Conan O’Brien suffered a sunburn on his scalp due to his headline-grabbing ‘greaseball’ hairstyle.
The comedian explained in a podcast clip obtained by Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday that his “skull was on fire” and he was “really itchy” after attending the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago last month.
The former “Conan” host, 63, thought he was “crazy” and said: “Whenever I get itchy, it’s like a snow globe. It’s like confetti – freckled white confetti pouring out of my head. It’s disgusting.”
He noted that he has “a lot of hair” and is “not used to” having to protect his scalp from “burning”.
O’Brien was told to “apply oil” as a treatment, but at the time he “didn’t think” of filming a podcast episode with Molly Shannon called “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.”
“When you walk in here, it’s like being in Sha Nana,” he said, referring to 1950s doo-wop bands. “I’m a greaseball. I’m very greasy. I’m Frankie.”
The Emmy winner joked, “I feel like I want to be in a parking lot in 1952 swinging a chain and hitting you with a switchblade. I feel really different. I just want to fight people on the street. I want to get a hot rod and drive around.”
“I want to get Lizzo pregnant and have her bake bread in the oven,” he continued about his “Grease” character. “you know what i mean?”
He still references the 1978 film, quipping, “I’m one of those Thunderbirds who’s almost 55 years old. I’ll put a bubblegum cigarette behind my ear.”
Declaring himself a “greaseball” covered in WD40, he declared: “I’m going to keep oiling my head until it heals.”
O’Brien also praised Hillary Clinton for wearing a “huge…huge” hat at an event in June, saying: “She’s smart. She’s laughing at me right now.”
The former “Saturday Night Live” writer’s new work became a hot topic Monday among social media users, who likened Mr. O’Brien, who has ditched his usual pompadour, to a “Sopranos” actor and a used car salesman.
He reposted some of the funniest comments on his Instagram feed on Tuesday.
“Who doused Conan with water?” One person admitted, “It feels illegal to see Conan’s hair like this.”
O’Brien’s signature waves date back to his high school days, and he explained on “60 Minutes” in 2010 that he needed them as a “hook” to make it in Hollywood.
At the time, the former late-night host called the show “structurally sound” and told viewers, “If there’s an earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, please hide under my hair.”
