Former Late Night and Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien improvised a metalcore song on the new episode of his podcast.
The latest edition of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, released today (May 9), saw the venerated writer and comedian be joined by Anthony Giacalone, the screaming vocalist of Canadian metalcore band Among The Rest.
The improvised ‘jam’ starts when O’Brien asks Giacalone for a taste of what his vocals sound like.
“What would help you?” the host adds. “Should I be playing a rhythm track?”
“Give me a hard breakdown!” Giacalone responds.
The pair then proceed to make an acapella metalcore song together, with O’Brien mouth-drumming while Giacalone begins to roar along.
O’Brien wasn’t able to hear the vocalist’s snarling due to the noise filters on their Zoom call, but the mix comes through loud and clear for podcast listeners.
“It sounded like you swallowed a crouton,” the host jokes.
He later adds: “Zoom discriminates against people in metalcore bands!”
Co-host Sona Movsesian tells O’Brien, “I think you’d be good in a metalcore band,” to which O'Brien agrees: “I’m a good screamer, and I’m a very dynamic presence onstage. And I do think that Satan resides within me.”
Listen to the interaction, starting at the 8:22 mark, via the player below.
O’Brien is a noted champion of heavy metal music, having had the likes of Slipknot, Linkin Park, At The Drive-In and more as musical guests on Late Night during his tenure at the show.
He also interviewed Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich on his podcast in April 2023.
Metal Hammer published an op-ed last year called “Why Conan O’Brien is metal’s greatest unsung champion”.
Journalist Joe Daly wrote: “Conan’s decades-long support for metal clearly goes beyond mere lip service. His actions reveal a genuine affinity for heavy music, and he clearly celebrates the passionate community behind the sonic fury.
“Conan O’Brien may not be the first name that comes up when people rank (or Google image-search) famous metalheads, but let it be known that this former Late Night man is a true defender of the faith.”
Among The Rest released their EP, Morté, in 2021.
