Conan O’Brien Must Go: Spain Roundtable Discussion

Summary

Conan O’Brien Must Go: Spain Roundtable Discussion – Episode Summary

Release Date: May 8, 2025
Podcast: Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Hosts: Team Coco & Earwolf

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Introduction

In the "Conan O’Brien Must Go: Spain Roundtable Discussion" episode of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, Conan O’Brien delves into the behind-the-scenes experiences of his latest travel series season, focusing on the inaugural episode set in Madrid, Spain. Joined by longtime collaborator Mike Sweeney, the discussion offers listeners an intimate look at the production process, memorable interactions with celebrity guest Javier Bardem, and the vibrant culture of Madrid.

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Returning to Travel Series and Meeting Javier Bardem

[01:28] Conan O’Brien
Conan introduces the episode by announcing the return of his travel series with season two kicking off with Spain. He expresses excitement about filming alongside Mike Sweeney, his "right-hand guy" in the various iterations of his travel shows.

[03:24] Conan O’Brien
Conan shares his anticipation of starring alongside Javier Bardem, highlighting Bardem’s energy and enthusiasm for the project.

“He had this Zorba-like energy to keep doing more. And, man, did he dive in. He's the star of the show. He's great.” — [06:15]

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Production Insights: Planning and Execution

[11:01] Mike Sweeney
Mike discusses the meticulous planning involved in producing the travel episodes, emphasizing the importance of research and pre-planning to accommodate improvisation during filming.

“We do a lot of research. We have meetings where we'll talk about where we can go and what we can do, but we always keep our eyes open for little silly folderol along the way.” — [11:14]

[13:32] Conan O’Brien
Conan elaborates on the balance between scripting and improvisation, likening it to executing a play in football. He credits the editing team for shaping the final product.

“Sometimes it falls apart and you have to do something else in the moment. And sometimes that ends up being fantastic, sometimes it doesn’t.” — [25:52]

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Memorable Moments in Madrid

[06:43] Conan O’Brien
Conan recounts a heartfelt moment when Javier Bardem received a FaceTime call from his wife Penelope during their visit to the Prado Museum, showcasing Bardem’s down-to-earth nature.

“The phone had this glow that I don't think iPhones are supposed to have, only when Penelope's and I. So that made me more nervous about wasting his time.” — [09:04]

[20:37] Blay
Blay, a member of the production team, shares his admiration for Bardem’s humility and interactions with the crew.

“Bardem was down to earth and generous. Like he was hanging out and knew all the crew members' names.” — [20:07]

[21:28] Conan O’Brien
Conan describes visiting the historic Botin restaurant, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world, highlighting its rich history and significance.

“The oven has been stayed lit since it was open in 1727.” — [20:44]

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Interactions with Fans and Crew

[22:18] Mike Sweeney
Mike emphasizes the importance of engaging with fans, noting that the show's fan base is composed of funny, smart, and improvisational individuals.

“They're really fueled by... funny people.” — [22:18]

[19:33] Blay
Blay praises the episode for seamlessly integrating various facets of Conan’s career, from late-night antics to meaningful conversations with fans.

“It really feels like you've tied together the whole spectrum of your career.” — [19:33]

[24:02] Blay
Blay shares a personal anecdote about a photo from his early days interning for Conan, illustrating the deep connections within the Team Coco family.

“There's a photo of me in my dorm room two years before I started interning for you.” — [24:02]

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Humorous Anecdotes and Improvisation

[26:19] Conan O’Brien
Conan reminisces about filming in Finland near the Arctic Circle, humorously recalling the challenges of adapting to unpredictable environments.

“We’re in a tundra. There is, you know, so yes, there are times where you're with Javier Bardem... And then there are other times where I've been placed literally on an ice flow.” — [28:08]

[29:35] Mike Sweeney
Mike highlights one of his favorite jokes from the episode, urging listeners to watch for the "outstanding side of the Museum of Ham."

“It is my favorite joke.” — [29:28]

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Closing Remarks and Anticipation

[29:52] Conan O’Brien
Conan wraps up the discussion by expressing pride in the episode and encouraging listeners to check out the Spain installment of the travel series upon its release.

“That's our highest praise. That's the ringing endorsement for me.” — [29:52]

[29:59] Blay
Blay concludes by reiterating his support and excitement for the episode, highlighting the collaborative effort that went into its creation.

