
Conan talks to Aadithya (Aadu) about working as a research engineer at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, his upcoming wedding, and the birds he associates with Conan, Matt, and Sona. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply
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Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Conan? Visit teamcoco.com call Conan. Okay, let's get started.
Sona Movsesian
Hi, Adu. Welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a fan.
Adu
Hi, guys. I'm really excited to be here.
Matt Gourley
Hello, Adu. How are you?
Adu
Fantastic. How are you, Conan?
Matt Gourley
I'm doing well. I have to compliment you on your voice. You have a terrific.
Sona Movsesian
And your sweater.
Matt Gourley
Well, you know, I'm thinking it's mostly a vocal audio med, but I like the whole vibe. Yeah, the whole vibe is great. You have an incredible beard. You have a true Irishman's sweater, Adu.
Adu
And he's actually from Ireland, so.
Matt Gourley
Oh, I could tell. Yes. That's the one thing I know it's got. I can tell by the various coded messages in it right now.
Adu
Oh, for sure.
Matt Gourley
It says by Guinness. And you've got the amazing beard. But I've got to say that the. The tone of your voice is very calming. Fantastic.
Adu
I appreciate that. I mean, I brought my mic from home just so that you can hear it, like, the rich fullness of it all.
Matt Gourley
Yeah, we've not found a mic in the universe that will give me a rich fullness. I've put Eduardo on that task.
Adu
I'm still searching. Yeah, it doesn't exist.
Matt Gourley
Yeah, we're going through the Barry White estate to see what we can get. Adu, tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you do? What are you all about? Where are you coming from?
Adu
Wow, that's a huge question right now. I am a research engineer for the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington. So I live in Seattle. Oh, wow. Cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a very cool job. I do R and D for the Argo float program. So Argo floats are these autonomous drifters that we've put out in the world's oceans that sample various things, you know, in the ocean. Temperature, pressure, salinity, ph, dissolved oxygen. Basically kind of giving us a comprehensive look on how our oceans are doing and how our atmosphere is doing. It's all climate change related, conservation related, and it's. It's a cool gig. Wait, I'm not an ocean.
Matt Gourley
Wait, are you one of those people that believes in science?
Conan O'Brien
Boo.
Matt Gourley
Why don't you go. Why don't you take your mumbo jumbo and witchcraft somewhere else?
Adu
Let's pack up and go, guys. I'm sorry.
Sona Movsesian
Three cheers.
Conan O'Brien
If I don't understand it, I don't like it.
Matt Gourley
Exactly.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
I don't like science. Now I'm gonna go get in my car and drive around. Yeah, that sounds like really good work. I'm hoping you can tell me something optimistic because these are perilous times. It can feel for a lot of us.
Adu
What do you, oh, you want it optimistic?
Matt Gourley
No, no, no. It doesn't have to be optimistic. I just want to get your take your, it sounds like you're devoting your career and your incredible mind and hard work to trying to figure out the oceans, I'm guessing, are warming. That is happening.
Adu
Yes, they are.
Matt Gourley
Okay.
Adu
Yes. And they are getting hotter and hotter. They're just taking in all the heat that we're producing. And part of this program is to study how the heat content of the ocean is changing over time. And a large part of that also is how much carbon is taking in. So oceans are very good carbon sinks for all the, you know, carbon that we as humans produce. And some studies are actually showing that there's some regions that are actually sources of carbon now. So it's not just sinks, but there's a flux between the ocean and the atmosphere. I don't know if I have any positive gems for you, Conan, but I think one cool thing. So I'm very new to oceanography. I, you know, was a conservation based person for 25 years and an engineer and I kind of combined those things and landed in this sector. But I think I've just been learning how cool and complex our oceans are and how many different subsystems are, you know, in there. And what, what's cool is that oceans are like space to us in that they're just criminally under sampled. Right. So we don't know much about the oceans at all because what are we going to, we don't have like an array of sensors in there for like, you know, last 100 years or so. But that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to put as much technology out there and like kind of sample as much as we can.
