Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - The Bear and the Bath

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

Conan chats with sound shaman Koko T. Bear and has his mind opened with an immersive sound bath experience. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link: https://siriusxm.com/conan.

Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Conan? Visit teamcoco.com slash call Conan. Okay, let's get started. Hi Coco. Welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Hello Coco. Hi Coco. Nice to see you. Your name is, I'm told your name is Coco T. Bear. Is that correct? That you nailed it, yeah. And there's a lot to ask you right away because I'm looking at a Zoom and I'm being presented with an incredible image of all kinds of stuff.

There's all kinds of stuff next to you, Coco T. Bear. And I encourage people to maybe go online, check out, just see what I'm seeing. I'm seeing a large gong. I'm seeing what looks to be a bunch of instruments and beads. You are- Chimes beads.

You are wrapped in various, very multi-patterned robes. Yep. You look like a religious figure, Coco T. Bear. Are you a religious figure? No. Well, that's it for our interview. I do believe. All right, nice to see you.

No, no, tell us what's going on, Coco T. Bear, because I can't figure it out by just looking. I do refer to myself as a sonic shaman. Sonic shaman. Sonic shaman. A shaman being someone who teaches you what they know. Yeah. And what I know is sound and how sound can not only help us connect to each other, but also release the bullshit we go through in our day to day life. That's interesting.

I like to use instruments that are easy. Like a piano has a lot of notes that are not good to play. And like a guitar, you can hit a lot of wrong notes. Sure. But none of my instruments have any wrong notes. Like it's just... Ooh. Ooh. Yeah. That's nice. Ooh. That's nice. Yeah, so I just, I found these instruments that I loved hearing, feeling, and then I was like, I wanna play those instruments. So.

Forget the viola. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, you're talking to a guy that said, forget the viola in the 1960s. Yeah. Cocoa tea bear, I'm using it long. Do you prefer that I call you Coco or Coco T. Bear?

To hear Coco O'Brien say the full thing is like really nice. Okay, I'll just stick with Coco T. Bear. Coco T. Bear, you are a sonic shaman. Yeah. Let's say, is this, and this is something that you do professionally. People do pay me for this, yes. I insist on it.

So, I think that's, get the cash up front, I would say. Yeah, yeah. So- Then Mo's. Let's say, where are you right now in the world? In the world, I'm in a place of love. No, I am in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Oh, you're in East Tennessee, okay.

Yeah, that's so cool. I was gonna say, Dolly territory. Yeah, my license plate has Dolly Parton on it. Wow. That's very cool. What? And so does Dolly Parton. I know, you guys must be running into each other all the time.

Whenever you get a parking ticket, she has to pay it. Nice little scam. Yeah, exactly. You're a sonic shaman, she has to pay it. Nice little scam. Yeah, exactly. You're a sonic shaman, you're in Eastern Tennessee. Do individual people visit you for a session? What is it called, a session? What are they visiting you for? I mean, different things,

but the most common is a sound bath. You might've heard of these in Los Angeles. Yeah. That's, but I'll also sometimes use osteophonic tuning forks or bone vibrating tuning forks. So they're very quiet, but when you put them near somebody. Do you ever put that near the, you know, there's a little bone, the mastoid process.

Do you ever put it on the mastoid process? So I, yeah, oftentimes I love to play it. So that's the whole point, the bone vibration. You can actually press it against the skeletal structure and let your body share that vibration with it. Why the mastoid process? What does that do? I'm glad you asked.

Yeah, what's up with that? Well, I've always thought that that was a good place. It's very susceptible because it's so close to the ear and the ear canal. It's that right behind the ear, of course the mastoid process. I didn't know that. Is, it would be a great susceptible place

to feel vibrations. I apologize for my ignorant friends, Coco T. Bear. Oh. But. Not necessary. Yeah. We don't require that. Not all of our fathers can be doctors.

