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[0:03] Drew Gasparini: Hey guys, Drew Gasparini here from Now We're Talking with Drew Gasparini, just letting you know that you can now support our podcast by becoming a patron of our show on Patreon.

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[0:52] Drew Gasparini: Hi, it's everyone's favorite sex toy, Drew Gasparini here with another episode of Now We're Talking, the podcast that just started dating your mom.

[1:01] Drew Gasparini: I am nothing but smiles because of our amazing guest today.

[1:04] Drew Gasparini: You probably know her from her work as a performer and educator online from her own highly visited social media pages, or her popular masterclass series, BREAKING DOWN the Riffs.

[1:14] Drew Gasparini: She's been seen on stage in Les Miz, on Broadway in Everyday Rapture, Off Broadway in the Emoji Musical, and her number of sold-out concerts all over the country and around the world.

[1:24] Drew Gasparini: Chances are you're already a fan of hers, just like I am and have been ever since I saw her singing Jonathan Reed Geld's song Quiet.

[1:30] Drew Gasparini: But today, let's make some noise because now we're talking with Natalie Weiss.

[1:36] Drew Gasparini: Natalie Weiss is in the house and she is scarfing down her lunch right now.

[1:42] Drew Gasparini: I actually want to talk to you about that.

[1:44] Drew Gasparini: Because you texted me and you're like, is it okay if I'm eating lunch while we record?

[1:49] Drew Gasparini: And I said, of course that's okay.

[1:51] Drew Gasparini: But I want to point this out. It is, it's super cash.

[1:54] Drew Gasparini: Um, I don't understand when you say lunch and it's 4 p.m.

[1:59] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, I don't understand that either.

[2:01] Drew Gasparini: And what's do you have a uh an eating system, a time, uh routine that I am just not understanding at all?

[2:09] Natalie Weiss: And look, by the way, in solidarity, I'm munching as well.

[2:12] Drew Gasparini: So what are you eating?

[2:14] Natalie Weiss: An energy cookie.

[2:16] Natalie Weiss: For all you people who love mouth noises, this is the episode for you.

[2:19] Natalie Weiss: No, I don't have a system. I just was rehearsing with my friend who just left, and I was like, I have to go now. And I don't, I tend to not build in breaks, and I'm always running late.

[2:29] Drew Gasparini: Uh-huh. Running late's a great quality in somebody. I love that.

[2:31] Drew Gasparini: Don't you love that? It's such a great quality.

[2:35] Drew Gasparini: Hey, Natalie, I haven't seen you in a good long time.

[2:37] Natalie Weiss: Oh my goodness.

[2:39] Natalie Weiss: Thank you.

[2:40] Drew Gasparini: What you been doing?

[2:41] Natalie Weiss: The long answer of the whole year and a half?

[2:44] Natalie Weiss: I mean, yeah, shit. It's been a while. What's up?

[2:47] Natalie Weiss: Well, I had a very, very busy pandemic year, actually.

[2:50] Drew Gasparini: You did. I saw lots of the master classes.

[2:53] Drew Gasparini: And also, like, you're like the queen of TikTok now.

[2:57] Natalie Weiss: Is that no, your sister is. But anyway, um, no, and the thing is I joined TikTok a year and a half ago, and I got a lot of followers because I had a presence, but I'm not, I don't know how to use TikTok.

[3:10] Natalie Weiss: I repurpose content, and so I just repurpose what works.

[3:14] Natalie Weiss: I'm not like, you know, doing all these comedy sketches and have four million followers, but do you get jealous?

[3:20] Drew Gasparini: Do I get jealous?

[3:21] Natalie Weiss: Uh, certain situations. I'm usually like very like, oh my god, I want everyone talented to be friends.

[3:28] Natalie Weiss: You should know them. Let's all sing together. Let's be da da da. And then there's like every so often of like a certain like specific trigger of like a very specific jealousy.

[3:41] Drew Gasparini: Do you have an example? I want to know so.

[3:43] Natalie Weiss: No, I can't possibly say that on this podcast?

[3:46] Drew Gasparini: That's my entire goal here is to get someone to reveal something that they really shouldn't.

[3:51] Natalie Weiss: I think it's funny that way. I'm going for dirt, baby.

[3:54] Drew Gasparini: I'll tell you for drinks one day.

[3:56] Natalie Weiss: I love it. Do you drink? I don't think I've ever seen you drink.

[3:58] Natalie Weiss: You know, that's funny. I really am not a drinker. However, in the past month and a half, I have drank more than I've drank in all of my 30s, where I was like, oh date.

[4:09] Natalie Weiss: Like, like, you know, when you're like, I'm on vacation. It's an all-inclusive.

[4:12] Natalie Weiss: Oh, yeah. It's a, you know, there's an occasion.

[4:15] Natalie Weiss: I think that's kind of how I always am. I drink on my birthday. I drink, I'm not like, let's get hammered, but a drink like every meal.

[4:22] Drew Gasparini: Right. So it's like a drink.

[4:24] Natalie Weiss: And it's not like there's like a drink. I did have a couple in Mexico. I did have a couple of things.

[4:28] Drew Gasparini: Hey now. Now let's all slow down.

[4:31] Natalie Weiss: There was like, I think most of my 20s, and frankly, I blame Alex Brightman's presence in my life for this.

[4:37] Natalie Weiss: But I drank so much that when I talked about my drinking in conversation, people were like in such shock.

[4:46] Drew Gasparini: I was like, what? You don't have like six martinis a night followed by a few beers? Like every single night or something.

[4:51] Natalie Weiss: I can't relate at all to that, so I'm very sorry, but I'm not gonna judge you.

[4:56] Drew Gasparini: Thank you so much. What is something you would judge somebody for?

[4:59] Natalie Weiss: Drinking six martinis a night.

[5:01] Drew Gasparini: Okay, so you would judge me for that.

[5:02] Natalie Weiss: Uh, I'm glad we turned that around.

