Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Unleash the Kraken

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

Conan talks to Ben from Seattle about building and playing pipe organs and performing at Kraken games. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply

Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Want to talk to Conan? Visit teamcoco.com slash call Conan. Okay, let's get started. Hey Ben, welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a fan. Hi everybody, how's it going? Hey Ben, how are you? I'm doing just fine. How about yourselves?

I'm doing well. That's all the time we have. It's nice chatting with you Ben. It's nice to see you. Where are you calling in from, Ben? So I'm calling in from Tacoma, but I live just up the road in Seattle. So that's in Washington State. I know my Seattle well.

I married into Seattle. My wife is from Seattle and I go there a lot. Currently, my in-laws from Seattle are visiting us here in Los Angeles. Oh, beautiful. So I spent a lot of time with them. And yes, Seattle's a wonderful place. I really like it there.

I keep meaning to go visit that trash can that got for you in Langley, but you know, there's a ferry in the middle. Yes, I was on an island. I haven't made it over there. I was in one of the islands, and I was there because my wife had a play that was being produced there and they found that I was in town and they said they wanted to honor me and they named a trash can after me. The highest honor.

You know, I assumed it was and I went with it and they actually, we had a lot of fun. It was a nice sort of happening and a good time was had by all. But let's not talk about me and my awards and the trash can that bears my name. Let's talk about you. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

What do you do for a living there, Ben? So I've got an assemblage of very odd jobs. So my day job is I build pipe organs, the kind you would find in a church or university, stuff like that. And then a seasonal part-time gig is I play organ at the Seattle Kraken NHL games. Yes, unleash the Kraken.

That's you got, Conan. No, that is, I love, when they named that NHL franchise the Kraken, I was so happy. And then they, that's their motto is unleash the Kraken. And I thought, this is genius. So I started rooting for the Kraken just because of the creative choice. Beautiful. Yeah, I was down with the Kraken. I'm still down with the Kraken just because of the creative choice. Oh, there we go, beautiful.

Yeah, I was down with the Kraken, I'm still down with the Kraken. Is it unleash or release? There you go. Unleash. Usually I think it's release, but not to side with Gurley. Not to side with Gurley out the gate. Oh.

I'm just going by Clash of the Titans. Yeah, so I've been doing it wrong. I've been shouting unleash the Kraken, and whenever I do that, they lose. So this might be an un-leashed. The Kraken was leashed? You're to blame. You're to blame. Well, I just think of, I've seen many times, I go to the park and stuff and they say,

please keep your Kraken leashed. And so as a rule follower, that's why I went with unleash. I was wrong, you guys were right, and Gorley, you were right. I wasn't doing it to beash. I was wrong. You guys were right. And Gorley, you were right. I wasn't doing it to be right. I was just correcting history and Clash of the Titans is important.

I understand. Okay. So we have a lot to talk about here. First of all, let's talk pipe organs. I know nothing about pipe organs. Of course, I grew up going to many masses and seeing a lot of pipe organs in my life. And so I'm very impressed by them,

but I don't know anything about them. How do you, I mean, how did you become a guy who makes a pipe organ? How does one, and you're a young man, it's not like your great grandfather handed this on down to you. It feels like this is just something you kind of figured out on your own.

Yeah, you know, it's just a series of stumbling into odd career paths. I went to school for engineering and decided about halfway through that I didn't really want to do that and wanted to try and figure out how can I do like, you know, work with my hands, build stuff. And through a series of very chance encounters at the University of Illinois got linked up with a pipe working builder there, but they didn't need any more people. And believe it or not, there's a lot of people

that do this throughout the country. And so the guy there pointed me to a website that listed a bunch of other ones. And I just sent a bunch of emails saying, hey, I think what you guys do is neat. Do you need another hand around the shop? And one thing led to another, and now I live in Seattle and do this.

You know what, I like that, perseverance. Perseverance, you had a sense of what you wanted to do and you kept at it. Did you choose the right path? I'm not sure. -♪ What? -♪ You know, verdict's out every day. Be honest with you, Ben. What do you have against pipe organs? I was attacked by one.

