The Bear and the Bath

0:03Conan 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? 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.

0:55Chimes 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. leave all right nice to see you no no um tell us what's going on coco t bear because i can't figure it out by just looking i do i do refer to myself as a sonic shaman sonic a shaman being someone who teaches you what they know okay um and what i know is sound um 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 um that's interesting and uh i i like to use instruments that are uh easy to 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 but none of my instruments uh have any wrong notes like it's just oh that's nice ooh that's nice I just I found these instruments that I loved hearing feeling and then I was like I want to play those instruments so forget the viola yeah listen you're talking to a guy that said forget the viola in the 1960s yeah Coco T-Bear I'm using it 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.

2:33You can just, 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, Venmo's. Let's say, where are you right now in the world? In the world, I am in a place of love. I am in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Oh, you're in East Tennessee. Okay. That's so cool. I was going to say Dolly Territory. Yeah. My license plate has Dolly Parton on it. Wow. That's very cool. What? And so does Dolly Parton.

3:17I 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. 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 uh i mean different things but the most common is uh sound bath you might have heard sound bath i've heard of sound los angeles yeah that's uh that but i'll also sometimes use uh osteophonic tuning forks or bone vibrating tuning forks um so they're very quiet but when you put near somebody do you ever put that near the um 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 yeah what's up with that um well i've been i've always thought that that was a good place uh it's very susceptible because it's so close to the ear and the ear canal.

4:24It's that right behind the ear, of course, the mastoid process. I didn't know that. It would be a great susceptible place to feel vibrations. I apologize for my ignorant friends, Coco T-Bear. Not necessary. We don't require it. Not all of our fathers can be doctors. Wait, are we high when we're doing this? I'm sorry. You seem high now. I would like to be in. 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.

5:14I used to do an event at a Petit Hermitage over there in West Hollywood called The Highest Hour and they would have a soundbather 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'd ever smoked weed and then had a soundbath. That's great. So a soundbath, how long does a soundbath last for? You're creating different sounds in the soundbath 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 4 to 20 range, somewhere in there.

5:564 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 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.

6:29It'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 do a sound bath without doing bits? How long does sound bath last? You guys, up to an hour, hour and a half. I've done a 12-hour sound bath. Okay, that's a good question I have. You can't do it. Because I do a lot of bits. I'm a nuclear bits machine. Ooh, yeah. 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.

7:08What would you do if I was sitting there in your class of 24 people? What would you do? I'll give you an example. Oh, look who we are, sound bath. I'm past the soap. You know someone who's been in one of my classes. Even Kevin Nealon can take this serious. You're 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 here in Tennessee. Oh, he loves a fancy resort.

7:48That's actually how I found out that his son can do the entirety of an airplane. He can just quote the whole thing. 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... Him and 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. Because I'm going to be making random noises.

8:30I'm going to be chattering making little commentary and so I don't know if that's going to be disruptive to the other people in the soundbatch well could we do an example of this where Coco T-Bear you kind of begin a soundbatch sure let's see how you handle this I think that's a good idea that's well produced producer thanks thank you oh man now I see why y 'all brought Gourley in yeah so go ahead and inhale in through your nose and exhale through the mouth

9:04And as these sounds move through you, your mind might wander. Just don't do that. Just bring your mind back with a breath in and out.

9:30Okay, that makes me feel a genie's here. I know. I'm sorry. There's no way I don't feel like a genie's here when I hear that sound. I want to do this with you, too. Hold on a second. I feel like I'm having a flashback.

9:42Oh, wow. Levitation. That feels like levitation. I'm just going to narrate these sounds. No, don't do it, please. Don't narrate. Inhale. Exhale. That's cool. I hope he hits that gong soon. Okay, now I feel like I'm getting a massage. Yeah. This is massage music. It does relax me, though. The massage. That's beautiful. What a beautiful sound. I'm already closed. You guys aren't closing? Oh. No, I want to see what he's doing. Oh. Got my eyes closed. Oh, God. Stop talking. Stop.

10:29My God, that's terrifying. Don't go down that hallway. Go down the hallway. That's like the Blade Runner soundtrack.

10:40Oh, my God. I mean, I am impressed. These are very cool sounds. I know, but I feel like we're going to get a visit from La Llorona. I wish I knew what that meant. My God, you do need to shut up. Shh, Sona, we're trying to listen. Sona, you're the only one that's high, so. 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 where did the cheering go. Doesn't that sound like, I swear to God, that sounded like a crowd cheering.

11:21And I love that sound. This is like a Rorschach test. Yes. Because I just heard, like, some movies. 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?

11:40It 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 going to buy one. I'm not getting cheers and laughter. 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. Oh. She's good at this. Yeah. I really want to do this without you two. I want to do a podcast without either one of you. I really just want to... I just want to be happy again in my life.

12:32Oh my God. I just want to do something relaxing without the two of you chiming in every two seconds. You guys want to talk about James Bond or something? Oh my God. Okay, so... Fucking kill me.