Matt Gourley
It's very, well, it's also as understand how rising temperatures are going to affect currents, winds. We've all noticed that things are getting more severe. We're noticing that here in Los Angeles obviously lately. And I think across the globe people are noticing that extremes are becoming more extreme. And climate change doesn't always mean one thing. The influences can be very complex. And so we don't really know sometimes what to expect, sometimes it means. And we're all figuring that out together. So. And I think my work in this area is every bit as important to.
Sona Movsesian
Say you're telling him all this.
Matt Gourley
Excuse me. I do. Excuse me. I'm not done yet. I believe that by various neutron installments throughout. What are you installing the oceanographic plates and plateaus, there might one day be hegemony.
Sona Movsesian
Can we just go back to your sweater?
Matt Gourley
Your sweater looks amazing.
Adu
Thank you.
Conan O'Brien
Let's just let.
Adu
Audrey.
Matt Gourley
No, I do appreciate. All foolishness aside, I really do appreciate the work you're doing. And as someone who has children, I really do want us to figure this out and make a better world. So I'm glad you're doing this.
Adu
We're doing the best we can, Conan.
Matt Gourley
Well, try harder. Try harder. You don't look like it. You just called into a podcast to goof around. This is time that could be saving the world. And you're like, I gotta go. You're like, I've got to go talk to Conan and goof off. Well, listen, I love Seattle. I'm sort of married into Seattle because my wife is from Seattle and I married there and I go back a lot and I love my in laws and I love to prowl around Seattle. It's my second home.
Adu
Sorry, you said prowl, right?
Matt Gourley
Yeah. Late at night, wearing mostly black.
Adu
Okay.
Matt Gourley
And. And there are. There have been some sightings. I wear a black cap. Listen, that's not important. My prowling is my own business. Tell us about yourself. What are your hobbies? What do you like to do when you're not studying your sensors? What do you. And I say that with great respect.
Sona Movsesian
No, you don't.
Matt Gourley
What do you. Great respect. What do you like to do in your spare time? I do. What's your hobby?
Adu
I think, yeah, my two main ones are trail running and bird watching. Oh. What I found is I hang out with a lot of older folks because that's a very kind of niche subset of activities that I find my communities, honestly. But it's, you know, it gets me outside and.
Matt Gourley
Yeah, my father was a bird watcher. Loved it. And he used to always try and get one of us to go along with him. Bird watching. And when I was a kid, I'd noticed that no one else was volunteering and I would feel some like, well, someone's gotta go. And so I would go and I would trudge around marshes in the. In the suburbs of Boston or Rhode island and not enjoying the smell.
Adu
And did you enjoy it?
Matt Gourley
I have to say I didn't at the time. The one thing I really did enjoy was there was once a gull that got way off course and kind of made the news called Ross's gull. And Ross's gull, I think usually hangs out in Alaska or Russia. And it, this thing I think lost its connecting flight, got all turned around and Ross's gull showed up. Some birder spotted it in Boston. And this might be, I don't, I'm gonna say this is 1970, this could be 76, 77, something like that. And I went, my dad was really excited and he said, we've gotta go. It was like a 40 minute drive. And so there was a bunch of, I mean there was 300, 400 birders there and we found a spot and I saw Ross's gull and I remember thinking, wow. And then I tried that line on women for years. It never worked. Never worked.
Adu
I, I almost traveled nine hours round trip to see something called a bal teal down in Oregon. It was kind of a similar vagrant, you know, got kind of lost and found its way over here. But I'm getting married in two weeks and I don't think.
Matt Gourley
Wait a minute. I do. You buried the lead. This is a huge, this is a huge event and you're talking about the double billed Quixel Quaxel.
Conan O'Brien
Making fun of his. I am not.
Matt Gourley
This is again, with great respect. So tell me about this. You're getting married in two weeks and.
