Conan O’Brien is having lots and lots of fun these days — so much so that he can feel the time flying; 2016, he feels, is zipping by. “I went to a doctor the other day, and he said, ‘Let me explain to you that time accelerates as you get older …,’” the brilliant late-night comic, writer, producer, and all-around entertainer said in a recent phone conversation. On Saturday, April 16, UCSB Arts & Lectures hosts the wildly popular and prolific TV and web personality at the Arlington Theatre, where he will answer audience questions and speak about his life and one of his favorite comedic subjects: himself.
Since his Emmy Award–winning early years as a writer and actor on Saturday Night Live and then as a writer and producer for The Simpsons, time has brought an ever greater abundance of opportunities for O’Brien to flex his comedic muscles and engage with his audience. He has been filling his recent months with a wider range of experiences and locales, like a visit to South Korea this year or a trip to Cuba last year. “I want to have a body of work that people are still discovering long after I’m gone, which my doctor says will be very soon,” he said playfully.
He even starred as a haughty, neckerchief-wearing version of himself in the SyFy original movie Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda, in which he gets impaled by the massive shark monster before his severed head is tossed about by volleyball players. “People know I don’t take myself too seriously, and I love the idea that anytime when I can play Conan O’Brien, it’s a chance to portray him as a completely out-of-touch boob who’s ranting and raving,” he said. “It’s very fun, and it’s sort of therapeutic because in real life I’m way too concerned about what people think of me.”