Peeping Cooper

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“- Hey, Cooper, welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a fan.”

- Howdy. - Hey, Cooper, how are you? - Good, how's it going? Let's go in pretty well. I have a few scratchings about you right here.

You are Cooper Shields. And you're in, it's us here, you're an architectural historian from Ohio. That's about all I know about you. - That is true.

- Tell me what an architectural historian does. - Yes, so there are a few different facets in our architectural historian can be. A lot of them are like the educational side, teaching, researching when whatnot.

And the side I'm on,

I work for a cultural resource management firm.

And a lot of what we do, so most of my company is actually archaeologists. And there's 10 or so of us. And a lot of the projects that we do are government mandated surveys.

So when a project is done in the US that requires that uses federal money, it triggers a cultural resource survey. And so that make sure that the project doesn't negatively affect any of our cultural heritage,

whether that's architectural, historic, or archaeological. So we'll do what I do in the above ground section, as we call it, is you do just survey work. So is that round about gonna necessarily impact

that historic house that's sitting on that corner? If it is, what can we do to mitigate it? Can they move it slightly? Can they move the house?

Can they move the project?

- Tows. - Oh God, developers hate you. - Yeah, you must be hated by, it says here you've been attacked by many developers. (laughing)

It's also homeowners, homeowners, okay. Yeah, when you're driving around in a car with an orange vest on, taking photos of people's houses, you get some, you get some weird looks. - Well, I hope so.

- So you need to be a peeper. - Yeah, I mean, that's the thing is, you could be a Cooper, you could be a cereal peeper who got into this. And you talk a nice game up front

about preservation and surveys, trying to load people into this sort of NPR fog of it's all legit. But you're a guy in an orange vest, which by the way is not mandated by your job.

That's your choice. - It's branded, but it's not, it's optional. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - And you're taking some creepy pictures. - I have a Zoom.

- These are not historic homes, you're photographing. Often these are homes that were, they're apartment, they're apartment buildings, they were built in the 1980s. - College dorms.

- Yeah, college dorms. I have concerns about this sorority. And it's historical value. Sir, it was built in 1993. - Oh man, he does such important work

and look what we've done to him. - Is it that important? - Yes, it is. Listen, and Cooper, I don't say that to, in any way, denigrate you.

I don't think my job is important.

“And so I think together, we're wasting America's time.”

(laughs) - Are any of us actually important in the grand scheme of things? - I would say, I don't know. I mean, I think there's some actors,

big A-list actors that are very important. - Oh, what? Okay. - I just wanted to throw that out there. - That's the root you'd go for that,

but I don't get it. - I don't get it. - Doctors, your dad was a doctor. - Yeah, but he was an in a movie. And he was my mom being like, "To Caprio?"

That's like a very important person. And I want to talk about this anymore. It's just so obvious. (laughs) - This sounds very cool, like,

you must have architectural styles that you like architectural styles that you favor over other styles. What are the kinds that you really like? - What gets you all hot and bothered?

- So I like to say that I prefer historically underappreciated styles. So things like brutalism, postmodernism, like late modernists, like in 1970s, 80s kind of weird stuff that isn't the coolest

to the normal observer, but it's not the gorgeous Victorian house that's surrounded by stately alms.

“Brutalism, you're talking about giant blocks, right?”

And poor concrete and concrete. - Yeah, of course. And, you know, like a giant slice of a window, right? And a really shiny floor and hard surfaces. You like a home that can't be baby proof.

Is that right? - That's true, it's all danger.

- You like a house where like the nursery

has spikes coming out of the floor. - They're concrete spikes, but yeah, yes. Get to be specific.

“- Boston City Hall, I think, is a really cool building.”

- Oh, come on. It's not, it was in it last year. It was great. - I don't care why you were arrested. That's why important to me.

It was a conference, thank you. - I'm sure. (laughing) - And we were all arrested. It was the, it was the paper's conference.

(laughing) - You got that. - You will have a giant x-ray specs on. You're all rounded up together. Look, Cooper.

(laughing) - They're on to you and I'm on to you. - No, that is, I mean, I grew up with that building. That building was built when I was a very young boy.

And I just never liked that building.

Has it come around, is it that our views have changed and now you appreciate it? Or do you appreciate it? Because no one else likes it. - Ah, that's it.

- So, okay, so there's a chance that I'm, I'm trying to be a little bit sneaky about that and think that you're a contrarian. - It's very correct. - Yeah, but everyone hates that.

- Oh, I was, I was vindicated because my wife, who was in the same field as I am. We were at that conference last year in Boston and Abby and I, we were just walking around in awe. And so it's not just me and it was also everyone there.

It was also a conference on modern architecture. - Mm-hmm. - So it might have been a bit skewed in the audience. - To be fair, I haven't been there in a really long time.