Adu
Basically there's a lot to do because I'm getting married in India and my fiance, soon to be wife is from Texas and her whole family's from Texas and not a lot of them have visited Asia or India. And I'm basically coordinating a bunch of stuff like clothing, visas, flights, choreographed dances because it's a big soiree.
Matt Gourley
I've never been to a true Indian wedding and I've always wanted to go. It's true.
Sona Movsesian
They take place over more than a day, right?
Adu
It's three or four days. Yeah, for ours. And actually in my, when writing to y'all, I actually invited the three of you. So invitation's still open. It's on the 10th of February and I know you have the Oscars to host.
Matt Gourley
It'll be really great if I, if I blew off the Oscars.
Sona Movsesian
I'll handle the Oscars.
Matt Gourley
You go to the wagon. I love that there's been a quick program change. Instead of Conan O'Brien, Matt Gourley's here.
Sona Movsesian
And best picture goes to Goldfinger. How is that possible?
Matt Gourley
Every category James Bo Films from the 70s swept tonight. Where in India is the wedding taking place?
Adu
The southwest side of India and there are a ton of birds there. You know, I Keep, like, a life list of birds. And, you know, I started when I was six years old, and my mom and dad really got me into it because we would go visit India all the time, and I'd see all these, like, elephants, tigers, and, like, you know, all these cool big mammals. And we'd watch animal, plant, and then I'd come back to the Bay Area where, you know, I grew up, and I'd see, you know, a squirrel or, like, you know, like a rabbit. And I. And I was really bummed out, and my mom was like, here, take some binoculars. Go. Go look for birds. You know, what we'll take to a park. And I got hooked, right? It was just kind of like, I want to see everything. They're all so cool. They all act so differently and, you know, but then I just kind of, like, wrote them on a piece of paper, and then I would throw the paper in a piece of paper away, like all the species I was seeing. So you're a litter until maybe I'm a litterer. That's right.
Matt Gourley
Okay, that's great.
Adu
In the ocean. Straight in the ocean.
Matt Gourley
Big problem with climate change is we keep finding these birding notes. The fish are eating them and dying. Rare fish. We're looking for someone named Adu, if you know anything about him. He's wearing an Irish sweater that he got from Liam Neeson, but I'm. Well, so. But this is how you got interested in it. And so now you're going to go to India, and it's a chance to probably see some new birds.
Adu
Oh, for sure. Yeah. Like, you know, I lost all those lists from before, so there's, you know, I want to say, close to a thousand species there. Not specifically in that state, but there's just, like, so many, and I'm very excited. The venue is actually right next to a bird sanctuary, which I don't know if my fiance knows about, but I'm probably going to sneak away.
Sona Movsesian
During the ceremony. Will your eyes be kind of wandering up into the skies?
Matt Gourley
I said, aju, do you take this woman? Huh?
Sona Movsesian
I do, I do.
Matt Gourley
Nicely done. Yeah. You're gonna drift away so many times. Like when it's time for toasts. Where is he? You're there with nine birds on your arm, talking to them like Dr. Doolittle.
Adu
You're joking, but that's actually.
Matt Gourley
I'm not joking. I sum up a human being very quickly.
Sona Movsesian
Is your fiance into birds?
Adu
She's into large mammals, and she kind of tolerates my birding. And sometimes I'll find a Bird. You know, we, we went to Peru earlier this year and I was showing her. Oh, look, that one's like a really prehistoric looking bird. And she's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then like every once in a while I'll find something that she'll be like, oh, wow, that, that actually is really cool and beautiful. But I don't know, we got our camps. We're in the wildlife camp. But, you know, that's good.
Matt Gourley
It's close enough areas. It's close enough.
Adu
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
My wife is not adjacent to any of my interests in any way. So where you are sounds, you know, much, much healthier. And I compliment you and I weep for myself. I do. There's a. Well, I just think this is wonderful. Sona and I have been to Jaipur.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
And to the. I guess they call it the pink. Is it the Pink city?
