Conan O'Brien said Thursday that he is psyched to start his new job at "The Tonight Show" on Monday, and realizes it'll be a completely different atmosphere than what he's been used to on "Late Night."
"We should be honest about the fact that we've moved to a different part of the country that's very different, and that should be reflected on the show," O'Brien said. "I think Southern California is going to influence 'The Tonight Show.' It's going to influence the kind of comedy we're doing, the kind of remotes we're shooting. I think people will see it's still Conan, but there have been some changes. It would be a shame to make this big switch and then to end up with this polished up version of the old show."
O'Brien said he is still adjusting to Los Angeles culture. He noted that, "If you're not in a car, something's very wrong with you."
"In Los Angeles, if you walk on the sidewalk, people think that you're off your medication. Police cars pull over and they handcuff you and take you away," O'Brien said Thursday.
And unlike Web 2.0 champion Jimmy Fallon, O'Brien is a little hesitant to adopt new technology.
"These punk kids with their Twitter and their Facebook. …I'm getting rid of my computer completely. I'm just going to use an abacus. I'm going to send notes by carrier pigeon," O'Brien said.
The show will film at Universal Studios.
"They've built a fantastic 'Tonight Show' set. It's absolutely gorgeous. We've shot four test shows here. It has a great feeling. It feels like, 'Yes, this is really going to happen,'" O'Brien said.
And, of course, there are the other only-in-LA factors.
"In-N-Out's an amazing hamburger. That may be one of the best things about Los Angeles. That and the fact that I turned on the weather this morning and it said 71 degrees for the rest of your life. There are some good things about this town. And you see celebrities everywhere doing the most mundane things. You could be in a shoe store and watch Harrison Ford buying Magellan insoles for his shoes. You can see Sylvester Stallone getting oil for his lawnmower. It's my favorite pastime here," O'Brien said.
Jay Leno's 17-year hosting run ends Friday night and O'Brien will be among his final guests.
