Try! with Nate Dern

In this episode I talk to former Tonight Show graphic artist and current digital artwork creator, Bryan Brinkman. We focus on Bryan's work in the NFT space, discussing the success he has had there, with his work being featured on billboards in Times Square, Sotheby's auctions, and more. You can follow Bryan on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/bryanbrinkman And check out more of his artwork here: https://www.bryanbrinkman.com/ And just to do my due diligence, while I believe that Brinkman is a good person using the space for good, there are also a lot of scammers out there in the NFT and crypto worlds, so if you're new to the space, please proceed with caution! For an overview of some of the risks and critique of the less than savory parts of the space, watch this YouTube video "Line Goes Up - The Problem with NFTs": https://youtu.be/YQ_xWvX1n9g

Michael Cruz Kayne is a stand-up comedian, a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and host of the podcast A Good Cry, where he talks about grief by sharing the experience of the loss of his infant son in order to talk with others who have lost loved ones about the grief podcast. He's a beautiful human and a good father. Since this is the first episodes of the podcast that I've recorded since the birth of my daughter Clover six weeks ago, I decided to insist that Michael try to give me parenting advice, so that's what today's episode is all about. We talk about the Philip Larkin poem "This Be The Verse" and Michael wonders if from day one parenting is just the most beautiful trauma. Give it a listen! Michael's podcast "A Good Cry": https://headgum.com/a-good-cry My sister Courtney's parenting Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beechstreetparenting/

Rachel Wenitsky (Friend Who Folk, Good Dogs on a Bad Day) is a comedy writer, a talented actor, an amazing singer and — dare I say — a good friend. But on this episode of the Try! podcast, we don't talk about any of that, we just talk about her recent passion for cultivating plants in her house. After a lack of plant survival success in Brooklyn, Rachel has found her green thumb taking care of over 50 plants in her new home in Los Angeles. We ask the question "Do indoor plants actually clean the air?" but for that answer, you'll just have to listen to the episode.

Comedy writer Arthur Meyer started taking piano lessons in December of 2019 after he left his job writing for The Tonight Show. I interviewed him then, and a year and a half later I interviewed him again to check in on his progress. We discuss how it's important to have a hobby, and how it can be fun to suck at something for a while. I also interview Arthur's piano teacher Nathan Reising to get his perspective on trying to learn something new, and the importance of enjoying the process of learning itself. For more Arthur Meyer, check out: www.arthur-meyer.com For Nathan Reising's piano lessons, check out: www.nathanreising.com

In this special episode that covers the last three years of our life, I talk to my wife Miranda Erokan about the process of trying to get pregnant and our journey at a fertility clinic. Miranda is a postpartum doula and childcare expert with lots of experience caring for infants and young children, she's loved babies since she was a baby herself, and she's known her whole life that she wanted to be a mother one day. So, it caught her (and me) by surprise when trying to get pregnant was met with unexplained infertility. Fair warning, in this episode, we talk about a variety of topics related to pregnancy and infertility that can get heavy at times, including: sex, reproductive organs, fertility clinics and IVF, and pregnancy loss. To learn more about Miranda's postpartum services in the Los Angeles area and online, visit her website: www.mirandaerokan.com Or find her on Instagram: @miranda_erokan Additional music for this special episode from Steady Holiday: https://www.steadyholiday.com

Jess Dweck is a comedy writer (Big Mouth, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Tonight Show) and in this episode we talk about her many attempts trying to try something new during the pandemic, from cooking to playing the ukulele to rollerblading. We discuss Jenny Odell's book "How To Do Nothing" and playwright Tracy Letts' comment on coming to terms with feeling creatively lost the past year. Also, we both agree on the power of making a daily walk be a part of your routine. Please, follow Jess Dweck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDweck

Dre Babinski is a Los Angeles-based actor, singer and songwriter that you also might know as the indie-pop musical artist Steady Holiday. In this episode, I talk to Dre about what it took to self-produce and release her new album "Take The Corners Gently." We get into how paradoxically focusing on the business side of being a creative can free you up to be less precious and more relaxed about the artistic part of being, well, an artist. And I play a few Steady Holiday songs. Take a listen, ya goof! For more Steady Holiday, check out: https://www.steadyholiday.com/ (https://www.steadyholiday.com/)

Avery Monsen (author of "All My Friends Are Dead") wrote a new children's book called "I Am The Longest Dog." Now he has to figure out how to promote the book so people know about it and maybe, just maybe, will also buy it. We talk about how it feels gross to have to promote something at all, and trying to tackle it as a problem to be solved analytically, while struggling to come to terms with the reality that the success of any piece of art is outside of the control of its original creator. I bring up my own experience publishing and then trying to promote a book. "I Am The Longest Dog" is out now: https://bookshop.org/books/i-am-the-longest-dog/9781368053211

In this episode, I talk with comedy writer Karen Chee (Late Night With Seth Meyers) about trying to watch new movies, when really her deeper desire is just to rewatch the same ten or so movies from the "Karen Chee Cinematic Universe" that she knows she will love and be comforted by, such as "Paddington 2." https://twitter.com/karencheee (https://twitter.com/karencheee)

Will Hines is an improv teacher and actor who lives in Los Angeles, and this past year he has been trying to finish a series of video games to 100 percent completion, including the cowboy survival story of Red Dead Redemption 2. We talk about the addictive quality of video games, how time just seems to disappear while playing, and yet how moving and immersive of an experience they can provide. For more Will Hines, check out one of his podcasts, like "I Will Write Your Book" or "Screw It, We're Just Going To Talk About Comics": https://willhines.net/#podcasts (willhines.net)

Today's guest is Jon Gabrus, a comedian (MTV's Guy Code, Comedy Bang! Bang!, TVLand's Younger) and a podcast expert (High and Mighty, ActionBoyz, Raised By TV). He is from Long Island. But we don't talk about that stuff. Instead, we talk about something Gabrus is trying to do: read more. Gabrus is both a nerd and a meathead, and we talk about how fantasy books by R.A. Salvatore got him into reading, and Stephen King's "The Stand" taught him that he could conquer any book he set his mind to. We talk about how to make time for reading when surrounded by distractions, and Gabrus recommends a couple books to check out if you're looking to get excited about reading again. This is the final "Try!" podcast of 2020, we'll see you in 2021 with more new episodes.

