Writers' Strike First Episode Opening - 1/2/08

Writers' Strike First Episode Opening - 1/2/08

[@BobIsBetterThanYou]

Seems appropriate to return to this

[@PlanetHydrangea]

i appreciate how early this is pinned very appropriate to rewatch this tbh

[@darthlt4630]

Why? What am I missing

[@zieniasek8086]

@@darthlt4630 as of today there is another writers strike going on,, they dont want ai to be used against their work, they want bigger pay and more stable work hours,,,, more secured job and better work environment

[@gaelgarciabarchive]

why i searched for this today!

[@imscruffy5488]

I remember watching this back when I was in College. Nothing against the writers strike going on back then or today, but the crazy and off-the-wall stupid shit Conan came up with back then, had me in tears from laughing so hard. I wish you could upload all of the episodes. Especially the one with the raccoon (fake) on a zip line, with sparklers zipping across the studio. And then bringing in an MIT scientist to make the ring spin last longer by introducing teflon to Conan's desk surface. Great memories.

[@thelastdadonearth]

Every time he acknowledges a man in the audience and responds with "I love you too, sir" it cracks me up.

[@cesarmadero05]

Simon Vs The World ''never the ladies. Just the guys'' that kills me as well. IT'S NEVER THE LADIES.

[@BboyZoinks]

When the writers go on strike but the host is one of the greatest writers of all time

[@feature.of.jarjar24]

Probably would've preferred the safety net of writers behind him I bet lmao he could've crumbled at any moment but didn't. Props to him.

[@tystin_gaming]

Makes you wonder why the writers always need to be striking all the time....Makes me fire up the old *orrent and download shows that were delayed on channels i was paying a subscription too and somehow didn't get access to them.

[@pettypettywoodchuck2]

The ironic thing is that Conan is the most talented writer in the building.

[@orangejoe204]

+Snrub got the credentials to prove it, haha

[@jamesgoodman5102]

_are you saying "oob" or "Snru-oob"?_

[@mkvnwk]

Boo-urns.

[@langdonalger9219]

I like the way Snrub thinks

[@KazenoniKakuremi]

lol I know right..apparently still is the most wanted comedy writer...i recall Sam Bee asked him for advice b4 launch...and of course ...there's the *monorail* that's why his writers sh88 bricks during rehearsals...he picks up on the smallest detail...it seems inconsequential in the scheme of the skit but he explained it as humans like and need order and so when something is out of place, no matter how small or inconsequential, they are drawn to it and become fixated with it....This is the premise for why 'fan correction' works and why one of the most talked about things about the lion king was that .... within a scene lasting only a few seconds, of which only a few frames containing the most inconsequential part of the scene, was spotted and detected that for less than a second there was the word s3x spelt out in the night sky Lion King vid [in case you've no idea] | kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3ulfqZ4d9aVn6s Whether it said s3x or if it was cognitive bias is irrelevant....the point is...the part the animator wanted people to see and enjoy was Simba and the emotional aspect....but instead a great scene ruined by something avoidable... He also had a watch example...from a money set in a period before digital watches lol...but i can't remember what he was talking about it was at a speaking conference , either at google or at a uni, where he said it

[@samdiego1965]

It's interesting how Conan is so calm and all smiles but I'm sure that before every show during the entire strike, he was probably super stressed and ready pull his hair out. Well being the comedy genius that Conan is, he still manages to pull off a great show as always

[@user-dn4ou7io1f]

samdiego how would you know that were you with him?

[@happydayz7857]

samdiego he has anxiety issues he’s talked about in interviews, also depression at times

[@raidwipe]

probably because he is an asshole

[@Irquiois]

He has spent so many hours in front of a camera that I wouldn't be surprised if it is more comfortable for him to be on camera than off. You might not be able to control the chaos behind the scenes, but the production of a show follows the same beats even without the writers (although in a much more skeletal form). The sudden freedom after being two months off the air must've been at least momentarily very liberating. A perfect example of "show must go on".

