Team Coco shares a clip of the final Late Night with Conan O'Brien appearance by comedian Mitch Hedberg. A Minnesota native, Hedberg earned a notable following for his observational humor during the late ‘90s and early 2000s, but passed away in March 2005 from a reported drug overdose at age 37.
In 1999, Hedberg independently released his first stand-up special Strategic Grill Locations. The same year, he wrote, directed, and starred in the indie film Los Enchiladas!, a comedy featuring supporting performances from Todd Barry, Dave Attell, and Marc Maron. In 1999, Hedberg also starred in his own Comedy Central Presents special, and made two appearance on Late Show with David Letterman. In a pre-YouTube world, the sharing of audio clips boosted Hedberg’s steady ascent within the industry, and a small role in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous made him more visible in pop culture. But like so many great comedians, Hedberg’s drug use ultimately led to his death.
On YouTube, Team Coco posted a video of Hedberg’s second and final appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The five-minute clip is from October 2004, approximately five months before the comedian’s death. Hedberg tells steady one-liners during his act, ranging from wordplay bits about MTV’s The Real World and three-way lightbulbs to thoughts about fajita cologne. At one point, Hedberg light-heartedly requests that a joke be edited out, and closes with a now-classic bit about buying a donut and declining a receipt (“We don’t need to bring ink and paper into this!”). Overall, Hedberg becomes more confident from joke to joke as the audience laughter steadily increases. Watch the Late Night stand-up performance below.
Team Coco’s posting of Hedberg's act was reportedly prompted by the podcast Best of Stand-Up from Conan, in which Conan writer Laurie Kilmartin breaks down classic performances from the TV show. The Stitcher Premium podcast complements the show’s other podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend featuring the titular host discussing the craft of comedy, among other things, with big industry names. As for Hedberg, his legacy continues to grow thanks to his second comedy album Mitch All Together and the 2008 posthumous release of Do You Believe in Gosh? Hedberg also has a small role in Catherine Hardwicke's 2005 film Lords of Dogtown, a drama starring the late Heath Ledger.
Hedberg’s comedy may indeed be an acquired taste of some, but it’s steeped in a wholly unique blend of observational humor and stoner surrealism. Fifteen years after the comic's death, Mitch Hedberg somehow feels more relevant than ever, and his final Late Night with Conan O'Brien performance will certainly appeal to a new generation of comedy fans.
Source: Team Coco