Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend XX
[0] Conan O 'Brien needs a fan.
[1] Want to talk to Conan?
[2] Visit team cocoa .com slash call Conan.
[3] Okay, let's get started.
[4] Hey, Brandon, meet Conan and Sona.
[5] Oh, David, Sona, and Jane Lynch.
[6] I love what you don't.
[7] You're here.
[8] Ah, nice.
[9] Fan bringing it in hot.
[10] That was some high heat you just threw.
[11] That came over the plate at 98 miles per hour.
[12] It was almost a swing and a mess.
[13] No, no, no. Brandon, uh, Very nice to meet you.
[14] And I understand you're a fan of the podcast.
[15] Thanks so much for contacting us.
[16] And, um, no problem.
[17] Curious, where are you calling us from?
[18] Where are you contacting us from?
[19] So I am from, uh, Georgetown, Ontario.
[20] It's about 45 minutes outside of Toronto.
[21] Oh, beautiful.
[22] Love it.
[23] Love it there.
[24] I love, uh, love Canada.
[25] Love Toronto.
[26] Love Vancouver.
[27] Uh, wonderful place.
[28] And of course, I'll give it up again, Canada, home to all the great comedic minds, in my opinion.
[29] So you have a lot of it.
[30] Absolutely.
[31] And Brandon, tell us a little bit about yourself.
[32] Uh, so, uh, by day, uh, help manage a pizza shop here in town.
[33] Okay.
[34] And by whenever someone says by day, I'm scared.
[35] Because it could mean murder.
[36] The part, you know what I mean?
[37] Most serial killers say by day, I do this and then, but well, they actually they don't say that at all.
[38] I was going to say you think they just confess at the end?
[39] Like he's going to say I murder.
[40] No. No. I'm doing some murder in.
[41] I'm, but I'm anxious.
[42] in.
[43] I'm anxious for the second part.
[44] So by day, you manage a pizza place.
[45] Yes, sir.
[46] And by night, I'm a paranormal investigator.
[47] Paranormal investigator.
[48] So paranormal investigator, meaning you are searching for clues, signs, or to make contact with ghosts?
[49] Is that correct?
[50] Ghost spirits, going into haunted locations, doing full -on investigations, using equipment and cameras and everything to try and see if we can end up getting some kind of proof of the paranormal, I guess you can say.
[51] Sure, because you're a paranormal investigator, yes.
[52] Let me ask you a quick question.
[53] I said ghost, but I prefer the term, although I think it's archaic ghoul.
[54] Does anyone use the term ghoul anymore?
[55] I just love ghoul.
[56] Just try and work that.
[57] Just Jordan Slansky.
[58] He's the only one who uses.
[59] I have ghouls.
[60] I love ghouls.
[61] So is there a difference between a ghost and a spirit, or is there no real difference?
[62] And not really.
[63] I mean, like, I usually like to use the term spirit because the way I think about it, it's like, where it's the past on version of what a living human person was.
[64] And, like, everybody's got their own spirit.
[65] They got their own soul.
[66] They got their own personality.
[67] And I think it's just a way that I end up transferring over to the afterlife.
[68] So I like to use the word spirit instead of just a ghost.
[69] I think those kind of a little gimmicky.
[70] The two I like, the two I like, as I said, are ghoul and specter.
[71] I like specter.
[72] Hello?
[73] Hello, Brandon.
[74] Did you go anywhere?
[75] Brandon?
[76] Is this thing on?
[77] You would be really bad as a paranormal.
[78] No, I would say, I would.
[79] Guys, what are we going to call them, guys?
[80] No, I would never spend any time looking at the equipment.
[81] All I'd be saying is, we've got to find a ghoul or a specter.
[82] That's all I do all the time.
[83] Oh, my God.
[84] But it is very hard for us to see, like it's very rare for us to see something.
[85] in person with our own eyes.
[86] I don't understand why that is.
[87] That's why infrared cameras and film photography cameras ends up coming into play because somehow it shows up a little easier that way.
[88] Yeah, I'm just curious, do you go on this mission alone or do you work with the team?
[89] Oh, hell no. Hell no, I'm not that brave.
[90] No, I actually got a team of about 10 people that I have with me. yeah um i've got well the thing is that we have like a youtube channel that we post uh some of our evidence if it's a good enough investigation onto so i got like a whole like team that's with me so who's in the team so yeah so there's myself um my so my co -creator uh her name is ashley uh i consult with her uh on things before i go into investigations but she can't do things uh in person anymore because she had a really hard time rebounding from investigations.
