Howdy! I'm Aaron Bleyaert (also known as "Bley") - Conan's Assistant Nerd on "Clueless Gamer". Ask me anything!

Have you ever thought about playing some retro games just to see Conan's thoughts on them? (Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Donkey Kong, etc)

Also, as a modern game suggestion; The Last of Us. :}

Funny you should mention that - Conan actually wants to do a "Retro Gamer" where we play a bunch of classic games! He also wants to dress up like it's the early 80s - and I thought it'd be fun to put a VHS looking treatment on the whole thing. What do you think? - Bley

How do you feel about Conan hitting you all the time?

I feel great about it. He once said it's because he thinks of me like his brother Neil - and since he can't hit Neil, he hits me instead! Writer Matt O'Brien and I are the ones he punches (Before Matt O'Brien, it was Michael Koman, co-creator of "Eagleheart") so I'm in good company! ;) - Bley

Bley, I've had a crush on you for quite some time. Can I be your "she's Canadian, you don't know her" girlfriend?

ARE YOU KIDDING?! I've been waiting my whole life to have a real Canadian girlfriend! - Bley

You guys should sit down and play like, chess. Real chess, with a real board.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Analog Gamer?! BRILLIANT. - Bley

Is Conan actually THAT bad at video games?

Yes. I know it's hard to fathom, but we shoot SO MUCH THAT'S UNUSABLE. He just can't get the two stick thing down. - Bley

Insert joke about two sticks here

Seriously, I think that's a common problem. My sister also can't do the whole looking around while moving with different hands thing. So when we play Split-Screen online in COD it becomes more about her getting slaughtered than actually trying to play competitively.

How much would you say that you shoot for an average size segment?

Hey, Team Coco here. Thanks for the followup question! Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast. http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question is at the 2:48 mark.)

How did you end up in your position on Conan's show?

I worked my butt off as an intern; then when I got hired I was the assistant to the segment producers; then video researcher; then photo researcher; then GUEST researcher; then I was guest researcher & blogger; then for the Tonight Show I was the whole web department... Then I became whatever I am now! It's been a long road. ;) - Bley

But how can you stand out from all the other interns when you first apply? It's not hard to be better than 5 people, but better than 1500 is a step above that

Team Coco here - thanks for the questions, veggiepirate and Captain_Salmon. Aaron couldn't get to them on Thursday, but he was able to answer them in the latest Team Coco Podcast: http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your questions start around the 5:10 mark)

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What's QWOP? - Bley

I listen to your podcast. How does it make you feel that I, a complete stranger, know how you lost your virginity?

Weirdly aroused. - Bley

Does Conan actually own a video game console?

Yes! He's got a Wii, Xbox 360 and a PS3 - but clearly, he's not using them. - Bley

I saw you in ATL during the Conan LPFBFOTV Tour. Had a hell of a awesome time. You have a favorite tour memory?

Also what are you looking forward to getting? X-Box One, PS4, or the (already out) Wii U?

Ooooooh. Way, way too many to name here - that was an incredible time. Either watching the sun rise over the desert as the "Shady Ladies" brothel swam up out of the distance (we didn't stop, don't worry) - or hanging out with Jim Carrey one on one two nights in a row, and him using my joke "Just back in my street clothes, Conan" - then coming back and high fiving me for giving him the joke! IT WAS MADNESS.

And... I'm not sure! I'll probably get everything. I can write it all off on my taxes, right? I mean, that's the whole point of this Clueless Gamer thing! - Bley

How did you convince Conan to do the segment?

As soon as Conan heard my idea, he was totally in - no convincing necessary! Conan would literally do anything if it was funny enough. Back on Late Night, HE JUMPED INTO THE HORRIBLY POLLUTED EAST RIVER TO TAPE THE OPENING OF THE SHOW. He had wear wax noseplugs so he didn't get sick! Compared to that, looking stupid at videogames ain't no thang. ;) - Bley

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OH MY GOD! HOW'S IT GOING!? Who is this?!? Have we met?!? And again, thank YOU for liking the show and everything we do and for keeping all of us employed. Seriously. I could write that a hundred billion times and it wouldn't come close to conveying how much you guys mean to us. It means a lot to hear you say that. So... Thanks. ;)

Portal would be DOPE. I've been thinking about something sporty - we did the Michael Phelps game, but that doesn't really count. - Bley

I have to know: is Jordan Schlansky really like that in real life?

Hey, Team Coco here. Thanks for the question! Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast. http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question starts around the 9:30 mark.)