[@BboyZoinks]

He’s a writer himself tho and one of the best, maybe it was more work but he had it under control

[@BuRiedxNxBlo0d]

The writer's strike introduced us to the great Jordan Schlansky!

[@starr0401]

Imagine Fallon without his writers. I bet he can't.

[@iHeartsNostalgiaPit]

all he would do is just play with celebrities for the whole show

[@christopherkotsopoulos701]

was just about to say - he practically hosts a game show

[@GrimKage]

@@christopherkotsopoulos701 And reads jokes off of cue cards word by word

[@cartermorel4275]

@@GrimKage he couldn't do that without the writers

[@JasonDelarosa2000]

@@iHeartsNostalgiaPit I'd play with hot female celebs if they were MY guests...

[@ellis9505]

They should definitely give Conan more room to do improv in the scripts. He's so much funnier when he's making stuff up on the fly because you actually get to see a bit of how sharp he is. I wish it was easier to find clips from the writers' strike... Damn you, NBC!!

[@KazenoniKakuremi]

yea but the time limit and adblock constraints...f8k that freestyle up lol....he needs a 2 hour slot

[@IamSH1VA]

I think he got a chance to do that on TBS, his remotes were so much fun & improv is just top notch…

[@menaceman9011]

Conan+Beard-Script=Gold

[@happydayz7857]

Menace Man without that below the lip stuff, that parts gross

[@alphasierra.]

Red gold, more like

[@DupeyXD]

Order of operations...

[@virus2003]

I thought some of Conan's best moments came during the strike. Loved these shows.

[@mrtsbe1]

Me too! This episode was the time when everybody saw the real Conan

[@Ibanezkoolman]

+Arturo Salas totally. I miss that intro too

[@snc0023]

Arturo Salas yeah I remember people realy talking about this a lot at the time...everyone realized how spontaneously funny he really is.

[@burnbobquist8999]

I think it's because he can relate to everyone, cause he was a writer himself.

[@tylerbethel2010]

Yep definitely his best stuff.

[@garybier]

Strike Beard, I love you.

[@OmahaGTP]

I still sing this in my head sometimes

[@Flash007b]

“I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.”

[@jazztom86]

that's how you take advantage of a problem successfully.

[@phillytheflyerable]

he proved he doesn't need the writers, lol

[@nypad5]

God damn, that opening theme still sends chills down my spine. It is so fucking good.

[@YodatheHobbit]

Oscar winning composer sure did his work.

[@evilishies]

Plus Max Weinberg dishing out fiery snare strikes to cap it off

[@Febard]

[@drumsNstuff79]

Ah, the writer's strike! When you tuned in to Conan each night... to see how long he could spin his wedding ring on his desk.

[@MrFtge]

Which was the style at the time

[@Whoknowsuknow]

Conan is the nicest, most genuine person I can think of in show business. He deserves all the success he has earned for himself

[@baf03]

Whoknowsuknow lol you should see him in the Conan obrien can't stop documentary

[@xenohtype]

I've watched it and, frankly, I've gained a whole deal of respect for him after doing so.

[@E.Johansson]

Conan is as good as they come. A true entertainer and a terrific human being.

[@GigaBoost]

He's on Epstein's list. Not a nice person.

[@TheDylls]

I know he is/was "rich" and all that, but the cost he personally paid to transfer his entire staff across the country for their new show?! Dang...

[@Writebrain82]

The balls it takes for this man to go out there with nothing but a smile and a suit can't be overstated.

[@johnking5174]

Craig Ferguson proved the point that unscripted shows are much better. A great deal of his shows were totally unscripted.

[@hopperthemarxist8533]

John King Craig ferguson sucks

[@nick56677]

Ferguson was light years better than that fat stale turd they have on the late late show now James Borden.🤮🤮

[@ArielGonzalez1]

@@nick56677 that's true....

