There was a time in my life when staying up and watching late night talk shows was rather important to me. The first late night talk show I dug was The Late Show with David Letterman. His irreverent sense of humour appealed to me, and he seemed to have interesting guests and musical acts. I'd stay up for that.
Then, Conan O'Brien took over when Letterman moved to CBS. Late Night with Conan O'Brien was my jam, and instantly became appointment viewing for me. I just loved it.
That was 1993 and I was 19 years old. I rarely missed an episode. I loved the bits, I loved the host, and again, Conan had the best guests and musical acts. Those first few years with Andy Richter as Conan's sidekick and the Max Weinberg 7 marked the height of my late night talk show passion.
Over time, I tuned in less and less, often choosing sleep. Then, at some point, I stopped watching late night television altogether.
As I type, I can't remember the last time I watched a late night talk show. It's been at least 15 years.
But for a few years in the 90s, I was all in on Conan O'Brien. Back when the year 2000 seemed so very far away.