12:53Can I ask you a question? there's no school for this you just seem to know how to do this i am impressed because i didn't i have to say you can think there's going to 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 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 and yeah right yeah when i found this i was still using the phrase hippy dippy bullshit on a regular basis oh yeah 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 her name is lauren rose um hi lauren um and she did a a three month program uh where we actually uh 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 uh i did improv in chicago for seven years so like i just kind of lean into that that it'd be fascinating to combine improv like if you didn't have a good you're doing a scene you sort of start to lose like i don't quite know where to go now i'm going to 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 can we hear the gong yeah can we hear the gong yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah oh for sure don't sona never apologize for asking what you know she should well i mean oh oh look he's not Banging it like I would.

14:46It's like he's caressing it. He's fondling it. Sort of sexual. Yeah. Oh, I like what they're doing. Yeah. I like what's happening. We're going to give it a nice, now that it's warmed up, I'm going to give her a roll. Yeah.

15:03Oh, man.

15:12I came. Oh my god You just You what? I was watching her Oh my god Sona Sona, what would TAC say? What would your mom say? We gotta edit that out No, we are not editing that out I can't wait to tell my best friend that That's incredible Wow Wow, wow. I've never been with a woman when she orgasms. It's a first for me. I always thought it was like a Yeti, just something you heard about, but it didn't exist. Incredible. Well, there it is, ladies and gentlemen, proof that the female orgasm does exist at long last. State line. Wow. Well, Coco T. Bear, you just got a killer. That was a high, high moment.

16:10I'll hear what she's hearing. Wow. I'm a believer. I have to say I'm a complete believer. I am. 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 I, at one point I was doing 10 of these a week at minimum. And so I had my own little Southwest jokes, you know, things that always killed in the room. And then Kevin laughed at a zero of them. And I was convinced he hated me. Yeah. Uh, and then I realized that it's, uh, it's buffoonery that he prefers.

16:55Yeah. By listening to your show. So thank you for that. He, um, uh, this is fascinating that there's, are there any, I mean, I have a question for 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. Eduardo, I've told Eduardo 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 listen to very few podcasts this is actually the first podcast i ever actually started listening to regularly that's nice i would get into pod 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 thank you because 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 but thank God they're saved on the internet.

18:07Yeah. Let's move past the part where you're unaware of my work on television.

18:15Wait, I just came. That was quick. That was a fast orgasm. The flute did it for you? Yeah, oh my God. That quickly? The heart wants what the heart wants. What did I say? 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.

18:42Copoti 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? You're a married woman. I know. You're a married woman. Yeah. I don't ever come to Los Angeles. I mean, not. I do. Okay. I'd like to see you. We would like to. Romantic. Wait, can we do it next summer? Because 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.

19:17Because 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 chilled me out. They were like, we're going to do this after the Oscars, okay? 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 until 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. But I will say this. I almost regret to say this, but you have mentioned your own sound soothing that you do.

19:54it is unfortunately in the the waste of time of others but you like attention yeah and you noodling on a guitar is your own version of noodling on a guitar and also i do a thing when people are talking sometimes where i go you're a little verbal and i murder murder murderer and um i do that and i do it to 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 going to take a left try. I go, oh, yeah. And I make little strange noises and they, I don't, they don't hear me, but they give me pleasure. You've been around with me when this is happening.

20:37Yes. And it's, that's why I don't think I want to do this sound bath with you. I mean that in a loving way. It's a very private and personal thing for you. I have done this for people's assistance aside from doing it for them. That's usually the case. 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. It's like the antithesis of a Goldbloom growl. Yeah. That's right. Oh, I bet he'd be great in a sound bath. Oh, yes, he is a sound bath. He's so soothing and he's so tactile. I don't know. Coco T. Bear, you've risen to the top.

21:21You've risen to the top. I want to have a sound bath. I want you to be my sonic shaman. And I think we're going to make this work out 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, Coco? Yeah, play us out. 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?

22:08Oh, well, the South is just filled with battlefields. 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 POWs were kept. And many of them died of dysentery. So you banging a gong in that field might bring them peace and relief.

22:44Yeah, and if you're looking for a Star Wars battlefield, I'd say it's Planet of Scarif. I'm not. I'm not. Okay. Because I know that stuff. 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. as a figure, as a leader that sees himself as a Stalin-esque leader. And then I saw you dance and sing at the Oscars. Your favorite episodes, you've said, are the one, 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.

23:25I'd have to do that. So if The Simpsons develop 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 best. 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. It's about time an Irishman tackled that role. I just uncame. Strong Tevye. It went back in. Oh, God. 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.

23:57Bear, we salute you. Take us out with some of your... Oh, wow.

24:05Yeah, you said these couldn't go out of tune, but that sounded very out of tune. Sorry, man. Well, I'm all nervous now. Oh, yeah, I know. Hard to perform on command.

24:34That 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 y 'all. Conan O 'Brien Needs a Fan. With Conan O 'Brien, Sonam Ovcesian, and Matt Gourley. Produced by me, Matt Gourley. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross, and Nick Liao. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy. Supervising producer Aaron Blair. Associate talent producer Jennifer Samples. Associate producers Sean Doherty and Lisa Berm. Engineering by Eduardo Perez. Get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign up at SiriusXM.com slash Conan.

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