“It's really cool. I've kept it from you, but, yeah, it's really cool.” — [24:15]

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Conclusion

The "Conan O’Brien Must Go: Spain Roundtable Discussion" episode offers a comprehensive and entertaining glimpse into the making of Conan’s travel series, showcasing the blend of meticulous planning and spontaneous humor that defines the show. Through engaging stories about Javier Bardem, the rich cultural backdrop of Madrid, and heartfelt interactions with fans, Conan and his team deliver an episode that is both informative and delightfully humorous. Fans of Conan and travel enthusiasts alike will find this discussion both insightful and entertaining, making it a must-listen upon its release.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• “He had this Zorba-like energy to keep doing more. And, man, did he dive in. He's the star of the show. He's great.” — Conan O’Brien [06:15]

• “We do a lot of research. We have meetings where we'll talk about where we can go and what we can do, but we always keep our eyes open for little silly folderol along the way.” — Mike Sweeney [11:14]

• “Sometimes it falls apart and you have to do something else in the moment. And sometimes that ends up being fantastic, sometimes it doesn’t.” — Conan O’Brien [25:52]

• “The phone had this glow that I don't think iPhones are supposed to have, only when Penelope's and I. So that made me more nervous about wasting his time.” — Conan O’Brien [09:04]

• “Bardem was down to earth and generous. Like he was hanging out and knew all the crew members' names.” — Blay [20:07]

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This summary encapsulates the essence of the episode, highlighting key discussions and memorable moments while providing context and attribution for significant quotes. Whether you’re a long-time listener or new to Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, this summary offers a comprehensive overview of the "Spain Roundtable Discussion" episode.

Transcript

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[Conan O'Brien]

You know, it's nice to have friends who are supportive of what you're into.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, it is.

[Conan O'Brien]

Whether it's hip hop, country mashups, or the latest indie comedy flick, they're just down with what you want at that moment. Yeah, well, like those friends, State Farm is there. I didn't see that coming. State Farm is there to help you feel supported by helping you choose coverage. Yeah, it's just like choosing coverage, you know, with so many options, it's nice knowing you have help finding what fits for you.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah.

[Conan O'Brien]

So you can check coverage off the list and spend time laughing with friends at the movies or whatever else you're into. Maybe going to a rodeo. Just thought of that. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.

[Sona Movsesian]

Conan o' Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Conan? Visit teamcoco.com ko call Conan. Okay, let's get started.

[Conan O'Brien]

Hey, Conan O' Brien here. And we are doing something a little different today. My Max travel series is back. And the first episode, this is the second season. First episode drops. That's what the kids say on May 8th. We're taping this in 1978 and I haven't even started high school yet. Sitting in with us is a special guest. He's been with me many, many years. And he has been with me on every single travel show. And his name is Mike Sweeney.

[Mike Sweeney]

Hi, Conan.

[Conan O'Brien]

Good to see you.

[Mike Sweeney]

Hi, Sona. Hi, Matt.

[Conan O'Brien]

Hi, Mike. And I will point out you are a fan fave. They do like it when Mike Sweeney graces our presence.

[Mike Sweeney]

It's the first time hearing that room fave.

[Conan O'Brien]

I like room favor. Yeah, I went a little crazy on Fanface and I have to say we started out many, many, many years ago. And in my early iterations of the travel shows, you were always with me. And then it just became you were my right hand guy on those shows and all the different iterations. Conan without Borders.

[Mike Sweeney]

Conan without Borders.

[Conan O'Brien]

Oh, we did. How many of those did we do?

[Mike Sweeney]

Thirteen.

[Conan O'Brien]

Thirteen countries. And then we started doing these for Max and they were called and are called Conan o' Brien Must go. And we did four last year and we have the second season dropping. It starts today.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes.

[Conan O'Brien]

And let's just talk about Spain because Spain is the first show.

[Mike Sweeney]

Correct.

[Conan O'Brien]

This is not a police interview. You shouldn't do this. Continue, continue.

[Mike Sweeney]

You're being recorded.

[Sona Movsesian]

I don't recall.

[Conan O'Brien]

I don't recall.

[Mike Sweeney]

You still don't want your attorney with you? Okay, go ahead. Spain.

[Conan O'Brien]

Spain. We went to Spain. We went to Madrid. And that episode drops today. We have a special guest star on that episode. And I'm just going to say it. It's Javier Bardem. Man.

[Mike Sweeney]

I thought it was me. It was Javier Bardem.