Wait, are we high when we're doing this? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You seem high now. I am. It's for you, is anybody gonna ask? Yes, Coco T. Bear, that's a very good question. How many people are high, or on some kind of high,

when they're having a sound bath? I do like to know when people are high. You don't need to be high. But I would say 15% of the time people are already on another substance when they come to a sound bath. I used to do an event at a petite Hermitage over there in West Hollywood called the highest hour and they would have a sound bather come and a different dispensary would come and bring a special product. So I met a fella who was 55 years old, first time he had ever smoked weed,

and then had a soundbath. So. Oh, that's great. So a soundbath, how long does a soundbath last for? You're creating different sounds in the soundbath. A little. And how many people, you could have 10, 15 people having a sound bath together?

Yes, I've had an event up to 55 folks. But yeah, usually it's in that four to 20 range, somewhere in there. Four to 20 range. And they're having a sound bath together, you're creating the sounds, they're silent. Is that correct? They are silent, except for, you know,

every now and then I call snoring the standing ovation to a sound-tealer. So every now and then people are breathing, you know, there are other sounds and people are rustling. And I just like to remind them that during that space, that sacred space we've created together, all sounds are meant to be. What if someone's chewing gum? Oh.

I mean, they're there for a reason. You know, we're here to get annoyed sometimes. Okay. So that's part of the sound bath. It's, hey man, this is what's happening. Yeah, this is what's happening right now. What's it doing to you right now? Could you think, could you do a sound bath without doing bits for how long does sound baths last?

You ask, I mean, up to an hour, hour and a half. I've done 12 hour sound baths. Okay You ask me, up to an hour, hour and a half. I've done that 12 hour sound bath. Okay, that's a good question I have, because I do a lot of bits. I'm a nuclear bit machine. And no, I am a nuclear reactor, just firing out bits at the speed of sound.

So that would be a problem, right? Because I have a very active mind and a very active mouth. I don't know that I'm the right candidate for a sound bath. What would you do if I was sitting there in your class of 24 people? What would you do? And I'm like, oh, look at me go, sound bath, pass the soap.

Ha ha ha ha. You know someone who's been in one of my classes. Even Kevin Nealon can take this serious. Oh. Are you kidding? Kevin Nealon did the sound bath? If even Kevin can take this seriously, I think of all people, even Conan O'Brien might be able to. That's incredible.

So can you spill the beans a little bit, Kevin? Did he come to you in Los Angeles or did he come to Tennessee and do it? I used to work at a fancy resort. He likes those. Here in Tennessee. Yeah. Oh, he loves a fancy resort. That's actually how I found out that his son

can do the entirety of an airplane. He can just quilt the whole thing. That's so cool. But yeah, that was the first time we met, and then we've actually done a few in Nashville at a mutual friend's home. That's so fascinating. You know, I will say-

Yeah, him and Susan. That's so fascinating. You know, I will say- Yeah, him and Susan. Susan, lovely Susan. They are terrific people and I adore Kevin. I think he may be soulless. But that's a different matter. But I've also been in sound baths where people could not help but make monkey noises

and things like that. So I think there is a space for people like you. Cause I'm gonna be making random noises. I'm going to be chattering, making little commentary. And so I don't know if that's gonna be disruptive to the other people in the sound bath. Well, could we do an example of this where Coco T. Bear, you kind of begin a sound bath?

Let's see how you handle this. I think that's a good idea. That's well produced you produce producer. Thanks. Thank you. Oh man. Now I see why y'all brought Gourley in. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. So go ahead and inhale in through your nose. And exhale through the mouth. And as these sounds move through you, your mind might wander. Okay, that makes me feel a genie's here. I feel, I'm sorry. I can't, there's no way I don't feel like a genie's here when I hear that sound.

I'm gonna do this with you too. Hold on a second. I feel like I'm having a flashback. Oh wow. Levitation, that feels like levitation. Just gonna narrate these sounds. No, don't do it, please. Don't narrate.

Inhale, exhale. That's cool. It'll be, it's that gong soon. Okay, now I feel like I'm getting a massage. This is massage music. Oh gosh. Yeah, it does relax me though. The massage. That is massage music. Oh, yeah. It does relax me though. The massage.

That's beautiful. What a beautiful sound. I'm already closed. You guys aren't closing? Oh. I wanna see what he's doing. Oh. Got my eyes closed.

