The summer before I began sixth grade, I started staying up late. I would watch The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, followed by Late Night with David Letterman. I preferred Late Night. It was quirky, while The Tonight Show was, in my child mind, too middle-of-the-road. But I remember watching Johnny Carson’s last episode, and David Letterman’s first episode of The Late Show on CBS. I never got into Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.
Shortly after high school, I began avidly watching Late Night with Conan O’Brien. It was the wackiest show around, and it perfectly reflected the sense of humor my friends shared. I spent years staying up until 1:30 in the morning watching that show. In one episode, Conan talked about (fictional) guests he wouldn’t have back. One was named “Johnny Airhorn”, and he had a helmet with two airhorns mounted on either side. Whenever Conan would try to ask him a question or say anything, Johnny Airhorn would blast his horns in deafening fashion. Unfortunately, these old clips are impossible to find.
Miraculously, one of my favorites is on YouTube. I’ve posted it before, but it’s a perfect example of what Conan does so well. The premise alone is insane, and the execution is perfect.
Tonight is the premiere of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Andy Richter is back, Max will be there, and my hopes are high.
Last night was the season premiere of SNL–which Sara and I watched while Miriam slept on the couch–and though the rest of the show was rock bottom unfunny, the opening was an instant classic that will be talked about for years to come.
UPDATE: Yes, this video will probably not work when you go to play it. That’s copyright for you.
My local Fox affiliate shows an hour of The Simpsons each night at seven o’clock, and tonight were two astoundingly great episodes: the legendary “Brother from the Same Planet” and a forgotten gem, “The President Wore Pearls”.
“Brother from the Same Planet” was the 14th episode from Season 4 (1992-1993) – surely The Simpsons‘ golden age. Among countless hilarious lines, I particularly like when Homer and Pepi (“I love you, too, Pepsi”) are star-gazing and Pepi asks Homer to name some of the constellations. “…And that Big Dipper looking thing is Alex…the Cowboy”.
“The President Wore Pearls” is an against-the-odds masterpiece from the otherwise lackluster Season 15 (2003-2004). Watching it tonight I was inclined to believe it was from Season 5, so strong is the writing. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s in my Simpsons Top 10. It even has several songs, which I contend are the zenith of entertainment.
On a similar topic, a few nights ago, they replayed another top drawer episode, “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet”, and it made me feel very old. Towards the beginning, when Homer is explaining to the kids why they had never heard of his fame, he explains that it was eight years before, in 1985. Now 1985 is 23 years ago!