk show I’m
a jerk you’re doing this show but there
you go
but I remembered a lot of people saying
at the time well I wouldn’t stand for
that I’d walk out I remember thinking no
I’m gonna stay here and do my show and
people are eventually going to see that
we’ve got something here and I’m gonna
get better at this I do things I have
tics and mannerisms and I think
sometimes there’s a tendency these days
to think we’ve got to get rid of all of
those and be just a completely smooth
plastic performer and what I think is
nice is no my voice isn’t perfect for TV
I mean can’t you tell it’s there are
things about me that aren’t that that
aren’t perfect for TV there are times
when you can see that I’m just you know
a little thrown or you can see that I
have a you know that I you know touch my
nose or I do something like that and
sometimes I think don’t get rid of all
that and in a way I think I’m just a
real person and it doesn’t you authentic
yeah I think it’s it’s real if this
again I say if they if for any reason
down the road NBC would decide well this
show didn’t work I’m proud
I think the humor reflects my
sensibility I think what we’re going for
the music and the guests that reflect my
sensibility for the most part and we’re
doing the show I wanted to do and so I
would not feel any
bitterness or sat you know I would I
would be sad because I enjoyed doing it
if it were to end but I think we’re
doing what I want to do there are a few
things more liberating in this life than
having your worst fear realized I went
to college with many people who prided
themselves on knowing exactly who they
were and exactly where they were going
at Harvard five different guys in my
class told me they would one day be
President of the United States four of
them were later killed in motel
shootouts the other ones briefly hosted
Blue’s Clues before dying senselessly
and yet another motel shootout your path
at 22 will not necessarily be your path
at 32 or 42 one’s dream is constantly
evolving rising and falling changing
course this happens in every job but
because I have worked in comedy for 25
years I can probably speak best about my
own profession way back in the 1940s
there was a very very funny man named
Jack Benny he was a giant star easily
one of the greatest comedians of his
generation and a much younger man named
Johnny Carson wanted very much to be
Jack Benny in some way he’s in some ways
he was but in many ways he wasn’t he
emulated Jack Benny but his own quirks
and mannerisms along with the changing
medium pulled him in a different
direction and yet his failure to
completely become his hero made him the
funniest person of his generation David
Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson and
was not and as a result my generation of
comedians wanted to be David Letterman
and none of us are my peers and I have
all missed that mark in a thousand
different ways but the point is this it
is our failure to become our perceived
ideal that ultimately defines us and
makes us unique it’s not easy but if you
accept your misfortune and handle it
right your perceived failure can become
a catalyst for profound reinvention so
at the age of 47
so at the age of 47 after 25 years of
obsessively pursuing my dream that dream
changed for decades and showbusiness the
ultimate goal of every comedian was to
host the Tonight Show it was the Holy
Grail and like many people I thought
that achieving that goal would define me
as successful but that is not true no
specific job or career goal defines me
and it should not define you in 2000 in
2000 I told graduates to not be afraid
to fail and I still believe that but
today I tell you that whether you fear
it or not disappointment will come the
beauty is that through disappointment
you can gain clarity and with clarity
comes conviction and true originality
many of you here today are getting your
diploma at this ID league school because
you have committed yourself to a dream
and worked hard to achieve it and there
is no greater cliche on a commencement
address than follow your dream well I’m
here to tell you that whatever you think
your dream is now it will probably
change and that’s okay four years ago
many of you had specific vision of what
your college experience was going to be
and who you were going to become and I
bet today most of you would admit that
your time here was very different from
what you imagined your roommates changed
your major changed for some of you your
sexual orientation changed I bet some of
you have changed your sexual orientation
since I began this speech I know I have
but through the good and especially the
bad the person you are now is someone
you could never have conjured in the
fall of 2007
don’t know what I can’t do these things
happen to you and you think you’ve been
dealt a terrible hand you’ve had that
luck and when you just go with it
there’s a you just start improvising