Have you discovered this thread on r/gaybears? If so, your reaction?

LOVE IT. How can you not be incredibly flattered when somebody has a crush on you? Unless it's a relative, of course. Even then... How close of a relative are we talking? ;) - Bley

What is your favorite current Conan bit, as a fan? Not including Clueless Gamer.

Great question! Even though our amazing Costume Designer Scott Cronick would hate me for saying this, "Mascots that should never dunk" always makes me laugh. Cronick and his team are INCREDIBLE at the stuff they come up with, and the fact that we're making these people in these insane costumes jump off a trampoline is fucking awesome! I was a huge Conan fan before I started at Late Night, and the mascots bit brings back great memories of all those crazy characters we used to do. - Bley

What responsibilities do you have in preparation for the show?

What about during?

Hey! Well, everyday during the show I write the Team Coco Sync (which is our "Second Screen Experience" for the show). Other than that, my responsibilities depend on who's on the show that day! We try shoot a lot of web only content while the guests are here (like the Simon Helberg auditioning as Lincoln thing we just put out) and I'm in charge of all of that. Other than that... My responsibilities are putting out fires, coming up with ideas, and making sure Conan has someone to punch. ;) - Bley

I love Clueless Gamer segment , you both make a great team.My question is why did you start doing this segment ?And does Conan only play video games on this segment or he plays with his children? I suggest playing Dead Space,Conan would definitely love it .

Thanks so much! We started doing the segment because I thought it'd be funny to have Conan try to play videogames and he agreed! I think he does play a bit with his kids (or at least his kids play) - I've heard him say it in passing. And Dead Space is actually so scary I had to stop playing, hahaha! Thanks for the suggestion! - Bley

Does it hurt when Conan punches you?

Ha ha ha ha. It depends! I mean, he's got pretty bony fists... But he's not that strong, so he can't really hit that hard. It's the kicks that get me. It's the kicks. - Bley

Can you play The Last Of Us with Conan?

Maybe! I've been hearing really great things about TLOS!

The weird thing about the Clueless Gamer segments that I learned early on was that not every game really works that well for a comedy segment. Remember, we're trying to make something funny - and many times, the best parts of a videogame while I'm playing them (at least for me) are the emotional moments or huge plot twists. Because we really only have 8 minutes or so per segment, it's nearly impossible to convey that kind of gravitas onto the TV viewer... So the best kinds of games for CG are ones that have moments or pieces that are easy to convey in a short amount of time - and enough different pieces that, if something doesn't really work in the segment, that we can go to another part of a game that's totally different. Does that make sense? - Bley

I know it's not a new game but doesn't everybody want to see Conan play Portal and Portal 2?

Also, you should have Jonathan Coulton on to show him how to play.

I saw Jonathan Coulton in concert! He opened for TMBG. It was awesome! Portal 2 would be pretty sweet... If only to see Conan fall in love with his Companion Cube. ;) - Bley

Bley! Thanks for doing this AMA. Clueless Gamer is awesome :) As for questions, though... (that have nothing to do with CG but whatever)

How did you start working for Conan? How would a lowly TV junkie like me be able to actually get into this career?

Lastly... Not a question, but the HCPN wenches say hi!

Oh man! Of course! I love talking to all you guys. Thanks for the kind words!

I was an intern waaaaaay back in 2001; Conan is the only real job (besides "Haunted Barn Monster" and Kmart Employee) I've ever had! When people ask me how to get into this kind of a gig, I always point them towards an internship - a lot of the people working on our show were interns first, and internships (to me, at least) are really like the Minor Leagues in baseball... If someone is good enough, they get called up to the majors! That's for Production, of course. If you're more interested in being a writer, I would say do as much performing (either standup or improv) as possible. Hone your craft. Write every day. Then try to get an agent or manager, and get your stuff in front of people. I've always felt that getting into showbiz is really not as hard as people think it is - if you're willing to put in the work, eventually you'll break through! - Bley

Bley!! I'm an avid Team Coco fan and have been following your blog since the Legally Prohibited tour and you are just a hilarious storyteller. What's the most bizarre thing you've witnessed since moving to LA?

