Michelle Zauner Questions Her Morality While Playing “Stardew Valley” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I love that you're inspired by sort of. sci-fi mood and also video game music. which I think is really cool because I. didn't ever think of video game music as. being sort of a genre or an inspiration. of course I grew up at a time when video. game music was just. [Laughter]. really early game yeah yeah like Ms. Pac-Man was like. oh. I was getting a lot of disappointing.

noises because I wasn't good. try loser. that was your inner monologue oh that. wasn't even come to think of it I wasn't. playing a game that was just inner. monologue is just missed Pac-Man yeah. yeah that's why I've never been able to. be intimate with anyone. oh I really like you let's get down yeah. yeah. what Miss Pac-Man get out of my head.

trying to get it on. this is such a stupid interview I. apologize you're such a talented person. I'm sorry you deserve better you do. deserve a real interviewer but recently. my son who's 17 started listening to all. this music and I said where does this. come from and he said it comes it's. gaming music but I was listening to it. and it's really good yeah what did you. start to notice was this something that. was always happening where you're. noticing different sounds that you liked. I guess so I mean I I was such an indoor. kid that I I just really enjoyed playing. video games and and was gifted like a.

Super Nintendo when I was was five and I. always really enjoyed it and I think. it's really. um I'm gonna do a really bad job of. expressing this but I I think it's a. really interesting art form to interact. with because it there are games that. like sort of force you to make these. kind of like moral decisions and it's. like the only time that you're like. actively a part of like the medium in. that way that makes you kind of like. question your morality so for instance. there's this game called stardew Valley. have you heard of it it's like a farming. game and I think it's really interesting.

something that like you can play games. that like uh have you like kill some. someone which you would never do in real. life but there is like a there's a thing. called JoJo March where it's like the. corporation and you can choose whether. or not you want to like go to the local. um seed. he's going to the local seed shop or. like go to a cheaper Corporation and. somehow like I've never gone to the. corporation like in the game and and. because that's like crossing a moral. line within the game but you can like in.

other games you like stab someone and. it's it's fine but I think it's really. interesting to like interact with them. but it's interesting that I mean I find. it fascinating that games are getting so. sophisticated that you're making moral. choices and what's really interesting is. like first person shooter games you're. basically killing people left and right. but somehow we've been. inculcated that there's this it's not. real yeah you know it's not real and I. have there are certain things that are.

like more triggering than others like I. think it was my my husband was playing. like Red Dead Redemption or something or. like some game where like you had oh uh. if you know the game chime in blame. maybe it's it's like it's not Skyrim but. it's like a similar game to that and. like he had to like kill a couple of. like dogs that were like attacking him. or whatever and for some reason like all. the people that he had to like fight was. okay but like when you you hit the dog. and it makes the sound it's like there's. something like really oh I I completely. understand I was watching a movie last.

week and people are getting humans are. getting off left and right and then. someone like kicked a small bear yeah. and the Bear Went like and I I couldn't. I left the room I couldn't handle it. yeah I think that that's really. interesting I think there's a like a. Bartle me short story called um like the. gerbil and it's all of these like. terrible things happen in the class like. you know first it's like it's a gerbil. dies and then it's like a kid like falls. off of you know a play thing or whatever. and then they get a puppy and when the. puppy dies that's the moment like that.

really right that's like the height of. uh tragedy not like this like a child. that fell in this yeah the kids suck you. know. I mean they do they're just such an. I. like my chocolate milk. you know. applaud when a child Falls. this is our last podcast this is a. successful podcast and you're a very. lovely talented person you've done. nothing wrong but somehow you've brought.

it out oh yeah I'm sorry it's your fault. it feels to me like when I listen to. your music one of the things and I think. I even heard you say this that you like. this kind of Heroes versus Villains. dichotomy between good evil but how the. line is blurred and I always find that. fascinating because I love movies. occasionally I'll love a movie where. there's you know you watch die hard and. you know who the good guy is and the bad. guy is Hans Gruber and there's no. mistaking that but I'm more drawn to the. movies that I think have more of a. European event where. and absolutely it's interesting there.

are people who are seem like the bad guy. and people who seem like the good guy. but the lines get blurred and you feel. like everybody's just trying to do their. own thing and and Havoc ensues I mean I. think that's like the purpose of art. really is to just like find humanity and. uh and and people you know I mean I. think my favorite shows are shows like. The Sopranos are like where you know. you're you're rooting you feel. conflicted because you're rooting for a. murder and I think it puts everything. into perspective you know I'm like.

online you must have watched Sopranos on. the second go around right because he. seemed or no or you seem young to have. watched The Sopranos I remember when it. was coming out like my parents would. like I I think I wonder how old I was I. feel like I was definitely too young to. watch The Sopranos but my parents like. loved the show so much and I remember. like getting sent out of the room every. time like bada bing scene okay yeah but. yeah I mean I've rewatched it many times. since and and I feel like that's that. element of that show and I feel the same.

way about Game of Thrones too where. you're just like I I love like being. manipulated to like hate someone in the. and then in the next scene like kind of. like really fall for them and I think. that that's what great art should do. what's funny you say that because I just. rewatched all The Sopranos. I made it a mission and I watched all of. them in like a month there's a terrific. book about The Sopranos by two writers I. think from the Star Ledger I want to say. and it's just a great essay about each. episode so I would watch the episode. then. then read this essay and I just got so.

much meaning out of what re-watching it. and I'm just starting to my son's never. seen Game of Thrones so we're just. starting to watch it although that's. difficult because there's full-on crazy. nude sex yeah sometimes and when you're. a dad sitting in the room with your son. both of us want to die yeah yeah both of. us just want to make our hearts stop. through sheer force of will and die. because it's not you can't even pretend. it's not happening and and you're not. like oh this is cool sex I'm cool talk.

you know about oh. you know in the sixth sense you knew a. ghost was in the room because they could. see their breath when I'm watching. television and sex is and I'm anyone. else is in the room and sex is. graphically depicted suddenly I can see. my breath. Suddenly It's like this Vapor coming out. of my mouth. and it always happens just beforehand I. know it's coming and then sure enough.

slang. you know. that is the worst sound. actual scene I've ever heard of you. don't think that's an accurate flange. we have a professional I know. musicologist artist here who will vouch. that that is the exact way it sounds. you're gonna rip me off too I know in. your next album you're gonna have a huge. hit with swing.

and the Grammy for Best single. Japanese breakfast with swangs. like I know I'm gonna get mentioned nope. you mentioned all your friends oh you're. cool Pals and not one word for me.