[91] Wait a minute.
[92] So Ashley was on your team, she's partner, and then she kind of had to step back.
[93] She still consults, but you're saying something happened on an investigation that made her have to step out?
[94] She's very sensitive to whatever's going on there.
[95] And she's, I've asked her, like, how long it takes for you to recover from an investigation?
[96] She said up to two weeks.
[97] What?
[98] Because she's just so physically drained.
[99] Can I tell you something, Brandon?
[100] Yeah.
[101] I hear from many of my employees.
[102] that after contact with me they need two weeks away from work paid to recover.
[103] And that's a common thing that I hear and I've often been described as having a spectral color to my face.
[104] Ghoulish.
[105] Ghoulish appearance.
[106] I would say so.
[107] Yeah, thank you.
[108] And he's an expert.
[109] He's an expert.
[110] Yeah, I'm a guy that likes to watch his ghoulish figure.
[111] And so what I'm saying...
[112] I can't be here anymore.
[113] That's going to take more than two weeks.
[114] You owe everybody.
[115] Eddie and Apollies.
[116] That's an old Munsters joke.
[117] Shout out to the Monsters.
[118] That's a great.
[119] Fred Gwyn.
[120] Anyway, my point is you've got Ashley.
[121] I hope she gets better soon.
[122] I'm sorry that she had a bad experience, but that's a rough gig talking to.
[123] It is.
[124] It's not for the faint of heart.
[125] Do you have uniforms?
[126] Yeah, do you have uniforms like the Ghostbusters?
[127] Yeah, that's all that's amazing.
[128] No, we don't have uniform.
[129] I mean, like, dress black for the most part, just for aesthetic, I guess.
[130] But then it's funny because my mom, who kind of got me a little bit into this stuff came into the fold to help replace Ashley as an investigator.
[131] Wait, I'm sorry, Brandon.
[132] Your mom is part of your ghost busting team?
[133] Yes.
[134] That's cool.
[135] I like that.
[136] I was going to, family business.
[137] Family business.
[138] Your mom, is she very intrepid?
[139] Is she very brave?
[140] Well, she's had to put up with me for about 30 years, so I would say so.
[141] Right.
[142] But I mean, there's some people who would be afraid to go, well, let's cut to the chase.
[143] You've got a crack team here.
[144] And you've got your equipment.
[145] I'm not sure what that is.
[146] You say the various cameras.
[147] Do you have any kind of electronic equipment that tells you, you know, if there's a special Oh.
[148] Oh, that's just a small suitcase.
[149] That's just a small suitcase.
[150] It just means that you have plenty of room in the overhead compartment.
[151] Yeah, no. I actually have like a piece of equipment here that actually measures like EMF.
[152] What's that?
[153] Okay, got it.
[154] Yeah.
[155] So.
[156] Can you hold it up to David and just hold it up.
[157] David, put your face near the camera.
[158] Yeah.
[159] Oh my God, that thing's off the charts.
[160] David, you do seem, you do seem like you're a little boy who lived about 200 years ago and died when he ate a peanut.
[161] Oh, he does have a bad.
[162] You know what?
[163] He looks good for his age if that's the case.
[164] Yeah, well, he's preserved.
[165] He'll never age.
[166] He'll be a boy forever.
[167] You're right.
[168] Cryogenic.
[169] It looks wonders.
[170] So you've got your electronic equipment and where do you go to find these at the risk of repeating myself, ghouls and specters.
[171] Yeah, we, so a lot of research goes into it.
[172] We go through online, we look at news articles throughout the province of Ontario, see if they have had any news stories on places that have had activity.
[173] And then also just a lot of going to the town, going through their libraries.
[174] Sometimes they have resources for old historical buildings.
[175] And we just kind of take a stab at that.
[176] But Brandon, let me ask you.
[177] And I, I, I, you know, I'm just trying to drill down here.
[178] You say you're looking for evidence and they've had some kind of occurrence, but what would that mean?
[179] Would it mean, you know, window panes rattling for no reason, toilets flushing on their own.
[180] Do you know what I mean?
[181] What would it mean?
[182] So people have to have sightings of apparitions.
[183] Apparitions.
