Ed Helms on the Nerdist! Sorry this post is so late in coming.
Although he's most famously known for his roles on The Office and The Hangover movies, Helms is also a huge bluegrass fan! But he's not just a fan...he plays the banjo! And from what I hear, he's a pretty legit player. Helms talks about the Punch Brothers (Love love love love), the Watkins siblings, Nickel Creek, and Noam Pikelny. After gushing about these guys on the podcast, he won me over.
After hearing this bluegrass segment, some internet scavenging brought me to this site (click on some of the band names on the page's right to see the nicely done transitions) for the 2nd Annual LA Bluegrass Situation. While I tend to prefer the appearance of more spartan websites, this is probably the only 'busy' site that I loved loved loved. The colors, the pictures, the fonts, the layouts--it just all worked together so well! Kudos to whoever designed it.
Helms is also a super nerd. It seems that Helms uses an iPad on stage (kind of like a teleprompter), and he'd like a way for his manager to control the iPad from behind the wings. Helms and the Nerdist crew get into kind of ridiculously detailed discussions about the nuances of remote control, and it made me smile--only because I explain my own technological needs in the exact same way.
Fun Office Trivia fact: Ed Helms originally auditioned for Jim! In association with the Office, there are some interesting remarks about what Chris Hardwick calls 'the Coupling effect.' Coupling, a big hit in the U.K. (Thanks to the Knitter, the Night Owl, and the Songbird for watching this so I could find a new show to watch way back when!), was rewritten for U.S. audiences multiple times and failed in all attempts. The Office's success came, then, in spite of the many wary and critical eyes of the American (and probably British) public.
The requisite 'What was it like when you were starting off in the biz?' conversations are present. This podcast might not be as laugh-inducing as some of the other Nerdist podcasts (see John Oliver's and Alison Brie's appearances), but Helms comments are very thoughtful and made in earnest, making this podcast very smile-worthy (and I mean this in the best way). Discussion topics include Doing Stand Up versus Acting, and working on the Daily Show (a funny Stephen Colbert remark is made about some pre-show antics).
After listening to this podcast, I feel that Ed Helms is a super gracious, funny, thoughtful, bluegrass-lovin' fella. To hear the in its entirety, visit the Nerdist site to listen to it in your browser, or you can listen to it on iTunes.
And now, for some music!
Nickel Creek's instrumental Smoothie Song
Nickel Creek's The Lighthouse Tale. As my friend the Knitter pointed out when she first shared this track with me, 'You have to listen to the words! It's so sad.' Also, I can't get over how young they all are in this video.