suddenly you realize that you stumble
upon some of the best things that have
ever happened to you or success is a
little like a white tuxedo it looks good
but you’re very afraid of getting it
dirty and it can inhibit you he’s an
American TV show host comedy writer and
television producer he’s best known for
hosting several late-night talk shows
since 2010 he’s hosted Conan on the
cable channel TBS
he’s Conan O’Brien and here’s my take on
his top ten rules for success rule
number two is my personal favorite I
make sure to stick around all the way to
the end for some special bonus clips and
as always if he says something that
really resonates with you make sure to
leave it in the comments below and put
quotes around it so other people can be
inspired as well
I think the secret to my career is I
don’t know what I can’t do do you know
they’d be taught there are times when I
should probably sit and think but I
really want to jump you know jump out
there with Phillip Seymour I mean with
Riley and and and sing you know the
night Chicago died or I really want to
play the blues with little ed or you
know and I you just do it you just do
these things and and you become the
audience wants you to do these things
yeah I think what’s what’s I don’t know
what it is but I think over the years
people have gotten comfortable with the
notion that I try things it’s almost
cartoon-esque and they’re not worried
about me do you know what I mean I think
that’s the key people aren’t worried
about me getting hurt because I can you
know I’ll give it a hundred percent and
then if it completely falls on its face
I’ll laugh about it and move on and I
think there’s a little bit of a sense
after all these years people say you
know all right he tried it maybe it
worked maybe it didn’t work but he had a
good time
and for you you can come back the next
night in the next night and the next
night yeah I mean that’s you know the I
don’t know there’s a there’s a there’s a
over the years I’ve realized that there
are a lot of comedians that are very you
know worried about keeping their dignity
intact you know and keeping their
personal space and keeping their sense
of authority and for better or worse and
it might be worse I don’t have that you
know you don’t I mean I’m not the people
that I’ve always liked growing up and
I’m not just talking about late-night
means I’m talking about anybody in movie
in film and you know the people I liked
Peter Sellers they would let it all hang
out he just go you know if you look at a
lot of those old classic Carson Clips
he’s jumping into hot tubs with done
with Don Rickles he’s jumping through
fake walls he’s you know he’s falling on
his ass he’s dressed as Floyd turbot and
you know so sometimes I look back to
that and I remember
well you know Johnny Johnny just just
went for it so you know for better or
worse you know I’ll try I’ll get out
there and I’m very physical and I’m my
wife is always horrified I’m always
coming out of the shower just covered in
bruises and she’ll say what was that
I’ll say oh I did a bit you know we had
you know Jeff Garlin on the show and he
and I rolled down a flight of steps you
know and I and I hit a fire hydrant what
astounds me is how many young people
come up to me and say Conan someday
gonna be on your show man I say me too
what do you what is it you do yeah they
don’t know that’s the crazy thing most
people it’s the Paris Hilton phenomenon
they just want to be famous and they’ve
actually seen it work they’ve seen a
number they’ve seen someone get their
resume famous for just being famous so
that’s a little unsettling sometimes but
mostly what what what I’ve noticed or
what I would say to people is you’ve got
to go to where they’re making the thing
that you like and then work there in any
capacity you know if you have to get
coffee for somebody if you have to hold
a cable if you have to stand there and
volunteer go to where they’re making the
thing that you that moves you that gets
you excited and try and get close to it
and I mean I remembered for years I was
aware that I’m not doing the thing that
is going to be my life’s work but I’m
close I couldn’t you know I couldn’t
even tell you exactly what it was but I
knew I was close do you not I mean I was
I knew when I was a writer at CERN out
live this isn’t quite it but I’m close I
knew when I was a writer in The Simpsons
this is further away from it than I was
at CERN that live I knew that I liked
being around the live performing or the
you know so I knew when I was close I
just and and and that’s what I tell them
is just go there and don’t have an ego
about it there’s so many channels now so
many stations just exactly what I tell
them yeah and just get in the arena is
the idea I mean if you get it a percent
I was getting in the arena get in there
and do it and and eventually it’s just
the Brownian movement of molecules