[5:04] Natalie Weiss: You were one of those names that before I moved out to New York, every person in the world knows the video of Quiet, the Jonathan Riddelt song that you sang the pee pee poo-poo out of when you were, I don't know, you were probably like what, 11, 12 in that video?

[5:19] Drew Gasparini: Eight, seven.

[5:20] Natalie Weiss: I'm gonna say twenty-two.

[5:21] Drew Gasparini: Okay, twenty-two, but like singing the whiz out of this thing.

[5:25] Drew Gasparini: And uh I was just starting to like is this what I want to do? Do I want to go to New York and do this thing and like be a composer?

[5:31] Drew Gasparini: And that video was circulating so hard, so I had this name, Natalie Weiss in the back of my head, and then I met you shortly after I got to New York.

[5:40] Drew Gasparini: I had a show at Lori Beachman in like 2010, and I think that's when I like met you.

[5:45] Drew Gasparini: Because I remember Anna Bergman was like, Do you want to do this concert at the duplex?

[5:50] Drew Gasparini: And I maybe wasn't free. I don't know, it was like early on.

[5:53] Natalie Weiss: Wasn't free or wasn't interested. You tell me.

[5:56] Drew Gasparini: It was 14 years ago.

[5:58] Natalie Weiss: I really don't remember.

[6:00] Natalie Weiss: This was a long, long time ago.

[6:01] Natalie Weiss: You didn't know who I was yet, so I wouldn't have blamed you anyway.

[6:04] Drew Gasparini: But I knew you as this singer. I know that you went and you've done tours and you did Broadway and uh and then over the years, I first of all it took us 10 years of knowing each other for you to actually sing something of mine, which blows me.

[6:18] Natalie Weiss: Oh my god, what was the first one?

[6:19] Drew Gasparini: It was in like 2019. You sang at my Drows Pla no my 54 Below concert.

[6:21] Natalie Weiss: You sang.

[6:25] Drew Gasparini: Oh my god, that was the first one.

[6:26] Natalie Weiss: That was the first show you sang for me.

[6:28] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, which it blows my mind because I feel like I know you better than that for that to be the case.

[6:34] Drew Gasparini: But the thing that really blows my mind about you, and I applaud you all the time.

[6:39] Drew Gasparini: No, actually, get right up into that mic. And what are you eating for our listeners? Tell us.

[6:43] Natalie Weiss: Okay, so this is meal prep stuff. Uh, it sounds really bougie, but meal prep chef, it's really amazing.

[6:50] Natalie Weiss: It looks really good. Cauliflower rice and asparagus.

[6:53] Drew Gasparini: Oh man, that would have me farting all night. Good for you.

[6:56] Natalie Weiss: Good for you. That's oh my god.

[6:58] Natalie Weiss: So sorry. We do a little fart talk here on this podcast.

[7:00] Drew Gasparini: Uh, but you the thing I want to applaud you for, and I tell so many people this when I do master classes, Natalie Weiss has absolutely mastered entrepreneurship in show business.

[7:14] Drew Gasparini: You are so good at utilizing uh the fan base that you have curated and collected and and has grown so severely you're international for Christ's sake.

[7:26] Drew Gasparini: There's people in Australia and London who clamor for you.

[7:29] Drew Gasparini: Um and how did you kind of get savvy in that?

[7:34] Natalie Weiss: Because I feel like and you tell me if you agree I feel like if you're going to college for something like musical theater, they should fucking teach you how to be a multi-hyphen.

[7:45] Natalie Weiss: Because when things are slow in the audition world, you gotta find another pie to put your finger in. You know what I'm saying?

[7:49] Drew Gasparini: That sounded a little too suggestive but what you know what I mean.

[7:54] Natalie Weiss: Uh so like how did how did you like say this is the route I want to go it's not just teaching it's a real specific skill set of like the breaking down the rift series was pretty big and now this master class series is is going very well and you're making a kick ass living doing this.

[8:09] Natalie Weiss: I mean you have butlers and maids all around you at all exactly yes Florida ceiling windows.

[8:15] Drew Gasparini: I saw an apartment I was I get the street easy emails I want to buy girl but when you see Florida ceiling windows you can't unsee it.

[8:22] Natalie Weiss: And I know I'm gonna live anyway.

[8:24] Natalie Weiss: It's a real problem.

[8:25] Natalie Weiss: Um yes the master class series so the the course is a buy one and own so you work for the modules self-guided so that's not quite master class the master classes are separate like the stuff I did in quarantine.

[8:35] Natalie Weiss: But the answer to your question is not you're not gonna like the answer because there was no strategy is the answer that I don't know what I'm doing.

[8:46] Natalie Weiss: And I first of all the video of me that went viral, and I mean viral as in a hundred thousand, which now is billions on TikTok.

[8:55] Natalie Weiss: Right in 2006, which is 15 years ago, when a freshman put up a video of me singing a song, that is the video that started everything.

[9:03] Natalie Weiss: So it was a complete accident, and I had a built-in audience that happened around the right time.

[9:07] Natalie Weiss: And then my answer is always like I rode the wave of the following, but like every single thing has been like not really calculated.

[9:17] Natalie Weiss: It was like this is kind of funny, and I think this is kind of entertaining, and I think people can learn from this.

[9:23] Natalie Weiss: This is me sounding badly. I think people are relate to this, you know, like relatable stuff.

[9:28] Natalie Weiss: And I always posted based on me thinking, like, is this is this funny? Is this is this, you know?

[9:33] Natalie Weiss: And then it was like it caught on because I had the built-in audience, so it built off of that.

[9:37] Natalie Weiss: But it was never like every Tuesday and Friday I will post between the hours of this and this. Like, I have no idea.

[9:44] Drew Gasparini: But you do, I mean, like you were like in terms of entrepreneurship and like being a CEO.

[9:50] Natalie Weiss: Sure, you've learned, but you also surround yourself with a with a team.

[9:53] Natalie Weiss: You've got quite the entourage of people that are like always kind of a part of your projects, and I think that's so fucking cool.

