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By Dean Jonhson -- Boston Herald (MA) -- June 18, 1995 – Section: Tvm, Page: 007 "For the first time in my life I'm not looking beyond the job I have," says Conan O'Brien. "I don't want to act, have a sitcom, or use this job to get into politics or on another show. I just want to do *this."* "This" is the job he's held for two years running as host of NBC's "Late Night" program, seen locally on WHDH (Ch. 7) weeknights at 12:30 a.m. As the lanky O'Brien fielded questions recently in his casually cluttered office overlooking downtown New York City, he admitted, "If they asked me right now, 'Will you sign a five-year deal to continue doing this?' I'd grab it. "The show really feels like home now and is getting to where I want it to be," he added. "I feel in control, and I think my confidence in the show makes the other people in the show confident. "I love to tell funny jokes. I love thinking about comedy, and I love creating comedy," O'Brien said. "But the bigger thrill for me, the thing I enjoy most about the show, is talking to people and working in the moment. You listen to the guest, grab a hold of the threads of the conversation, and make something out of it all. This is probably the only job that combines all the things I like to do." It's been a bumpy road for the Brookline native who took over David Letterman's former NBC slot as a virtual unknown. A former behind-the-scenes comedy writer, O'Brien has managed to stay at the helm of his quirky show, gain needed experience on the job and slowly outlast his critics. Asked if he feels "Late Night" has finally evolved to where he wants it to be, O'Brien replied, "It's certainly closer than it was. It's a long process. "There was something a little bit ridiculous about it all when it was announced I was replacing David Letterman," he admitted. "I knew more than anybody that replacing him wasn't going to be an overnight thing. To be as good as he was takes a long time ... if it's going to happen at all. "The first big milestone was my first night on the air," he said. "Everything about it was raw and far from perfect. But I liked my first show, and when it was done I thought, 'This is what I want to do.' "The second milestone was when Letterman came on as a guest and complimented the show, saying, 'I like what you've done. Keep up the good work'." O'Brien believes his recent universally praised appearance at the White House Correspondents' dinner was a third milestone that will further fuel "Late Night." "There really are no restrictions with this program," O'Brien concluded. "If you can think of it, you can probably do it." He hinted that "Late Night" may even go on the road "to try to keep moving the show to the next level." Copyright (c) 1995 Boston Herald |