[184] That's another good one.
[185] I love apparitions.
[186] They would have different poltergeist activity where things are moving on their own.
[187] voices or sounds being heard when they're the only ones in the room and there's no reason for that happening.
[188] Well, that's often means that you're insane, that you're having a...
[189] To most.
[190] And who knows?
[191] Maybe I am a little bit.
[192] No, no, not you, but I'm saying if you're by yourself and you hear voices, sometimes then that's when they medicate you.
[193] I've had periods like that, and then the medication set in.
[194] Or it might be the ghosts.
[195] Well, I prefer ghouls, apparitions, inspectors.
[196] Oh, God.
[197] We're adding to the list.
[198] Oh, God.
[199] Okay.
[200] And for the most part, with our students, it's definitely the ghouls inspectors with my expertise.
[201] I'm not qualified enough to end up doing the medicated areas.
[202] What is the scariest thing you've seen that you've witnessed yourself, Brandon?
[203] Who, the scariest thing I have seen.
[204] So the scariest event that I've had happened was at a location just outside of Niagara Falls.
[205] It is called the screaming tunnel.
[206] The screaming tunnel.
[207] I'm writing this down.
[208] Why?
[209] Just to look like I'm part of the investigation.
[210] So the place outside Niagara Falls is called the screaming tunnel.
[211] So a very long story, but the long and short of it is father ended up, legend says, a father did very unthinkable things to his daughter, ended up murdering her in the tunnel, and basically set her on fire.
[212] Jesus.
[213] So apparently if you go in that night, you light a match and you're supposed to hear the scream of the girl and the light goes out, the match goes out.
[214] Nope.
[215] But we've had, by the way, this story's a bit of a buzz kill.
[216] I mean, it's real dark.
[217] It's dark.
[218] What ghost stories are cheery and happy?
[219] When an old man's head gets chopped off, it's funny.
[220] Anything that happens to a kid is not funny.
[221] But like if an old man who's kind of a dick anyway gets his head lopped off, I'm laughing.
[222] And I'll go see that.
[223] Yeah.
[224] Unfortunately, this is the, this is what happened.
[225] if I chose.
[226] You know, and also, we can't choose the crimes.
[227] This terrible thing happened.
[228] The match goes out and then, and then that's, that, what?
[229] How do you get out of the tunnel once the match goes out?
[230] Well, most, most people end up running out, but not us.
[231] Oh.
[232] We tried, we tried the match, uh, match experiment.
[233] We didn't hear the scream.
[234] It went out, but that could have been a draft or something.
[235] Is it ever the screen, does the scream ever occur because you've held the match too long?
[236] And the person got a little hot in there.
[237] Yeah, no, that hasn't happened.
[238] but they end up hearing multiple voices from within the tunnel when we didn't see anybody there, but they were actually inching closer to us to the point where me and my partner Ashley had to grow.
[239] We had no idea what was happening.
[240] Hard pass.
[241] Okay.
[242] And you're certain you think that those voices were not other people in the tunnel.
[243] Those voices were.
[244] A hundred percent because we ended up having somebody on each end of the tunnel that were actually kind of watching and making sure nobody was trying to.
[245] uh, fiddle around with any kind of evidence we may have been getting or anything like that.
[246] Could you hear what the voices were saying?
[247] No, it was just like a, it was very mumbling.
[248] It was all jumbled up.
[249] Is it possible that if you listen to the tapes, you'd hear, enough with the matches.
[250] Enough with the matches.
[251] It's getting smoky and here.
[252] I'm suffocating.
[253] Yeah.
[254] Everybody comes with matches.
[255] And by, I'm sorry, the way, we prefer ghoul.
[256] I'm saying, no, we didn't end up getting any of that.
[257] We did end up getting a spirit telling one of my other investigators to get out on a voice recorder, but we didn't hear with our own ears.
[258] No, wow.
[259] Why do ghosts always say get out?
[260] Because they'll kill you.
[261] No, but how come no ghost?
[262] I would, I mean, when I'm a ghost, and I will be a ghoul at one point.
[263] You will.
[264] You're going to haunt everybody.
[265] No, but my thing is going to be like, come on in.
[266] Let's talk.
[267] I love to gab.
[268] That's scary, though.
[269] You have to realize that that is a scary thing for you to do.
[270] Oh, because people don't like talking to me?