“I think the last time I was there was one,”

when you were arrested, why no. I actually was a punch in the face

and I had to go later on to some,

they call me in for some reason to give testimony or something about beatings and who deserves them and who doesn't. And I served one. - Yeah, yes, yes, no, look at, okay. - Yeah, yeah, just to describe what's happening here

to the listener. - So when I just pulled up a picture of the Boston City Hall and showed it to myself and then to David. So when you heard right now, huh? - Yeah?

- See? - Yeah? - That's what was happening. (laughing) - It's been, it's been voted like the ugliest

building in the country. - Yeah, multiple times. - Yeah. - Oh, God. - Yeah, it's, it's a crime.

It's a crime in your wrong. You know what I love is they, I love that your wife says the exact same thing that you do, that's so, as picture you meeting you both reach for the same orange vest in your hands touch.

(laughing) And you were like, excuse me? And she was like, excuse me, and then you went, oh, my. - And your glass is smoked up. - What happens?

- So we met in grad school. - Yeah, we both went to Ball State University and you had a full month's Indiana. - Wait a minute, Ball State. - That's David Letterman's college.

- That is David Letterman's alma mater. - Any college that spits out a David Letterman is okay by me. So, very cool. She saw him on campus multiple times

and I think it turned into kind of what's that massing of students over there and it's, oh, it's David Letterman. - Yeah, I don't get that when I go to Ball State and wander around.

- Why would you? - I walk around and I'm hoping people come up to me and they don't. - Okay, you didn't go there. - No.

But I've been, I just constantly hang out there hoping that I get some of that vestigial Letterman love. (upbeat music) - What do you think if I were to be a building or a son of building or David Hopping,

what kind of style do you think we would be? - Yes, yes, I thought about this. - You just said that like a villain. - Yes, yes, yes, yes. - And you thought about this.

- I thought about it. - Yeah, cool. - So, Conan, so for you, I'm going, the postmodern style. - Why so very avant-garde kind of late 20th century

and the building in specifically that I thought about is the Disney building, the Disney headquarters in LA. (laughing) It's very bright, it's very larger than life. And it's a very kind of in your face,

purposefully. - We've got more of this place. - But it's the exception. - Wait, is this the one that has like the door, the door, the seven doors?

The seven little people, is it have them? - It does. - Wait, oh, that's not it. - No, that's not it. - That's cool.

- That's the Disney concert hall. That would be flattering. Show me this other Disney building.

“- I think it's just the Walt Disney off of this building.”

- Yeah, type in ugly shit in LA. (laughing) - Pop team, right, Disney building. What's that? - Team Disney building.

- Team Disney. - And why do you think I'm this building?

- So, postmodernism was kind of a response to modernism.

“Just like international style early 20th century.”

- Yeah, the way postmodernism is a response to a guy named Malone. - Yes, Malone. - Right. - Oh, I'm excited.

- Oh, for God's sake. (laughing) Oh, my God. - And it was done. - That's what you think I am.

(laughing) - Seriously, people need to go on a website and look up Team Disney building. That's what you think I am. - Oh, I think.

- I think. - I think. - I think. - I think. - I think.

- I think. - I think.

- When you think too hard about it, it gets a little weird.

- No. - All right, well, okay, what about Sonya? - So, Sonya, I like the Gamble House, which is in Pasadena, it's the epitome of arts and craft style. - Yeah, you know, it's gorgeous.

- I love arts and craft. Can I see a picture of that, please?

“- Also, come on, Eduardo, what are you doing over there?”

- The York Brown House, in back to the future as well. - That's beautiful house. - That is beautiful house. - This is much better than the Team Disney building. - That's a gorgeous house.

- Yeah. - Who lives there? - They might be a museum. - I think it's a museum now. - Yeah, no one lives there.

- Well, if it's a museum, - So, if you go and just hang out if you're courageous enough. - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, you wait until closing time, you say I have to use the bathroom

and then you hide in the stall and then when they leave, I've done this in many museums. - Oh my God. - I do this a lot at presidential museum.

- I spent six days at the Dwight Eisenhower Museum. (laughing) It's really fun. You got to wear his pajamas and stuff and hang out. - So, and David, David, what would David be?

- And these guys are making out better than I am. - So, and remember, it can be a temporary structure. - They're gonna say Legos. - No, no, it can be like, oh, we tied this together 'cause there was a storm.

So, David's Illinois history, Midwestern. I'm thinking a nice four square, like Prairie style, but early Prairie style is just very simple understated. - Yes, simple.

- But it's still just like a nice place to be because there's a big warm. - Something you'd pass a thousand times and never think twice. (laughing)

- Okay, well, those are your words, not mine. - It sounds like it's perfect. - When you pass that, when you pass my building and you see a bunch of fucking dwarves, you're gonna notice it.

(laughing) You're gonna be like, and a common reaction to me is I don't like what's happening over there, but it did grab my eye. - So you're not disagreeing with me.

Oh, Cooper, I have a question, 'cause this is something it's near and dear to my heart. And you wouldn't be able to help me here.