Conan O'Brien
Is it the Pink city? Yeah, it was very pink.
Matt Gourley
It was, I think after. But anyway, we were there together. We've had so many adventures together. But we were there together, I think around 2010. And that was my one dip into India and I loved it. I think it's a magical place. I really do.
Adu
It's fantastic. Yeah. I think the most exciting thing for me, outside of, you know, marrying my soon to be wife is showing all these people who are so near and dear to me a culture that I have kind of taken for granted. All the cool experiences.
Matt Gourley
I'm allergic to niche interests. I'm sorry.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, my God. He was having a nice, sweet moment talking about India.
Matt Gourley
I couldn't help it. I sneezed for real. And then I had to add a joke to cover my human moment. I'm sorry. Continue. So get it, get it back. My sneeze is over.
Adu
Well, I'm just excited to kind of show parts of my culture that I took for granted growing up. Like being invited to all these weddings, going clothes shopping, like going up into the mountains, staying in a bungalow, you know, you know, seeing elephants. And it's. There's the culture, there's the environment. There's just like the country itself that I'm really excited to show people. And yeah, I'm super stoked. It was a lot of work to get here.
Matt Gourley
But quick question. I know it's a tradition. Are you going to ride in at one point on a white horse?
Adu
I am not, but I am going to ride in on a vintage car.
Matt Gourley
Oh, what kind of car?
Sona Movsesian
What car?
Matt Gourley
1987 Buick Lesaber.
Adu
I don't think I have a full say on the specific car. It could be a jaguar, hopefully. Fingers crossed. But, yeah, basically, growing up, for a lot of our weddings that I attended, elephants were used. Riding in on elephants.
Matt Gourley
Riding in on a big animal. Animal is a big thing. And I know this because Jack. None other than Jack McBrayer was invited to one of the Jonas Brothers. I think it was Jebediah Jonas, I think, who was married in India. And he said that the Jonas brother came in on a white horse.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
At the. You know, and the horse was like, what's Jack McBrayer doing here? Sorry. Taking us far afield.
Adu
No, it's fine. But elephants are. We don't ride them anymore because we found that it's actually super, you know, harmful to them. And so actually, it's good that we're kind of good moving away from that.
Matt Gourley
But phasing that car.
Adu
Car is nice. And my. My fiance is going to be coming in on a boat.
Conan O'Brien
That's nice, right? I want to go.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, let's go.
Adu
Sort of just come.
Conan O'Brien
Can you postpone the wedding till after the Oscars?
Matt Gourley
I think we postpone the Oscars.
Conan O'Brien
Okay, let's do it.
Matt Gourley
You know what I mean? Because I would love to say the Oscars have been postponed. And people would be like, oh, you know, well, probably because of everything that's happened in la. And I'd be like, no, no, no, no. Not because of that. Adu is getting married, and I need to be there. And he's been a good friend of mine for about 11 hours.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. You know, sona means gold in Hindi. Okay. No one cares.
Sona Movsesian
Give us time to process it.
Conan O'Brien
It means gold.
Matt Gourley
The peanut is neither a pea nor a nut. It's a legume.
Sona Movsesian
Did you know that pirates have an eye patch? Not because they're missing an eye.
Conan O'Brien
Mine was to adjust to the light. We're talking about India and that my name means gold.
Matt Gourley
He kind of forced it in.
Conan O'Brien
All right, well, it's just cool. It's a cool.
Adu
Can I just say choreographed dancing, though? I want. I would love to see y'all do, like, join in on the choreographed dance.
Matt Gourley
Yes.
Adu
And this is an extra bit of enticement. If you come, we will add the string dance to the choreography.
Matt Gourley
All right, I'm at too. Eduardo, book me some flights. I love yelling at us.
Sona Movsesian
This is your engineer.
Matt Gourley
Highly trained sound engineer. To book. I know, but you have to be jack of all trades in these situations. Eduardo, get me those flights and a cup of black coffee. See? Book, click, click, click, click, click, book. Book, click, book isn't a sound effect. Book Book. Well, Adu, I am very happy for you. What is your bride's name?
