Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - The Ice Machine

Episode Date: June 15, 2023

Conan speaks with Gaew from Buriram about his family racing enterprise, working for a factory team, and stepping out of his brother’s shadow.

Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Wanna talk to Conan? Visit teamcoCo.com slash call Conan. Okay, let's get started. Hey, Gao! How you doing? Welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a friend. Hey, hey guys. Hello, Gao. How are you? I'm good. You.

I'm very, I'm doing very well. Gao, tell me where are you right now? I'm in a small town called Buriram, seen the north eastern part of my country. I'm on a race weekend now, so I'm traveling. And you're in Thailand, is that right? Yes, in Thailand. Okay. Okay. And you're in Thailand, is that right? Yes, in Thailand. Okay. Okay. And you said, where was he? He said he was doing what a race weekend? A race weekend? Are you a, what's a race weekend? Well, basically in, in motor racing as a sport. Oh, motor racing. Okay. I thought it was a weekend where people got around and discussed racial issues. So very similar.

Yeah, I've been to a few race weekends and they were not what I thought they were. It was very awkward and I got very upset. So, is that, tell me, Gao, is that your profession? Are you in the racing profession? Yes, I am. I work as a coordinator for a racing team. Oh, wow. So I just make sure that people get to places on time in the race for just on time.

I mean, yeah, I mean, Matt, brings up a good question. Are you coordinating people within the race or you just mean you're making hotel accommodations and stuff like that? Well, I coordinate all aspects of it. So anything that requires coordination would be me. During a race, when your team is racing, have you ever had to contact a driver and say we couldn't get you a seaside view? You're facing the courtyard? Has that ever happened? a seaside view, you're facing the correct yard? Has that ever happened? Well, not during a race, but I'm sure I've told that

to someone and they got quite disappointed. Yes, yes. The worst call is when you have to tell a driver, you're gonna be, your room is right next to the ice machine. That's the worst. Yes, yeah. Actually, I'm sitting next to an ice machine right now. Oh no, you did it to yourself.

Yeah, go that's probably you seem like the kind of guy who would put yourself. You would take a bullet for the team You put yourself near the ice machine so everyone else gets a good night's sleep. Absolutely. That's my sole purpose of existing At all. Well, you seem like go that's really nice. You seem like a good guy. Tell me something. Do you come from a racing family? Do people in the family race? Yes, my father used to be a racer before becoming a mechanic. He made a name for himself by becoming a very good mechanic. He is one of the first people who took Thai racing teams to Asian stage and then you know we won Japanese championships. Wow. All of a sudden yeah that's that's exciting. So people in in Thailand know know of your dad if they know about racing they know of your dad.

Well I don't think they know my dad as Americans know you but they do know why he was a beloved national icon The very mention of his name causes women to swoon That would be an unfair comparison but Swoon isn't the work What's like a really desperate form of fleeing? It's like, what's like a really desperate form of fleeing? Oh, like a fighter flight mechanism. Yes, you were going to say evacuating.

Yeah, both bells and, okay, there you go. But Gau, I apologize for my friends. They're a crass. They don't understand the ways of the world. So Gau, so your father is in the racing business? Any brothers, sisters in the racing business? Well, my brother is also a racing driver. So he started, yeah, actually, you know, when when you have a father who's in racing, your parents tend to be quite restrictive of you going to races or you know, chasing a racing career. But my brother snuck out to drive a car and raise a car. So my father found out and then he started a racing key just for just to keep my brother in check

So that he doesn't go racing like anywhere else. That's a that's a fascinating That's a fascinating strategy. Yeah, you're race you're running out there and you're racing instead of saying I forbid this He said I'll build a racing team around you So that you I'll have at least some control over your destiny. He should try to start a bank. I know. You want to start a bank, do you? I'll give you $100 million.

