I’ve been all over the world the past few weeks, from Maine to New York, to San Francisco to Seoul, and now to Sydney.  It’s been a whirl wind of adventure and excitement, but on all those long plane trips, I had to keep my mind occupied with something.   Luckily I had Bill Carter’s newish book, The War for Late Night.  Not only did it track the recent tumult at NBC between Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, it tackled the whole history of late night television and all its stars.  The book got me interested in tracking down legendary clips from Late Night’s long winding path, and I found some real choice ones I’ll be posting this week.  The first is the opening segment from Conan’s debut on NBC 18 friggin years ago, amazing its been that long because Conan still seems so young and vital.  The clip is the cold open and Conan’s introduction to the world where people warn him of the pressure in replacing David Letterman.  Conan takes it all in stride, happily tying a noose around his neck just before his debut.  It’s hilarious, and a piece of comedy history, so check it out folks because I’m back.