Oh, God. Stop talking. Oh. Stop talking. Stop. My god, that's terrifying. Don't go down that hallway. Go down the hallway. That's like the Blade Runner soundtrack.

I mean, I am impressed. These are very cool sounds. I know, but I feel like we're gonna get a visit from La Llorona. I wish I knew what that meant. My God, you do need to shut up. Shh, it's Dono, we're trying to listen. Sonia, you're the only one that's high, so come on.

Come on. That sounds like cheering. I love that sound. That's the Chicago Theater. That's me at the Chicago Theater. That's me at the Elgin theater in Toronto. Oh my God, I was killing at that theater. Wait, where did the cheering go?

Oh, I love that. Where did the cheering go? Doesn't that sound like, I swear to God, that sounded like a crowd cheering. And I love that sound. This is like a Rorschach test. Yes. Because I just heard like some movement. You heard cheering. I heard fajitas.

I heard a cheering crowd in Chicago or Toronto. Thank you, thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Is that in stereo? It is in stereo. What is that? That's a giant disc that has, Oh my God, that laugh too. I love the laugh.

I'm just gonna buy one. Wait, you've got- Oh my God, cheers and laughter. I'm, I swear to God, I love this. I'm at El Torito. Sounds like rain to me. Who was the laugh? That was just me laughing. Oh, that was your laughing.

Oh my God. I enjoy the podcast, so this is just me having a great time. Would you ever? Oh good. Yeah. Oh. She's good at this.

Yeah. I really wanna do this without you two. I wanna do a podcast without either one of you. I really just wanna... I just wanna be happy again in my life. Oh my god. I just wanna do something relaxing without the two of you chiming in every two seconds. Bye. You guys wanna talk about James Bond or something?

Oh my god. You're gonna kill me. Okay, so. Okay, so. Can I ask you a question? There's no school for this, you just seem to know how to do this. I am impressed. So I found. Cause I didn't, I have to say, you can think there's gonna be some chicanery or skullduggery when someone says I'm a sound shaman.

And then what you're doing actually sounds very relaxing. It does. And it sounds like it would work. I'm a hard seller in this kind of thing. And I think you have such a good attitude with this. You don't seem too self-serious and it seems very pleasing. Yeah, when I found this, I was still using the phrase hippie dippy bullshit on a regular basis.

Oh. I was quite a skeptic and, um, because there are a lot of goofballs, uh, to be nice about it. And, but if you just approach it as a musician and I found a really great teacher, I was going to three to five of her sound baths a week in Los Angeles. Uh, her name is Lauren Rose. Um, hi Lauren. Her name is Lauren Rose. Hi Lauren.

And she did a three month program where we actually went over like dynamic sound and what sound can do for the body and we studied how vibrations affect you as on a cellular structure. And then on top of that she was like, well, what are you trying? She didn't just say play these instruments. It was about feeling the energy in the room. I did improv in Chicago for seven years. So like, I just kind of lean into that.

It'd be fascinating to combine this with improv. Like if you didn't have a good, you're doing a scene, you sort of start to lose like, oh, I don't know where to go now. I'm gonna start using this gong and these maracas and switch over to sound bath. That would be a good way to get out of that scene, you know? There were some nights at IO that I wish I had a gong.

Yeah. 100%. Do we hear the gong? Yeah, can we hear the gong? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, for sure. Sona never apologized for asking what you want. She should. Well, I mean.

Oh, look, he's not banging it like I would it's like he's caressing it fondling it sort of sexual yeah we're gonna give it a nice now that it's warmed up and we can give her give her a roll yeah Oh man. I came. Oh my god! You just- You what? I was watching her. You just- Oh my god. Sona! Oh my god.

Sona, Oh my god. Sona, what would Tac say? What would your mom say? No, no, no. He's got a fan. We gotta edit that out. No, we are not editing that out. That's in.

I can't wait to tell my best friend that. That's incredible. You're gonna love it. Wow. Wow. I've never been with a woman when she orgasms. This is the first for me. Wow. I've never been with a woman when she orgasm. It's wild, isn't it? This is a first for me.