[9:59] Natalie Weiss: That thank you.

[10:00] Natalie Weiss: You know, I realize I love my community, my team, my my same few people that I like run everything by and write shows with me and um, you know, help through applications of coaching applications or master class submissions.

[10:14] Natalie Weiss: I had a business coach that I met three years ago because they don't teach you that VFA school.

[10:18] Drew Gasparini: Right.

[10:19] Natalie Weiss: Um, so yeah, I mean it's definitely like a process, but I also had to, I didn't have a plan in place a couple years ago of like, ah, when I posted my coaching uh video of my bedroom, the room where it happened, that you know, videos that people were like, oh, you know, that's the room where it happens.

[10:34] Natalie Weiss: That also sounds suggestive.

[10:36] Natalie Weiss: My bedroom videos. You don't want to see my bedroom videos, it's horrible.

[10:40] Natalie Weiss: No, it's no, okay.

[10:44] Natalie Weiss: All right, it's me eating spaghetti in bed alone.

[10:46] Drew Gasparini: Oh no, crying yourself to sleep.

[10:48] Natalie Weiss: Um so no, the bedroom videos, it's just because like I had the piano in there.

[10:53] Natalie Weiss: But now I have my own studio. I moved into my roommate's room, so now I have an extra separate room.

[10:58] Natalie Weiss: But gosh.

[10:59] Natalie Weiss: The point is when I put when my coaching business kind of blew up, I always coached on the side.

[11:04] Natalie Weiss: Like, sure, you're from Germany and you are seeing a robber show. When would you like to schedule a session?

[11:09] Natalie Weiss: There was no plan. It was just like, sure, I don't have to get a waitressing job.

[11:13] Natalie Weiss: But when I posted my video that kind of went viral, my coaching videos, it was never like, look and book me.

[11:18] Natalie Weiss: It was like, look how good this singer is.

[11:22] Natalie Weiss: And I wasn't even coaching him in the video.

[11:24] Natalie Weiss: And then it was like, whoa, and then it became so much of my life of like editing videos all the time.

[11:28] Natalie Weiss: That's why single for so long, editing videos 24-7, crying with spaghetti.

[11:34] Natalie Weiss: You know, just editing this of the night.

[11:37] Natalie Weiss: Um but no, I think, yeah, that's really sweet of the whole entrepreneurship, but it's like, I think I, yes, I'd surround myself with the right people.

[11:45] Natalie Weiss: Like I have really that's a big part of the advice, right?

[11:48] Natalie Weiss: Like if you if someone said to you, you know, how'd you become entrepreneurial here? And you could say, I don't know, I'm kind of winging it because how do you learn that kind of shit unless you're just doing it?

[11:58] Drew Gasparini: You had the luxury of a video that went viral, but like with the advice you give to somebody who's in a similar position you were in, a young person trying to, you know, just get something started or try a new path within the arts.

[12:11] Natalie Weiss: Would you say to them, surround yourself with good people?

[12:15] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, I always say, like, I it's community is huge.

[12:18] Natalie Weiss: Like uh, number one. Just your community.

[12:22] Natalie Weiss: I mean, that's huge for my world.

[12:24] Natalie Weiss: My community here in Queens is uh not thrilled with me because of how much nude walking around I do.

[12:31] Drew Gasparini: Oh my god.

[12:32] Natalie Weiss: I'm only on the second floor. They're seeing a whole bunch, a whole bunch of Drew Gasparini.

[12:36] Drew Gasparini: Speaking of people in your entourage, can we talk about I don't know what to call her?

[12:42] Natalie Weiss: You know who I'm talking about.

[12:42] Drew Gasparini: I know what you're talking about.

[12:43] Natalie Weiss: She's everything.

[12:44] Drew Gasparini: All right, let's talk about jewels.

[12:45] Natalie Weiss: We love jewels.

[12:46] Natalie Weiss: I ended up like messaging her and following her on Instagram because you were just sending me these hilarious videos.

[12:55] Natalie Weiss: But everything you post to this girl is like the greatest comedy goal.

[12:59] Drew Gasparini: Oh, because I was showing you her not knowing what potato salad was and stuff.

[13:03] Natalie Weiss: Which is still mind-blowing.

[13:04] Natalie Weiss: That and the cottage cheese thing is that the cottage cheese or sour cream is rotten.

[13:07] Drew Gasparini: Why would I want rocking?

[13:08] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, source. That's right. That's right.

[13:09] Natalie Weiss: Um, and she's a brilliant songwriter and singer.

[13:13] Natalie Weiss: So basically, the the origin of Jules Brave, who is currently my transitioning to a full-time assistant, wasn't I'm going backwards.

[13:22] Natalie Weiss: Assistant intern backwards became uh no, I'm gonna go forward. She auditioned to be my backup singer in 2015 for my Highline Ballroom show.

[13:32] Natalie Weiss: I had a 200-person casting call and I did a documentary about it, which was like the most fun time of my life.

[13:39] Natalie Weiss: Like, let me tell you. Sitting behind the table, sounds fun. Letting everyone sing cuts and harmonizing and and pairing people, this 16-year-old awkward AF girl walks in, and we were like, this girl is so weird, as she knows she is.

[13:53] Natalie Weiss: And she like blew our minds with talent. And we were like, Yeah, okay, we should call her back, but we can't like give her the job. She's like 16. So she nailed the callback, like nailed all the parts. And I was so blown away by her, and she's only 16. And she tells the story of how she was like talking in her Facebook group about uh, hi guys, I met um my idol Natalie Weiss, and we went to Frenchwoods different times, like camp. I don't know if do you know Frenchwoods? Okay. No, I I've heard people talk about it. Stage door Frenchwoods, um, yeah, performing arts camp. So she auditioned, didn't get it. At my show, I said, There's this really special girl that blew me away, and I set up I Have Nothing at the piano, and I pulled her on stage and she sang.

