Steve Cuden: On today’s Story Beat

Natalie Lander: The biggest thing is not to compare and despair. We are all on our own specific paths and journeys. You know, one person’s success doesn’t take away from your success. It’s an infinite pie. If I see like, uh, someone post something and I feel that feeling of like, oh, uh, how did that not happen for me? I just remind myself, well, if it can happen for them, it can happen for me. And that means I’m that much closer, because it did. The only way to really get through this is by having a mindset like that.

Announcer: This is Story Beat with Steve Cuden, a podcast for the creative mind. Story Beat explores how masters of creativity develop and produce brilliant works that people everywhere love and admire. So join us as we discover how talented creators find success in the worlds of imagination and entertainment. Here now is your host, Steve Cuden

Steve Cuden: Thanks for joining us on Story Beat. We’re coming to you from the Steel City, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My guest today, Natalie Lander, was inspired to become an actress by watching her dad, David L. Lander, who was best known for playing Squiggy on Laverne and Shirley. Natalie has built a resume that includes a wide range of credits as both a performer and creator. On camera, Natalie has had recurring guest star roles on the Middle Lopez and Major Crimes. Other guest starring credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Etoile, uh, 13 Reasons why, 911, Lone Star Castle, Hannah Montana and more. She voiced Goldie on Disney Jr. S Goldie and Bear and Stargirl in DC’s Justice League franchise. She also voiced roles in prominent video games such as Saints Row, Final Fantasy, God of War, and Fire Emblem. If you were a fan of the MTV competition show Legally Blonde, the Search for Elle woods, you may remember Natalie, who placed fifth in her effort to play Elle woods on Broadway. She later wrote a, ah, one woman show about that experience, legally the Search for Myself, which has had both west coast and east coast premieres. Most recently, Natalie completed a run of her new show earth to Squiggy at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, California, which she co wrote and which is set to the music of her father and Michael McKean, who played Lenny on Laverne and Shirley. For the record, I’ve known Natalie for a couple of decades from when she sang on a demo of a song I wrote and produced with the composer Rachel Lawrence called Nothing Gets Me Down. As a bonus, we’re going to play Nothing Gets Me down for you at the end of this episode. So if you’d like to hear Natalie singing a Song written by yours truly. Stick around after we chat. So for all those reasons and many more, I’m truly delighted. And to welcome to Story Beat the actress, singer and writer Natalie Lander. Nat, welcome to the show.

Natalie Lander: Hi, Steve. It’s so good to see you. This is so much fun. We have to do this sooner than every 20 decades, whatever it is.

Steve Cuden: 20 decades. We will be very old at any point.

Natalie Lander: I know.

Steve Cuden: All right, so let’s go back in time just a tiny bit. Tell us a bit of your actual history. The first time that I saw you, you were singing at a wedding when you were just a teenager. How old were you at that time? Do you remember?

Natalie Lander: Oh, my gosh, yes. I think I was 12 or 13 years old. And that was probably my first onstage trauma I experienced

Steve Cuden: because there was a guy playing the piano or the organ or whatever it was, and he just wasn’t in sync with you.

Natalie Lander: He was, I mean, I think he was minimum 102 years old, uh, probably fully blind. And, um, you know, every. I was asked to sing the song When a Man Loves a Woman, which is obviously every 12 year old girl’s dream song to sing. And I remember getting up there and starting the song and he, you know, Uncle Leo got off and the next thing I know we’re like out of sync. And I, you know, I’m 12, so I don’t know how to recalibrate at that point and instead I just start sobbing on stage and as the bride is coming down the aisle and everyone. And I’m like, when a man loves woman. Everyone thought I was just really moved by it being a beautiful wedding. So, you know, fake it till you make it.

Steve Cuden: What I remember is your voice. I remember your extraordinary voice, especially at that age. Incredible. But that couldn’t have been your first time being on stage. That had to have been somewhere down the road. When did you first get the bug to be in the biz?

