52 Sketches in 52 Weeks: Second Date Interrogation

Second Date Interrogation (#34)

About a year or so ago, I was walking around my old hometown with my best high school buddies. It was business as usual, just a couple of young dudes goofing around, until one of us said something that plunged us that much deeper into adulthood.

"So I think she's the one. Probably going to propose soon."

Whoooooaaaaa. Hold up, we're not ready for this! Suddenly we were all filled with questions about his relationship. WE HAD TO KNOW EVERYTHING. (Although, nothing quite so invasive as this video, haha.)

Not to say we didn't love the heck out of the lady in question. (In fact, you're looking at the Best Man to the wedding!) But a close friendship is a kind of family, and so as far as we're concerned, she was about to be our family too.

So I thought it'd be funny to see that kind of friend taken to a crazy extreme. Special thanks to the adorable Leah Thomas and the unstoppable Christina Jeans for helping out!

52 Sketches in 52 Weeks: YouTube's Not Funny

YouTube's Not Funny (#33)

There's something about hearing "This is hilarious" that instantly makes you not want to laugh. I guess so much about humor involves the element of surprise that the joke loses power if you know to expect it. When you have somebody waiting for you to laugh at something, "that's a lot of pressure." 

Tried to disguise the ambient noise with "YouTube noises" that are supposedly coming from the computer, but I don't know how successful I was. I just moved into this apartment, so we didn't really realize how noisy things would be. Ah well. My new roommate Nate totally stepped up to the plate in the 11th hour though and went toe to toe with Zach for us!

And speaking of Zach, YES. Zach is back. Woooooot!

52 Sketches in 52 Weeks: I Think, and Therefore I... Um.

I Think, and Therefore I... Um (#32)

Mwahaha! With Zach out of town, my high-art existential comedy BS is free to RUN WILD!

My favorite feedback about this sketch:

• Other Guy
  just watched your video
• 
  

  9:46pm

  Nathan Wellman

  oh yeah?
• 
  

  9:46pm

  Other Guy

  yeah..

  : //

  ?
• 9:46p

  ??

  ?????
• 9:46pm

  Nathan Wellman

  EXACTLY
• 
  

  Other Guy
  

  ...

  exactly

  
  

  All jokes aside, this sucker was a nightmare to learn. Many an hour was spent pacing my empty apartment, muttering to myself with no pants on. I actually had a few takes where I didn't stumble over the words nearly so much, but I felt like the character bumbling through the monologue added an extra layer of hopelessness to it that made things more fun/real.

  
  

  As far out there as this piece really is, I think it's one of my favorites. It's extraordinarily unique it its bizarreness. Like a big logic vacuum that sucks the audience's brains out. Or something.

Strike for the Actor: College vs. Professional

Ah, the strike. A both symbolic and literal destruction of a once proud production that (hopefully) has entertained and nourished many happy theater patrons. I've noticed something of a difference between how strike works in college vs. how it works in the "real" world of the 99 seat theater, and I thought I'd share some of them with you.

Showing up:

College: SHOW UP FOR STRIKE IF YOU'RE IN THE SHOW. SHOW UP FOR STRIKE OR I WILL KILL YOU AND FLUNK YOU AND GIVE YOU WEDGIES.

Professional: Oh crap, you actually showed up!? Thank you so much, you're amazing! You're God's gift to theater! Have a donut! Have three!

Nearly dying because something almost fell on your head:

College: SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN STANDING THERE!

Professional: Sorry, bestie! Here, take my helmet!


When you're standing around not doing anything:

College: MOVE YOUR ASS!!!!!

Professional: Oh, you're taking a break? Good idea! I'll join you!


When you're running out of things to do:

College: Walk purposefully back and forth so it looks like you're super busy.

Professional: Walk purposefully back and forth so it looks like you're super busy.


When strike's over:

College: You get pizza.

Professional: So you're coming back for the build tomorrow, right? Please? I'll bring pizza!

Check out the Absolutely Filthy Strike

52 Sketches in 52 Weeks: Cheese Puffs and a Cowboy Hat

Cheese Puffs and a Cowboy Hat (#31)

Pretty sure every aspiring actor has had a moment like this. "What am I doing here?" "What's the point?" etc. Heck, I've even blogged about it myself. 

But I guess there's also something darkly funny about every actor's secret conviction that they're special and deserving of global adulation for doing nothing but spreading around a little charisma. Eventually every actor has to face the harsh truth that this big dream of seeing your name next to Meryl Streep may never happen. In fact, statistically speaking, it probably won't.

I think that's the point where you find out if you're what they call a true artist. Because that's when you can either keep going because it's what you love or mope on the couch and drown in a bag of cheese puffs.

Artist vs Person?

So as of now I am currently in Lone Pine, California, about three hours away from LA's gravitational pull. The friend that I came to see mostly works during the day, so when the sun is up I'm left to my own devices, whether that means fixing a screenplay in the hotel room or walking alone through the tiny town and enjoying the mountains.

I don't think my friend fully understands why I haven't yet died of boredom and screeched my way back to the city, leaving behind only the stinging smell of burnt rubber.

It's something I've noticed any time I leave town. When I'm in the city, Nathan Wellman the Artist is always in my belly, snarling for more successes. Even when I'm just walking to the grocery store, I catch myself scheming about this web series idea or that marketing class. I moved out here to MAKE ART and damn if that's not what I'm gonna do!

But when I leave the city, I'm allowed to just regress back to Nathan Wellman the... dude. I can't tell you how liberating that can be.

Now don't get me wrong. LA is an absolute blast and I couldn't live anywhere else in the world. I love being Nathan Wellman the Artist. Even though nobody is calling me a superstar by any means, out there my name still represents a body of work and ambitions that are larger than myself. That's a thrill and an honor that shoots me full of adrenaline every day.

But sometimes it's nice to set that burden aside for awhile and waste a few days watching raccoons cross the street, closely followed by a lazy tumbleweed.

Sometimes art can wait.

My Grandma's Friend Tries To Help

At this early stage in my novel's life, I'm desperately hustling anybody who's already read it to write a review of it. Reviews are BIG currency for a completely unknown book like mine.

So I don't want anybody to think I'm throwing this one under the bus. Totally appreciate it. But also: pretty funny.

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarecrow by Nathan Wellman February 19, 2013

By Lori

This was a suggested read by Natahan Wellman's Grandmother Rosemary Wilks, I really enjoyed the book, it was the right amount of gore, not over done. It was supensful enough that I wanted to finish the book. I did. I would read Nathan Wellmans next book. Truly: Lori Alexander - Huntington WV

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Now I get to be the guy who's like "Hey that was great, thank you so much! Now... can you change it?"