Her mom took me out to dinner, thanked me, whatever. So then the next few years we're complete acquaintances. She's like in school. She's like just a fan who is supportive in the front row and is like, yo, jamming to Taylor Swift covers. Yes. My Joe's pub show in 2019. She was in the front row, and for some reason, I like connected. I don't know why I overshared with her about having a panic attack before my concert. And I was like, yo, I've already done this show. Why can't I catch my breath for five hours? And she's like, Oh my god, are you okay? And she was like, We're kind of bonding. The next day she applied for coachings very um professionally. And I was like, Oh, I'll just it's me, it's Natalie.

Like, yeah, you're so sweet. You could have just DM'd me. Like, I know who she is. Her name is Julia Braverman, by the way, her real name. Yeah. Um, and so we started coaching because she is an amazing singer who had complete anxiety and wobbly voice, who's like an amazing songwriter who was like, uh, and she would take every week. Nobody takes every week with me. That I do one offs, like that are like, I'm singing here. I don't have like regulars, you know, it's very atypical. So we started getting really close and like bonding like sisters, and then I was doing emoji land. This was like February, uh January, December 2019. She was coaching with me, and we were just getting close. When pandemic she saw opening, maybe the first preview of pandemic, I just opened up to her.

We're getting really close, and then pandemic happened, and I introduced her to another friend of mine, and they became best friends through Zoom. So we would zoom and we would have this thread. We would get so close during quarantine that Jules and Sean basically helped me write my course for me. Like as I don't like the word protege because it sounds super cocky, but like they're your protege. And like learning my method and like helping me form it into modules, and like she had a lot of uh uh administrative skills that I was like disorganized. So it built into this relationship of she went to Berkeley and she needed an internship, and so she was doing Berkeley Online, so she became my intern, and we became like best friend sisters, and she's like how up now is having an intern is having an intern like as easy as saying, okay, you're my intern.

Is there like paperwork involved? I signed one thing, I signed one thing for a Berkeley professor, and it was just like a little more professional. She got some credit for being an intern, and then it was just for you, good for her. We hung out all the time, and oh, this is why she got known on my Instagram because in our coaching, she would drop the f bomb. And so she would I'm assuming. Yeah, it's true. You can say fuck yeah. She her fucks were so funny and so relatable. I would just put together fuck reels of her, and she was F bomb girl. She became famous as F bomb girl because it was like, uh, fuck, fuck. And she just would like be so mad at herself. And we would just die. So F bomb queen became who she is now.

I encouraged her to release her own music. She was gonna write for all these writers, like Chloe was doing. Yeah. And I was like, you gotta release your own stuff. And so she did. And she did, and it's amazing. And it's I just think it's so cool that it all kind of stemmed from your encouragement and the way that you kind of kept your thumb on that pulse with her.

[17:46] Drew Gasparini: Yeah. And like stayed in touch with her, and like that relationship that that was cultivated there. I love all that. Well, I just love and the part of the entrepreneurship is like I I always say like I'm an only child. So many close friends of mine, I hate to say started as fans, students, sisters, friends. They become this like really close figure of like my little, you know, my little younger friends. I have a lot of 22-year-old really good friends, and I have 56-year-old friends, you know. I'm I'm different.

[18:15] Natalie Weiss: I bat my fans away as hard as possible. I want nothing to do with them. I think they're all insane.

[18:20] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, but you gotta judge if they're normal people. And to be honest, it's weird because in this day none of mine are normal. In this musical theater world, it's weird because they were like, hi, we're really good friends, but I actually was nine years old when I saw you on the internet. And that's just that's weird.

[18:35] Natalie Weiss: Seriously, I get that all the time. I get things like I've just been having drinks with this guy. I'm like, wow, this is the most talented guy in the world. I can't wait to work with him eventually. And then at the third time we hang out and have drinks, it'll be like, I've been I've been singing your stuff since I was eleven. And you were like, a grandpa.

[18:50] Drew Gasparini: Exactly. I was like, Jesus Christ. Oh my god, but are you honored or are you weirded out?

[18:55] Natalie Weiss: Of course I'm honored. It's isn't it an honor when you have people who like recognize you for whatever it is that you've I mean, and when you look at what it is you do, it's all kind of silly. It's like I'm putting videos up on the internet, I'm singing, I'm just doing what I love to do. And if people seem to cling to it and like it, that is like a mega plus. Um at the end of the day, we're just people, you know what I'm saying?

[19:15] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, well, I'm more of a god, really.

[19:17] Natalie Weiss: Okay, I tell that to most people. While I'm sitting here crying, eating my spaghetti in bed, I I am also a god.

[19:23] Drew Gasparini: Um Natalie. Yes, true. What is something you do when you're in a really bad mood? What is something you do to get yourself out of the bad mood? Do you get rage and like you want to like punch a pillow or something like that? Or you you try to find a uh, you know, some some person on the street to scream at.

[19:43] Natalie Weiss: These are not things I do. Let's just let's just say they're not things I do. What's something you do to feel better?

[19:49] Natalie Weiss: I'm gonna say Billy on the street is a go-to. I love Billy on the street. Good quote. Like the big It's just like I just can't think right now. I need to be laughing about nonsense. That's a big fast one.

[19:59] Natalie Weiss: Yeah. Um, I mean, like again, my support system of like venting and stuff. Um I would say like my vice would be gambling.

[20:08] Drew Gasparini: What?

[20:10] Natalie Weiss: Really?

[20:11] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, I'm a huge gambler.

[20:14] Natalie Weiss: Okay.

[20:15] Drew Gasparini: Side passion.

[20:16] Natalie Weiss: How passion? This is like I wouldn't. If it's gambling, is it a passion or is or is it an addiction?

[20:22] Natalie Weiss: I don't have an addiction because I don't do it enough. So I don't go to Atlantic City more than once a year.

[20:29] Drew Gasparini: Okay.

[20:29] Natalie Weiss: Okay, but when you do, how much coin are you willing to drop?

[20:33] Natalie Weiss: Well, my course did well, so I might decide to have a higher No, I'm just kidding. I'm not gonna do like a high level. Come on!