eventually you getting in there and
doing putting yourself out there if you
have something to
for someone’s gonna see it at some point
and you’re off and running so many
people come up to me and say now that
you’ve made it don’t you just want to
stick it to some of those people and I
think no because they weren’t wrong we
had our problems in the beginning and
you know I had to this had to be a long
process that’s just the way it had to be
and I prefer it this way I was raised
Irish Catholic I have a sense of wanting
to earn it and there was nothing that
was more difficult than being proclaimed
Letterman’s successor and having
everybody have this uneasy sense of who
is he should he have said we’re done and
what has he ever done and why does he
get to do this and maybe this whole
process was just necessary this was my
way of earning it and I and I I think
some of a lot of the confidence I have
on the air now is because I went through
a very difficult period and there’s no
nobody out there who can say gee you
know he had it easy I mean I’m famous
for for having to you know overcome a
lot of obstacles in front of people on
the air and so I’m comfortable with the
way it all worked out when did you
decide you could be professionally silly
did you get a glimmer of that at Harvard
yeah well the lamp painting was a big
influence because I was you don’t learn
to be funny you don’t learn to be silly
a lot of what you are who you are you’re
you’re in in some respects has decided I
think early in life you get the basic
ingredients to me when I was a kid and I
think we all do this in one way or
another I ran through the list what do I
have you know what do I have what are my
skills that will help me you know a not
get picked on or beaten up and that’s in
my own family and be that maybe get the
attention of that girl I like those are
the things that are operating on you and
this very elemental level those are the
things that you’re thinking about when
you’re young and your kid am ia good
athlete no I was a terrible athlete
was I incredibly good-looking and all
the girls liked me no I had this laundry
list of things that would go through and
then I had this one thing which is I
could make people laugh and so what
happens I think is you find the thing
you’re good at and in my case it was so
glaring it’s not like there were a
million other things there was this one
thing and if I had been a pretty good
baseball player I wouldn’t be here today
you know the fact is I had and so I I
kept hyper developing you could say I
was hyper developing a defense mechanism
and then later on and if you look at a
lot of artists out there that’s probably
what a lot of them are doing my father
who is here and is a brilliant guy once
said to me I get it now you’re making
your living off of something that should
probably be treated and he’s right and
then it’s here but a wealthy tear not
important don’t pursue wealth
but that is something that I that I
think many of us do too in one respect
or another is we we double down on the
thing that we have that we have to offer
you’re not you don’t consider yourself
in the in the late-night Wars so to
speak because you’re on at 12:30 rather
than at 11:00 or 11:30 I I don’t I don’t
feel that I you know sometimes I’ll bump
into someone in the street and they’ll
say hey good luck in your war against
Dave and I’ll think I I have no problem
I’m not I’m on after Dave he’s doing a
good show and I wish him you know wish
him well and I I don’t I’m not in
competition with him I think you know
sometimes I’ll see cartoons in the
newspaper of I’m wearing boxing gloves
and Dave’s wearing boxing gloves and
Jays wear and I think we’re I’m not no
I’m not boxing anybody but no I don’t
really feel like I’m I don’t feel like
I’m in competition with anyone else they
most of all feel like I’m in competition
with myself to do the best show I can do
the last three and a half months has
been all improvisation the groundswell
of Internet support from a lot of young
people that are in this room completely
took my network by surprise they don’t
know what hit them they’ve I think
there’s a lot of people in broadcast
television that are very dismissive or
have been very dismissive about the
Internet and they’re also afraid of it
they and they tend to deride what they
don’t understand so when this explosion
happened on the internet when they
announced that well okay maybe we’re
gonna slide Conan over to accommodate
this other gentleman who’s having his
difficulties in another time period and
I won’t get into specifics you’ll have
to look it up
and and I said you know what that
doesn’t really work for me I think in a
fairly polite way they there was
suddenly a huge reaction from people you
know some of the people in this room a
lot of people like you across the
country said wait a minute we like this
person and this person kind of you know