Hahaha! That's very flattering (and incorrect), but thank you! The most bizarre thing I've witnessed... Wow. That's a tall order. The first thing that comes to mind is... I went to go see a show called "Point BReak Live", which was the movie Pojnt Break on stage - and GARY BUSEY WAS IN THE AUDIENCE. He kept screaming things at the person who was playing Gary Busey onstage, and eventually ended up chasing the actors all over the stage and theater, interrupting the whole performance. That dude is Cuckoo City, population 1. - Bley

Hey Bley! I was a huge fan of all the behind the scenes stuff you did for Late Night and the Tonight Show and I find myself missing the daily blog you kept detailing what was happening around the office that day. Would you ever consider bringing that back or are you busy enough with all the other awesome stuff you guys do now?

Thanks so much, duder!! I really loved doing the daily blog, but unfortunately I don't have the time any more... But maybe I'll start talking more about the office happenings in the Team Coco Podcast! Would that be a good compromise? What do you think? - Bley

What's your favorite game/series? PC or console? Favorite console?

Braid BLEW MY MIND at the end, so that'll always hold a special place in my heart. I used to ride my bike to the Double Focus arcade in Ann Arbor Michigan as a kid to play Street Fighter II, so that's a huge one. In college I played Goldeneye & Tekken 2 until my fingers were raw. I poured HOURS into Advance Wars, Fallout 3, Skyrim, Wii Mariokart, etc. too many to name. Right now I'm playing State of Decay and it's incredible. Slender is scary as fuck. I dunno. THERE'S TOO MANY AWESOME GAMES.

I'm definitely a console guy. My bear paws can barely type, let alone play games on PC.

Fave console? No idea. Prolly the Odessey console that started my whole love of videogames in the first place. Seriously. I love that thing more than most of my family members. - Bley

Hey Aaron, I've been a fan for a while now. What was your favorite moment from the Conan "Can't Stop" documentary that didn't make it to the final version? I really enjoyed that, and I'm sure you guys had some funny moments we didn't get to see.

Thanks for the AMA!

I loved "Conan Can't Stop", but it wasn't really the tour I was on - the tour, for me, was being in a sweaty bear suit and sleeping on a bus for three months. It was AMAZING. The craziest part in the doc was at Bonnarroo - when I saw that in the movie (before Conan goes out to intro the bands) I was like "THERE WERE CAMERAS THERE?! HOLY SHIT!" That was a very dark moment. On the other end of the spectrum, there was a whole bit of Conan eating ice cream and crashing tables of people eating at the hotel in Jersey that I'll never forget (it was the same place where he says "I"m going on at Midnight" etc etc) - Bley

Has Conan gotten any better at video games?

Yes! He's actually leaps and bounds better than when we first started. He weirdly picks things up extremely quickly - I think it's from all the remotes he's taped over the years of learning how to do all these different jobs. I remember we did this remote where he was going to learn how to drive a Monster Truck, and after like ten minutes he knew how to do it. It was insane. Luckily, every videogame is different, so all the buttons throw him off to the point where he's still terrible... If he ever gets good at videogames, we'd have to end the segment! - Bley

I have a few question;

• When you where playing Injustice, what Fightsticks where you and Conan using?

• Again, when you where playing Injustice, where you letting yourself get beat? It looks like you could of taken him on pretty easily

• How often do you get approached by game developers to promote their game? i.e the controller in Tomb Raider, showing off things that aren't available to the public yet, etc.

• During Skyrim, you went from the beginning of the game to being in your level 40's with Ebony Armor with the Mace of Molag Bal. In most the games you've played you skip right on through the game. My question is, when filming Clueless Gamer, do you tell Conan something like "I'll go on ahead and get to an interesting part of the game, then we'll return to finish filming the segment"?

Hey, Team Coco here. Thanks for the question. Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast: http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question starts around the 15:39 mark.)

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As glorious as the golden light of the morning sun as it streams through your bedroom window on your first day as a free man. - Bley

Hello Bley!

I am a huge fan from Germany. I have been following the show for many years now. Last summer I visited a friend from my exhange year in the states and we went to the show in July. I gave conan a german hat and he actually put it on. I had such a great time. Here are some pictures:

http://imgur.com/a/KPXOe (It was the episode where Elijah Wood was a guest, july 17th I believe).

Does conan still have the hat? :-) It would be great to now.