Adu
Allison.
Matt Gourley
Allison. Okay. I'm very happy for you and for Allison, and trust me, if I could find a transporter beam, I would. I would be there. You seem like a very cool guy, and I support. I just love that you're using your mind to try and help the planet. I love that. I would do that, but my mind's no good. But I'm happy that you and people like you are hard at work on this.
Adu
I appreciate that, Conan.
Matt Gourley
Thank you. I think we're good, right? Yeah. Yeah. I want to thank you so much, Adu, for calling in. And again, very energizing to find out that we have fans out there who are smart and funny and cool and doing good stuff and have amazing taste in sweaters. I bow to you, sir. I bow to you.
Adu
Thank you.
Matt Gourley
All right.
Adu
Could I say one last thing? Sure. As an exercise, I found birds that I thought reminded me of each one of you, and I. Oh, sure. Yes.
Matt Gourley
Go. Go for it. That's a quick edit right there. Yeah.
Adu
This is called the Andean Cock of the Rock. And I'll repeat that. Cock of the Rock.
Conan O'Brien
No, it's not the real name.
Matt Gourley
That is. I mean, it's like looking in a mirror.
Sona Movsesian
I'm sorry, I'm not sure who that is.
Matt Gourley
That is my bird. What's it called again? I want to write it down and make sure that they are, you know, don't go extinct. What is it called?
Adu
The Andean Cock of the Rock.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, it's. It's all. All upper body red with a huge red pompadour.
Matt Gourley
Yes.
Sona Movsesian
I mean, you can't even tell what's head and what's, like, mating plumage or.
Matt Gourley
No, no. And you can tell. You can tell it breeds insatiably.
Sona Movsesian
It's called the of the Rock.
Matt Gourley
Yes. No, and it. It's just got so much sexual energy.
Sona Movsesian
Probably a Sex with the Rock.
Conan O'Brien
Come on.
Matt Gourley
It.
Conan O'Brien
Probably.
Adu
So they have, like, these kind of performance halls. I'm not even joking. Where all the males just come and kind of unleash all their sexual energy by, like, bobbing and making, like, weird dances. Yes. And then the female, like, rocks kind of just watch and see.
Matt Gourley
Yeah.
Adu
You know, which one catches their eyes? So it just kind of reminded me of Conan for some reason.
Matt Gourley
You know what? I. I'm. I am now Cock of the Walk. Andy.
Conan O'Brien
And Cock of the Rock.
Matt Gourley
Okay. I'm the Andean Cock of the Rock.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
I love it.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Matt Gourley
All right, let's Move on. What's Sona?
Conan O'Brien
Well, this is.
Adu
This is Sona.
Matt Gourley
Okay.
Sona Movsesian
Nice mustache, sonny.
Matt Gourley
Look at that. It's got your dad's mustache.
Conan O'Brien
Come on, man.
Matt Gourley
It does.
Adu
Sona.
Matt Gourley
Hey, Gil.
Adu
I want. I want to preface by saying I, you know, I love hearing you on, like, you know, the podcast and all the shorts and your kind of laughter fills up the room, and I just wanted to shout out to that. This is called the three waddled bellbird. It's a really cool bird from, like, Central America, and it is one of the loudest birds in existence.
Matt Gourley
Yes.
Adu
Its calls go to, I think, 100 decibels. Like a rock concert almost. Oh, my God, you can hear them across, like, the rainforest.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, my God. Three waddled. I don't have Bellburn.
Matt Gourley
It's so funny you say that because we work in this office building and I'm on the top floor. When Sona enters on the first floor, I hear it as clear. We all do. The whole building shakes because you're one of the loudest people I've ever met.
Conan O'Brien
Okay? Yes. Okay.
Sona Movsesian
You're a three waddled.
Conan O'Brien
Three waddled bellbird.
