Conan's first show back (from September 11th)
This is a transcript of the speech that Conan made his first day back to the show after the September 11 tragedy. Many thanks to Wiggie (Brian) who posted this to AFCOB.
*no opening credits*
*no music*
*Conan walks straight to desk*
*see through curtain covering the backdrop*
" *Crowd cheers* Thank you. This is...*cheers* this is our uh...this is our uh, first show back, on the air, since, the tragic events last week, here in new york city. And...I want to begin.... I said this just before we started taping, but I want to begin by thanking a studio audience that would come here and support New York and the show, and everything, just, in the situation in general, just for being here...it's just tremendous for you to be here. I just also want to say that...that it's...it's not my ... place, it's not what I
do to put this in perspective...it's not what I do to *sighs* try to help us understand what's happened in the last week...I uh...I make a living acting like an ass, generally. And for those of you who've seen the show you know that's sadly true, and no one's looking to me to put this in perspective, but what I do need to do... what's very important to do is to tell you that we're a show that's done out of New York. We are a show that's done here in New York City. There are about 104 people that work on this show, and they live here and they
work here, and...all of us have been effected by what's happened here...and last Friday, we got together, and we tried to decide "can we go and do shows now, when can we go do shows , can we start on Tuesday doing a show?" ...and, I have to be very honest with you, a lot of people felt that we shouldn't, that we couldn't, that it wasn't the right time. And yet, I felt strongly...and a bunch of people on the staff felt strongly, that we have to get back to work, it's what all of us have to do...and we also have to come together a
little bit, because this show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien is not me. This show is a lot of people who work very hard, that live in this city, and we uh...we need to come together and we need to do our job. I will be very honest with you, I have no idea how to do what we've been doing. Tonight I have no idea how to do it. Tomorrow I have no idea how to do it...the rest of the week, I have no idea how we're going to get back to this again...that's how we all feel. I have made a career of getting in way over my head...and I have never ever, felt more unsure...or...more at a loss than I do tonight. I
will not lie to you. I don't know exactly know how we're going to do this. But we're going to try to do it. That's what I've decided we're going to try and do. That's what Max and the Band have decided, that's what the writers have decided to try and do...*sighs* that's what a lot of people here feel is the right thing to do is to get back and try our hardest to..move forward...and to make....sense of our lives at a time when absolutely, absolutely nothing makes sense. I, uh...don't talk about these things on the air, but I was raised Catholic, and uh today... I... did what I haven't done since the first show...when I went on the air on September 13th. I so felt that
I needed help, that I needed somebody or I needed some thing to help me...that I went across the street to St. Patrick's Cathedral...and I sat there for a little bit...and...I'm very glad I did...and it has nothing to do with what my religion is, or what anybody's religion is, it has nothing to do with any of that. I sat in there in this beautiful, beautiful building...and I don't care what faith you are, I don't care what you believe, it's just this beautiful building, and uh, it made me ...realize... that as much as we've lost this
week...here I'm sitting in this amazing structure...this city has still has so much, it's an amazing city...I'm not from here, I'm from Boston...I grew up fearing this city...I grew up frankly hating this city...and I've been here for 8 years, and I sat here and I realized that we've lost so much...and again I'm not going to attempt to tell you how much New York has lost...but sitting there, I thought this is ...such a beautiful place, we still have so much...and we have to thank God, and by I mean, "God" I mean whatever that means to
you...we just have to thank God for what we still have and what we can still do...*sighs* I uh......I also know.....that yet I say anything else...tonight, I know that we have a young audience that watches us...and I just know that from over the years the people who've come up to me and talk to me about the show and express enthusiasm...uh...there are a lot of young people watching...and there's a lot of cynicism amoung young people...and if I could say anything tonight, to any of the people that watch our little show, at 12:30 at night, who are young, I would ask you not to be cynical...I would ask you to accept that as horrible and as senseless as this thing is...that there is goodness in people...that collectively we're
an amazing country...that we've done a lot ...*picks up mug* I've got this guy on my desk, he ...someone gave me this Eisenhower mug, Robert Smigel gave me this Eisenhower mug, and it's been on my desk...uh...it was on my desk at Saturday Night Live, it was on my desk at the Simpsons, I've always kept it here on the show since day one, it's been here for every show...we're an amazing country...there is a lot of goodness in the world, and I would ask young people tonight to not give into cynicism in any way, and to try rise above themselves and to somehow be better in this situation, to
somehow...grow...in this horrible horrible situation...let's try and grow, a little bit, let's try and accomplish, something, let's try and makes some sense out of what is a horrible, terrible, senseless act...umm.....I wish I could do more for my staff...there are people here who are numb, there are people here that are very depressed, as I'm sure there are all over this country, there are people here that are terribly terribly saddened and lost, I wish I could do more, I wish I could say something to them. All I can say is that tonight
we're going to start and we're going to try and make this little show, which has always been silly, and unprofessional, and largely inconsequential in the larger world, we're going to try to do one of these tonight, and then we'll try tomorrow, and then so on and so on...and so....let's begin. "
*introduces first guest*
*crowd claps*
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