Despite now being considered one of the giants of both comedy and television, Conan O' Brien's career has been anything but easy-going. Beginning his time in the industry, as a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, before proceeding to dominate the screen in several late-night television slots, O'Brien has seen his fair of unexpected change and turmoil -- he has, for the majority of his career, had to improvise with both the content he produces, and the environment in which he produces it. Indeed, this has cemented him all-the-more as a juggernaut of modern media.
Although he was forced out of his spot on late-night television, O'Brien did not give up. He improvised, switching to a less structured form of content production, all the while supporting the cast and writers who stayed with him through the tumultuous time. He experimented with travel, producing more skits to be uploaded online, and generally adapted to his new circumstances despite the immense internal turmoil he felt. This is highly reminiscent of Nick Cave's attitude towards producing music in Faith, Hope, and Carnage. Even when he comes to the studio with a set of lyrics or notes which he adores, he is willing to discard, dissect, or otherwise remodel them according to how he and his partner improvise during production. This gives rise to beautiful, impactful music that even Cave did not expect to produce, just as Conan created groundbreaking new ways to deliver comedy and news within new boundaries.
Indeed, O'Brien's ability to improvise is what allowed him to stay relevant and modern during, and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Moving to a podcast-based -- and later on, social-distance based -- format, he was able to produce nearly the same content as earlier, while maintaining the health of himself, his staff, and promoting a safe lifestyle under the given circumstances. He was able to make people whose lives were devastated laugh, and in doing so provided one of the most essential services when in isolation: comfort and relaxation. Just as Cave produced soul-gripping music through improvising on his grief, O'Brien was able to improvise on the horrifying reality in which we were all plunged.
Even now, both artists continue to excel in their respective industries. This is in no small part thanks to their propensity for improvisation; a skill they have maintained, cared for, and will use to achieve even greater heights.
This was an amazing post about Conan O'Brien! I have always loved his content since he moved from his late-night time slot. Many believe that creativity is crushed under pressure, but Conan is a perfect example of someone who flourished despite the challenges thrown his way. Would you say that he was more or less creative before he was forced out of his spot on late-night television compared to now?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I enjoyed hearing more about Conan, a comedian who I am very familiar with! I think his story that you outline here is a great example of how personality and culture can shape creativity. The cultural settings he put himself in fostered turmoil several times, but his personality and ability to improvise guided him through those hard times. His creation of new content—especially creative during COVID—is like he is creating a new culture for comedy and entertainment completely defined by him, his personality, and his team members who support each other in this new community.
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