[Conan O'Brien]

I was disappointed.

[Jesse Gaskell]

It's Javier Bardem.

[Conan O'Brien]

Now, there are two other writer producers who were unable to join us for this session. When I say unable, I didn't invite them.

[Mike Sweeney]

Right. Probably because of the 10 minutes notice before.

[Conan O'Brien]

Exactly. Yeah. We just decided to do this.

[Mike Sweeney]

Right. Oh, my God. It drops today.

[Conan O'Brien]

Sweetie's here. Let's get him in, guys. What's up? Jose Arroyo and Jesse Gaskell, who are brilliant writers and funny and helped put this whole thing together. Invaluable. They're not with us today, but I think you can fill the bill.

[Mike Sweeney]

They were extra invaluable in Spain because, well, Jose grew up in Spain and. And Jesse grew up all over the world and is very fluent in Spanish as well.

[Conan O'Brien]

So, yeah, very helpful. And of course, I, too.

[Mike Sweeney]

And you were. Have a knack for Spanish.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, have a knack.

[Mike Sweeney]

He's good at it.

[Sona Movsesian]

You.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes, you have.

[Conan O'Brien]

You can get your way to him.

[Sona Movsesian]

And I think sometimes he talks. You talk. You speak very quickly.

[Conan O'Brien]

Oh, you have to speak very quickly.

[Mike Sweeney]

If you need to go to a library or.

[Conan O'Brien]

Excuse me. La bibliothec.

[Mike Sweeney]

Right. Or you want to order an apple at a restaurant. Conan is your guy.

[Conan O'Brien]

An apple and Una. It depends. I like a male apple.

[Mike Sweeney]

A male masculine apple.

[Conan O'Brien]

What kind of apple?

[Mike Sweeney]

I'll bite into a big meaty stem.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yeah. Give me that. So. Oh, my gosh. Please stop. But I. Let's talk about. Let's talk about the. The Spain episode. This is something that people are going to be able to watch. It's.

[Mike Sweeney]

I know. We'll talk about it eventually.

[Conan O'Brien]

Well, we're going to get into it right now. Jesus, what a deal.

[Mike Sweeney]

I'm a fan fave. I can do whatever I want.

[Conan O'Brien]

You are D.W. dickens.

[Mike Sweeney]

You should not have told me I was a fan fave. That was.

[Conan O'Brien]

I made it up to try and grease the skids.

[Mike Sweeney]

All right, I'll go back to my regular. Go ahead.

[Conan O'Brien]

Spain.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes.

[Conan O'Brien]

Madrid. I thought this was a wonderful trip. I had never been to Madrid before. And we went. Of course, the premise of the show is people Call in from around the world. They zoom in. I chat with them. You can hear those during the week. Those drop on the Conan o' Brien needs a fan episodes. But we noticed that we had a couple of fans in Madrid, and we decided to go and visit them and get involved in their lives.

[Mike Sweeney]

And we have three fans in this episode.

[Conan O'Brien]

Three fans.

[Mike Sweeney]

Which is one more than usual, because they were all.

[Conan O'Brien]

I'm gonna say four. Cause I think Javier.

[Mike Sweeney]

Well, Javier is a big fan.

[Conan O'Brien]

Oh, and can I tell you something about Javier? Or Javier, Is that he. We were so worried. He's a huge star, and he's always been lovely when he's come on the show, when he's come on the podcast. I adore this guy. And he's universally beloved for his talent and his incredible looks and his magnetism and his machismo. But. So I was concerned about, oh, my God, you know, I fuck around during these shows.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes.

[Conan O'Brien]

I gotta kind of keep it together. I don't want to waste his time. And I kept saying to Javier, okay, we've done one or two things if you need to get going. And he was like, nonsense, Conan. Yes, we must continue onward. There's more to do. And he had this, like. He had this Zorba like, energy to keep doing more. And, man, did he dive in. He's the star of the show. He's great.

[Mike Sweeney]

The whole week we check back in with him and be like. Because he's not TV. TV's great. What a medium. But he's a movie star.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yes.

[Mike Sweeney]

He was like. He was like handling plutonium. We're like, oh, my God. And so when we're with a TV.

[Conan O'Brien]

Star, we will waste their goddamn time like you wouldn't believe. I don't care what tier you're on in television, it doesn't matter. I will cover you in caramel. I'll waste weeks of your time. But if you've made it in the movie biz, in film, no, I respect that.