[20:38] Drew Gasparini: No, I don't know. No, I mean my thing is I don't buy designer bags or shoes.

[20:47] Natalie Weiss: I would spend $3,000 at the poker table.

[20:50] Drew Gasparini: That's fucking insane.

[20:51] Natalie Weiss: I would spend, I would lose a thousand or more dollars on roulette and blackjack and say I had a great 48 hours than buy a designer bag or a pair of shoes.

[21:02] Drew Gasparini: You know what I'd rather you do with that $3,000 or whatever you do at the roulette or poker table or wh whatever nonsense voodoo games you're playing at the at the arcade for grown-ups.

[21:12] Natalie Weiss: Okay.

[21:13] Drew Gasparini: G give it to me. Just if if you're if you're willing to just lose it, just give it to me.

[21:19] Natalie Weiss: I'll think of that next time.

[21:21] Drew Gasparini: Alright, I'm gonna shoot you my Venmo after this.

[21:23] Natalie Weiss: So next time.

[21:24] Drew Gasparini: It's going to Drew Gasparini. Thank you. I God knows I could use it.

[21:28] Natalie Weiss: Well you're getting the advance for karate kid. Once it opens, we'll be alright.

[21:33] Drew Gasparini: But my god, the world's gonna be a good one. How's the process going?

[21:35] Natalie Weiss: So far, so good. We just had auditions.

[21:37] Drew Gasparini: It's been we there's so much damn talent out there.

[21:40] Natalie Weiss: Is it Zoom or is it in person yet?

[21:42] Drew Gasparini: We had both. It was like a combination. So like the last couple days were in person. Like you literally yesterday. And uh you know something? I'm not cut out for auditions. Like being on the other side of the table. I'm just not cut out for it. I want everybody to get the part.

[21:56] Natalie Weiss: Oh, I know, I know. You get too attached. You're like Yes. And it's like, man, you know, that guy had the voice a little better, but that guy was so such a good hang.

[22:04] Drew Gasparini: I wanna find the phone. I want to, but that's important. You gotta hang out with them.

[22:08] Natalie Weiss: Yes. Are you auditioning a lot these days or no?

[22:12] Drew Gasparini: I have I actually hadn't, and then I had four self tapes out of nowhere last week, and one tomorrow, and I was like, you know, concentrating on other things. They weren't flying in.

[22:21] Natalie Weiss: Uh yeah, you know.

[22:25] Drew Gasparini: But you know, I a little bit, but like I kind of always said that like I just don't feel great about myself in the process. I thrive being behind the table.

[22:37] Natalie Weiss: You know what? It sh you shouldn't be auditioning anyway. You should be offer only.

[22:41] Drew Gasparini: I was gonna talk to the lords of this industry and just remind them all. Natalie Weiss is looking offer only.

[22:48] Natalie Weiss: That's really sweet. And I had been the last few times I had booked a job. It had been.

[22:52] Drew Gasparini: That's amazing.

[22:52] Natalie Weiss: Which is I'm very fortunate. I think the allure, the tricky part is the international like allure of like, oh my god, like, are you Jenet and waitress? And I was like, no, I actually got an appointment for the second cover of the seventh, huh? Like, what do you think this is? I'm not getting stunt cast person from London who's supportive.

[23:13] Drew Gasparini: No, bless their hearts though, man. That's I love that. And you should be, god damn it. Why not?

[23:19] Natalie Weiss: I mean, I would love that, but I wish I was, you know.

[23:22] Drew Gasparini: I'll write a show real nice for you. I'll write a real good part for you. You'll you'll show up, you'll just be in rehearsals, and you'll just be in the show.

[23:29] Natalie Weiss: I don't know when, when I have time, when I get some time.

[23:32] Drew Gasparini: I don't want you to take any offense to this, but I don't know why I think this about you.

[23:37] Natalie Weiss: Okay.

[23:37] Drew Gasparini: I just have a feeling you might be better at this than me.

[23:42] Natalie Weiss: Okay.

[23:43] Drew Gasparini: Sending food back in a restaurant.

[23:45] Natalie Weiss: Okay, I don't know how you are, but um the only way I would send food back is very nicely, and if the I hate when this happens. Let's say there I don't like olives. So let's say on the menu it says seven ingredients.

[23:59] Natalie Weiss: Um, none of which say olives, and olives are poured on top of it.

[24:05] Drew Gasparini: I don't I've never is what in the world does the there's no mention of olives, but then you get the dishes and it's covered in olives?

[24:13] Natalie Weiss: Goat cheese, and then all of a sudden it's covered in olives. And I said, I'm so sorry. I I really don't like olives or any way that I could just ooh, get another salad. Ooh, that's all I'll say it.

[24:22] Drew Gasparini: I want to see you storm into the back of the kitchen and just throw the plate on the ground and say, do better.

[24:31] Natalie Weiss: I appear to be more aggressive than I am. I actually panic.

[24:34] Drew Gasparini: Do people think uh you're intimidating?

[24:37] Natalie Weiss: All the time, and I'm over.

[24:38] Drew Gasparini: Is it because you're so tall?

[24:40] Natalie Weiss: No, yeah, I am tall, but like I'm just so sick of, oh, why isn't anyone hitting on me or giving me their number? You're intimidating.

[24:46] Drew Gasparini: You'll meet someone at the corner deli.

[24:50] Natalie Weiss: You'll meet what does that mean you'll meet someone at the corner deli?

[24:54] Drew Gasparini: Corna deli. There's no R. Sorry, Corna. Cornadeli. I'm from San Francisco.

[25:00] Natalie Weiss: Oh my god. No, yeah, I'm just sick of that. I've been hearing that for so long, and I'm like, ah, no, I definitely like have worked on my um, as Jules would call it, IW immediate warm.

[25:12] Drew Gasparini: Because I'm not I'm not immediately warm, and you when you get to know me, I am.

[25:16] Natalie Weiss: Interesting.