[271] I also stop shouting.
[272] No, that's a scary thing for the other people to do.
[273] This is really riling me up because this is scary.
[274] This is scary stuff.
[275] And this is freaking me out.
[276] Okay.
[277] Have you learned anything?
[278] Do you ever feel compassion for these, I don't know, apparitions, specter's ghouls?
[279] Do you ever feel, I'm going to say it as many times as again, hey, if you're listening, count.
[280] The winner gets nothing.
[281] Have you had any...
[282] Yeah, go ahead.
[283] You're putting your hand up to stop me. He's counting.
[284] I got to count.
[285] That's five.
[286] No, no, no. Since this interview started, you're insane.
[287] I've gotten many more than that.
[288] Google's apparition.
[289] Anyway, so, have you ever had compassion for one of these necromanic citizens of the other realm?
[290] I wouldn't say, I want to say compassion.
[291] What I will say is I have more more of a comfort, I would say, for when I pass away to at least have the idea that maybe there is something else that we go to after the physical life.
[292] So like we're not, our energy, our spirit and everything is not dead.
[293] It's just a physical machine that's operating our skin vessel, as Ashley would end up calling it.
[294] I had a girlfriend once that called me a skin vessel and not as a compliment Brandon I don't know myself I'm not sure I need there to be another realm it's going to get a little heavy but I don't want to just be hanging around in caves you know waiting for people to light a match or I don't want to be roaming around an old motel bothering people or rattling teacups I might be okay with the concept of just So, like, this madness stops.
[295] So what I'm hearing is Conan would rather be a shit disturber in life, but not really in death.
[296] Yes.
[297] What I'm saying is I think I've haunted many people in my, and continue to in my lifetime, in my lifespan.
[298] And the idea that that would stop is maybe okay, not just for me, but maybe for the world.
[299] I think so.
[300] I think we'd be fine with you just leaving.
[301] You're happy with my death.
[302] You know what?
[303] Just die.
[304] we're good eventually the truth would come out so now yeah it took nothing for you to say no she's fine with it much the most honest friend i have but um brandon this is uh this is interesting work that you've chosen now i ask i want to get back to the first thing you told us which is by day you manage a pizza shop are there ever moments where you're skills as a manager of a pizza shop come into play when you're dealing with ghoul's apparitions inspectors.
[305] When I see a past co -worker that haunted me while working there that comes in, there's that where I have a flashback experience.
[306] But in terms of my actual workings within the shop, no, not yet.
[307] I will tell you this.
[308] If I do pass into the spirit realm, the realm of ghoul's apparitions inspectors.
[309] I do, I'm all up from the beginning.
[310] I will, the one thing that will lure me will not be lit matches or a rattle cup or someone holding a seance.
[311] A really good pizza marinera would lure me. Thin crust, that would lure me to any location.
[312] And so I'm wondering why spirits aren't attracted to just amazing food and a glass of Pinot Noir.
[313] Maybe like an Oregon Pinot.
[314] Could they smell it?
[315] I think they should be.
[316] Yeah.
[317] But I would just like to be around it, you know, and then maybe I could become part of the pizza.
[318] What?
[319] I love pizza that much.
[320] You want people to eat you as a pizza?
[321] Yeah, that's right.
[322] Wait, what?
[323] Why did you say it like that?
[324] I don't know.
[325] I thought it could be sexual, but I don't think it is.
[326] Anyway, Brandon, Brandon, do you have a question?
[327] You have a question for us.
[328] Let's not encourage my perversion.
[329] But that is my kink that I one day become a spirit pizza.
[330] And that, um.
[331] So, Brandon, Back to that question you had for Conan.
[332] That's my kank, ladies.
[333] Oh, God.
[334] We'll become a pizza bag.
[335] Well, my question for Conan is, it's all steaming.
[336] When he passes out, oh, greasy.
[337] So when you pass away.
[338] And we hope it's not for a long, long time.
[339] We hope.
[340] I'm saying when he dies, I just want him to die.
[341] You don't want him to haunt you.
[342] That's a Hallmark card they haven't made yet.
[343] When you die, I just want you to die.
[344] And then there's a $5 bill in there.
[345] You're a grandmother.
[346] What's you got there?
[347] What's your question there?
[348] Bingo.
[349] I'm going to call you a bingo, Brandon, for no reason at all.
[350] Oh, my God.