is is where we’re with him and they
started reacting on the internet and the
first thing that happened at my my
employers they saw this huge explosion
on the internet and they thought that I
was doing it and they really had this
attitude of make him stop why is he
doing this and they just didn’t
understand what was happening I think
they still don’t understand what’s
happening and my feeling is what I’ve
learned is I had nowhere else to go so I
started on Twitter because I literally
had no other option I was I oh I was and
am legally prohibited from appearing on
television radio and doing performances
on the Internet
so it was just literally like a prisoner
in a 14th century cell writing little
things on a scrap of paper and throwing
them out the window and hoping you know
a peasant would go by and it would cease
he’s in the tower so I started to do
that and send out these little things
and it exploded overnight and at first I
started to hear a little bit of stuff
from the other side saying well we’re
not sure you should be able loud because
of the and then they realized the
absurdity of shutting down my Twitter
account
so that started with that and then I
started to think about the tour which
I’m allowed to do and so we started this
idea for a tour and then what was
fascinating is by the time we launched
the tour or announced the tour I did not
do one I didn’t spend one penny on
advertising I sent out one tweet that
directed people to a website where you
could buy your ticket that was it and
the show sold out in a couple of hours
across the country and that’s got
everybody a lot of people rethinking how
things are marketed and I didn’t there’s
not one billboard there’s not I didn’t
have to go to one radio station and sit
with morning DJ’s like you know and hock
my show I didn’t have to do any of that
it was one tweet and I think people are
starting to understand that the world
has completely changed and you know it
has it is thankfully and I think we can
do better
sorry I’d that was great oh god I wasn’t
running for something but but I think
that’s what’s uh what what are the
biggest lesson that I’ve learned in the
last three and a half months is just a
good life lesson and I’m not trying to
sound corny or anything but these things
happen to you and you think you’ve been
dealt a terrible hand you’ve had bad
luck and when you just go with it
there’s a you just start improvising
suddenly you realize that you stumble
upon some of the best things that have
ever happened to you and what’s
interesting about Twitter is that
because you’re limited to I think it’s a
hundred and forty characters someone’s
going to correct me right now so
um you’re all gonna rush the stage beat
the crap out of me but because you’re
limited it’s actually a great comedy
writing tool you’re forced there’s this
economy of words so I’m constantly
writing things and then I run them past
Blair big bleh who’s taking the pictures
over there as if he doesn’t have enough
photos of me but but but and he’ll say
like well let’s you know that’s actually
three words over and it forces you to
look back at the sentence and it’s it
forces you to crystallize your comedy
idea which is fascinating and the other
thing is I’ve been this whole tour
wouldn’t have happened this tour is a
dream come true for me I’ve always
wanted to it’s half rock show half
comedy show and then it’s this fantasy
to get to do this so the last three and
a half months have been the most
interesting time in my entire career and
I wouldn’t have traded this for anything
in the world and so three and a half
months ago what looked to everybody like
bad luck has become amazingly good luck
and I think that is a lot of what we’re
what relates to everybody here you’re a
lot of you were in your 20s and you take
for granted that well this is what the
way the world is right now but from my
perspective it’s changed dramatically in
just seven years and I don’t even know
where we’re gonna be five years from now
so I don’t know what television is gonna
be five years from now there’s a lot of
people that think you’re just gonna
experience it all through your server
and people don’t even know how the
business is going to change there might
not be really network television as we
know it so you know I mean there’s just
who knows so you know
seize the day carpe diem I hate it when
people say carpe diem I really do I just
wanted to work it in I’m gonna keep
talking to you ask me another question
expect difficulties is something I think
everybody in this room has gotten into
Harvard some of you will probably are
here snuck in but I don’t care let’s
just say for a point of argument that
everybody here got into Harvard and you
feel this incredible press
to succeed and I gave a speech here back
in 2000 and at the end I said famous a
little like a white tuxedo it looks good
or success is a little like a white