I always thought it was like a yeti, just something you heard about, but didn't exist. Incredible. Well, there it is, ladies and gentlemen. Proof that the female orgasm does exist at long last. Date line. Wow. Well, Coco T. Bear, you just got to kill her. That was a high, high moment.

I'll hear what she's hearing. Wow. I'm a believer. I have to say I'm a complete believer. I am too. I'm impressed. And you know what? And knowing that Kevin Nealon and Susan did this,

and I know Kevin's a bit of a seeker, he's looking, because clearly he hasn't found it, but he's looking for the answer, and I could see him doing this, this is fascinating. He also, like, so at one point I was doing 10 of these a week at minimum, and so I had my own little Southwest jokes, things that always killed in the room, and then Kevin had my own little Southwest jokes, you know, things that always killed in the room. And then Kevin laughed at zero of them,

and I was convinced he hated me. And then I realized that it's buffoonery that he prefers. By listening to your show, so thank you for that. I appreciate that. This is fascinating. Are there any, I mean, I have a question for you. We make a podcast. We make a podcast here.

And it's how you've come to us. Yeah, yeah. On a sonic level, you as a sound shaman, what do you think of a sonic shaman? What do you think of the podcast just on a soothing sonic level? And be honest. CRAIG EDWARDS I've told Eduardo of this.

He does a great job. If it wasn't for the levels on this show and the editing of the pops and the ums and the breaths that Matt does, this is a tight show. And I listened to very few podcasts. This is actually the first podcast I ever actually started listening to regularly. I would get into podcasts. I would try to try one. It would sound terrible.

There'd be echoes. Uh, and so I would just move on. Um, and it made me actually regret not watching your show all those years. Cause you're so like, this is funny. This is great. Yeah. And I had to go back and watch the things like FedEx. Pretty historic. Yeah.

You missed out on the thing. God, they're, they're saved on the internet. Yeah. Let's move past the part where you're unaware of my work on television. Oh wait, I just came. That was quick. That was a fast orgasm.

The flute did it for you? Yeah, oh my God. The heart wants what the heart wants. What am I saying? You heard a second of a flute and you came instantly and very quickly. Oh, there I came. Oh, there I came.

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. Flute, oh, there I came. Coco T. Bear, this is hilarious. And also, I'm buying what you're selling. I really am. This is my favorite one. Do you ever come to Los Angeles? Can I see you?

No, so, you're a married woman. I know. You're a married woman. Yeah. I know. What? Do you ever come to Los Angeles? I mean, not-

I do. Okay, I'd like to see you. Listen, we would like- Romantically. Wait, can we do it next summer? Cause we've already got Chill Chums planned. But in 2026, could we do a sound bath session with Coco T. Bear for Chill Chums? Who knows, it doesn't even have to be at Chill Chums.

We'll find a slot. I think there's a sound bath in our future. Cause guess what? We all need a sound bath. You know, it's been a while. And I'm convinced they brought me here to chill you out. Yeah, that's never, I mean, I don't know if it's been a while. And I'm convinced they brought me here to chill you out. Yeah, that's never, I mean, I don't know if it's chilled me out. They were like, we're going to do this after the Oscars, OK?

And then they were like, actually, we're going to do this after the Mark Twain Awards. And I was like, oh, yeah. Let's wait till everything's chill. We're always waiting for a time when my life isn't crazy and I don't feel like there's a gun in my mouth, and it never comes. Well, and I will say this.

I almost, oh. Go ahead. I almost regret to say this, but like you have mentioned your own sound soothing that you do. It is unfortunately in the waste of time of others, but you like attention. And you noodling on a guitar is your own version of

noodling on a guitar. Self soothing. And... Noodling on a guitar and also I do a thing when people are talking sometimes where I go, ooh, ooh. You're a little verbal. He takes, murderer, murderer. Murderer, murderer. And I do that and I do it, try to do it in a way where the other person, like if someone's driving me

in an Uber and they're saying, oh, it's, you know, okay, we're gonna take a left where the other person, like if someone's driving me in an Uber and they're saying, oh, it's, you know, okay, we're gonna take a left turn, go, oh, yeah. And I make little strange noises and they don't hear me, but they give me pleasure. You've been around with me when this is happening. Yes, and it's been said, that's why I don't think I wanna do this sound bath with you.