Yeah, it fell over on me. And the sound it made was incredible. It went, ba-ay-oh. As I was, my life was being crushed out of me. No, Ben, I obviously think it's very cool what you do. Tell me, how many pipes are in a pipe organ? It kind of depends on the size. So we will do anything from,

some of the ones we're finishing up right now are kind of a smaller practice size. They go in a practice room, or if you had a nice vaulted ceiling, you could fit it in your house. Those might have a couple hundred, but the biggest organ that we've done, I think has in the ballpark around 5,000.

Five thousand pipes. Now. They range in size, so the smallest one will be about an inch long. That's your high-pitched stuff that'll sound like this. Oh my God. The bigger range of the scale, the largest pipe that'll end up going to most of the organs we do from tip

to tail is around 32 feet long. What sound does that make? Would that make like a, a big. Exactly, you nailed it. Oh my God, he's got one. This isn't quite that big, but this isn't the big one, but it is at least a little deeper to give you the range here.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. I think we overd Oh my God. Oh my God. I think we overdid it there. That wasn't that much. It made the sound that we thought it would make and then all of us went, Oh my God. You did it better,

I think, actually. Oh my God. It's just so different than the other one. Yes. Wow. It really was. I mean, I didn't expect. Yes, yes.

No, one was very high. The very small one. And then the other was. Small one to do pitch. Yeah. A high, I didn't expect. One was very high. The very small one to do pitch. Yeah. A high pitch. Yeah. Low. Yeah, shocking. Okay.

So it's incredible that you learned how to do that. Is there a lot of welding, soldering involved, a lot of metalwork? Do you put on goggles? Are there sparks flying? Paint a picture for me. Yeah, it's just like, you know, the fires of Vulcan and the face, you know. There's a lot of soldering. The secrets of making organ pipes and actually a lot of brass musical instruments is a lot of just kind of beating the shit out of it until it's the right shape. So that's, it's definitely a physical job. But yeah, so we'll start with liquid. We'll start with ingots of metal

and we'll melt them down in a big furnace. So you have this liquid kind of Terminator 2000 kind of looking stuff. This is a real, I'm sorry. And I don't want to embarrass you, but you're like a real person because you're taking, my job does not involve, and I envy you for this, my job doesn't involve taking ingots of metal and melting them down in a vat

And I come into this room in a t-shirt and This is you're actually building things that will outlive you these these pipe organs will live they could live for a thousand years But not to not to be in your defense, but you make something out of nothing. Yeah, I craft laughter You're right. I have no ability. No, you're not. I make something. No, you're a conjurer, you know? I'm a conjurer, yes, yes.

I suppose I am a conjurer, if you will. Yeah. Thank you. But I am just- It's not the same, his is way cooler. Yeah, thank you. True, yeah, that goes without saying. So you make these amazing organs. Let's say I wanted to buy an organ,

you know, be nice if someone would, you know, give me one, an organ donor if you will. But, Oh God. Homer, but my question is, I hate back what I said. But my question is, You're so angry.

There was nothing there and I made something, something horrible. Yeah, pile of shit. Okay, there you go. Thank you. Critics, everyone's a critic. How much, how much are we talking? Let's say I wanted to buy a pipe organ

for my wife for her birthday. Top of the line, mid-range? I'm looking for something mid-range. I don't wanna go with a small organ. I wanna go with something that has at least a thousand pipes. Okay, so as long as your estate has the space to kind of accommodate something that big, you're looking probably about the million dollar range.

You're talking to Conan O'Brien. I have nine estates that have been joined together with various bridges and habit trails. So I scurry through tubes to get from one estate to the other. Okay, so what are we talking about? Let's say I wanted a thousand pipe organ. What do you think it might run me?

You're probably gonna run in like the million dollar range. Ooh. Which for you is, I'm sure, chump change. But- I wouldn't say chump change. I mean, I'd have to shake out a couple of couch cushions. Oh, God. But we'd find it.