tuxedo it looks good but you’re very
afraid of getting it dirty and it can
inhibit you and I think I would tell my
19 year old self that everything you’re
feeling right now I used to think that
if I could look at someone like myself I
thought they had figured it all out and
they were fine and wouldn’t it be
magical if I could be had my own show
and be funny and everyone knew who I was
and most people liked it that would be a
great thing and it would solve all my
problems and I would like my future self
to say that’s not the case it’s actually
day by day how you do your work how you
conduct yourself how you treat people
you know what the joy you get out of
your work that that is far more
important and I’m not saying that as
like to try and take away from I’m
really proud of some of the things I’ve
achieved but I wish I had not put myself
so low on the totem pole when I was 18
or 19 years old and thought that these
other people who were sitting up on
stage talking knew so much more than me
and had happy problem free lives because
that’s not true you know I’m not saying
that to depress you I’m actually trying
to say that as a way to sort of liberate
yourself a little bit you know it’s not
allow for mistakes allow for problems
I’ve had my career blow up on me about
two different times and I’m still here
and very grateful and I learned a lot
during those moments and wouldn’t really
change a thing about any of it and so I
think Harvard is great as it is can
sometimes instill and I don’t think it’s
no one’s telling you this it’s just
subliminal it what comes a lot of you
have this is I have to do great things
and I need to succeed and you just have
to be willing to screw up and not
freak out when you do screw up because
you will screw up I mean you’re really
gonna screw up it’s in a week
we’ll talk later I think what’s what I
what I’m doing is I made a conscious
decision I’m not gonna try and do what
they do I’m not gonna I didn’t spend the
summer going to comedy clubs I’m a real
person I’m just gonna go out there and
say things that I think are funny and
and just be Conan and I think that
that’s so far I go out there and I’ll
tell a few jokes or stories every night
and the audience laughs and they’re
things that I think are funny and I
think I’m presenting them you know in a
way that’s honest in a way that it’s
it’s just Conan it’s just Conan talking
and that’s all I’ve ever wanted from
this show I just want this show to be my
only goal is that I get myself out there
a hundred percent if people don’t like
that and don’t accept that I’ll say well
that’s all I can do but sometimes it’s
even hard to do that I mean it’s hard to
make sure that you are natural and
comfortable and that you are that’s what
takes time I mean it took it took Dave a
while it’s gonna take me a while to it’s
a very strange thing to say what we’d
like you to do is go out there and just
be yourself completely uninhibited on a
set in front of cameras 200 people in
the audience and we’ll critique you
every night and and and critics will
watch for when you rub your fingers
together or touch your nose or anything
like that and I think that that’s it
takes a little while to become
completely unselfconscious in that
environment how is it different today
and doing your show like night than it
was 10 years ago
are you more instinctive are you more do
you think less about it and just do
muscle memory it is used to it might be
laughs when you crunch down your and
you’re constantly trying to learn you’re
you’re constantly you’re still thinking
but your ratio of thinking to acting is
very different you know you’re at the
beginning I was thinking about it this
much yeah you know in my cognitive brain
and then there was this much just
whatever a thin read of talent you have
is
there and then you’re thinking about the
rest and then over the years I think you
know they always say the reptile brain
you the reptile portion of your brain is
where you you know respiration heartbeat
right that’s the stuff that even if
you’re knocked unconscious it’s still
working
I really believe a lot of my talk show
or comedy instincts are now in my
reptile brain that you could knock me
out and it’s nice heart would still beat
I’d still breathe and I’d still be
asking Lindsey Lowen you know stupid
question you have become some way as you
part of your D it’s become part of your
DNA yeah I mean I think a lot of it is
you have to have some ability but then
it’s just how much will I really do
think there’s just think people
underestimate it doesn’t sound sexy
it doesn’t sound cool how much don’t
want it work ethic you know and just how
badly do you want it and there’s been
you know many times in the you know
throughout the years of doing my show
where I’ve thought you could shoot me in
the chest before I walk out there and
I’ll still walk out there and do that