[Mike Sweeney]

Cinema and bilingual. He's a master of the Spanish cinema as well as now the English language. So he. We'd be like, are you sure? Because also, it was physically demanding, the things. And we were going to shoot with Javier Bardem.

[Conan O'Brien]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Sweeney]

And he was like. He finally just was like, listen, I am yours for the day. I will go start. And we started at 7am At 7am we met him at the Prado Museum. They would only let us in before they opened their doors, so. And right through till the evening, he was.

[Conan O'Brien]

He's my hero.

[Mike Sweeney]

Our last Day there, too.

[Conan O'Brien]

Love that guy. And I have to say, one of the highlights for me was we're in the Prado, and we're taking the escalator down onto the next shoot. And his cell phone rings, and he looks down, and he's getting a FaceTime message from his beautiful wife, Penelope. Penelope. And he's like, oh, hello, my love. And she's like, hello. And I'm standing next to him on an escalator. And I was like, huh? He's like, I'm with Conan. He said, I'm with Conan. And she goes like, oh, hello. And I just. I'm like, hi. And talk about.

[Mike Sweeney]

Well, they have kids, so that wasn't a big deal.

[Conan O'Brien]

She's. I mean, even on an iPhone, FaceTime, she's the most beautiful woman in the world. The phone had this glow that I don't think iPhones are supposed to have, only when Penelope's and I. So that made me more nervous about wasting his time. Yes. Because he could choose, right? Well, actually, no. Penelope was out of the country. I accused him of. I said, I thought Penelope was going to be here. And he said, oh, she had to be out of the country. And I said, admit it. Admit it.

[Mike Sweeney]

Right down the block.

[Conan O'Brien]

Admit it. She, quote, had to be out of the country when you told her you'd be with Conan o' Brien for the day. Because I believe what happened. But no, they're. They're.

[Mike Sweeney]

He was more than enough, though.

[Conan O'Brien]

Good God.

[Mike Sweeney]

For me.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Mike Sweeney]

No, he was.

[Conan O'Brien]

Take it easy.

[Mike Sweeney]

He was incredible.

[Conan O'Brien]

But also, it wasn't all about Javier. Madrid was spectacular. And I have to say, I always play in the back of my head with, where could I live? Is a game I play. Where could I live? And Madrid did seem like a city that I could live in.

[Mike Sweeney]

It's a cool city.

[Conan O'Brien]

Not that they would welcome me, but I thought, oh, the architecture is beautiful. The food is fantastic. The people are very warm. I kind of know the language enough to get to the Bibliotheca. So I came away very impressed with Madrid. And we have a lot of silliness in the show.

[Mike Sweeney]

A lot of silliness. A lot of silliness. Three fans, they were all great.

[Conan O'Brien]

And again, I'm sticking to my credo, which is, I know there are a lot of travel shows out there. I do not want to educate anybody in any way. In fact, success. I want you to know less about the country afterwards. All I care about is if you laugh. And I think. I'd like to think we did that this Season.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes. It was a really fun episode.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yeah. If you have pre existing knowledge of Madrid, it will be gone after you watch the show. This is like a protein that eats away at the brain.

[Jose Arroyo]

I have a question as an outsider.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes.

[Jose Arroyo]

How much stuff, like the ratio of what you shoot? Cause a lot of it is found in the moment and improvised. Do you guys end up distilling down and using like, what's the fair?

[Conan O'Brien]

And hats off to Mike Sweeney and Jose Arroyo and Jesse Gaskell. Do a lot of research. And then we have meetings where they'll talk about, we can go here, we can go there. Different. First of all, there's the fans and what we're gonna do with them. But there's a lot of stuff we think up beforehand that they think up beforehand and we have talks about it. So the best shows are the ones where we're always going in with a plan and then we're keeping our eyes open for little silly folderol along the way that we're gonna find. But there's no way you could improvise this and go from location to location to location and have it work out. It would never happen in a million years. So the work that Mike and Jose and Jesse do is invaluable. They're creating this sort of a script without an order. Cause we don't know what the order's gonna be till we get into editing. But they do a lot of footwork before we go to the country. And then Jason Chalemi is.

[Mike Sweeney]

Well, Jason finds our local fixers in every country.

[Conan O'Brien]

Jason finds. Yeah. I mean, since the very beginning. Jason started as an intern on the late night show. And here it is. I mean, this is shortly after the end of the Civil War and we hired him via telegraph and he still.