No, no, that's so cool. How long would it take to build? Usually it takes about a year from when we'll start in on one project. And the shop, there's eight guys that work here full time. And everyone's kind of got their specialty. So like right now, for example, the pipes, we're starting the next organ while we're finishing up

some of the casework on the previous ones. But generally something around that size, like a thousand, two thousand pipes. Let me ask you a really obnoxious Los Angeles question. If I threw more money at it, could I get it faster? What if I was like, hey man. If you wanna come help out, sure. No, no, just do that obnoxious like,

hey, I need this in three months, I'll give you 10 million. Or is that just impossible? It would make my life a lot worse if you wanted to do that. Yeah, but the kind of guy I'm impersonating doesn't care. Yeah. Yeah, and you'd get $10 million.

Well, no, he'd eventually not pay. Oh man, come on, I think10 million. Well, no, he'd eventually not pay. Oh, man, come on. I think I sucked. This guy is awful. Is this guy currently running for president? He's running again for president. Okay, yeah. But anyway, let's talk about your other gig,

which is you play at the Kraken games. I mean, what kind of songs do you play when you're on that organ? You know, what are the- A little bit of everything. There's like, Beep, boom, boom, bam, bam, bam, you know that one? Oh yeah, yeah. There's, you know, there's those kind of the old standbys, your let's go crack and stuff like that. But especially being a new team, you kind of get to start fresh and really

build the repertoire however you see fit. So, you know, I'll play classic rock songs, I'll play hip-hop songs. You play hip-hop on a pipe organ? You can get away with anything on an organ because there's no lyrics. So you're playing hardcore hip-hop? I know from time to time. I don't want to get you in trouble, but what would be the nastiest song that you've played at a Kraken game? Or do you not want to say? Well, I could, well, you know, you guys, you don't want to get you in trouble, but what would be the nastiest song that you've played at a Kraken game? Or do you not want to say it? Well, I could, well, you know, you guys, you don't censor anything, right? So I think the the song title that would would have gotten me most in trouble is there's an exhibit song called Motherfucker.

So that's an example. You probably couldn't play it. Can we sing some of it, Conan? Why don't you, uh, tell us? We all know Motherfucker. That's a good one. Yeah. Something like that. Oh, that's so cool. That's a good one. Something like that. That's so cool. That's great. Why don't you play it and I'll sing it. Yeah.

Go ahead. Yeah. What? Motherfucker. Motherfucker. I was almost right is what's shocking is that you were pretty close on where the motherfucker dropped. Yeah. Yeah.

It must be fun. I mean, first of all, it sounds like you're a talented musician as well. So this must be really nice that you've built this life for yourself. It's one of those things you show up to work and it's like, it is stupid that someone let me do this. I know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah. I thought you might. Yeah. No, I do think to get serious for a second,

I do think that one of the main goals, then I talk to my kids about this all the time, is really try and figure out what excites you, what you like, and then just keep at it and try and figure out a way to make that thing that brings you some joy, a career. Absolutely. You know, because I talk to people all the time

who really hate what they do. That's just no way to go through life if you can possibly avoid it. Well, and it's, and like the other side of it, you know, the advice part of it too, that I'll tell people all the time, is that any job I've ever had has never been from like a job listing

and just applying to something. It's been finding like, oh, here's something I'm really interested in, and then you have to find the people who are doing what you wanna do and find a way to get involved. I can't believe how many people do this. Yeah, it's pretty common. It's pretty common. Is it common? Do you guys have conventions? doing what you want to do and find a way to get involved. I can't believe how many people do this. Yeah.

It's pretty common. I mean, is it common? Do you guys have conventions? It's more common than you'd think. Well, it's like every city needs one of you guys, right? Yeah. Yeah, every, no, it's true. Every city needs at least someone who's making pipe organs or maintaining them.

Right, yeah. And then you got to figure out if there's at least one, often there's more. Do you guys have a union? Is there a pipe organ union? There's no union, not yet. Let's organize. I'd like to organize you guys. Unionize.