show and then I’ll come back stage and
die but we’re doing that show it’s been
a lifelong do you mind to touch your
hair so
yeah about you working here I solve that
problem but guys no more touching
questions please are you talking about
yes let’s touch it up all right you know
I’m sorry I feel really crass I don’t
even know your name
can I just know your name later on my
wife’s gonna be like what happened I
don’t know I don’t even know her name
what did you do we rubbed our heads
together what is your name hi Kelly
we should have done this before we
rubbed up against Conan O’Brien here now
a lot of people have been calling me out
on this ALS ice bucket challenge I just
want to say I accept this sounds like a
really sweet deal apparently if I get
ice water poured on my head ALS will
then pay me $100 that’s a pretty sweet
deal let’s do it all right
wow that was cold
okay ALS send the cheque to Conan
O’Brien clear the accountancy firm
everybody hello hello you don’t get paid
you get dunked and pay okay this is a
charity why would I do both why would
anyone we give you $100 if I get a lot
of ice cold water poured on it’s a
charity they’re not gonna give you do I
don’t get paid anything you need $100
just you and really need $100 fix Hey
well guess what psych ALS check this out
plastic ice
water was a balmy 92 degrees I felt
nothing in your okay you got a challenge
people oh yeah challenge a challenge to
me Carter
Pele Haley Joel Osment
thank you guys so much for watching I
made this video because David mayor’s
asked me to so if there’s a famous
entrepreneur
you want me to profile next leave it
down in the comments below and I’ll see
what I can do
I’d love to know what did Conan say that
really inspired you or motivated you or
had an impact on you what was the most
important message you got from this
video leave it down in the comments
below I’m gonna join in the discussion
thank you guys so much for watching I
believe in you I hope you believe in
yourself and whatever you’re one where
it is I’ll see you soon
moment you were actually part of I was
on the air for about you know two months
I think and Chevy Chase had just been
canceled and my staff was happy they
said Oh at least we’ve outlasted Chevy
Chase and I remembered saying you don’t
understand the critics just destroyed
one show there’s blood in the water now
they’re gonna look who’s next in line
they don’t have to look you know very
far I mean David let have been replaced
by this guy from total obscurity and the
show had a lot of flaws they weren’t
wrong I was new and was making rookie
mistakes on the air so they came looking
for me and I was on this show I don’t
thinking it’s maybe october/november
fact it wasn’t you know nineteen
ninety-three hadn’t been on long you had
me on the program and we shot it in the
morning and you started the interview by
saying Conan I don’t know if you’ve seen
the Washington Post this morning but Tom
Shales reviewed your show and then you
started to read this review little thing
to do well yeah I respected you for
doing it at the time that’s how I get
most of my information being told by
other talk show hosts and so I I read
the review and then went back to my
office and climbed underneath the desk
in my office and lay down for a while
put a blanket over here I know I did I
just laid down and I have very long legs
and they stuck up from underneath the
desk and the word got around the office
the owner is on the floor underneath his
desk and I remembered there being a lot
of murmuring and then the producer of
our show Jeff Ross leaning in and said
you okay I went I’m okay I’m just under
my desk but then I’ll get out and then
from there I really do believe that I
wanted to do this show more than anybody
else didn’t want me to and I knew we had
the elements I knew that we had all the
elements of a good show I had a very
creative and still have a very creative
and adventurous writing staff and
directors a very funny guy and there’s
not a presence like him on television
the Max Weinberg 7 is an amazing band
that can play swing music but can also
play rockabilly they can play funk they
can do anything
and I knew that we have all the elements
and I knew that I had the elements they
just weren’t all there yet it’s like a
baby skull has to come together isn’t
that a nice baby skull yeah I like a
baby I think I told you the time as you
reminded me just to stay on the field I
say you told me you said remember what
Joe DiMaggio said stay on the field and
at the time I walked out of here and
said what an ass what an idiot what’s he
talking about amazed at my job both of
you I love you both together I’ve
contempt for anyone who’s achieved
anything but no but but it was it’s good
advice which is keep doing your show and
the network put me through my paces a
bit and they put me through some things
one week extensions yeah they they they