Adu
I'm sorry, Sona.
Matt Gourley
No, no, no.
Conan O'Brien
You know what? You're right. And I get it. And I own that about that.
Matt Gourley
And now let's move on to the fussiest of the birds. Come on. Yay.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, look at that.
Adu
This is the burrowing owl. I'll take it. So, Gorlie, to all of you, I've been kind of ingesting Conan content for two decades, and Gorlie, you are. You were on the scene for me, right? You know, but I think you came in and you were kind of this wise presence. Right. I always think of you as an owl, like the spectacles and everything. And then you kind of started to emerge as, oh, oh, he's insane as well, you know, and basically, yes, the brewing owl, super wise. But I mean, look at them. They're kind of insane.
Conan O'Brien
That middle one is crazy.
Matt Gourley
That middle one. It's very true that Goarly came in and we all thought, well, he's the steady hand on the tiller. He is. You know, he's clearly the experienced podcaster here. And he very quickly went quite mad. Definitely not the worst, but pretty terrible. Well, I do. That was a real treat. And we're gonna post those because we want our fans to see those, and we should probably wrap it up. But my heartfelt congratulations to you and I hope our paths cross in person. That would be very cool. I'd like to shake your hand.
Adu
I would love that. I would love to do that.
Matt Gourley
I have a very sharp.
Adu
Thank you so much.
Matt Gourley
Firm handshake.
Sona Movsesian
Congrats, Adu.
Matt Gourley
All right, take care, Adu. Have a great time.
Adu
Thank you. Take care.
Sona Movsesian
Conan O'Brien needs a fan with Conan O'Brien Sonam of Session and Matt Gourley produced by me, Matt Gourley executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross and Nick Leow Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino Take.
Matt Gourley
It away, Jimmy.
Sona Movsesian
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 Sirius XM when you sign up@siriusxm.com Conan please rate, review and subscribe to Conan O'Brien needs a fan Wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.
Release Date: February 20, 2025
Host/Author: Team Coco & Earwolf
Guest: Adu
In the episode titled "The Cock of the Rock," Conan O’Brien is joined by his regular collaborators, Sona Movsesian and Matt Gourley, along with guest Adu, a research engineer from the University of Washington’s School of Oceanography. The conversation swiftly transitions from playful banter to deep discussions about Adu’s professional endeavors and personal life, providing listeners with both humor and insightful dialogue.
The episode kicks off with light-hearted introductions, where Matt Gourley compliments Adu on his voice and sweater, setting a friendly and relaxed tone. Adu shares his professional background, explaining his role as a research engineer working on the Argo float program.
Adu [02:19]: "I do R and D for the Argo float program. So Argo floats are these autonomous drifters that we've put out in the world's oceans that sample various things, you know, in the ocean. Temperature, pressure, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen."
Adu elaborates on the significance of his work in monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions related to climate change and conservation efforts. Despite a humorous interjection from Matt questioning the value of science, Adu remains composed and informative.
Adu [03:11]: "Yes, they are getting hotter and hotter. They're just taking in all the heat that we're producing... it's all climate change related, conservation related."
Conan and Matt engage in a playful exchange, with Matt expressing skepticism about science before acknowledging the importance of Adu’s work.
Matt Gourley [02:23]: "Why don't you go. Why don't you take your mumbo jumbo and witchcraft somewhere else?"
Matt Gourley [05:28]: "I really do appreciate the work you're doing."
The conversation shifts to Adu’s personal life, particularly his upcoming marriage in India. Adu shares the complexities of planning a wedding that bridges his Texas fiancé's family with his own cultural background.
Adu [09:26]: "Basically there's a lot to do because I'm getting married in India and my fiance, soon to be wife is from Texas and her whole family's from Texas and not a lot of them have visited Asia or India."
Adu humorously extends invitations to Conan, Matt, and Sona, despite their conflicting schedules.
Adu [10:26]: "And actually in my, when writing to y'all, I actually invited the three of you. So invitation's still open. It's on the 10th of February and I know you have the Oscars to host."