We'll get on the phone. We're gonna do this. And then let's you and I unionize, Sona. I'm down. I'm gonna bring in some thugs and goons. For just the two of us? Yeah, it's gonna be like an automobile plant in the 30s. Oh, man.

We're gonna beat you with pipes. Get the National Guard on trains to come in. Yes, exactly. Get all these guys that really are dressed like it was the 30s. And you guys are just gonna be having a quiet conversation over in the kitchen area, over Flawn, talking about, yeah, maybe we could work out,

and these guys are gonna come in and just start wailing on you with pipes. Hey, and you can bring the pipes. Oh! Yeah, there you go. Perfect. And I think I'm on their side, though. You know, solidarity. Thank you, Ben. Yeah, you'll be on their side,

but later on you realize, wait a minute, the pipes they used to get Conan had the goons hit so and Gourley with were made. That's gonna be the twist ending. Is you're gonna think this is horrible and then you're gonna see your signature on the pipes. See? But then I'll remember that $10 million demand where I had to work, you know, round the clock,

slaving away for Conan's pipe organ and then I'll remember, no, my heart's with the little people. Yeah, exactly. Then you realize I didn't need a pipe organ, I just wanted the pipes. Right, yeah. To hit Gorillian Sona to keep them from unionizing. Like, hey Conan, do you care about, I don't care about what the size of the pipes.

Send the bigger, heavier pipes sooner, I don't like those little pipes. I don't need the organ, just the pipes. Yeah, I don't need the organs, I just need the pipe. That's very cool, and the one that you play for, the Kraken, I know that you play that you like hip hop and stuff like that, but how does the Let's Go Kraken song go? Is it the standard, is it? You know, it's your standard.

Let's go unleash the Kraken, right? Well, it's just usually it's, you know, let's go Kraken. It's release. And then the claps. That's your standard. Let's go unleash the Kraken, right? Well, release. Well, it's just usually, it's, you know, Unleash the Kraken. Let's go Kraken. It's release. And then the claps. Release the Kraken. Yeah.

Unleash the Kraken. Just say you were incorrect and you were wrong. It really flows. Unleash the Kraken. Please. Un, you get to really hit un. Release the Kraken. Nope, doesn't work.

Release the Kraken. Unleash the Kraken. And let's see if I can get this turned around in Seattle so it's unleash the Kraken. So this doesn't work. Release the Kraken. Unleash the Kraken. And let's see if I can get this turned around in Seattle so it's unleash the Kraken. So this Kraken, this underwater sea creature is on a leash? Yeah, he's on a leash. And then the other team isn't afraid and they're winning and then suddenly the mascot comes out

and unleashes the Kraken. It's just in the movie, there's literally a cage that they release the Kraken out of. It's a lot of logistics to have to fight with a leash. To do a leash? No, you take the leash off. Now, there's going to have to be a collar. Does he have a harness, too?

Or is it just the collar? He has a harness, too. It sort of keeps his chest stable. And it's easier to walk him, and he heals better. And he has a little torso sweater. He has a little torso sweater. Yeah. And he's got a little thing that says what his chip ID number is. And a little bandana. He's got a little torso sweater, yeah. Rabies vaccine tag. Yeah, he's got a little thing that says

what his chip ID number is. And a little bandana. Because when your Kraken goes lost, you wanna make sure that if anyone finds him, they take him to the nearest vet. That's true. Listen, I've given this a lot of thought, and I think I've just improved the Kraken.

I'm, this is very cool. I think we should chip in, because we have a cool little spot here. Chip in? Let me see where I'm going, okay. Yeah, let him see where he's going Yeah, let me see where I'm going here. Go Dutch We have a place here Our offices and I think there'd be some room for a pipe organ

Where I thought he was going Have to be not too big because our Space isn't huge and the pipes would probably have to go through at least two ceilings and Come out the roof. Would that work? We've got we can give you some smaller ones that are only about 12 feet tall So that might just be one ceiling for you. So Okay, you know there's options we can talk about it. You said chip in we have to chip in wait a minute Why should I have to pay for everything? This is your building, this, your podcast.

