Ep 32. Joel McHale, Actor, Author, Comedian, and TV Host

You know, I usually record these conversations from my fancy podcast studio/office in downtown Seattle, but this time I actually called our guest, Joel McHale, from my home on Mercer Island—a fitting venue for our conversation because Joel also happens to hail from this very same Seattle suburb. Now, as many of you probably know, Joel has gone on to have a very successful acting career in Hollywood. He’s largely known for his sarcastic pop culture commentary on The Soup or his snarky self-centered character Jeff Winger in the critically acclaimed series Community. But long before his face ever broadcast through the glowing pixels of your television screen, Joel had a childhood that wasn’t too far removed from my own. We both played sports through high school and college and happened to know a lot of the same people. Joel, like me, even went to the University of Washington. Now that may be where the similarities end, but while his college experience was tainted by the unorthodox hazing rituals of the rowing team and a questionable sense of brotherhood at the Theta Chi fraternity, Joel always knew that his real family waited for him on stage. Since the seventh grade he loved the theater and looked for every opportunity to meet with like-minded adolescent thespians who inspired and challenged each other creatively. Determined to make a career out of this passion, Joel completed a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Washington and figured that the best place to test out his merits was the entertainment mecca, Los Angeles. And while it took him a few years to get going, Joel is a hustler. Saying yes to everything offered, he’s shown up in television shows and movies in nearly every genre. From bit parts in blockbuster films like Spider Man or starring in the dark romantic comedy Happily, to sitcoms like Will & Grace and the sci-fi phenomenon The X-Files. But despite the breadth of his impressive IMDb page, Joel still worries that each job is bound to be his last. Well Joel, from all of us on the outside, I think you can relax. It seems like you’re doing alright.

After my conversation with Joel, you'll hear my chat with a relatively new country music artist by the name of Austin Burke. But it’s not actually Austin’s music that brings him to The Nordy Pod. He’s here as a customer to share a story which took place at our Rack store in Scottsdale, Arizona. The experience moved him so much that he pulled out his phone and started recording as it was happening. He then posted the video for his nearly one million followers on social media. It got shared around enough that we eventually caught wind and loved the story so much that we called him up, and the Nordstrom employees who made Austin’s visit so memorable.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 32. We hope you enjoy it!

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