[351] I'll take that.
[352] So my question is, when you do end up passing on, you go on to the other life.
[353] And you, obviously, you have your kids.
[354] Hopefully you out, your kids outlive you.
[355] But if you, when you pass away, what the fuck are you talking about?
[356] Yes, I want my children to live for hundreds of years after me. That's not the question.
[357] But what different antics would you end up pulling on your loved ones as a ghost, but making it unique enough where they absolutely know that it's you?
[358] Oh, they're going to know it's me. Yeah.
[359] I mean, my bits are just classic Conan material.
[360] And that's a trademarked phrase, by the way, classic Conan.
[361] So I just know that they're going to know, I'm going to be a very obvious ghost.
[362] I'm not going to do subtle stuff, right?
[363] I'm trying to think of what you, like, if you took a remote control and it just suddenly was in the place of where your mouth would be, then I could hear you going, hey, I'm remote control mustache guy.
[364] Yeah, exactly.
[365] That's a good bit.
[366] And I'd be like, that's Conan.
[367] He's haunting me. It's not a good bit, though.
[368] It's not that funny.
[369] You're going to knock your bun out for sure.
[370] Oh, you know what I would do?
[371] Yes.
[372] I love to, sometimes I see Sona and she's got her beautiful hair, beautiful hair that's all piled up together into a bun.
[373] and maybe seen a brush or a comb sometime in the last year or so.
[374] Anyway, what I like to do is I'd like to take a swat at that bun and it explodes and the whole bun comes apart and it's funny to me. Or if I'm eating something and it suddenly just flies out of my hand, I'll be like, Conan's here.
[375] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[376] Like I, my favorite thing is when she's really enjoying a donut and she holds it out a little too far from her face.
[377] I can sometimes swat it and it goes flying across the room.
[378] And everyone in the room, this is the environment where we work.
[379] Everyone laughs.
[380] Yeah, I know.
[381] You did it with her popcorn.
[382] when she walked in here.
[383] Yeah, maybe I did, maybe I didn't.
[384] You did.
[385] That could have been a spirit, or a ghoul, or a specter.
[386] We saw you do it.
[387] Or an apparition.
[388] No. Well, that's what I would do.
[389] I do those kind of antics, and I wouldn't be subtle.
[390] I don't like subtle ghosts.
[391] No. You know what I mean?
[392] You got to play to the back row when you're a ghost.
[393] Or a ghoul.
[394] Or an apparition or a specter.
[395] I'm telling you again, folks, listens to the very beginning.
[396] Count up all mentions of ghoul apparition and specter.
[397] Give us the total and you'll win nothing.
[398] Brandon, it's been a delight talking to you.
[399] And give my best to you.
[400] To your mom.
[401] Tell Ashley, I hope she recovers soon.
[402] And yeah, I just, I just wish you well in your journeys and your adventures.
[403] And I hope you crack this case.
[404] I hope you find us a real ghoul or apparition respecter.
[405] I hope so too.
[406] And if you're ever in the area, I would love to end up getting you and Sona on an investigation with us.
[407] Very nice.
[408] I'm busy.
[409] I'm busy.
[410] She's scared.
[411] She's scared.
[412] But you know what?
[413] I am very scared.
[414] But you know what?
[415] I don't know what fear is.
[416] So I'll see you there.
[417] Conan's going to go do bids for the girl in the tunnel.
[418] Hey, little girl.
[419] Look at this bit.
[420] All right.
[421] Thank you very much, Brandon.
[422] Take care.
[423] Thanks, brother.
[424] Thank you.
[425] Bye.
[426] Bye, guys.
[427] Conan O 'Brien needs a friend.
[428] With Conan O 'Brien, Sonam of Sessian, and Matt Goreley.
[429] Produced by me, Matt Goreley.
[430] Executive produced by Adam Sacks, Nick Leow, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Earwolf.
[431] Theme song by The White Stripes.
[432] Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino.
[433] Take it away, Jimmy.
[434] Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair, and our associate talent producer is Jennifer Samples.
[435] Engineering by Eduardo Perez, additional production support by Mars Melnick, talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista, and Britt Kahn.
[436] You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, and you might find your review read on a future episode.
[437] Got a question for Conan?
[438] Call the Team Coco hotline at 669 -587 -2847 and leave a message.
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[442] This has been a Team Coco production in association with Earwolf.