Want to talk to Conan? Visit Team Coco dot com slash Call Conan. Okay, let's get started. Hi Lani. Lani, how are you? I'm great. How are you doing? Doing really well. So let's set up the story here because this is a little unusual. A lot of people sort of cold call in and we talk to them. You, I need to disclose the truth. I was chatting with backstage
Beacons Theater. Is that correct? Yes, sir. Okay. Why don't you set the stage of what what was the event? Do you remember the event because I do some events I do so much for so many people. Oh God. What was the event? Love rocks. Yes. Love rocks. They had an amazing band for love rocks. It's a great charity where they feed people who are in need in Los Angeles who have and give them nutritious meals. I think people who are being hospitable
and are not allowed to be in some kind of treatment. It's a great thing. They get really good people to come out and do it. I couldn't believe the talent that love rocks got out there at the Beacons Theater. It was insane. It was a surreal group of people. It was really cool. And so you and I are chatting backstage and I think you were saying you're a fan. And I can't remember. I think I said, well, you know, you should call into the show sometime. Can I say it like that? I cheated for sure. I was, I think I was standing in there just like a babbling idiot. Just nonverbal. I went fully nonverbal.
And Rebecca from Larkin Poe was like stopped you as you were trying to leave and told you that I was a gross fan of yours. And I was gross fan mean because I didn't think I didn't hear the term gross fan. Did she say gross fan? She might have said like aggressive or intense. But what let me all the same. Let me reveal something to you. This is all a trick just to get your information so that we can check on you.
Because your intensity of your fanhood was such that we thought we need to get eyes on you. Yeah. A welfare check. We need. Yeah. Well fair check. Not a welfare. Well, I mean, if she's that big a fan of you, I'm a little worried about your concern for her. You're concerned for her employability in the world. No, I just think, you know, we have law officers watching. So this whole thing's being monitored.
I just want you to know that right now. Where are you right now? Do you live in New York City? No, sir. I'm in Nashville. I love the no sir. Yes. I am in the military. You live in Nashville. And so do you work with Larkin Poe? Because they're fantastic. They're very talented. Yes. I work with them and a couple other touring camps. Okay. So you're with Larkin Poe and they actually tried to convince me to bring my guitar out on stage and just wing it with them.
Oh, I was sure. And I was telling them, I'm too scared to wing it with with Larkin Poe. We're pretty much anybody. I'd need to I'd need I'd want a day of rehearsal because I'm a comedian who pretends sometimes to play an instrument. Just like go man. No, that's not a good idea. Yeah. Oh, what's the worst thing that could happen? Oh, I'll show it to you. Oh, I'm going to wing. Why? Larkin Poe banished from show business. Larkin Poe records plummeting.
Larkin Poe is back cataloged destroyed. Oh, man. Larkin splits with Poe. Yeah. Poe goes to Larkin. Larkin was speak to Poe. Conrad Brian destroys Larkin and Poe. Larkin and Poe is now a law firm. Wait, a successful law firm. It turns out this is the best thing they ever did. There you go. Now they're back in the music business because they sued you by their law firm. Yeah. Look what you did. What a rollercoaster. That was a crazy ride. I should have gone out there.
Yeah. So when did you get addicted to I wouldn't shouldn't say addicted to but you became a fan through the podcast or through some stuff. Yeah. She's this. Yeah. I'm sorry. She's clearly obsessed. Oh. And it's dangerous. Well, through the podcast. That means you like me and Gory Lee too, right? Oh, my, my, my be a little bit more so than come yet. You could go. So I'll just show myself out.
Well, I say that sensitively because isn't that you know the point of the podcast. Yeah. Kind of, yeah. No, it's true. People like to see me inflate myself. Float up to the ceiling and then these two. What like in a pinyana? You bash me with sticks. You're so good at setting it up. You know, you're a master at self deflation. Like a petrol self deflation. Her on to this. Yeah. Yeah. I brought you on to deflate me. But wait, tell us about your life. So you are with these
different. You work with several bands and you hit the road with them. Is that right? Yes, sir. I travel with them. I depends on which camp I'm in. But I usually just take care of instruments. Any groups I'd know besides Larkin Poe. Reba McIntyre. Oh, my god. What was the last one? Marin Morris. Oh, wow. Jesus. This is legit. How did you? You seem very young. How did you get into this?
This is this is a good gig. It's I'm very lucky. It's very cool. I'm 25. Yes. And I started when I was 21, 22 with Terry Clark. Her her tour manager at the time was a friend of mine. And he just needed somebody to fill in on a weekend tuning guitars. I was like, I can do that. So. And then it kind of grew from there. Now, you tune a guitar. This I know there's a little device now that goes on the neck of the
guitar. So you can tune it pretty quickly, right? And is it just that the musicians are too lazy to do it for themselves? Is that what's going on here? I think it's a matter of a cleaner transitions and making sure that the guitar stays in tune because they're subject to the elements outside, humidity, wind, no, no, no, okay.
I think I think Reba's lazy. I think Larkin and Poverlazy and Terry Clark's lazy. I mean, I think it would be very humbling and good for their fans to see them occasionally stop and tune their guitar in front of everybody. It shows them that they're down in the muck with the rest of us. Do you two yours? Oh, they still see that. I can't wait. Here's my question. You didn't answer. Please. Here's my question. I have nine. I have I have six people tuning my guitar one for each string.
I have a guy for the low E and the high E. Two different guys. Two different E guys. Yeah, two different E guys. Because it's not my low E guy. Messed with my high E guy. I see. I keep them in separate rooms. I have six people each dedicated to one string. You got a trust rod guy. Oh, yeah. Okay. That's another guy. Yeah. I got a pick guard guy. I got. I mean, yeah. What's that? What you said to me?
Capo guy. Listen, okay. How dare you jump in the water? Honestly, that was out of line. Sorry. We were having a really good time. And then you jump in with your capo bit, which by the way, he tries every time and it's never a perfect thing. He's crazy. He's always going, what about the capo? I'm like, I'm trying to talk to Francis Ford Copa about Megalopolis and you keep saying
Capo. Sorry. How do you still have skills at your tech? Oh, you know about skills. Yes. Yeah, I got to meet him a beacon theater. I meant to connect with him. But it would you think it's skills? Oh, he's awesome. And yeah, well, that was really cool. We were able to get along a lot. And it's skills. Skills has been with me since he did a big tour in 2010. And his job every night is I would open the show and do this
song that would turn into a dance. And then I would throw my stratacaster up in the air and he would catch it. And he caught it every night. Absolutely. Were you worried? No, no, I can always get another guy. It's the stratacaster. I was worried about the strat. I mean, the stratacaster was hard to find. But yeah, I just looked at skills and I thought, you know what I mean,
it'll probably be okay. You should probably wear a helmet. But no, he's great. He's terrific. And he takes really good care of me. Sometimes my guitar is perfectly fine. And he'll say, let me take that guitar and give it a little refreshery. And then I don't see it for a couple of months. That's my one complaint to skills. And I'm going to have to talk to him about it personally.
But I like airing it here on the air first. Anyway, he's my guitar tech. And he goes everywhere with me. And I trust him with my life. He's a good man. Yeah, we had a lot in common having very similar artists we work for. You and Rebecca level. Oh, so you're saying that you also work with difficult and sane people. So what you're saying? I would say more so chaotic than anything else. Kind of unpredictable. Yes. I am a chaos agent. Yes.
I think I'm unpredictable. I'm a catalyst for joy, I believe. Oh, well, anyway, let's just keep moving. I give and I give. But I never receive. Anyway, how do you spell your name your first name? L-A-N-I. So it's just, you say Lany or Lany? Lany. Okay, that's a cool name. Where's the E? Yeah, that's a good question. She doesn't need it. Does this look like a girl in here? I'm really sure. How many people say Lany? Right? A lot. More than you think.
Because it doesn't, you should put a line over the A. So people know that it's like the. Yes, you know that line they do that means it's a lot. Yeah, Lany. Because that would also give you kind of a cool name, you know, Kasey. You're just a one name Lany. Just change your name. Yeah, could you do about Barbara? Gertrude. I actually like Lany a lot. Lany is a great name. So you are, you're in charge of all the instruments.
Have you ever lost an instrument? Has an instrument ever gone missing on your watch? On my watch, no, but the artist has forgotten their instrument at home and realized when we got to the gig, that has happened. Why did Reba do that? Reba would never. Reba did. It was Reba. I know it was. It was the one night Reba was going to play the tuba. It's like, and now folks, my tuba. Wait, where the hell? So that's my Reba impression. Got a little hillbilly. It's really bad. Everyone loves Reba.
Everyone does love Reba. I wish I had a sitcom. Don't get one. It's going to be called Conan. I just thought of it. Yeah, what's the premise? The premise is exactly like Reba. I have red hair and I'm living with my family and I don't know. They're a handful. You had a show named Conan. Yeah, that's true. Forgot it. No, I mean a sitcom. Okay, yeah. Is it going to be Conan, comma, the sitcom? No one calls a sitcom the sitcom. Yeah, what would your sitcom be called? Just Conan?
Yeah, but that's confusing. Because you had a show named Conan for 11 years on TBS. So how would people know if they're watching the talk show or the sitcom? The Conan family. Okay. And then I play all the different characters. Oh, it's so bad. What a bad idea. That's a great idea. I come home, honey, I'm home, and then you cut to the top of the stairs and it's me. Just as my wife. Oh, Conan, you're so handsome.
I thought it was going to be you come home and say, honey, I'm home and there's just never anyone there. It's just always empty. They never existed. They're 30 minutes of you just walking around the house, talking to yourself, yeah, doing bits. That might fly. Greenlit. Lainey, are you regretting that you called? I mean, not at all. This is the highest form of entertainment for me. Wow, we've got to get you outside. Touch grass, yeah. Here's my question.
Nashville, very cool. Man, that town's blowing up. I mean, I was there 15 years ago and then I came back and they were two different places. The two times I was a long window between when I played Nashville and it was two completely different places. It's like Atlantic City. Is it overgrown? Terrible. Yeah. Did you grow up in Nashville? I did not. I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Okay. So you're kind of an interloper too. You're kind of the problem. You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, I would say I'm the epicenter of the destruction. That's kind of what I was trying to get to. Beginning of the downfall. I think the beginning of the downfall was you misrepresenting the pronunciation of your name in the spelling. It is spelled incorrectly. Then you move to Nashville and say I can't believe all these people move to Nashville. Well, I brought them. You came in a giant, a giant mothership with hundreds of thousands of people. Well, what's the plan?
Okay. And now I'm going to sound like your dad. What's the long term plan here? That is that's tough to decipher when you're in the middle of touring because you love it so much and you don't necessarily want to leave. But growth is inevitable or you'd hope. And so I think Engold would be working in sort of a production management role. So still touring but in a higher bracket and also kind of less hands-on, I'd guess. Sounds like she's got it. I figured out.
I'm talking, first of all, you're 25. And you're a very impressive person. I think I didn't take you seriously because you said you were a fan. But first of all, I would say the fact that you love what you do and you're doing it successfully at 25 is all you have to know. The next step at the risk of being sincere, the next step will become obvious to you. But to be 25 and be doing what you love is magical. That's magical. And so you I don't worry about.
I think the next step will become obvious to by the doing of it. Don't you think? Yes. Well, thank you. Yeah. I'm just really enjoying saying yes to opportunities that come my way and seeing what comes from them. Like this, for example. I feel like if I didn't have that job, I wouldn't be able to be talking to you right now. Well, I think it was really so known, Matt. Yeah. Now, was it Larkin or Poe who really made this happen? Fun. Fun, funny enough, they're actually not Larkin and Poe.
It's actually the name of I think fourth great grandfather of theirs. Oh, what a cool name. Like descendant of Edgar Allen. And so they just run with that. But Rebecca and Megan are the two girls and Rebecca is the one who stopped you. I'm gonna see. And yell that me to write down my name because I was nonverbal and couldn't. Oh, that's right. That's right. That's right. Yeah, that's right. She's yelling at you. Write down your name. Write down your name. Give it to Conan.
I thought it was very strange. It was a very strange encounter. Yeah, worked. Yeah, I know. Look what happened. We got to meet Laney and have a nice conversation. But maybe now Laney, maybe I should go out on tours and musical act. What do you think? Absolutely. Yes. And then you should bring me in skills and we'll have a great time. Or maybe we lose skills. Oh, I'm just saying. What does he bring to the table? Well, what are we gonna do if you I can't do anything?
Well, I mean, Matt, you play guitar. Yeah, I can't play guitar. I can't play. I can't do anything. It's like, you know, I'm terrible with music. Oh, but you're very. You're singing is very good. Once you show Laney, you can do. Go ahead. A terrible singer. Say the signal come out tomorrow. It's really good. The sun will come out tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow. There's a sweetness to that. Oh, you know, I'm getting rid of it. You know what? Oh, you know what?
Her fuck you was more into it. And her send will come out tomorrow. Her fuck you was perfect. Well, you being genuine. Yeah, I know. I thought you were doing it. No, no, no, no, no. There was an innocence to it, like someone discovering their voice for the first time. Because the song is like that. But I am, I can't, I can't sing. Sing a share song. Yeah. Oh, yeah, you love share. Can we hear a share song? They say our love won't pay the rent before it's earned. Our money's all been spent.
Okay. Um, Lani, uh, help me. What the fuck? In her defense, I think she is, she might have more experience saying fuck you than singing. Yeah, that's true. Sing fuck you. Fuck you. Oh my god. You could shatter a glass with Alice. She's like, fuck you. Fuck you. She hits this impossible note and all the glasses in the neighborhood shatter. Fuck, I, you. Yeah, suddenly you're signed up for the Metropolitan. It's okay. Okay. I know that about myself. It's fine.
I know yourself and that's your greatest quality. That's right. But I'm saying if you go on a musical tour, what do we do? Can you just pay me to do nothing? I do that now. That's true. Lani, before we go, tell us a little bit about your everyday life. You know, give us a sense of who you are. All we've talked to is the working, uh, Lani, who's yes or no sir, uh, three bags full sir. What do you do for fun?
Uh, um, when I'm home, my routine is usually, you know, take care of my dog, work out, find some way to form income that day. Um, good work. That's prep. You. Yeah, very, very exciting. Okay. Yes. Oh, this is just full. This is any criminal would say the same thing. Find some way to create income. Oh, let's just let's just. I know you got to stack a wallets. Yeah, I know. Um, but I play guitar. I like to hike. I like to be active as much as I can. I like to go to shows in town.
Lani, as you can tell, and then you probably noticed when I came past the Larkin Poe dressing room that I'm a workout fiend as well. Pause. Pause. Pause. Pause. Anyway, what's your workout regimen? Uh, me, I like weights. I like my cardio. Pause. Pause. What do you like to do? What do you live, bro? I usually put on a weighted vest. Like you've talked about recently that lies as done. Um, I'll walk my wife. My wife. Yeah, my wife, uh, where's a weighted vest? I also wore a weighted vest.
My marital response to bodies. Uh, it's real weighted. Where it is. The punchline. Yeah, it was going to go three different ways. That was one of a way. It went. There was nine different ways. I was going to say the two of us were your weighted vest. Oh, no, no. Those are on my neck. Oh, that's called the load stone. Um, that sounds like it should get checked out. Hey, load stones, not a bad name for a band. Yeah. There's gentlemen, load stone. And so is that what you're going to do?
As I don't know yet, I'm thinking about, I'd like to go out on the road. I really would. And you know what? I think I would trust you. I would trust you to run things on the road with skills. Okay. Would skills be upset if I put you? I would put skills beneath you. I would put you in charge of skills. You're asking if you think he'd be upset. I mean, now skills I should point out is 79 years old. You were 25. But still, I mean, skills is much more competent. Interesting. I'm going to leave that.
And then doesn't just tell you that he's looking for forms of income when that was the most awkward way she could have said that. True. True. That was really weird. I've put down skills anymore because I love him too much. He's great. He's the best. But I'm glad we met. Now, can I just ask you about this meeting? Was I normal during the meeting or was I, you can say? Well, I'm actually really glad you asked because the point I met you at, you were pretty, I think, stressed in that moment.
You had a lot thrown at you from there all of a sudden, given you more tasks to do on stage. They did. And I thought that was really cool to see the humanity of it and the humility of it of you just being vulnerable and saying, this is a lot. And it's more than what I thought I was getting into and more than I asked for. So you mean he was really cool. Yeah. No, I was. Oh, Maria. I wouldn't go there.
No, I remember it was just, it was like a lot of things where you show up and you're told you're going to do one thing and then suddenly it keeps multiplying. Exactly. But anybody, you just get a, it's fear. It's just fear. Yeah. It's like, oh shit. I didn't know I was going to do that. What if that doesn't go well? Like I had that one song I knew I was going to do up front and then introduce the show, start the show. But then when there's more than that, there's fear and that never goes away.
I've always waiting for that to go away. And then I realized, um, Jesus, if it hasn't gone away now, that is never going away. You probably see that. Like all the time. Yeah. It was really a gift to see you to see that like, because that fear still gives you drive and it's a reason to keep doing what you're doing. And it was just calling the whole like celebrities. They're just like us thing to see that somebody you look up to isn't too different. Some of them are not like us.
There's some solace bastards out there. Oh, and I found that out too. Yeah. Yeah. We'll do the names on the next podcast. Yeah. It's calling and just give the names. But we all know who we're talking about. Jason Bateman. Um, um, oh, come on. Jason knows I'm kidding. Monster. Um, was very nice talking to you and finally getting the word out on Jason Bateman. Yeah. It's time to take them down. Yeah. No, ask anyone ask. We'll learn that. He'll tell you. Monster, monster posing as a man.
Um, it was lovely talking to you. I hope our paths cross again. Thank you. Next time you see me backstage, I will say this. If it's before I've gone on, I will be nervous. Someone long time ago told me if you're not nervous before you go on, something's wrong. So I think that's true. That's really cool. I think that's the good news and the bad news about this business. But very cool talking to you. I think show business and music is in good hands if you're out there. Seriously. Thank you.
And I do have a question if that's appropriate. Oh, yeah. Of course. Um, in a little bit of context that isn't exactly kind. Um, I grew up kind of hating you, I guess. And then, oh, I love it. I knew you'd done on Matt would enjoy. Go on. And then around, well, in college, my best friend introduced me to the podcast and I absolutely fell in love with it. And so I was telling my mom about it and I was saying, why did I hate him? Like, what's going on? Like, why didn't I never think he was funny?
And she said that when I was a small child, so I toddler age, you would come on the screen and terrifying me and I would scream any time I saw your hair. I'm so. So you didn't like me because as a child, my hair, I frightened you when you were in a formative stage or you were very, you were too young and you were frightened by the, the weird muppet on TV. That's what I've been told. Yes. And I guess that grew and I didn't never, I never questioned it. Um, that's a great question.
Like, when, oh, okay. That's not a question at all. The question would be, what tactics would you use to convince a child who is afraid of you to not be afraid? Well, that's really creepy. That's creepy on so many levels. I have some thinking about it. Oh, yeah. Get in my van. You like van? Here's a red balloon. Oh, my God. You know what I've always noticed? I'll answer this seriously, even though this is an invitation to be arrested.
Um, I just did this last night because I was over at Sonas House and the, and she has twins who are almost three. What I've always done is with little kids is because I'm six four and then, uh, my features and my hair can be frightening. Actually, the people of all ages, um, I get down on the floor and get lower than them. And animals and kids chill when you're smaller than they are. So I just get on the floor and I got on the floor of my King Charlie's room. So and you weren't there.
And they both immediately just start, like kind of jumping on me and bashing me, but laughing and having a good time because I'm now smaller than they are. You're on their level. I'm beneath their level and I'm beneath them and they knew I was always beneath them. So, um, that's, that's, I guess, my tactic. I apologize for that being creepy. I was unintentional. No, no, no, but I like how it started with like for most of my life hated you.
And then I, uh, there was a medium where I couldn't see you, but could hear you. But from a toddler's perspective, you can be scary because you also do like close-up shots of your face a lot. You dance around and I'm a little toddler. I'd be like, oh my God. Yeah. I was having a good night with this guy. Yeah, I'm just very needy. Something's wrong with him. I don't.
Well, I appreciate the honesty of the question and I, I hope you can go back and review, uh, the best of some of my early work and, um, maybe reevaluate it. Oh, I have an eye door. It's great. I realize what I've been missing. I realize what I was missing. Yes. Oh, she's my favorite now. Yeah. Okay. Um, well, and we're going to jump off, but really nice to talk to you again. I'm glad this worked out. My best to, uh, the ladies of Larkinpo and thank you so much for calling in. This is cool.
Well, thank you. I really appreciate it. It was great meeting you. All right. Thank you. Bye-bye. Thanks. Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Conan O'Brien, Sonom of Sessian and Matt Goryling. Produced by me, Matt Goryling. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Nick Liao, and Jeff Ross at Team Coco, and Colin Anderson and Cody Fisher at Your Wolf. Themesong by the White Stripes. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy.
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