Giddy off

Many of my childhood beliefs have been shaken, but there’s one that holds firm:

If you suffer a bruise, you show the bruise.

On this Conan and I agree.

O’Brien fell off a water buffalo — of all things — while rehearsing a bit for a visit from animal expert David Mizejewski Tuesday night. Conan hit the stage floor hard…and the bit didn’t make the live show.

But the bruise on his thigh sure did.

Wednesday night Conan dropped trou and displayed the enormous purple souvenir of his not-so-smart ride for all to see. The studio audience. The band. Andy Richter. And oh yeah…

All the folks at home watching on TV.

At first glance you might think, “Geez, Conan — will you stop at nothing to get a laugh?” But I understand that, in this case, it goes beyond comedy –

He suffered the bruise. He shows the bruise.

It’s as simple and as complicated as that.