[Mike Sweeney]

And he produces everything in the field, everything on the ground. And it's my favorite. One of my favorite things is when we zero in on potential countries. So he'll call, you know, Spain, he'll call the fixers there and he'll talk to two or three fixers. The people that arrangers. There's a registry of television producers. Or he'll get recommendations.

[Conan O'Brien]

I see.

[Mike Sweeney]

And he has this. I always like talking to him because he has this unerring sense of it. And he's like, I talked to three people. I got a really good sense. I really good feeling about, you know.

[Conan O'Brien]

Second one.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yes. And he's always. They're always great.

[Jose Arroyo]

Wow.

[Conan O'Brien]

I mean, Mother's Day is coming. It's a special time. I remember the time I made my mom, breakfast in bed. And I brought it to her and then I spilled it on her lap. Oh, the orange juice went everywhere. Flapjacks were flying. I really screwed up. She never forgave me. Sorry, Mom. It's hard to find a gift for a mom because what do you give a superhero? Macy's gonna help you give the gift of luxury at a great price with makeup and fragrance sets or skin care products from the brand everyone loves. Like, I don't know, I'm just gonna couple off the top of my head, Lancome, Clinique, Estee Lauder. Macy's has the fashion too. Of course, you'll be able to find just the right clothing, shoes and accessories to match whatever style of mom you have in your life. With all the best brands and newness for the season in stores now, it's the perfect time to head to Macy's. What kind of mom are you? Are you fancy mom? Cool mom? Laid back mom? Biker mom?

[Sona Movsesian]

I'm definitely a cool mom.

[Conan O'Brien]

I don't know, you're kind of a nerd mom.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, I'm a nerd mom? Coming from you.

[Conan O'Brien]

Wow, you got your glasses. They're taped up in the middle. I just made a robot in the garage. So make a Mother's Day. This Mother's Day, let Macy's be your guide to gifting. For Mother's Day, shop now online or in store. Oh, those Sweet James billboards are everywhere. You know, everywhere I drive I see, I see them all over. They're everywhere. I've crashed into a few of them. They're hard to avoid. And then I call Sweet James. Yeah, that works out. No, it sounds like I'm joking around and I probably am. But the work they do is pretty serious. When you're hurt in an accident, insurance companies that promise to protect you will try to deny your claim or pay you the least amount possible. We all know that. Sweet James Accident Attorney is a world class law firm with over 25 years of experience taking on billion dollar insurance companies on behalf of their injured clients. And winning. They've recovered over $1.5 billion for injured accident victims with a 98% winning record. That's crazy. That's a high percent. I wish my name was Sweet James. My life would have been different. Sweet Conan. Yeah. Having the right attorney by your side after you've been hurt in a car, a truck or motorcycle accident can mean the difference between $2,000 and $2,000,000. Sweet James have some of the best attorneys in the country. They've been awarded best attorneys In America. I mean, I've never won that award. Well, you're not an attorney. I know. That's probably the reason. Yeah. If you're hurt in an accident, call Sweet James at 809 million. 809 million. Or visit sweetjames.com oh, man. I do a lot of traveling.

[Sona Movsesian]

You know that.

[Conan O'Brien]

I do the travel shows. Nothing quite like the feeling of an upgrade when you're traveling. Well, as a T Mobile customer, you can take the perks with you. That's good. Isn't that nice? It starts the moments you take off with free inflight WI Fi so you can stream your favorite show on the go. Obviously that would be this show, I would think.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. You. You go in a plane and then you stream your podcast.

[Conan O'Brien]

If I'm anxious about a flight, the thing that calms me is seeing myself. And then when you land, T Mobile's got you covered with 15% off all Hilton brands. Did you know that?

[Sona Movsesian]

No.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yep. Plus you're covered with 5 gigabytes, count them, 5 of high speed data in over 215 countries and destinations with Go 5G or next plans. And I have to tell you, it's a nice feeling. When I travel the globe for my travel work, I like to know that when I land in that other country, I'm covered. I'm there. I can text you and say, hey, I got here safely. I forgot to feed my cat. Could you feed my cat? You could remind me I don't have a cat.

[Sona Movsesian]

Right.