And I mean that in a loving way. Obviously not, it's a very private and personal thing for you. No, but you're just gonna be so many. I have done this for people's assistants aside from doing it for them. That's usually the case. Yeah, but you're doing it.

We can't have someone else. That's like the opposite for us of a sound bath. It's like a sound cesspool or something where we're subject to this sewage dumped on us. You know what I mean? It's like the antithesis of a Goldblum growl. Yeah. Yes. That's right, yeah. Oh, I bet he'dithesis of a Goldblum growl. Yeah. Yes.

That's right. Oh, I bet he'd be great in a sound bath. Oh, yes. He is a sound bath. Yeah. He's so soothing and he's so intact. Coco T. Bear, you've risen to the top. You've risen to the top.

I wanna have a sound bath. I want you to be my sonic shaman. And I think we're gonna make this workout sometime in the future. Until then, take care of yourself. And really so nice, so nice to get a chance to talk to you. And can you play us out? Yeah, play us out.

It's something that- Can I first do two nerdy questions though? Yeah, sure. I mean, if it's a bother, don't worry. You didn't have to say nerdy, just say two questions. Okay, but they're ultimately nerdy. Well, I knew that. Do you know of a lesser known Civil War battlefield

here in the South that I could go play my gong at that maybe doesn't get as much of attention as like Gettysburg. Oh, well, the South is just filled with that riddles. And then, yeah. So I'd have to look it up. I mean, I don't know my battles well enough to know like, oh, right, Eastern Tennessee. I know where you can go.

But, you know, why not go, you can get to Georgia pretty quickly. It's not a battlefield, but you could go to Andersonville, which is where prisoners of war were kept. And that might be a great place to heal because there was a lot of suffering there. So you could go to, that's where northern, you know, POWs were kept.

So, and many of them died of dysentery. So you banging a gong in that field might bring them peace and relief. Yeah, and if you're looking for a Star Wars battlefield, I'd say this planet of Scariff. Nope. I'm not, I'm not though. Okay. Okay. Because I know that stuff.

Okay. Okay. Just checking. But then this is Simpsons related. I was once actually told, hey, don't approach Matt Groening. And so I made sure to go and tell him how much I loved him. Um... As a figure, as a leader that sees himself as a Stalin-esque leader, uh, and then I saw you dance and sing at the Oscars, um, your favorite episodes, you've said, are the ones, the musical and Mr. Burns episode.

Have you ever thought of, like, a live-action Mr. Burns Broadway play? Well, that would be intellectual property that I'd be stealing. I'd have to do that. So if the Simpsons develops something like that, I don't pretend to have the best. They have to reach out to you. Yeah, and also I don't pretend to do the, I mean, yeah, I don't think that would be the best use

of me in the musical format. I think Fiddler on the Roof is where I belong. Oh! Ooh! It's about time an Irishman tackled that role. I just uncame. Strong Tevye. What?

It went back in. Oh, come on. All right, well, let's get a juice crack up. Just picturing sperm go, let's get back in, everybody. They pack up their suitcases. Oh my god, my daughter just disappeared. All right, Coco T. Bear, we salute you. Take us out with some of your...

Oh, wow. Uh-oh. Yeah, you said these couldn't go out of tune, but that sounded very out of tune. Sorry, man. I'm all nervous now. Oh yeah, I know. Hard to perform on command. That was amazing.

Thank you so much. My pleasure. Take care, Coco T. Bear. I love you. Go in peace. I will if you do. Go in peace, man. Good to talk to you all.

Conan O'Brien needs a fan. With Conan O'Brien, Sonam Avsesian, and Matt Gorley. Produced by me, Matt Gorley. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross, and Nick Leal. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy. Supervising producer, Aaron Blayard. Associate talent producer, Jennifer Samples, Associate Producers Sean Doherty and Lisa Berm.

Engineering by Eduardo Perez. You'll get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign up at siriusxm.com slash Conan. Please rate, review, and subscribe to Conan O'Brien Needs a Fan wherever fine podcasts are down.