Free Bird, Coco’s Swan Song
On Friday night after a prolonged and much needed Happy Hour of cheap Margaritas and what seemed like a bottomless pit of chips and salsa at a local watering hole, I made it home just in time to watch Conan’s last show on NBC. At the end of the show, Conan made a classy and sentimental speech about how NBC had been his home for all of his adult life. That struck me as I realized that I’d been watching Conan all of my adult life as he had first debuted on Late Night during my freshman year of college. It was a very surreal realization and I suspect many of my peers who grew up watching him felt a bit nostalgic as well (or it may very well have been the earlier Margies making me a bit of a sentimental old fool, one can never discount the booze factor in situations like this).
I remember moving into the dorm freshman year and staying up later than I should have to watch Conan. I had an odd crush on this dorky redheaded comedian and loved the dynamic between Conan and Andy. However, I knew that Conan wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I remember the days when Conan wasn’t catching on and he was always at risk of getting a pink slip. So, I guess you could say I was part of “Team Coco, The Early Years.”
I love Jay, but I never thought Jay at 10 p.m. would work. I did, however, think Conan as the host of the Tonight Show would. With that being said, what never worked for me was Conan in LA. Conan has a self-deprecating style and has built a career out of molding himself as an outsider. Conan seemed like someone who never expected to get invited to the party, which is why his fans loved him. Leno, on the other hand, seemed to be part of the LA establishment and was at home with the celebrities he interviewed.
In fact, I associate Conan with New York so much so that on Friday there was a part of me that forgot that Conan wasn’t in New York. It was when I was walking to the subway stop after work that for a brief moment I thought, “I should’ve taken today off and tried to get tickets to see Conan’s last show.” And then it hit me! Conan’s no longer here and as a result even if I wanted to help him “steal every single item in this studio,” I couldn’t because he was no longer at 30 Rock.
I thought Freebird was a great way to go out and the lyrics were appropriate. When I listen to that song, it reminds me of a bittersweet breakup. It’s like a relationship you don’t want to end because you still love each other and have had some great times, but you’ve reached a point where there’s too much water under the bridge. But with this divorce Conan can take his 30-40 million severance and join the ranks of the Park Avenue Divorcee. We will welcome him with open arms!
Tags: Conan, Conan O'Brien, Conando, Jay Leno, NBC, Team Coco, Tonight Show