[@ArielGonzalez1]

conan did it even before.... remember the blackout at 2003??? (craig started late late show at 2005) conan have a lot of backstage experiencie which is really helpful for tough situations

[@brutallyhonest123]

@@hopperthemarxist8533 says the guy who donated his channel to Marxist video thieves

[@the_original_Bilb_Ono]

i was 14 almost 15 watching this live. man i miss those years.

[@theo4183]

Bilb Ono Me too man! College fucking sucks! Job blows, but the women won't! But alcohol taste so fine.

[@nick56677]

I was 18 watching this Live with my Dad. This is when I learned Conan was a writer himself. My dad told me about Conans younger years being a writer.

[@LordOfTheBored]

Unlike the other talk show hosts at that time, Conan has been a good writer himself so he had a advantage to Letterman or Leno

[@headhomegamer6024]

Leno (according to me) is really not that funny and he looks like a fat blob

[@KannibalBeats]

Actually, both Leno and Letterman had writing experience prior to being talk show hosts as they were both successful stand up comics before their hosting careers began.

[@Michael-zj3cn]

Kannibal that's rather opinionated isn't it? Maybe it's more likely that due to the narrow market ownership they actually had their positions and jobs not due to ability but connections as recognized on Wikipedia and imdb, and family as recognized by the Jewish community. But go ahead, be an inbred fuck that dribbles shit out the whole usually meant to accept food.

[@baf03]

common sense whoa that escalated quickly

[@Phished123]

Well Leno did pretty okay during the strike also. But a lot of people in the union complained he cheated. The Union denoted that even hosts werent allowed to write for themselves. Which is hard to prove, but a lot of people suspected that Leno was writing his opening monologues. In the end the Union forgave him for it.

[@YodatheHobbit]

The camera work and directing here in incredible. The amount of coordination. They make capturing moments like this look so freaking easy.

[@GigaBoost]

Bro talking about the camera work like it's cinema 😂

[@christophereichten9005]

@@GigaBoostBe quiet you fool

[@GigaBoost]

@@EdPrivat it's different skills for sure. Kind of impossible to say which is 'harder'

[@markfuston2714]

Honestly the writers' strike was when I fell in love with Conan's show, dude just killed it every night. I watched before it at times, but during the strike I was DVRing every episode incase I missed one to watch the next day, and they were always so friggin good.

[@InflatableConan]

Oh, definitely. Unscripted Conan and just improvising everything on the fly was pure, original Cone Bone in his element. It was him at his absolute finest.. and like you said, he killed it. It truly is television history.

[@markfuston2714]

Yup, I can still remember the goofy feud him Jon Stewart and Colbert had, was so much fun to watch and see what was coming next.@@InflatableConan

[@adamdesanti6713]

In hindsight looking at his total body of work now, the podcasts, his remotes, the move to TBS, early Late-Night show, it was totally in his skill-set to do something like this.

[@phillytheflyerable]

conan at his absolute peak and all during the strike. GOAT

[@Nueztoy]

This is a peak in Night talk shows I think, From the intro animation and music, Joel's energeric presentation, to the improvised "strike beard...i love you", then 7:25 flawless Max's music on cue, the cameraman getting it and letting Conan do his wacky thing. One would take this for granted, but everybody needs to be exactly in the same tune to make this TV moment happen, what a great leader Conan is.

[@mikedubya4427]

Conan during the writer's strike was the finest in television programming of the last decade. I'm ready to fight you if you disagree.

[@raucoussauce1528]

mikedubya gay cringe

[@A2Z83]

@@raucoussauce1528 a challenger enters

[@wta1981]

I was an avid Conan watcher during this time and I remember the writers strike episodes being so awesome. They got so bizarre and funny. Do they have full episodes from the writers strike posted anywhere?

[@TheDylls]

I had my fists up, ready to go... But then I remembered that Dr. Horrible wasn't on TV! 😂❤

[@Davvg]

I disagree, because now it has been longer than one decade

[@Blankford777]

This was PRIME era Conan (well, the really prime was probably '00-'06) and my absolute favorite part was the little music number between his monolgue and when he goes and sits down at his desk. It always got me pumped up because I knew they weren't going to commercial they were about to go over to Conan who was just going to improv and do a bunch of funny stuff for the next 5-6 minutes. My favorite part of Conan was always everything before the guests started coming out. Just Conan being Conan.

