February 20th, 2009 marked the end of an era.  On that day, Conan O'Brien finished his sixteen year tenure as host of Late Night.  The end of Conan's run meant more to me than the end of any other show, for Conan has always held a special place in my life.

Sporting the Strike Beard

You see, Conan has been hosting Late Night for more than two thirds of my entire life.  Late Night with Conan O'Brien began when I was only six years old.  Six!  And while I didn't discover him quite that early, I do remember the moment when Conan hooked me forever.

My friends and I were staying up past our bed times during a certain someone's sleepover.  We were most likely playing Star Trek CCG and had the TV on in the background.  Some late show I never really watched was on.  It was Conan.  I remember the joke that made us all laugh.  It was part of his ongoing routine of showing pictures and saying what they all had in common.  This one in particular had Spider-Man, Star Trek, and Baseball cards.  The joke was that they didn't really have anything in common, he just wanted to grab the attention of all the nerds in the world.  It worked, at least for me, and I never looked back.

Conan became the show that I would always attempt to stay up and watch.  Yes, you had to suffer through an hour of Leno, but it was worth it.  Whenever friends would be over, the world would stop at 12:35amE/11:35pmC, for it was Conan time.

Conan and Andy would go on drives with the announce desk.  Conan and Max would attempt to have conversations.  Triumph would insult.  Conan would belittle himself and dance around like a fool.  I loved every second of it.

Max w/Conan

In a world of comedy that sometimes took itself too seriously, Conan would do crazy off the wall skits that usually made no sense.  It was completely different from anything else out there.  Characters like, Preparation H Raymond, The Masturbating Bear, Cactus playing a flute, Pierre Bernard (although he's real).  Sketches like In the Year 2000, If They Mated, Holiday Pictures.  These things were simple yet hilarious.  Not to mention that Conan single handedly resurrected Chuck Norris's career with The Walker Texas Ranger lever.

Perhaps the best moments though were when Conan could truly be himself.  Those sketches were my favorite.  Whenever he was out and about in public, his comedy would truly shine.  Whether it be on the streets of New York or across the seas in Finland, Conan always found something to make you laugh, even if it was himself.

Conan discovers why Finland loves him

And on a more personal level, Conan was always there.  No matter how depressed I was feeling, Conan could make me forget my worries for a whole hour.  Conan was like a friend I grew up with, always there to make me laugh and always on time, unless preempted by something stupid like the Olympics (psh!).  As I look back on my life, I will remember Conan being a huge part of my childhood and my coming of age.  And as I look to the future, he will be there as well, only on at a more reasonable hour.

Believe me, I look forward to June when Conan takes over the Tonight Show.  The Conan I know and love will be there, but things will most definitely be different.  Still great, but different. 

I leave you now with how Conan left us, his final close:

Jaybird currently resides in Seattle where he reads comics, works in a library, and writes for this site.  He has also been known to blow your mind, rock your world, and eat pizza.