The discussion includes cultural insights into Indian weddings, such as the duration and traditional ceremonies, with Matt and Conan adding their humorous takes.
Matt Gourley [10:57]: "I've never been to a true Indian wedding and I've always wanted to go."
Adu delves into his hobbies, primarily trail running and birdwatching. He recounts childhood experiences that sparked his passion for ornithology, influenced by frequent visits to India and contrasting wildlife encounters.
Adu [11:15]: "I keep, like, a life list of birds. And, you know, I started when I was six years old... I got hooked, right? It was just kind of like, I want to see everything."
Matt shares nostalgic stories of birdwatching with his father, drawing parallels to Adu’s experiences.
Matt Gourley [08:01]: "My father was a bird watcher. Loved it... I remember thinking, wow. And then I tried that line on women for years. It never worked. Never worked."
Adu discusses his upcoming trip to India, emphasizing his enthusiasm for discovering new bird species and integrating his cultural heritage into his personal life.
Adu [12:13]: "I'm getting married in two weeks... I'm basically coordinating a bunch of stuff like clothing, visas, flights, choreographed dances because it's a big soiree."
Adu highlights the importance of combining his technical expertise with cultural traditions to foster environmental conservation. He expresses excitement about showcasing Indian culture to his American family and the broader community.
Adu [15:50]: "I'm really excited to kind of show parts of my culture that I took for granted growing up... seeing elephants... there's the culture, there's the environment."
The discussion touches on traditional wedding practices, such as riding elephants, and the shift towards more sustainable methods like using vintage cars to minimize harm to animals.
Adu [16:27]: "We don't ride them anymore because we found that it's actually super, you know, harmful to them. And so actually, it's good that we're kind of moving away from that."
Throughout the episode, humor is interwoven with serious topics. Matt and Sona engage in playful teasing, often leading to laughter and camaraderie among the group. Notable moments include Matt's exaggerated enthusiasm for Adu’s wedding plans and Adu’s creative bird metaphors.
Matt Gourley [21:14]: "You know what I. I'm. I am now Cock of the Walk. Andy."
Adu [20:02]: "This is called the Andean Cock of the Rock."
Adu creatively likens his friends to various bird species, adding a unique and personal touch to the conversation.
Adu [21:09]: "I always think of you as an owl, like the spectacles and everything."
As the episode wraps up, Matt offers heartfelt congratulations to Adu on his upcoming marriage, praising his dedication to environmental conservation and his vibrant personality.
Matt Gourley [19:24]: "If I could find a transporter beam, I would. I would be there. You seem like a very cool guy, and I support you."
Adu reciprocates the gratitude, expressing appreciation for the support and the engaging conversation.
Adu [19:26]: "I appreciate that, Conan."
The episode concludes with warm goodbyes and final humorous exchanges, leaving listeners with a sense of camaraderie and anticipation for Adu’s future endeavors.
Adu [02:19]: "Argo floats are these autonomous drifters that we've put out in the world's oceans that sample various things... temperature, pressure, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen."
Matt Gourley [02:23]: "Why don't you go. Why don't you take your mumbo jumbo and witchcraft somewhere else?"
Adu [09:26]: "I'm getting married in India and my fiance... are from Texas... not a lot of them have visited Asia or India."
Adu [11:15]: "I started when I was six years old... I got hooked, right? It was just kind of like, I want to see everything."
Adu [15:50]: "There's the culture, there's the environment. There's just like the country itself that I'm really excited to show people."
"The Cock of the Rock" episode of "Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend" masterfully blends humor with meaningful discussions. Adu’s passion for oceanography and birdwatching, intertwined with his personal journey towards marriage and cultural integration, offers listeners a multifaceted view of his life. The engaging dialogue, punctuated by notable quotes and light-hearted moments, makes this episode both informative and entertaining, exemplifying Conan’s quest to forge genuine friendships through his podcast.