[25:17] Drew Gasparini: Why do you think that is? That's a you're so self-aware of it.

[25:20] Natalie Weiss: Very, yeah. So the the pit, this is the difference. The pitch of my voice is hey, what's up? Right? Very, I seem to be right over it. Hi.

[25:24] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, right.

[25:26] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, right. And you know, so the difference is like, for example, Jules and I talk about this. Uh I have another friend. This is how I would answer delivery. Uh, let's say the delivery mannequin. Thank you, bye, thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. This looks so good. I would never do that. And that is Jules.

[25:45] Drew Gasparini: Okay. So is it is it is it false of Jules to do it, do you think?

[25:50] Natalie Weiss: Too nice.

[25:50] Drew Gasparini: Okay.

[25:50] Natalie Weiss: Like, hi, I was just wondering if we can reschedule my appointment.

[25:54] Drew Gasparini: Okay, can we just go?

[25:58] Natalie Weiss: So I think there's a middle ground between like real and standoffish and uncomfortable. You know what I'm saying?

[26:04] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, totally.

[26:07] Natalie Weiss: Oh my god. You know what? Um, I feel like I wake up with the excitement in the timbre of my voice. It's like Bugs Bunny on a roller coaster, is kind of where I idle at all times.

[26:19] Drew Gasparini: Okay.

[26:20] Natalie Weiss: So if I were to be in a conversation with someone, and it's let's say it's Natalie Weiss, and she's giving me her not yet warm hello.

[26:28] Drew Gasparini: Hey, hanging out.

[26:29] Natalie Weiss: Not yet hello. Hi, I know. Okay. Yeah, yeah. And you know, so the difference is like, for example, Jules and I talk about this. Uh I have another friend. This is how I would answer delivery. Uh, let's say the delivery mannequin. Thank you, bye, thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. This looks so good. I would never do that. And that is Jules.

[26:29] Drew Gasparini: Okay.

[26:29] Natalie Weiss: So is it is it is it false of Jules to do it, do you think?

[26:29] Drew Gasparini: Too nice.

[26:29] Natalie Weiss: Okay.

[26:29] Drew Gasparini: Like, hi, I was just wondering if we can reschedule my appointment.

[26:29] Natalie Weiss: Okay, can we just go?

[27:15] Natalie Weiss: Have any regrettable choices, fashion choices from middle school or high school? And if...

[26:29] Natalie Weiss: Hey, hanging out.

[27:21] Natalie Weiss: You do, what were they?

[27:22] Drew Gasparini: I'll tell you mine first if you want to hear mine.

[27:26] Natalie Weiss: I had, uh, I wore puka shells.

[27:50] Drew Gasparini: Like, hi, I was just wondering if we can reschedule my appointment.

[27:54] Natalie Weiss: Okay, can we just go?

[27:58] Drew Gasparini: So I think there's a middle ground between like real and standoffish and uncomfortable. You know what I'm saying?

[27:31] Natalie Weiss: You know, like the little white shells necklace that a lot of California boys used to wear. I used to rock that pretty hard with cargo shorts, a t-shirt, and a vest. Okay, and a newsies cap. And I thought that was such a cool look. I had such immense confidence behind this look that I wore it until I was about 27 years old. So the regret didn't happen until my 30s, but I'm really looking back and be like, man, that shit started in like seventh grade. I was kind of dressing like a ridiculous golfer or something. So what do you what are some fashion choices from back in middle school? Because we're about the same age. So like this is the 90s, we're talking, late 90s.

[28:14] Drew Gasparini: I am 35. That's how old I am.

[28:16] Natalie Weiss: I'm 36.

[28:17] Drew Gasparini: Are you? That's about the same, 1986?

[28:20] Natalie Weiss: 86 baby, you're an 85 baby.

[28:22] Drew Gasparini: Okay. What are the fashion choices?

[28:25] Natalie Weiss: I am completely blank minus like a pleather jacket I feel like I owned. Yeah. And I'm gonna say the brows. Like that's number one for me of like the what tell me explain.

[28:36] Drew Gasparini: Oh, oh the thin brows.

[28:37] Natalie Weiss: The thin parentheses brows they took a long time to grow in. So those were my most regrettable choices. Uh I still see people rocking that from time to time. And it's a little daunting now because the brow has come back with such full effect. You're like wow she didn't get the memo. I don't know what's in style but I'm gonna keep these for a bit.

[28:50] Drew Gasparini: Your eyebrows?

[28:56] Natalie Weiss: Yeah they took a while to shape and now I'm very proud of them. Alright you're on a date you're on a date and um what is a topic of conversation that will have you bored within milliseconds?

[29:00] Drew Gasparini: I'm probably gonna say like if they start if I try to be like if maybe if they tried to explain their finance job I would be blacked out really soon.

[29:20] Natalie Weiss: Okay.

[29:23] Drew Gasparini: Like I would see the white light really fast. Like when my financial planner explains what's going on I get a quarter of it. So I go repeat that last part because I can only process that so long. I guess maybe if they were talking about I don't even know why I thought of this like something like Star Trek or something like that. I don't know I don't even know why I thought about that. Not to nerd shame, but you know, it's like enough already, you Star Trek nerd.

[29:51] Natalie Weiss: Yeah.

[29:52] Drew Gasparini: What would be boring to you?

[29:54] Natalie Weiss: Cars. Anything that has to do with cars. I can't handle it. It would actually throw me over the edge. I that's another moment. I would get up and say, there's a cockroach in my salad. And I'm taking this date by myself to Olive Garden. It's a solo date at Olive Garden where I pick up spaghetti to go, and I come sit in my bed and eat it alone.

[30:16] Drew Gasparini: That's right. Do you miss the 90s?

[30:19] Natalie Weiss: I miss the 90s.

[30:20] Drew Gasparini: The 90s were the best.

[30:21] Natalie Weiss: Movie. I just watched Notting Hill last night.

[30:24] Drew Gasparini: Okay, I have to be honest.