[@RenegadeX28]

The strike era episodes were GOD TIER. Reminded everyone that Conan could write a show.

[@MichaelRBurke]

I found these episodes particularly funny. Conan, not only a great writer himself, is excellent at improvising.

[@nick56677]

I miss that intro. That was the best Late Night intro ever to me.

[@SeanDS89]

this is proof that unscripted talk shows are better than scripted ones

[@johnking5174]

I think Craig Ferguson proved that 100% during his tenure as Late Late Show host. Right from the start up until the guest interview it was largely unscripted and ad libbed, even the interviews he did where ad lib as he tore up the question cards at the start.

[@SeanDS89]

+John King absolutely, I was thinking of Craig when I made that comment :)

[@muffinman5741]

this ws scripted, too. It was only written solely by conan.

[@dranzerjetli5126]

Only if its Conan

[@byHexted]

Conan is a scripted talk show lmao

[@AndromedaCripps]

I love this 😂😂 He obviously was forced into this position by producers and also out of a need to keep financial stability for his staff, but he went out there and did his best to make the most of the show!! And, while amazingly funny for having no writing staff, it’s not nearly as good as a regular show would be, simultaneously keeping the rest of his team employed while also proving the necessity of the writers and why their demands need to be met, while simultaneously making a memorable and still somewhat funny show. A truly difficult balance to strike, but Conan did it!!

[@local-teen]

I'd watch this show. Conan is a great writer himself so it's little surprise that this works well.

[@Nikke0]

I love this intro. Way better than on TBS

[@headhomegamer6024]

blame NBC and that little Jay Leno mother fuxker

[@snc0023]

Nikke0 ugh I remember I hated when they switched to this animated opening. I loved the one just before this one, where he jumped into the water, etc.

[@christophermoriarty3274]

Here we are again.

[@norgiemetzinger1421]

That song tho. Magnificent Seven by The Clash, and the Max Weinberg Seven totally nailed it.

[@KazenoniKakuremi]

07:14 Ellen was at home watching this going *"GENIUS!"*

[@BboyZoinks]

Her whole intro based off of a Conan joke, man’s a genius

[@8-bitalex215]

@himalaya ahuja C'ant say ive ever watched the show (cuz fuck that), but from what ive picked up over the years is that she basically starts every show by just dancing like Conan for like 3 minutes straight

[@autumn7809]

Returning because i know that no one is going to handle our current strike quite like Conan did

[@nancykillsyou]

Honestly, this was the most riveting run of television I've ever seen in my entire life.

[@svsps]

Of course this gets recommended to me now

[@assmane999]

I can’t believe how entertained I was by watching a ring spin

[@BikiniDeathSquad]

he looked cool with the beard

[@MITHYKA]

Nothing topped the old late night intro, especially when they made the transition to HD. Perhaps because of the crisp animation of a minimalist NYC combined with the warm hues on top of the old late night theme, everything about it was just chef's kiss

[@YodatheHobbit]

I love the camera going up the building and then fading into the studio.

[@TheBronxBunnyMan]

The fact the Max and the band play a song by the Clash at the same timeslot on the same network that the Clash did back in 1981.

[@ickes2255]

I remember seeing this live and it being what drew me to Conan in the first place. And I’ve been a huge fan ever since.

[@LexTan]

I know Max is Bruce Springsteen's drummer... but I was never a Springsteen fan, and I only knew of him through Conan... And my God, is he amazing. Dude does the most complex drum things. That smile on his face when he drums takes way more effort than when he actually drums.

[@drumboarder1]

He's not a bad drummer but I've never seen him do anything a beginner couldn't do

[@TryPuttingItInRice]

@@drumboarder1 😐👎🏻

[@lithiumclears]

I don't think he needs writers. He's funny by himself and I also heard he's a great comic writer.