That'll show you. So what is Gao tell me, what is your brother's name? Nuh, nuh, it means, nuh, yeah. Very close, but it means number one in Thai. So we're very special. Hold on a second. Is he your younger brother? Yeah. Wait a minute. Why is my older brother? Oh, wait. Wait. Oh, he's your older brother. Okay. That makes sense. I thought for a second, I thought he was your younger brother and they named him number one. And I thought, what did you do, Gau?

He's point five. He's point five. Come here. Say hi to one. How do you race with the name number one and ever lose and live with yourself? Right. I think that's the, uh, that keeps him on. I guess.

Does he, um, what's his attitude? Like, what's, tell me about your brother as you, you know, uh, that's what keeps him on the way. I guess. Does he, what's his attitude? Like, what's, tell me about your brother, as you, you know, it's, noong. Yeah, you got it. Yeah, you got it. Look, my favorite thing, I'll do it everything. Have you, Shilat?

Um, what, what's he, what's he like compared, you know, how are your personalities different? My, my brother is, you know, if the typical stereotype of a racing driver is that they hand some the fit and they are Casanovas. So, you know, pictured a racing driver with all the girls beside him. Yeah. My brother was kind of that until he got married. So he's always the one with the girls.

Wow. You know, I'm so you're like, I hit you. Yeah. Yeah. Let me ask you a question. Number one, let me ask you a question, Gau. Is it all difficult for you? I come from a large family.

We have a lot of a lot of brothers. Is it all, is it at all difficult for you? I come from a large family. A lot of, a lot of brothers. Is it all, is it all difficult for you that, um, you have a brother who's called, whose name is number one? He's the first. Yeah. And, uh, he's handsome and charismatic and a Casanova and your father built this whole team around him. Is it tough for you?

Do you feel like you're in competition with your brother? Um, I feel like I'm out of competition with my brother more because I, you know, I mean a different league. He's in the different league. So I don't know. I'm not. No, no, no. I'm teaming out. Yeah. Number two. Oh, yeah. Yes. And again, there's a lot to do with number two. Yeah, nothing evokes a more pleasing image than number two. Yes.

No, two us up. Gow. You are wrong. I don't like you saying this about yourself, because I haven't met your brother, but I think that you are every bit as important as your brother, every bit as important as your ball. And I think maybe even more so. And so that's how I feel about this situation. God, it's all about attitude. I think you need to start maybe changing your behavior a little bit to make yourself number one in the family.

Do you understand what I'm saying? How would he do that? I mean, okay, I'll tell you how to do it. First of all, you need to start being kind of unpleasant. No. Yeah, I'm walking around like, I'm in charge here. And enough of this, oh, I'll figure out which hotel rooms people stay. And no, you should be racing Gowd.

Do you ever race? Do you ever get in the car and race? I did, but not professionally. So you mean just on the highway when you're in a hurry. Oh, yes. No, I'm not really for legal reasons. No, but I did race a bit of go cut when I was young. You raised go carts? Well, I think go carts are every bit as respectable as any other machine on the road. And I think you should go back to Go Cart Racing and become so good at Go Cart Racing

and internationally famous at it that everyone forgets. I mean, I can't even say his name, you know? Because he's so important to me. You just said it. Yeah. I don't think I said it correctly. Did I? I don't know.

I think coordinating is important. Because it's like, you can race. but if you don't get to the race, is there, then you're just going around in circles? Yeah, stay in your lane. Why not? Why be the second best racer when you can be the best coordinator? Don't listen to them. Go. That's an interesting take.

Yeah, it's easy to be the host. Yeah, exactly. Go, these people are fools and Eduardo, you get near that mic again. And you're out of here, see? Out of here. We got your back, man. Yeah, that was a good one. All right, I'm going to fire the guy who knows how to work the equipment. Who built a studio? Well, Gao, what do you like to drive?