[Conan O'Brien]

It's all good stuff.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. You FaceTimed me before. From another country. And it was crisp. She was clear.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yep. You could see every mark on my face. Find out how you can experience travel better@t mobile.com Travel qualifying plan required Wi Fi where available on select US airlines terms and conditions apply. I went to a party recently. Was a rager by my friend Rodman.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Conan O'Brien]

He had the. He had the tunes bumping. It was really fun and it was special to me because when you get together with good friends, good chums, amigos, pals from the past.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah.

[Conan O'Brien]

Celebrating important occasions means more moments with the coolest people in your life. For me, that's got to be Rodman.

[Sona Movsesian]

So many cool people.

[Conan O'Brien]

So many cool. So cool. They do. I have the coolest friends. Cheers to 50 years of Miller Lite. The greatest tasting light beer for people who Love beer since 1974. Five.

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah.

[Conan O'Brien]

You know what I say? I say it's Miller time. I do. It's the 50th anniversary of Miller Light. Did you know that I didn't. So many times whether I've been out at sea.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, okay, yeah.

[Conan O'Brien]

You know, on someone's yacht. And I'll crack open a Miller Light. Or whether I'm scaling a volcano. Oh yeah, it's about to erupt. Cuz that's the best time to see a volcano when you can feel the tremors. And I crack open a Miller Light. Miller Light. That's what I'm talking about. It's great taste. It's 96 calories. And I did a study myself. It is 96 calories. Go to millerlight.comconan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some mirror light pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Jose Arroyo]

So when you have someone like Bardem in there, you're saying like you don't want to waste his time. But he's so fun loving, do you find yourself going like, let's just mess with this off the cuff or more.

[Conan O'Brien]

He's such a funny improviser. I mean, you could tell when he was here on the podcast. So there's stuff in the park, there's tons of improvising. There's just improvising where I'm, you know, I came up through improv and I'm improvising with this guy who's as good an improviser as anyone I've worked with. And we're mirror. There's a scene where we're mirroring each other, like taking little mini cues off each other to act who can be the stupidest. And he'll never work in this town again after this thing. And a quick shout out too because he's there for all of these is Blay.

[Mike Sweeney]

Blay. Of course.

[Conan O'Brien]

Blay comes along and does a heroic job on all of the social media stuff. Well, give us your take. Blay on Madrid.

[Blay]

Heroic is very kind. Thank you.

[Conan O'Brien]

No, I know, I just said heroic. The minute I said it, I knew it was a mistake.

[Blay]

Exactly. Madrid was what a wonderful town. And everyone was so nice and I think that it had such a cool vibe, which was really great. Bardem was. Couldn't have been more down to earth and generous. Like he was hanging out and knew all the crew members names which would.

[Conan O'Brien]

Just hang out, which I don't. First of all, frankly, I don't know your names. You're all wearing name tags.

[Mike Sweeney]

He did my laundry. I brought his laundry. I missed the Drop at the hotel. And I was like, you know, you kind of live in the town. I assume you have a washer.

[Jose Arroyo]

Dryer.

[Conan O'Brien]

Amazing guy in the episode. You can see it. But Javier takes me to the oldest restaurant in the world, the oldest restaurant in Botin, which is. And it's been in continuous since 1727.

[Blay]

The oven has been stayed lit since it was open in, like, the 7800. Goya used to wash dishes there.

[Conan O'Brien]

Goya washed dishes there.

[Blay]

Hemingway had his own corner that he used to go and hang out there, which is.

[Conan O'Brien]

But the idea that the. The oven has been on since 17.

[Mike Sweeney]

Even during COVID They went in specifically to keep it going.

[Jose Arroyo]

Really?

[Conan O'Brien]

Yeah. And that kept Covid going. Covid had just about died out worldwide.

[Mike Sweeney]

1725, I was off by two years. The food is very good. They're famous for their suckling pig. And so there's an actual room where they're mass cooking suckling pigs. And they're all up on these little plates all around this room where they get re. They kind of heat them up again right before they go out. So I have to say, that room was amazing.

[Conan O'Brien]

One of the things that drives these episodes are the fans. And we are blessed that this goes for people I meet on the street all the time. But our fan base, they're routinely very nice people who are also funny and smart and natural improvisers. That seems to be our fan base, which is a lucky thing because all the fans in Spain are very funny and they've got good ideas and they're great at. Yes. And the rules of improv. And that goes for these travel shows. They're just, they're really fueled by. I'm interested in people and I like to talk to funny people. And we have this constant stream of funny fans.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yeah, they're all very charming. Yeah, well, you know, a lot of the leg work's done when you talk to your fans here on the podcast. So we all get a really good. I mean, you know, like in Spain, Bruno the airplane pilot.