I was being renewed hourly at one point
you can go you can do this show but no
more right making any promises forty
minutes if you’re still a talk show I’m
a jerk you’re doing this show but there
you go
but I remembered a lot of people saying
at the time well I wouldn’t stand for
that I’d walk out I remember thinking no
I’m gonna stay here and do my show and
people are eventually going to see that
we’ve got something here and I’m gonna
get better at this I do things I have
tics and mannerisms and I think
sometimes there’s a tendency these days
to think we’ve got to get rid of all of
those and be just a completely smooth
plastic performer and what I think is
nice is no my voice isn’t perfect for TV
I mean can’t you tell it’s there are
things about me that aren’t that that
aren’t perfect for TV there are times
when you can see that I’m just you know
a little thrown or you can see that I
have a you know that I you know touch my
nose or I do something like that and
sometimes I think don’t get rid of all
that and in a way I think I’m just a
real person and it doesn’t you authentic
yeah I think it’s it’s real if this
again I say if they if for any reason
down the road NBC would decide well this
show didn’t work I’m proud
I think the humor reflects my
sensibility I think what we’re going for
the music and the guests that reflect my
sensibility for the most part and we’re
doing the show I wanted to do and so I
would not feel any
bitterness or sat you know I would I
would be sad because I enjoyed doing it
if it were to end but I think we’re
doing what I want to do there are a few
things more liberating in this life than
having your worst fear realized I went
to college with many people who prided
themselves on knowing exactly who they
were and exactly where they were going
at Harvard five different guys in my
class told me they would one day be
President of the United States four of
them were later killed in motel
shootouts the other ones briefly hosted
Blue’s Clues before dying senselessly
and yet another motel shootout your path
at 22 will not necessarily be your path
at 32 or 42 one’s dream is constantly
evolving rising and falling changing
course this happens in every job but
because I have worked in comedy for 25
years I can probably speak best about my
own profession way back in the 1940s
there was a very very funny man named
Jack Benny he was a giant star easily
one of the greatest comedians of his
generation and a much younger man named
Johnny Carson wanted very much to be
Jack Benny in some way he’s in some ways
he was but in many ways he wasn’t he
emulated Jack Benny but his own quirks
and mannerisms along with the changing
medium pulled him in a different
direction and yet his failure to
completely become his hero made him the
funniest person of his generation David
Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson and
was not and as a result my generation of
comedians wanted to be David Letterman
and none of us are my peers and I have
all missed that mark in a thousand
different ways but the point is this it
is our failure to become our perceived
ideal that ultimately defines us and
makes us unique it’s not easy but if you
accept your misfortune and handle it
right your perceived failure can become
a catalyst for profound reinvention so
at the age of 47
so at the age of 47 after 25 years of
obsessively pursuing my dream that dream
changed for decades and showbusiness the
ultimate goal of every comedian was to
host the Tonight Show it was the Holy
Grail and like many people I thought
that achieving that goal would define me
as successful but that is not true no
specific job or career goal defines me
and it should not define you in 2000 in
2000 I told graduates to not be afraid
to fail and I still believe that but
today I tell you that whether you fear
it or not disappointment will come the
beauty is that through disappointment
you can gain clarity and with clarity
comes conviction and true originality
many of you here today are getting your
diploma at this ID league school because
you have committed yourself to a dream
and worked hard to achieve it and there
is no greater cliche on a commencement
address than follow your dream well I’m
here to tell you that whatever you think
your dream is now it will probably
change and that’s okay four years ago
many of you had specific vision of what
your college experience was going to be
and who you were going to become and I
bet today most of you would admit that
your time here was very different from
what you imagined your roommates changed
your major changed for some of you your
sexual orientation changed I bet some of
you have changed your sexual orientation
since I began this speech I know I have
but through the good and especially the
bad the person you are now is someone
you could never have conjured in the
fall of 2007
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