Are you a motorcycle guy at all? Well, given that I work for motorcycle racing team, Oh, it's all motorcycle racing. Oh, yeah. Oh, I forgot. Yes. Is no motorcycle racer as well? No, my brother is a car racer. Oh, it's all motorcycle racing. Oh, yeah. Oh, I forgot. Yes. Is no, no motorcycle racer as well. No, my, my brother's a car racer. Oh, oh, oh, so now I'm confused. You don't work for his team. You don't work for your brother's team. No. Oh, I work for, uh, well, in, in motor racing, uh, unlike other sports, uh, you know, if, if you're in athletics or in swimming, you have national teams, right? But given that I work in motorcycles and motorcycles have many brands, you cannot have national team.

But the closest thing you can have to a national team is a factory team. Let's say I work for Yamaha Thailand and you know Yamaha Thailand factory has its own team that raises all around the world. Okay. That's me. Okay. Do you do you ride motorcycles? I do. What do you have? Love riding it. What do you ride? The last bike that was lent to me by my late uncle. My late uncle has this 50, 60 bike collection that he would always bring in to service with us. So the last bike that I wrote was a Ducati. Wow, don't tell my boss. No, that's okay.

And I love it. You just made this motion into a microphone. It's being broadcast around the world. Yeah. Do you think, I might surprise, I have a motorcycle, that might surprise you. Oh, yeah. What do you write?

Well, I have to write something for a tall person. So I got a tall bike, which is a Suzuki DRZ, you know those oh, yeah, it's a high bike, you know 398cc and Yep, yep, yep, yep, that's a bike that I like to tool around on but because it's all because I have long legs That's cool. Yeah, I can't do right that's What the fuck I can't even what do you ride? Oh, me? Yeah. Tell your ride six, six, six, six, six. Yeah, 60 HD five.

Yeah, blue room. Yeah. So I want to ride the blue room, the seven series. Say what you see. I ride the microphone series. Yeah, I'm going to try and- Of the Yamabas. About. Yeah, I'm going to try and I'm going to pull this back to printed paper.

I'm going to pull this back together. Because this is, I think we lost our way here. And that's on me, you know, because I'm the coordinator of this discussion, right? And I put us all

next to the ice machines. So let me, that's my raising, man. Yeah. Let me, let me, let me, colon in the ice machine, O'Brien. Yes, I'm in. You've heard of the ice man, I'm the ice machine. Here's, here's what we're gonna do, okay, Gau? I wanna summarize.

Yes. And you tell me if I'm correct. You have grown up in your brother's shadow. Your brother is number one. You say he's handsome, he gets all the girls, and he's a champion racer. Yes? Yes.

Okay. You have, I don't know if it was because your brother was called number one, but you feel like you make room for your brother, and you help, you know, and you work in a different aspect of racing, is that true? Well, maybe, I don't know, maybe it's something unconscious. I see.

I think you're assuming a lot about Gal. He could be perfectly happy and should be. What makes you think he's got to replace what his brother is and not just be himself? Well, first of all, I've never heard of two therapists in one room. It's the kind of therapy I don't believe in. And you had no- Who's the other therapist? I'm the therapist here. Oh, dear. Yeah, and I'm talking to Gao. And Gao, would you say that you're a happy person because I want to just plant a I'm the therapist here. Oh, dear. Yeah, and I'm talking to Gow and Gow, would you, would you say that you're a happy person

because I want to just plant a small seed in your brain that deep, deep, deep down. You're enraged at your brother and you're new and good. Are you projecting? No, it's one of your brothers. He's like the cool brother. I just don't see why Neil. I'm sorry. That's my brother's name.

Why Neil gets to be a cool one who gets to have all the fruit loops. Yes, lie on the couch gal. Yeah, I'm on a couch. So should I should I lie down? Gal, I have a question. Have you had have you had this is a personal question you don't have to answer it. Have you had therapy before? Yeah. Okay. And did they go? Oh, did you say yes to having therapy? Oh, no, no, no. It's not yet a widespread thing here in Thailand. Right. Right. I mean, people, people are becoming much more

aware of mental illness and mental conditions. That's good. That's good. Things like that lately. But still, it's not a widespread practice in Thailand. Sounds like an open field. You could be the number one therapist. A. Oh, really?

