New, anecdotal evidence (we use the term loosely here) shows Conan O'Brien must really love Detroit.
It became clear Monday night with a performance by Detroit's own electro-pop duo, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., on Conan's show.
The Jr. Jr.s, a combination of the talents of Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, rocked "Simple Girl" with a backing string quartet. Though their 2011 record It's A Corporate World recently won the honor of sixth best album of the year from Paste Magazine, this was the duo's first national television appearance.
But another, approximately 3-inch-tall, guest on the 'Conan' set really drove home the Detroit love: a nightlight of O'Brien's face.
Made by Carey Gustafson, who owns the Ferndale-based studio Glass Action, the stained glass light is part of her "weirdo pop culture" line, which she's been working on since 2005. It has the distinguished honor of ranking in the top three among pieces in the COCO MoCA, the online Museum of Conan Art.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.'s Epstein encouraged Gustafson to give him a nightlight to bring to the late night host. We can only take O'Brien's thanks, and willingness to pose for multiple pictures with the nightlight, as a stamp of approval.
Conan's Detroit appreciation is no new phenomenon. Jack White, who just released a single from his first solo album, "Blunderbuss," was the first musical guest on "Conan" in 2010. White also produced two of Conan's comedy albums with his record label Third Man Records.