Jo Firestone is a comedian who is trying to drink water. She prefers to eat rather than drink, and she gets her hydration from foods that have been wetted with a sauce of some kind. On this episode, we dig into where Jo's aversion to water comes from and, listeners, I think we have a breakthrough. Jo Firestone is a comedic writer and actress (known as a "writress") whose work can be seen on The Tonight Show, Joe Pera Talks With You, High Maintenance, Shrill, and more. For more Jo, listen to her podcasts "Maximum Fun's Dr. Gameshow" and Comedy Central's “Everyday Decisions.”

In this episode, I talk to Natasha Vaynblat, a comedian and writer (Comedy Central, A Little Late With Lily Singh) about her effort to try to run. During the pandemic, Natasha found that since she could no longer go to exercise classes, running outside was a way to get outside of her apartment and sometimes feel that occasional runner's high, and also a way to get excited about her city again. This episode ends with an eight week check in where we see if Natasha has met her goal to making running a part of her routine. You can follow Natasha on Instagram: @natashavaynblat

Albertina Rizzo is a comedy writer who has written for The Tonight Show, Late Night, and a couple Marvel series. Wow. But we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about how during quarantine, Albertina decided to finally pick up a guitar and try to learn how to play. Albertina is talks about how she is still "not good" at guitar (her words!), but how the focus required when first starting to learn a new instrument - or task of any kind - has been a welcome distraction. Follow Albertina on Twitter: https://twitter.com/albz

Langan Kingsley (a big time TV comedy writer for shows like ABC's The Goldbergs and Comedy Central's Corporate!) is trying to phone bank. She's making calls and sending letters in order to get out the vote for this November's election. Nate talks to Langan about why she feels motivated to phone bank (mostly guilt) and they discuss the connection between improv comedy and calling strangers on the phone. Langan would like it noted that there are others doing more work for The Cause than she is, and she considers what she is doing to be a minimum baseline. For info about how to phone bank and other ways to volunteer, visit: http://votesaveamerica.com/volunteer or https://www.morethanavote.org/

Tim Barnes is a comedian and writer for The Tonight Show. In this episode, Tim talks about making a web comic for the first time, called "Uncertain Life." The comic follows a black man named Gordon - who bears a striking resemblance to Tim - as he navigates everyday adventures that life throws our way, like awkward small talk with co-workers, to the more surreal, like complaining to tech support when you can't get your crystal ball to print. The comic is illustrated by Grant Lindahl. To check out Tim's comic, visit https://www.uncertainlifecomic.com/ (https://www.uncertainlifecomic.com/)

George Zisiadis co-coordinates an organization called of by for. They are advancing democratic lotteries as an alternative to our current electoral system. In essence, it would mean that a demographically and ideologically representative group of citizens are selected by lottery to serve as a decision making body for a set amount of time for the community that they represent. of by for is currently showing this in action in the real world, where in Michigan they've convened a http://www.citizenspanel.us/ (Citizens' Panel on COVID-19) to make policy recommendations on the pandemic response. A documentary about the experience is in the works to be released later this fall. For more information, visit their website: https://joinofbyfor.us/ (https://joinofbyfor.us/)

Sanji Moore has been working on designing a card game based on creating the best possible sandwich for the last ten years. Originally called "The Sandwich Game" and now called "As You 'Wich," Sanji thought of the basic premise for the game in a moment of panic when she was trying to fill an awkward silence on a date. A decade later, after testing countless versions of the game with friends and family, while making updates and developing it outside of her day job, Sanji and her creative partner Janelle Jones are finally launching the game on Kickstarter, along with help from Studio 71 Games. If you listen before Oct. 3rd 2020, you can donate here: http://www.asyouwich.com/ (http://www.asyouwich.com/)

Sasheer Zamata (SNL, Woke, Creep) is an amazing comedian, but we don't talk about that in this episode. We just talk about how she's been trying to learn how to roller skate during quarantine with her best friend Nicole Byer (who also happens to be her co-host on the Best Friends podcast). And Sasheer doesn't just want to learn how to glide along, she is trying to learn tricks and classic roller skate moves like shooting the duck. We talk about how important it is just to play with your friends, and also about the importance of roller rinks to the black community in different cities, as explored in the documentary "United Skates."

Rhonda Dern is not only the mother of the Trying Pod host, she's also a longtime activist for environmental justice. Lately she's been working on a campaign with the Wolf Action Fund and the Sierra Club to reintroduce wolves to the Colorado wild, along the lines of a similar campaign done in Yellowstone in 1995. Rhonda encourages all Coloradans to vote yes on Prop 114 in this November's election. For more info, visit https://www.wolfactionfund.com/ (https://www.wolfactionfund.com/)

In the debut episode of Try! With Nate Dern, Nate interviews Matt Klinman about trying to grow and eat a ghost pepper. Matt is a comedy writer (The Onion, Funny Or Die, Team Coco's Smartr Podcast) and an aspiring "pepper head." In this ep, we follow along as he puts his spicy skills to the test during a "pepper ceremony" in front of his friends, where he pushes the limits of the human capacity for "benign masochism." (Note: this episode started taping before the pandemic and social distancing measures were put into place).