[@danieldougan269]

lithium He wrote for "The Simpsons" and "SNL" before he got into late night.

[@theburningpancake]

we're back baby Strike 2023

[@vicegirlsusa]

41 seconds! Wow! I know ring spinnin', and that's good ring spinnin'.

[@itisonlyaplant]

That intro... I remember watching this intro almost every weekday night while in high school. This is one of the first programs I watched in HD and I loved watching the intro every time.

[@FormulaBreakdown]

Conan on Late Night in this era was just the coooolest.

[@RyanPelley1]

Absolutely no one else could've made ring spinning entertaining.

[@rachel_5516]

returning to this is nostalgic for sure

[@jonesisnotarobot]

Something about the way he comes in frame as the cymbals hit at 7:47 makes me lol

[@theyrenihilists]

See y'all in another 15 years

[@almostcertainlynotapotato6528]

Condolences to Bob Saget. He will be missed.

[@rubydiseno9406]

holy shit i remember watching this on tv... strike beard... i love you:)

[@MeAuntieNora]

Bring Back the Beard!

[@fsyeah]

Alrite..

[@A2Z83]

beard back bring the

[@callmeshaggy5166]

I always loved how Max talks to himself while drumming. He does it with Bruce too.

[@torih5613]

God I love him so much. "that's good water. ...killed some time!"

[@feckineejit]

The intro has the same color sky as NYC this morning 06/07/23

[@boppob1343]

I miss Max :(

[@wazzuppoo]

man I wish conan would go unscripted again these shows were the best

[@TedTremendous]

It was a chilly winter afternoon in New York City, and my mom was out running errands when she realized she had misplaced her favorite hat. She searched high and low, retracing her steps through the busy city streets, but it was nowhere to be found. Frustrated and disheartened, she was about to give up when a tall, lanky man approached her. "Excuse me, ma'am, are you okay?" he asked in a familiar voice. It was none other than Conan O'Brien, the famous late-night talk show host. My mom couldn't believe her luck - not only was she a huge fan of his, but he was also offering to help her find her lost hat. Together, they scoured the surrounding area, peering into trash cans and asking passersby if they had seen anything. Despite his busy schedule during the writers' strike of 2008, Conan never once rushed my mom or made her feel like an inconvenience. He even bought her a hot cup of coffee to warm up on the cold day. After almost an hour of searching, they finally spotted the hat, perched on a fence post in a nearby park. My mom was overjoyed and grateful to Conan for his kindness and generosity. As they parted ways, Conan wished my mom a happy holiday season and urged her to keep warm in the frigid New York weather. My mom went home with a newfound appreciation for the kindness of strangers and a heart full of gratitude for the unexpected encounter with her favorite talk show host. Years later, she still cherishes the memory of that cold day in New York City when Conan O'Brien took the time to help her find her lost hat, and she continues to watch his show with a smile on her face, knowing that he is just as warm and kind-hearted in real life as he is on TV.

[@xosammyb]

Conan is honestly hilarious when he doesn't even have a script during his remotes, so of course he kills it during the writer strike

[@nfrmptbongo9439]

Omg I hadn't laughed at Conan this bad for so long. I can't breathe. I need more of this so much

[@JETBLASTIX]

Its easy to be honest when you're a good guy, I wish him the best and am excited for his new show

[@Michael15_25]

Ahhh the debut of bearded Conan. I remember being so hyped he was coming back after being gone for weeks

[@shmookins]

And so the legend of the beard is born.

[@Jeorgy92]

Last writers strike gave us Jordan Schlansky, lets see what comes out of this one.

[@JCourts2k23]

I remember when I was younger I would watch Conan every night, love it.

[@GabrielsLogic]

7:33 conan was more than a "little" excited here!

[@temporaladvisor3958]

I had forgotten what it was like during the last strike, but now I remember what I'm in for. Whatever. It's worth it if the writers get their cost of living wages. Hope the greedy CEOs don't drag this out too long this time.