Could you be? Could you? I mean, I should, you know, my number one customer as a therapist would be myself, I guess. Yeah. Well, I think, first of all, I feel bad for the people of Thailand you know, my, my novel on customer as a therapist would be myself. I guess. Yeah, well, I think, first of all, I feel bad for the people of Taiwan because a lot of them are walking around perfectly happy and if they had therapists that know that they should be miserable.

So you need some therapists there to maybe, and people like me to plants because I met you gal and you seem perfectly happy and charming and nice and you're good at what you do. But what I want to do is plant the subliminal font in your head that your brother and Yoon is destroying your life. And you must overtake him in some way. And so you must rise in the family. It's like that TV show succession.

You've got to rise. I'm tired of you walking around strutting his stuff, acting like Mr. Cool with all his lady friends. Hey, that's what we are. We're the three siblings of succession. Oh, what? Oh, are we? Yeah. No, I'm. Are you the fuck up? No, I'm cousin Greg. I'm new cousin Greg. But anyway, is any of this make any sense to you, Gower, is it not ringing true? You can be honest with me.

Well, I mean, I'm perfectly happy, but the next time I see my brother, I'm gonna tell him to sleep next to the ice machine. Yes! Yes! Nice. I like that. And tell him Conan O'Brien said so. That's a good new slam.

Like, hey, why don't you go sleep next to the ice machine? Yeah, that's a really good slam. That's a great slam. Use that all you want. Go. Wait, it'll, it comes your way. You'll do it. Well, listen, go. It's very nice talking to you. You seem

like a very nice person. And I wish you all the best. And you tell your brother when you see him, yes, tell him he's going to sleep by the ice machine and he better watch his back because Conan will Brian's coming for him. Okay? Okay. And tell him I'm a mean dude with very long legs. That usually scares me. Well, actually, you have what it takes to be a motor racing team manager, I say. So what did you say racing team manager? I guess the highest position of the team.

No, no. Go sleep next to the ice machine. I wouldn't have gotten tired for you. That's No, it's not. No, it's not. That's the, when you said you have what it takes to be a racing team, I was like, so excited for that. I know, that was cool. And you said manager. Yeah.

But, you know, that's my fate, gal. That's my fate. Or you can, you can ride. It's too late. But then again, you're too tall. Yeah. Yeah. I'm also no spring chicken.

Is that a phrase that they have in your Yeah. I'm also no spring chicken. Is that a phrase that they have in your country? I'm getting a little up there in the years. I think so. Yeah. Yeah. If I crash, my bones would just all go flying in every different direction. And dogs would catch them and run off with them.

You know, actually, my name means glass in Thai. So I'm pretty fed fragile as well. Oh, so your brother's my name means glass in Thai. So I'm pretty fragile as well. Oh, so your brother's number one in your fragile glass. Yes, it's fantastic. It's fantastic. It's fantastic. Yeah. How's your brother whose name translates to not worth mentioning?

You're young. There were three of us. Number one, fragile glass and not worth mentioning. We live happily. Well, Gao, you take care. It was nice talking to you. Thank you. If you ever come to Thailand, I'm sure you have more important people to meet, but if you ever come to Thailand, Gao, don't say that. No, if I come to Thailand, I must meet you. You'd actively not meet noon. Yeah. Yeah, I'm going gonna meet you and I'm gonna refuse to talk to your brother and when he and his lady friends and trust me that ladies are

gonna be flocking to me and not your brother because in person they're not on zoom I'm quite the looker I'm making those noises all right we'll talk to you later guys take care bye thank you bye bye Conan O'Brien needs a fan with Conan O'Brien sonum of Sessian and Matt Gourley produced Talk to you later, guys. Take care. Bye. Thank you. Bye-bye. Supervising producer Aaron Blair, Associate Talent Producer Jennifer Samples, Associate Producer Sean Doherty and Lisa Berm. Engineering by Eduardo Perez, please rate, review and subscribe to Conan O'Brien This has been a Teen Coco Production in association with Ewol.