My second and last question is probably the most important one:

i am a 22 year old student from düsseldorf, germany. i study in the second semester media and communications management (universities / colleges are different here in germany than in the states, we actually start studying what we want to do later right away so we do not have those first two years in college where you have all that basic stuff like math and other basic classes etc for example. we had all those classes in high school already (we have 13 years, not 12 in school)).

one of my biggest dreams is to move to the states eventually and work for a late night show (conan!) (not as a writer but more like what you do - production / online media).

part of my 3,5 years at the university includes a 6-month full-time internship that you can do anywhere you want. (its in the 5th semester). of course i was thinking about applying at conan. can you offer me maybe any advice on how to approach them and if i have any realistic chance ? (i saw a couple of months ago that they actually had a german intern last october!).

i hope i didnt overwhelm you with questions and information. thanks in advance for taking your time to read this :-)

greetings from germany, philipp

bonus question: will there ever be another 24 hour live coco cam? loved the one a few years ago!

Hello nofuture09!Team Coco here. Thanks for the question. Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast. http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question starts around the 11:20 mark.)

What ever happened to the chirping noise maker you hid in the vent at The Tonight Show?

Hey, Team Coco here. Thanks for the question. Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast: http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question starts around the 19:48 mark.)

Hey Bley, who was your favorite Team Coco intern? Was it possibly the kid with shaggy blonde hair from this spring?

It was RJ Thieneman, who I do my "RJ & Bley Suck At Girls" Podcast.

(Reddit: Sick burn, Bley. SIIIIIICK BURRNNNNNN) - Bley

How do you feel about nugs?

Hey, Team Coco here. Thanks for the question. Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast: http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question starts around the 13:22 mark.)

Hey Aaron! Thanks for doing this AMA! From reading your answers on how to be successful in show business, you really motivated me to become a writer. Thanks for that. Also, here's my question:

Are you planning to get Conan to play multiplayer games and interact with other players online? It would be funny hearing the reaction from both Conan and the players.

Hey, Team Coco here. Thanks for the question. Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast: http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question starts around the 21:00 mark.)

I'm a terrible person and haven't seen a Clueless Gamer ep yet, although I'm a big enough Conan/Conan staffer fan to have travelled for days to go to Chicago last June.

That being said, when you were in university, did you ever see this as being your career? When you interned at Late Night, did you think that was it, and once it was over, you wouldn't have been able to stay on?

You're not a terrible person. At least, not for that.

All I wanted to do in life is get paid to be creative. And I'm lucky enough to be able to do that. (I figure it's best not to set the bar too high, haha)

And here's a weird memory: My last day as an intern, all the other interns got their pics with Conan and I didn't. I didn't want to. I thought "I don't want a pic because if I work here one day I'm going to feel real stupid". Then I walked out of 30 Rock and thought "Wait, I'm never going to work here, this is stupid, I'm going back to get a picture." and as I was walking back in, Conan was walking out - and as he passed he said "see you soon!" - and I was like... "Okay, that's gotta mean something, right?" - Bley

Any tips for someone interested in starting his own podcast? Once you assemble your A-team, what are the next vital steps?

1.) Doing it, and doing it regularly. Without exception. It's the grind that gets you.

2.) Be brutal on yourself and make it as good as possible. Don't do more of a podcast than you have words to say. If it's a great 15 mins and a mediocre 30, make it 15. All killer, no filler. - Bley

Have you ever been to a "Chili's Too" ?

Hey, Team Coco here. Thanks for the question. Aaron didn't have time to answer it on Thursday, but he did get to answer it on the latest Team Coco podcast: http://teamcoco.com/content/reddit-ama-followup-team-coco-podcast-106 (Your question starts around the 22:42 mark.)

How does your brother feel about just saying the word/name "HODOR!" in GoT?

He feels great about it! Plus, GoT is just a side business; DJing is his real passion

• Bley

Hey, get Conan on the podcast, pleeeeeease? :-)

Will do! It's just a matter of scheduling. When he comes on, I'll prolly just do all fan questions. That'd be dope, right? - Bley

Whatever happened to Faxey the broken fax machine from the old show? Apart from Faxey is there anything you miss from that era?

I miss everything from that era... Except the researching jobs I had. I know more about William Shatner than any person should. Even William Shatner himself.

(And just so I don't sidestep your question with a dumb joke, I really miss Fedex Pope - and everything former writer Brian McCann did. He's a hilarious dude and a close friend who moved to NYC to be the head writer of "Nikki & Sara Live") - Bley

Will you play NCAA 14 with a cooler of beer and Cheetos nearby while sitting on a couch? I just want to know I won't be the only one does this when it gets released.

If Conan plays as Alabama I will religiously watch his show. ^{whichidoalready}

Ready for something EXTREMELY NERDY? I don't drink and play videogames, because I get pissed that I'm not as good as I should be. Lame, right? - Bley