[@edwinm1]

Damn its been a while since I've seen any of the old Late Night episodes, i miss his monologues from this show. The string dance, ima gonna go ta hell when i die and the crowd clapping to it, messing with max.

[@NightMedicine]

Strangely enough this was the best week of television I had ever seen. It was magical to watch at the time.

[@terran236]

he should grow his beard out more often.

[@JamesTheDominator]

KZbin Recommending this to me now sure is something

[@falconpower3624]

so most of this is unscripted? I knew conan was good with ad libs but that would be pretty impressive...

[@Decetop]

이우일 I assume he just wrote most of it himself. He's too professional to just go on the air with no preparation.

[@abigailbooth]

Being a writer as well as a performer, he is probably a member of the WGA so wouldn't be allowed to write anything down. Apparently Jay Leno was accused of writing down his monologue and the WGA investigated him. So if he is a member of the WGA it would have to be imrov. He could have prepared by deciding what to talk about - i.e. the strike and his beard, but he couldn't write any of it down, or have anything on the teleprompters.

[@vitodereine]

That intro.. iconic. And the BEST late night band ever! God I miss this show.

[@JoshieboyStudios]

2008 Conan was on another level man

[@s02229]

The band is awesome

[@treasuretrails]

I member 2008, I used to be so happy before the depression kicked in.....

[@mariano4280]

“That’s good water.”

[@littlemissprickles]

Ngl, TV Conan was meant for late night. He's not a mainstream kind of guy. He's the guy we hang out with past midnight, after the old folks have gone to bed. Love his podcast, it was definitely the next right direction for him. And so thankful TBS gave him an extra 10 years on tv. I'd love to see him back on TV sone day, but if he can't do it his way, it's not worth it.

[@adamdesanti6713]

These uploads are great. I was at a schedule in my life in 2008 when I wasn't watching late-night at all and barely had internet access. I hadn't even know there was a Conan writer's strike era. Awesome. Seriously, who else had the skill-set and chutz-pah to pull this off at the time? A straight comedian would quickly run out of material. Conan is a unique talent in that he always comes up with additional laughs completely on the fly by ad-libbing. Look at his remotes. It's how he got discovered by Lorne Michael's constantly cracking up the writer's room on the Simpsons. Example is the 6 genuine laughs he gets in the minute after he stops dancing, including his "evil executive" impression.

[@soran27]

Conan wrote one of the best Simpsons episodes ever, the Monorail episode. He's in the wheelhouse right here.

[@MrT8599]

Conan with a beard actually makes a lot of sense. It certainly fits him.

[@solodolotrevino]

Love the millions of ways Conan found to kill some time and it was still just as entertaining

[@ThatDudeWithBoobs]

We have history repeating, I just wish it was at all as funny as this.

[@samram2950]

Probably the only host right now who can pull it off without writers, i like 2 jimmys and seth but they are no where near CONAN.

[@thecarlocielo]

"Strike beard Strike beard Strike beard I love you"

[@ChadGatling]

The strike show were seriously my favorite times in his whole career.

[@SandsBlack]

I loved this set/ stage design.

[@theofficialoni8321]

Is he supporting writers or making a joke out them xD Lol the writers must have lost their confidence like "Wtf we better return soon or conan will become even better show without us"

[@liferiot]

He improved his way like a fucking legend through it all. It probably made the show adapt better than anyone else at the time.

[@nannerz1994]

Only those legs could get up on the desk with one step like that 😂

[@RobertDoosh]

Conan is the absolute GOAT

[@assmane999]

There was a moment there where I thought that the ring wasn’t gonna stop spinning and that it was all a dream

[@theo4183]

He went all Craig Ferguson that week! Wish he went all unpredictable again.

[@pratapmishra5278]

THIS IS LEGENDARY STUFF

[@Munedawg]

7:30. Coman is a living Jib-Jab card.

[@VULGARxRM]

Right behind Craig Ferguson from 2009-2013, Conan during the 2008 writers strike is my personal favorite time in late-night talk show history.