[Conan O'Brien]

Do you remember him?

[Mike Sweeney]

Well, so then it's kind of like, uh, duh, let's go visit Bruno.

[Jose Arroyo]

Wasn't he, like, really dashing or something?

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, he was such a handsome pilot.

[Conan O'Brien]

Well, guess what? I'm his co pilot. No, actually, he's my co pilot.

[Mike Sweeney]

He's your co.

[Conan O'Brien]

I outrank him because I, I, we made up a uniform that has one more stripe than him. Literally just put an extra stripe on mine so I could order him around. But I, I'm flying. I'M in the cockpit with him, and it's, it's. He's terrific. He's great.

[Mike Sweeney]

He was unflappable. Yeah, he, he was a good advertisement for, for him as a pilot. He was very large and in charge.

[Conan O'Brien]

If he can handle me in the cockpit, you know, he can handle any low pressure system that suddenly arises.

[Blay]

I have to say one thing, which is, I think as a fan, my favorite thing about Conan o' Brien Must Go is it really feels like you've tied together the whole spectrum of your career from like, doing things at late night that are just absurd and silly and ridiculous and really fun, all the way through the podcast, meeting fans and actually having some really great conversations that are very funny, but also very meaningful. It's cool. Especially I love seeing the first time you surprise them and they're always like. And they then always kind of come in for a big hug. So it's really cool. It really feels like you're kind of tying all these things.

[Mike Sweeney]

Did you say you're a fan? Yeah, I said as a fan. Okay.

[Blay]

There's a photo, by the way. I don't know if I tried to.

[Mike Sweeney]

Get on the show.

[Blay]

No. Yes. I would love to, but there's a photo of me in my dorm room two years before I started interning for you. Of. And you are on the tv.

[Conan O'Brien]

Oh, you're kidding.

[Blay]

Which is really cool. Yeah, yeah, it's really. I've kept it from you, but, yeah, it's really cool.

[Conan O'Brien]

The, the fun thing is that we go to these. We'll be in another country. And I mean, I think this season. And it's. I'm not giving anything away because I think it's in the official trailer that's. That's out there. But in the Austria show, a woman comes up to me on the street and she's talking about how she's a fan of the podcast and a fan of the different clips, and then she's from Kazakhstan. And then I start chatting with her, and then she says, well, anyway, I have to go. It's a really funny moment.

[Jose Arroyo]

This is after.

[Blay]

She's been polite for a while.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yeah, she's been polite for a while. And it's just. But it's so excited.

[Mike Sweeney]

What I love initial excitement of, like, oh, my God.

[Conan O'Brien]

Initial excitement and me wanting to talk and talk and talk and her saying, I've got to go. And I just turned to Cameron, go. When. When your fan in Kazakhstan wraps things up, you. You know, it's time to end things. And I like when those Moments come out because they're very, you know, my wife is always with me when people will stop me to chat with me and I'll chat with them, and then I'm giving them career advice and then she can tell they need to go like, okay, all right, Conan, thank you. Well, where are we going now?

[Mike Sweeney]

And it goes back to what you're saying too. Just talking about that moment on the street, but also with Javier Bardem. Yes. We'll do all this research and like, okay, you're going to go to Botin and have a meal with him, but then you really take it from there and improvise within each segment. So much of it is improvised.

[Conan O'Brien]

It's a mix, I would say it's a mix of, it's like any kind of. I mean, I know this is using a sports analogy is for me, ridiculous. But I do think the closest thing it's akin to is you have a play in mind in football. You execute it and sometimes it falls apart and you have to do something else in a moment. And sometimes that ends up being fantastic, sometimes it doesn't. Luckily, we have an edit room and we have great editors.

[Mike Sweeney]

But I also think I've said it before, many before. But just from having a late night talk show where you worked in six minute segments, I think, and shot tons and tons of remotes out on the street, you bring all that when every one of these situations, you go into it going, all right, I'm having dinner with Javier Bardem in this restaurant. This will probably be a five, six minute piece. And your brain, you just know, you're like also directing it kind of as you go. And we're all looking for a dismount, but you are as well. And we always trying to think of, oh, what's the out.

