Hello and welcome to a very special episode
of "Conan O'Brien needs a friend."
We're starting something, a series of shows,
something we attempted once before, I think two years ago.
Right.
Called "Conan and the Chill Chums."
Nope, nope. No, no.
What?
"Summer S'mores with Conan and the Chill Chums."
Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, okay. How's that obsessive compulsive disorder coming?
(Sona laughing)
How's that asshole galactica syndrome coming?
(laughs) What?
What a nice start to a lovely summer day.
We started two years ago with a segment called,
I'm sorry, "Summer S'mores with Conan and the Chill Chums."
Yep. I think it began
when we had a conversation about s'mores.
That's right. Mm-hmm.
I maintained that s'mores blow.
That nobody really likes them. Boo, boo.
And that it's a very flawed American treat.
(Sona groans)
And just, Sona, you've got to calm down a little bit
and then we'll get, you can build up to a rage,
but for now- (laughs) What?
We talked about it and then it became this series
where we just, it's just the three of us chewing the fat.
And what we thought we'd do is we'd start in studio.
Mm-hmm.
And this would be the first episode but then we would move
to an outdoor summer locale.
Where we can literally have a campfire.
Yes, we're gonna have an actual campfire.
Yeah.
And so I can't think of anything more exciting
than listening to people who were inside
now being outside and having a fire.
And I think that's the kind
of excitement we bring to people.
I think there's a coziness to that
that people will find appealing.
I agree, I don't know why you took there
to be a sarcastic tone in my voice.
'Cause maybe it was the look on your face.
No, not at all.
I had a stroke a few years ago
and it's made me look very skeptical
and like I've just had a mouthful of shit. (laughs)
Anyway...
You mean s'mores? Yeah.
(Sona groans) So what we're gonna do is-
I'm scared to talk. We're gonna start.
That's the environment I've wanted for you, Sona.
Oh my God. So what we're gonna do
is we're gonna start today's episode
of "Summer S'mores with Conan and the Chill Chums."
That would be Matt and Sona.
We're gonna start it here in our studio,
our brand-new spanking studio
and then we're gonna move to an outdoor location.
Are you comfortable saying where we're gonna go, Matt?
Yeah, and I think-
'Cause I had big ideas about us going to Yellowstone.
I thought it would be really cool if we went up
to the Pacific Northwest, maybe to the San Juan Islands.
What?
I thought just some amazing,
maybe up to Northern Maine up there
in the far reaches up near the Canadian border.
So I had all these great ideas and I told you,
"Money's no object, the sky's the limit."
What did you come up with, Matt?
My backyard.
Your backyard that's about-
And I'm gonna pocket that travel money.
Oh yeah, 'cause you did ask for the cash.
For the stipend, yeah.
You asked for the cash up front. (laughs)
No, well, we've got our-
I gave you $600,000 to work this out
and now we're doing it in your backyard.
'Cause I got a new park bench.
(Conan laughs)
We did talk about the fact that you live on the West Side.
Both Sona and I live on the East Side in the 'Denas.
Mm-hmm. That's two to one so-
We have a lot of people listening
who don't know what the 'Denas are so let's tell them.
You're talking about your Pasadena, your Altadena.
Yeah. Your Dean & DeLuca.
These are places on the far East Side
of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, is that true?
Yeah, I wouldn't say the far East Side
in the greater scheme of things.
I've been to Sona's house.
It took several days to get there.
Three burros died underneath me.
Oh, God. It's way, way out there.
You're the far one.
The greater community of this world here
that we live and work in lives on the East
where you live far on the West.
Yeah, yeah. Whose name is in the title of the show?
Friend, Rupert Friend?
(laughs) Jesus, you're weird.
What? (crew laughing)
What an odd fellow.
Okay, as you know, I'm a Democratic man.
(Matt laughs)
And I believe in the power of different voices being raised
and then letting the majority rule.
I've always felt that way.
We're going to go to your house which is in Pasadena.
Yeah.
And we're gonna be in your backyard.
Yeah.
I don't remember there being a backyard.
Well, you haven't been in it.
Okay.
You came over one time when we recorded
that quarantine episode and you guys came in the front door
and we recorded and you left the front door.
Right. Yeah.
Back when people thought that COVID was gonna be a thing.
Yeah. Yeah.
Back in those early paranoid days.
We showed them.
Two and a half years ago. (Matt chuckles)
Anyway, I do remember that.
That was very strange 'cause I remember
we all gathered there and we thought,
what is this COVID thing?
I guess if you gather in groups
of like, five, you can't get it.
This was early on. Yeah.
We didn't know anything about it.
This is back when we were being told,
"Wipe down all your groceries."
Right.
Because COVID is spread by touching a box of Lucky Charms
that just game from a Ralphs.
We didn't know anything yet.
No, and we didn't really touch each other.
There were half of us that were-
I kept trying to touch you.
Yeah, that was part of the reason
we wanna move this outside. (Sona chuckles)
But we wouldn't touch each other,
but we'd be in the same room.
Remember that? That was kinda-
Yeah, and then it later turned out
that right, that doesn't work.
But they were early days. We didn't know.
And here we are now two and a half years later
and we're gonna return to your house.
Yeah, triumphant.
Triumphant and we are going to celebrate "Summer S'mores."