In what should be no surprise to anyone, Conan handled his last show with a whole lot of class. The more I see Tom Hanks, the more I realize what a funny guy he is, and it's hard to beat "Long May You Run", Neil Young's classic ode to his car and/or everyone or everything we've ever said goodbye to, for a musical number. Will Ferrell's final performance of "Freebird" was just classic Conan oddness.
What's most worthy of comment is Conan's final talk to the audience, and to his fans. It was touching, especially for those of us who did indeed stand out in the rain this past week, to see how visibly moved he was by all the fan support. But I think it was the final part of the speech that hit Conan fans the hardest.
"Do not be cynical"? For an audience of 20 and 30 somethings, especially those of us trying to find careers in Hollywood, that's an incredibly tall order. There's disappointment and discouragement around every corner, and they often strike in waves. Forces are working against us every day to try to drain the fun from the things we love. "Do not be cynical"? Asking a young person to give up cynicism is a little like Jesus asking that rich fellow to give up all of his possessions, and we all know how well that went over.
But Conan is exactly right: "Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get" is something it's always good to keep in mind. No one starts out cynical or bitter; they're shields we acquire as we struggle through life, but they're not going to get us anywhere.
"Do not be cynical"? It's not easy. But for the guy who gave us Old Time Baseball, it's worth a try.
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