“A part of your job, I believe, is writing nominations”

for the national historical registry, meaning you can help assign historic status, official historic status and get it on the registry of a building that is linked to an important person. - True, correct, so part of my job

is oftentimes writing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, which is the country's official register of buildings we deem worthy of recognizing, worthy of significance, sure.

And there are a handful of ways that you can deem those building significant. And one, one of them is an important person. I think you'll have to die in order for it to work well.

I don't think there's often times where they're done when people are living. (laughing) - So I'd have to be dead in order for a building to be given historic status.

Based on you.

- Well, I'm gonna say something for a second.

- I don't think that's when you go to London, you see plenty of those blue plaques. And it's two people that some of them are still alive. It's like this is Mick Jagger's home, where he grew up. You'll see some things like that

and some of them, they're not, they're still alive and they're touring for God's sake. - You could be the case study for the first one in the United States. - So, okay, 'cause I prefer to be alive.

And then wood structure would be worthy of historic registry. There's my childhood home in Brookline, Massachusetts. And what else? - Of course, there's this, very some elementary schools.

And I'm thinking more than one that I went to, as the Baldwin School then is the Michael Giscule School than of course, there's Brookline High. Could I get plaques for all of these or is it just a one-and-done thing?

- So the plaques are things you can just kind of do on your own if you want to. (laughing) - They're not, black isn't the official part, so we can just make one leave.

- So take it off, you know what? - David, order one, that's my assistant. - One, no, I want all kinds of plaques. They have to be fairly cheaply made 'cause I'm gonna want a lot of plaques.

I want homes that I've lived in in New York.

I moved around a lot when I was a young man.

- This building. - This old large amount? - Here is this large amount, right? - I want to make it clear. - Where magic was made?

- Yes. So across the board, we're gonna need a lot of plaques. They should probably be made of a durable paper. (laughing) Initially rain resistant, but then they,

because we're gonna, I don't want to spend too much money on it. And there's a lot of places in it. - A lot of places need to be, yeah, I don't know how it all works, but I guess I'd like you to look into it some more. I'd like a way to have a plaque put somewhere

with my name on it on some structure, and I'd like it to be well I'm alive. So can you be thinking about that? - My wife Abby actually works for the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office

as one of the National Register of Historic Places Reviewers.

- Okay. - So I will, I will take this to her. - Wait a minute, will we have to be in Ohio? - No. - I've been through Ohio, but I don't know that I state,

every state has a historic preservation office. - Okay. - The State Historic Preservation Office. - So I'm not even hungry. I want Abby, my I call her Abby.

- Of course. - Okay, I want Abby on this. I want her to be looking into it, and my requirements are A plaque. One thing I'm gonna be, you know,

if I don't have to supply it, and someone else is paying for it, I want it to be A plaque, a real plaque,

“and it should be someplace I believe in Massachusetts,”

and we need to get this done. We need to get it done quickly, so I can hang out there, and then act like, if I get your notice, there was a plaque.

- I mean, imagine being hanging out and having a plaque, and being like, oh, oh, I guess that's me, yeah. (laughing) - But you're hanging out right next to it. - You got it, you know.

- And you're just acting like you had no idea. - Yeah, I'll get like, I don't know, get a sugar cone, ice cream, you know, and I'll just be like, "It's a good ice cream.

Oh, this, I guess that's where I was born." - Oh, my God. - Yeah. - That's so sad. - Who looks into whether these plaques are accurate or not?

Let's say I wanted a plaque that said this is where Conan O'Brien set the record for most touchdowns in a high school football game. Does someone in fact check that shit? - Probably not.

“I think you can just go to a trophy manufacturer”

and they'll make you a plaque. - I've done that. - I've been thrown out of so many trophy stores. I think I'd been forcibly walked out of several trophy stores. I think the amount of oversight

would be dependent on where it's placed 'cause if you put that outside of a dairy queen. - Yep. - I don't think many people would think too strong, but if you put it at, you know,

outside of the soldier field, then yeah. - Yeah, people are gonna see it. - You're right, you gotta put it in commission. - Yeah, if my plaque is just a blatant lie, then it should be someplace quiet.

Cooper, this is, I have to say this interview started out very quiet, you know? You were talking about surveys.

I panicked for a second and then this turned into

one of my favorite interviews in a while. - So I appreciate that. - I mean, you started slow as I did in life. You started slow and then bang, it was fantastic. - Absolute joy talking to you.

- Seriously. - Thank you. - You're very funny. - I'll try wet, you're clearly very intelligent,

“and I think you're doing something cool.”

And yeah, I really do appreciate this. And I do not kidding, I'm gonna wanna hear from Abby, okay? - I'll make sure that happens. - Okay. - All right, take care, man.

Good to talk to you, Cooper. - Thank you all, I appreciate it. - Bye bye. - Bye bye. - Bye bye. - Conan O'Brien needs a fan.

With Conan O'Brien, Sonom of Sessian, and Matt Gorley. Produce by me, Matt Gorley. Executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross, and Nick Lea. Incidental music by Jimmy Vivina. Take it away, Jimmy.

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