I'm not interested in co-owning an organ. Yeah. I want the full thing. Yeah, I would like a whole organ. My assumption was that you guys would donate, but I would still own it completely. No. We're gonna donate, we're gonna unionize. That's right.

All right, I'm gonna need these pipes faster than I thought. I'll get cracking on them. I want the really good whacking pipes. I don't care what they sound like. As I'm hitting Sony need these pipes faster than I thought. I'll get cracking on that. I want the really good whacking pipes. I don't care what they sound like. As I'm hitting, Sonya, you hear, doooom, doooom. Hey, Ben, it's been really nice talking to you. Do you have a question?

My question would be, it's a matter of when not if you make the transition into professional sports. Thank you. Physiques such as yours, I think you're a natural for hockey. Ben, I've always... I'm always curious. I admire where you're coming from,

and you seem like a very sensible and perceptive young man. So the question is... Right, yeah. What sport or... So the question would be, you know, when you make the jump over to hockey, what would you want as, like, your goal song? So, you know, you've just absolutely wheeled wheeled down the ice and you found an opening the goal

You embarrass them. You just get the puck in the back of the net. What song do you want? Reverberating as the crowd goes wild. What's the theme from St. Elmo's fire? And we're gonna get it Eduardo's looking it up. What is it? Oh, were you just doing your taxes? Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song.

Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song.

Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song.

Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a song. Here's a I think it's called St. Elmo's Fire, isn't it? Love theme from St. Elmo's Fire. I don't think that's it. Who sings it? Which is really what you want for hockey, is a nice love theme. Yeah, yeah.

That no one is under fire, man in motion. Man in motion! Can you play a second of it? John Parr. Sure. We'll have to take it out, right? Yeah, this will have to be taken out. I know, but then maybe I can sing a second of it,

and then they'll still come after us, but I'll avoid them. I'm very good at that. Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh the whole song after you score a goal? Yeah, whole song. They'll do about. Yeah, just for Conan. Yeah, they'll stop and everyone will stop. Politely listen. Is there someone that can play like this? If he doesn't play our solo. Luckily, if I take the music out

I don't think this is in any way a royalty problem But the main one I remember is to me more and rubble Yeah, that's what I want to play with those, I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it.

I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it.

I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it.

I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna sing it. I'm gonna grab it, long intro 80s style. And then, remember there was a movie that came out in 85, the crowd was filing out of the arena. And Ben is wailing away with me, you know, this is gonna be great.

Yeah. And I'm playing air guitar with my hockey stick. Yeah. I can't wait until someone just beats you. Yeah. And from the other team just beats you sensuously. That would, that's gonna take at least five, that's gonna take like five minutes

for someone to get organized enough. All right, Ben, it was so cool talking to you. I look forward to joining the Kraken. Tell the Kraken I'm coming and I'm going to join. Yeah, for sure. I'm gonna sing the St. Elmo's theme after every goal I score. You are gonna accompany me. I have new lyrics, which just basically lists who I'm gonna sing the St. Elmo's theme after every goal I score. You are gonna accompany me.

I have new lyrics, which just basically lists who I can remember from the cast. And it's unleash the Kraken, not release the Kraken. It is now officially unleash the Kraken and I want that change made to all merchandise. And to Clash of the Titans, you're gonna go back and change that? Nope.

Okay. Hey, Ben, very nice to meet you. Very cool talking to you and continued success. I think you're a very cool guy. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Have a good one, you guys. Take care.

Conan O'Brien needs a friend. With Conan O'Brien, Sonam O'Sessian, and Matt Gourley. Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Nick Leal, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Earwolf. Theme song by The White Stripes. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy.

Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair, and our associate talent producer is Jennifer Samples. Engineering by Eduardo Perez. Additional production support by Mars Melnick. Talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Battista, and Brit Kahn. You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts, and you might find your review read on a future episode. Got a question for Conan?

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