Nate Smith, Tom Murphy and I wrote, directed, and starred in a video for Yahoo that is crushing it. 500,000 views and an article in the Hollywood Reporter isn’t bad for a first day.
Article Here – http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/fun-we-are-young-spoof-middle-age-tommy-fields-312630
Video Direct Link here – http://screen.yahoo.com/we-re-not-young-28966610.html
Tonight at UCB LA at 11pm. Improv with a distinct LA flavor. Smoggy, with a hint of plastic surgery.
http://losangeles.ucbtheatre.com/shows/view/2955
I shot this video with my friend, Robert Spaulding, based on a sketch Nate Smith wrote years ago. Nate Smith is one of my absolute favorite people on earth. Enjoy.
I’m performing in “I Love LA” tomorrow night at UCB Theatre in Hollywood. 11pm. Click on the image for reservations.
I typed Only in LA into google and came up with this gem.
I often face the question explored in this TED TALK: Can one who, for all intent and purposes, claims himself an ‘Atheist’ find joy and fulfillment in religious thought, beliefs, and celebrations? I tend to agree in the best-of-both-worlds scenario, and why wouldn’t I? I’m selfishly in love with myself!
I resent Atheists in the same way as I resent Vegans or anyone who bases a worldview and adopts a way of life in complete opposition to another way of life. I should note that, as an artist living my life between New York, Europe, and LA, I just made all my friends mad. Basically, I doubt that anyone wakes up one day and says, “I’m an Atheist! Margaret, throw the crosses away, and get ready for weekend trips, because our Sundays just opened up!” No way! Atheists are a reactionary group of individuals pushing against a corrupt, hypocritical, and herd-like mass of God fearing drones (Kirk Cameron, I just winked at you!). 
I think the principle of Atheism is all fine and dandy. Religion is full of terrible, terrible, unthinkably cruel dogma. It should be approached with caution. It’s the word, ‘Atheist’ that bugs me. To get out of the line for the religious roller-coaster doesn’t mean you’re forced to play games in the Atheism Arcade. The two aren’t the only ways to live, and certainly, the two aren’t even the only things to do at an amusement park. This is where I find the most chewy food for thought. Doesn’t a day of only riding roller-coasters sound nauseating? Doesn’t a day at the Arcade make you want to scratch your blood shot eyes out?
In my experience, when asked my religion, I tend to ask when high tide is or simply wink and say, “Exactly.” Inevitably, people come back at me with this, “Oh, so you’re an Atheist.” To this I say, “NO!” I don’t like the fit of those pants. I’m curious to the spiritual possibilities this world possesses without being convinced by any formal structure what those possibilities are. I love the gift we’re given as humans to wonder. I wonder all the time. I also say, “Oh my god” all the time with no sense of irony. It just happens, and I’m not ashamed.
It pains me to think what a bunch of Atheists would do at a meetup. “Ok, everyone. Thanks for coming out. We have a lot to discuss. Now we, as a group, don’t believe in God.” A big ‘Amen’ from the crowd. “But we do believe in Science!” The crowd erupts as a high school physics teacher turns over in his grave – “If only I could get my students to care about science this much.”
The elevation of science into the realm of the spiritual is comical to me. This seems to be in the top five talking points of any religious/atheist conversation – that science and religion are diametrically opposed. This is like saying documentary films on nature prove that the imagination in movies like Avatar are horse shit. Well. Maybe not, but the two exist in harmony and can both be admired for what they give to the human race. Religion has been a very positive force for many people in this world. It has also been terrible. Atheism hasn’t really done anything other than give the unimaginative an excuse to not ask anymore questions. It also gives us a word to distance ourselves from all the religious zealots and whackos out there. It just seems like a pest of a word. It seems like the second some one identifies with it, they throw their arms up in defeat and just say, “Well, that’s it. I can’t have anything.” Just like the word, ‘Vegan’ (Alicia Silverstone, I just winked at you!).
I celebrate Christmas with my family. My grandmother is Catholic. My mother is sorta-religious-I-guess? My father takes pictures of nature and thinks the world of them. My brother hates republicans. None of us say grace or pray to Christ (other than my Granny), but all of us give thanks for the wonderful celebration that Christmas brings to our family. We come together and cook and laugh. My brother talks about Republicans with derision. My dad shows us pictures of the Taos mountaintops, and My mom looks into our eyes with love that seems heavenly. It’s this love that upholds my belief that the unexplainable, though tough to put a finger on, will always arouse my curiosity. I want science to keep studying it. I want Atheists to keep praising the scientists, and I want the vegans to keep making cookies.
Have you had a vegan cookie? They’re amazing.
Nick P Ross
http://www.babelgum.com/embed/4025144
Produced by Landline. Featuring Rob Hugel and Nicole Shabtai.
Welcome to the new Actlikenick.com where, at least for the time being, a lot of new posts will feature old content.
This site will function as a blog – highlighting news and events – but also, in the ABOUT NICK section, you can catch up on past projects.
Thanks for visiting.
Highly Evolved Human featured in Newsweek:
FEB 7th at 11pm
I perform in this show! Naturally, I’m the mysterious one with no photo or listing in the cast.
I wrote this sketch in 2010 after walking by a NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY sign. It stars Tim Curcio, George Basil, Tom Murphy, Cedric Sanders, Mikaela Hoover and the incomparable Chip Hall. Mallory Glenn did the make up. I directed it with Tim Curcio. When I showed this to my Mom, she said, “I didn’t get it. Usually, I like your sketches, but I think the generation gap is starting to show with this one.”