[Conan O'Brien]

This always reminds me of the time one of the very earliest things that we did was when we went to Finland and we decided to go way up north up towards the Arctic Circle. So Sweeney and I are up in the Arctic Circle. And we found this guy that just basically there was a reindeer herd nearby. And I think he was the Sammy. He was an indigenous sammies. The sammies live up there. It's the indigenous peoples. And I remembered you, you stood me next to this guy who I don't think spoke English, and you said, okay. And action. And I remembered I looked around and there wasn't a tree for maybe 600 yards. And there was a. And there's ice on the ground. And I'm standing next to this Sammy, this indigenous tribes Person who's.

[Mike Sweeney]

Herds reindeer.

[Conan O'Brien]

Herds reindeer for a living. And, and I turned to Sweeney and I said, you've put me in the perfect comedy vacuum.

[Mike Sweeney]

Tundra's funny.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yeah, we're in a tundra. There is, you know, so yes, there are times where you're with. There are times where you're with Javier Bardem and you're. It's just if you move a muscle, he's going to do something really funny and he's going to add and enrich and it's just fantastic. And then there are other times where I've been placed literally on an ice flow.

[Mike Sweeney]

It's like punching yourself out of a. We put you in a bag with, with wild dogs and cats and threw you in a river. Action.

[Conan O'Brien]

Action. And go. I'll never forget that. I can still feel. I can feel the comedic solitude to this day. Anyway, this is gonna be out May 8th. That's when the first episode drops and there'll be three of them and we're happy with it. And that's about, as I swear to God, that's our highest praise. That's the ringing endorsement for me. I can't go any. That, for me is a ringing endorsement.

[Mike Sweeney]

I'm a low ball.

[Sona Movsesian]

I watched it and as somebody who was not really involved and not a.

[Conan O'Brien]

Fan of Conan and not a fan.

[Sona Movsesian]

Of yours at all, and you know, we have these staff screenings. Everybody was just laughing. It's a really, really funny show. It's great and I love it. And I did learn something about Spain.

[Mike Sweeney]

Paid employees loved it.

[Sona Movsesian]

Also.

[Blay]

Also one of my favorite jokes ever, which is outstanding side of the Museum of Ham, which you need to watch.

[Mike Sweeney]

It is my favorite joke.

[Conan O'Brien]

Okay?

[Blay]

So please watch everybody for that joke.

[Mike Sweeney]

I can't wait.

[Conan O'Brien]

All right, now you got me mad. All right, that's all we got. Mike Sweeney, thank you for talking.

[Mike Sweeney]

Fan favorite. My pleasure, Conor.

[Conan O'Brien]

Brian must go and check it out.

[Jesse Gaskell]

Conan o' Brien needs a fan. With Conan o' Brien, Sonam of Session and Matt Corley produced by me, Matt Gourley Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross and Nick Leow Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino Take it away, Jimmy. Supervising producer Aaron Blair Associate talent producer Jennifer Samples Associate producers Sean Doherty and Lisa Berm Engineering by eduardo Perez get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign [e-mail] Conan Please rate, review and subscribe to Conan O' Brien needs a Fan. Wherever fine podcasts are down.

[Matt Gourley]

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[Conan O'Brien]

You know, one of the hardest parts about B2B marketing is reaching the right audience. You put so much effort into a campaign only for it to get wasted on the wrong people. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, it's ridiculous.

[Sona Movsesian]

It's crazy.

[Conan O'Brien]

Yeah, it's like, hey, Santa Claus, get your bathing suit over here.

[Sona Movsesian]

Oh, my God.

[Conan O'Brien]

Hey, he doesn't need a bathing suit. He's up at the North Pole. What did I waste my time for?

[Sona Movsesian]

Yeah, and he's got elves.

[Conan O'Brien]

Exactly.

[Sona Movsesian]

They can make it.

[Conan O'Brien]

Okay, you're ruining the point I was trying to make. Yes. No. One of the hardest parts about B2B marketing is reaching the right audience. You put so much effort into a campaign only for it to get wasted on the wrong people. Fortunately, LinkedIn is a network of over 1 billion businessy people who might actually be interested in your business. You can target your buyers by job title industry, company role, seniority skills, or company revenue. So stop wasting budget on the wrong audience and start targeting the right professionals with LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn will give you $100 credit on your next campaign, so you can try it yourself. Just go to LinkedIn.com TeamCoco. That's LinkedIn.com TeamCoco. Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads.