Overview of Bley’s Fastballs Part II
This episode is a loose, comedic brainstorming session from the Team Coco / Earwolf podcast (Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan) where Conan and his co-hosts riff on what dramatic—or absurd—movie role Conan might take if he ever returned to acting. The segment follows a character named Bley (or “Blay”) who, after adopting a quieter persona, delivers a string of soft-spoken pitches that prompt the hosts to riff through increasingly wild movie concepts. The tone is improvisational and surreal, mixing real-actor references with deliberately outlandish ideas.
Main topics & segments
- Recap of last week: A heated argument led Bley to adopt a quieter, softer on-air persona; he returns to repeat a pitch in that new voice.
- Bley’s original conceit: a Daniel Day‑Lewis — style actor who retires to craft 19th‑century prosthetics (cobbler) and is periodically pulled back to act.
- Group brainstorming about what role Conan might plausibly accept:
- Child roles (Pippi Longstocking) quickly dismissed as unrealistic.
- James Bond — discussed and rejected for nationality and tone reasons, then riffed into a comedic Bond who calls Sona for gadget help.
- Lincoln biopic idea — joking about breaking the fourth wall and Conan’s physical resemblance.
- Cop movie ideas pairing Conan with Tim Olyphant:
- Variations: buddy-cop, internal affairs following a loose-cannon cop, podcaster/documentarian riding along.
- Increasingly absurd twists: hostage scenarios, sexual/Stockholm syndrome jokes, and vat‑of‑chemicals origin gags.
- Bley’s “quiet pitch” escalates into a surreal farce where Conan becomes a gigolo-in-training roommate to a veteran gigolo (Tim Olyphant stand-in) and repeatedly falls into vats of chemicals — culminating in the jokey title “Gustagigolo.”
- Closing: Conan invites fans to submit movie-role ideas; segment marked “to be continued.”
Notable movie-role pitches (concise list)
- Daniel Day‑Lewis–style retiree/cobbler who crafts 19th‑century prosthetics (Bley’s initial idea).
- Pippi Longstocking (dismissed — too young).
- James Bond (reimagined as nontraditional Bond; comedic gadget-call bits).
- Abraham Lincoln biopic with fourth‑wall breaking.
- Buddy/cop movie with Tim Olyphant:
- Conan as podcaster/internal affairs/insurance adjuster riding along.
- Hostage-negotiator twist with exploitative studio-focused beats (sex/Stockholm jokes).
- Gustagigolo: Conan as a gigolo-in-training roommate who falls into chemicals repeatedly — deliberately absurd.
Tone & style
- Improvisational, meta-comedic, often self-referential.
- Big on escalation: a small, plausible idea gets pushed into surreal territory (vats of chemicals, gigolo training).
- Mixes industry in-jokes (casting, studio exec tastes) with broad, physical-comedy concepts.
Key quotes & comic beats
- Bley on his new persona: “I’m taking the last week… I leaned back and I should be softer and not grip the mic.”
- Conan on the “Bond” gag: calling Sona in real time to ask how to use a gadget while mid-fight.
- Repeated punchline rhythm: “It checks out. It checks out. It checks out.” (used to mock flimsy improv logic)
Action items for listeners
- Conan explicitly asks fans to suggest movie roles or existing franchises where he could slot in; ideas will be considered for a future continuation.
- Recommended submission route: use Team Coco / Conan’s podcast social channels (Twitter/Instagram) and the show’s usual listener feedback methods (not specified in transcript but implied).
Credits & sponsors (mentioned in episode)
- Hosts/participants: Conan O’Brien, Sonam (Sonam Avsessian), Matt Gourley; plus Bley/Blay as a recurring pitcher.
- Production and credits: Produced by Matt Gourley; exec producers Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross, Nick Leow; incidental music by Jimmy Vivino; supervising producer Aaron Blair; associate talent producer Jennifer Samples; engineering by Eduardo Perez.
- Sponsors/ads included in transcript: LinkedIn Ads, Mitsubishi, Lowe’s (Idiot Pro Savings Days), Carvana, National Debt Relief, SiriusXM, Angie.com. Also a cross-promo for How Did This Get Made?
Final takeaway
This episode is a freewheeling comedy workshop where the bit is the escalation itself: a soft-spoken Bley pitch catalyzes an increasingly absurd parade of cinematic ideas for Conan. It’s less about arriving at a single great concept and more about the humor of creative brainstorming — and a direct call to fans to pitch the right movie role that might actually lure Conan back to the screen.