[30:26] Natalie Weiss: Yeah.

[30:26] Drew Gasparini: I think I've never seen that movie.

[30:29] Natalie Weiss: You know what? Go check it out for just yeah, yeah, it's it's a rom com. You'll get the gist. I mean, but it is just so charming, and there's the Hugh Grant is so British and charming, and it just made me really sit back in where I was mentally in the 90s, and gosh, there was just not a care in the world.

[30:44] Drew Gasparini: Do you miss that feeling?

[30:46] Natalie Weiss: You know, yeah, what happened when you became adults? It's like everything just seems like it starts sucking a little bit.

[30:52] Drew Gasparini: Just a little worries.

[30:54] Natalie Weiss: Yeah. I mean, success comes, and that's really cool, but like But I don't miss middle school at all.

[30:59] Drew Gasparini: Was it hard because you were what? Did you get bullied?

[31:01] Natalie Weiss: Uh minorly, but like minorly bullied sixth sixth grade was really hard. Uh definitely. I played a lot of instruments and had the solo on every instrument and was very embarrassed, and I looked like a monkey, and I looked very unattractive with my braces.

[31:17] Drew Gasparini: You look like a monkey.

[31:18] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, I was really kind of bullied for my looks and my music, music stuff.

[31:24] Drew Gasparini: What about high school? What kind of music did you listen to in high school?

[31:26] Natalie Weiss: Can I make predictions?

[31:27] Drew Gasparini: Yes.

[31:29] Natalie Weiss: Were you a huge uh Destiny's Child Beyoncé girl?

[31:33] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, I think b Destiny's Child, like Britney Brittany Christina uh Insync Fat Factory boys.

[31:40] Natalie Weiss: Okay, so it was all really it was really the pop kind of stuff. Did you ever like accidentally find yourself being a fan of like cut my life in two pieces?

[31:51] Drew Gasparini: This is my last resort.

[31:53] Natalie Weiss: That was that was uh Papa Roach.

[31:55] Drew Gasparini: Oh, no, I remember Papa Roach and um what is his name?

[32:00] Natalie Weiss: Fred.

[32:01] Drew Gasparini: Fred Durst.

[32:02] Natalie Weiss: Fred Durst, like all of those. I did it all for the Nookie, Limp Biscuit. You know people say Seinfeld are friends. Are you more of a Doug or are you more of a rug rat?

[32:11] Drew Gasparini: I don't know which I liked better.

[32:13] Natalie Weiss: They were both iconic.

[32:14] Drew Gasparini: Iconic.

[32:16] Natalie Weiss: I bet Phil and Lil, if they grew up, I bet they're both in prison.

[32:19] Drew Gasparini: Phil and Lil's a little bit. I think they were uh they were up to no good. That's that's my take on Phil and Lil.

[32:24] Drew Gasparini: Memories. Stupid questions with Natalie Weiss. Here we go. Number one. If your voice was taken away, and you were given a choice of whose voice were going to replace your voice, who would it be out of these three people? Harvey Feerstein, Kathy Griffin, or Gilbert Godfrey.

[32:48] Natalie Weiss: That's really good. I'm gonna say Gilbert Godfrey.

[32:52] Drew Gasparini: Wow! That I mean, talk about an iconic voice. They he's got such an iconic voice. Why would you choose him? I have to know.

[32:59] Natalie Weiss: I mean, the voices are just so iconically difficult. Uh Harvey with Godfrey, I would be like, it could be it's just a bright. This is really this is would you rather I'm really not great at, but I'm gonna say it's brassiest and less nodesy, I guess. I feel like you're if you were to take his voice, I would hope it came with the a lad in residuals he gets for doing the voice of the office.

[33:26] Drew Gasparini: Oh man. And also apparently he's doing well on cameo these days.

[33:29] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, he does well in cameo, and he's got a great podcast that if you don't listen to it's really tremendous. And uh it's called Gilbert Godfrey's silly fatastic silly bitch. I don't remember what it's called. It's a long title. Um okay, Gilbert Godfrey, that's a great choice. I would have also chose Gilbert Gottfrey, so I think that's why I was extra excited that you chose that. I'm just a little surprised.

[33:48] Drew Gasparini: Uh last stupid question for you before we get to Twitter questions. And this one is really stupid questions. Just two stupid questions just because I feel like so many of the questions I asked tonight were stupid.

[34:01] Natalie Weiss: Okay, she has trouble drinking.

[34:03] Drew Gasparini: Okay.

[34:03] Natalie Weiss: And this is why she doesn't drink very much. Um would you rather? This is another would you rather, would you rather switch your eyeballs with your nipples? Or would you rather switch where your mouth is with where your butthole is?

[34:19] Drew Gasparini: Okay. Mouth to my butthole, you said? So your mouth would be where your butthole is and your butthole would be where your mouth is, or your eyeballs. Eyeballs to nipples.

[34:29] Natalie Weiss: Ypples. You go eyeballs to nipples, that'd be the obvious choice. Although I feel like it'd be for anybody else. If I saw you on the street and you're walking toward me with, you know, human eyes, but you had like the pursed up butthole mouth, I'd be a little less freaked out. But if you walk toward me with a regular mouth and nipple eyeballs, you look like something out of Pan's Labyrinth.

[34:47] Drew Gasparini: So that's interesting. If you're thinking about how you come off to other people, I didn't know if you had clocked that.

[34:54] Natalie Weiss: I saw you were intimidating before.

[34:56] Drew Gasparini: Yeah.

[34:57] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, you now. My God. Uh okay, I get it. I get it. Is there a reason why in particular? Is it just like you've always wanted nipples for eyes?

[35:07] Drew Gasparini: No, you know what the reason is? Because I misheard the question, and I was thinking eyeballs for nipples only. That'd be kind of cool.

[35:12] Natalie Weiss: That'd be kind of amazing. Like double eyeballs, then? That'd be like that's another thing from Pan's Labyrinth as well. Uh let me toss you a few uh Twitter fan questions. This one comes from Danielle Wood. She says, What's your favorite? And she spells it with an O-U-R-I-T. So she's definitely British. What's your favorite song you've ever covered by another artist, Natalie Weiss?

[35:35] Natalie Weiss: Okay, so I'd say that the favorite song. I do a mashup of Big White Room and You Don't Really Know Me by Jesse J. And but I feel like you don't really know me. I always describe as like the song that I was like, wait a minute, if I wrote a song, it would be this. Yeah. The verse. It's just so relatable. I love it song. You love it. And you probably sing the whiz right out of it. Good lord.

[35:56] Drew Gasparini: Uh okay, next Twitter question. In fact, because you just mentioned if you had written it, I'm gonna hop to this question here by Caroline Kaye, who I actually know. She was just in a production of You Know Her as well. That's fantastic. A beautiful Irish lass and a great songwriter, and she just sang uh at the West End production. Oh, the I could use a drink. How was it and how was London? Do you love London?

[36:20] Natalie Weiss: Well, I'll tell you truthfully, it was great, is what I heard. I couldn't get out there because it was of the, you know, we had in-person auditions the day after I would have gotten back, and the Delta variant was really rampant out there at the time, and safety and health reasons prevented me from making the trip. And it was really heartbreaking because I, you know, I was planning on this for months, and these producers were so kick-ass and ambitious, and of course I want to be a part of it. Uh, but the reviews I read were outstanding, and the talent was crazy, so I'm just I'm just lucky it happened. Uh, here is Caroline's question for you. Does Natalie write her own music? This is coming from a tremendous songwriter herself, so this must mean a lot. Does Natalie write her own music? If she does and she has released it, I'm angry at myself for not already knowing about it.

[37:08] Drew Gasparini: And I've said this to you in the past.

[37:09] Natalie Weiss: Well, we you made a half a song together.

[37:11] Drew Gasparini: I haven't.

[37:12] Natalie Weiss: We did. It's still on my phone. Yeah, we have a half a song. We'll finish it one day. I've written two songs, full songs. They were both in the key of C and they had four chords. And they were.

[37:23] Drew Gasparini: That's all you need.

[37:23] Natalie Weiss: Yep. And then we wrote a half a song. And um, you know, it's been on the back burner and like a list of things to try. I just kind of get distracted.

[37:34] Drew Gasparini: You have a lot going on.

[37:36] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, but I feel like it would be about it would be like scattered and like too many topics, you know? Maybe next time you go on vacation, you can make it like a little creative, like dive into your brain kind of trip.

[37:51] Drew Gasparini: Yeah, retreat.

[37:52] Natalie Weiss: I can't dive into my brain anymore. I gotta distract. There's too much going on.

[37:56] Drew Gasparini: That's fair.

[37:57] Natalie Weiss: That's fair. You need that's where nostalgia kicks in, and you gotta turn on an episode of Rugrats. See.

[38:01] Drew Gasparini: Um all right, last question for you from Twitter. Uh, this is from Liz M. Is there any riff that has completely stumped you that you could not break down?

[38:12] Natalie Weiss: Yeah, there's so many. I mean, there's some that I'm like, no, thank you. I mean, I have a list of them that I've collected for years that I was like, no, I think I'll just give up after that. Yeah. Um off the top of my head, I mean, there's so many I just like can't think of any, but I'm sure a Yebba riff has stumped me.

[38:30] Drew Gasparini: Oh, yeah, Yebba's bananas. Are you kidding me?

[38:33] Natalie Weiss: And any Avery Wilson, any extra Avery Rilson one, I can't. There's some Beyoncé riffs that I feel like some people might be like, oh, this is rudimentary now, considering we're riffing and singing has gone. But like, I'm like, what how does the Halo? I can't do that.

[38:47] Drew Gasparini: Well, you should have watched episode one of Breaking On the Rips, and then you would know. If you tilt your head on number five, you could land it.

[38:52] Natalie Weiss: Okay. Uh Natalie, before we say goodbye, let me just say to you, it has been a thrill getting to know you over the years. But like, really truly, when I was moving out here, I was so excited to meet someone like you because I'd heard about you and I was becoming a fan of you. To me, you were like this uh picture of someone in the industry I could potentially be next to and and kind of do it together. And I think there's nothing cooler than when you see the success of people, your peer age kind of happen. And it's been just a joy watching you create all these uh opportunities for yourself and all these other young artists that look up to you. That's my favorite part about you, is how many people cling to whatever it is that you um offer artistically.

I think it is so so cool. And I hope everybody follows suit when it comes to entrepreneurialship and being an artist as well. If there's not a class in colleges in the next 10 years, you should be the person to write that curriculum. Um to this day, one of my favorite singers of all time, and I think I am certainly not alone when I say that, and I can't wait to see you perform more and more and do all the teaching that you're doing. I'm really happy you came by to do this podcast. Uh, and I can't wait to see you actually have an alcoholic beverage, because I'll certainly join you for that.

[40:12] Natalie Weiss: I will have a six martinis, and you'll have your one glass of wine or whatever it is you drink.

[40:18] Drew Gasparini: Uh, thanks for eating your lunch here at almost 5 p.m. with us today. And uh, I hope you had a good time.

[40:24] Natalie Weiss: I had a blast with you.

[40:25] Drew Gasparini: Thanks so much for listening, guys. Now we're talking as a proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. And you can find out more about me and this podcast at bpn.fm slash now we're talking. On Instagram, you can find us at NWT Podcast or on Twitter at NWT underscore pod. You can also find me, Drew Gasparini, at Drew Gasparini on Instagram or Twitter. A special thanks to Natalie Weiss for coming by. We love you, Natalie. And a big special thanks to you, the listeners. Make sure to subscribe and rate this podcast wherever you stream your podcasts. And if you feel like supporting, be sure to check out our Patreon at patreon.com slash NWT Podcast. Now keep tuning in for more amazing guests every single week, and we'll see you next time, kids.