Natalie Lander: Well, goodness. I mean, I think I came out of the womb with the bug for sure. I always loved an audience. My parents told me that I used to put on, for lack of a better term, striptease in the living room. Um, and I also used to direct my parents how to behave as audience members. So I would tell them, like, oh, you know, when you’re watching me, you say, oh, she’s so good. Oh, look at her. Um, so I really did love an audience as a kid. And then I kind of got a little shy after being three and, you know, my debut as a burlesque three year old Burlesque dancer. And, um, I really started to get into interested in theater when I, when I was about, uh, 11 years old when we moved to a new city and I went to a new middle school and wanted to make friends. And I always loved singing. And so my parents put me into a youth theater kids camp. That was an after school camp. And that’s where I really started performing and I absolutely loved it. It was the best.

Steve Cuden: Well, you clearly come from a major showbiz legacy. Your family is all over the place in the business. So just for the listeners, so they know, aside from your dad, who I’ll, uh, talk to you about in a second, your grandfather was Freddie Fields, who was a very well known and highly legendary agent and producer in Hollywood. Um, and he, uh, obviously had to have had some influence over you. And we’ll talk about that in two seconds. One of your grandmothers was the Tony and Emmy nominated actress Polly Bergen. One of your other grandmothers was a child star named Edith Fellowes who was in dozens of movies. And your mom Kathy was also an actress at a point in her life. I’m just curious, how did all that influence you? What did you learn from these people?

Natalie Lander: Well, I think what I learned was that to me the only option was to be in the entertainment business. You know, I think I grew up just so familiar with it that I didn’t really know. I didn’t really ever think, like, I would do anything else. It was sort of like, oh, I’m going to go into the family business, which is, you know, if we were plumbers, I’d probably be a plumber right now.

Steve Cuden: But nobody ever said to you, you must do that. This is of your own choice, right?

Natalie Lander: Definitely of my own choice. In fact, my parents were very, um, against. Not against. Against sounds really like harsh.

Steve Cuden: Cautious.

Natalie Lander: Cautious about child actors and how, you know, what that lifestyle is not only for the child, but for the parents who have to, you know, be on set with their kid every single day. And so they really wanted to make sure that I got a proper education as a child and also enough creative outlets to sort of satiate that feeling of wanting to be a performer. Um, but I knew at a very young age that I was going to do it, but I had to kind of wait until I was of age to do it on a professional level.

Steve Cuden: But you were already thinking about it and you were also, I assume, immersed in it just by being in your family.

Natalie Lander: Oh, yeah, there was a time where I threatened emancipation. I really hated middle school and I was like, I just don’t want to go, please let me be a kid actor and let me be on a Nickelodeon show. And if you don’t, I’m going to emancipate myself. My parents are like, okay, go to school.

Steve Cuden: All right. So we mentioned your dad at the top of, uh, your intro, and I’m just curious, what did he teach you along the way? He certainly must have said things to you about the business and how to perform and how to be on a set and all those things. What did he teach you that the things that have held you in good stead over all these years?

Natalie Lander: Well, I think one of the things he really instilled in me was a work ethic. But really, because he didn’t really have one when he was younger, he was obviously so talented and gifted in, uh, like a way that you don’t really see very frequently. You know, he would be the first one to admit that he could be difficult at times. And he would always share his stories with me and, you know, jokingly say, well, don’t. Don’t be like me. You know, don’t throw a script at a writer if you don’t like it, you know. But I think I really learned work ethic from him because he would share the stories of the good, the bad and the ugly so that I knew what I was getting myself into, which is really important.

Steve Cuden: Well, the business itself, we both. I was in it for a long time out in Hollywood. Still am here, where I am in Pittsburgh. But you’ve been in it more or less your whole life. Uh, it’s not for the faint of heart. You really have to have a thick skin, don’t you?

Natalie Lander: Yeah. I think you have to be a little bit of a masochist to want to do it, for sure. It’s hard. It really is hard. And, you know, I think every time I think, oh, I’ve, you know, sort of reached a new level in the video game of this career, you know, I realize, like, there’s another level I have to pass and collect a bunch of trinkets to make it to the next level. It’s hard.

Steve Cuden: And, um, you never stop having to earn those credits, I don’t think.

Natalie Lander: No, it really is a hustle at every level.

Steve Cuden: And so far up till now, and, um, hopefully for the foreseeable future. That’s something you want to do. It’s something you’re passionate about.

Natalie Lander: Yes, definitely. I mean, I think, you know, I think even in the hardest times, what I do brings me so much joy. I could never Imagine changing. I mean, maybe it looks a little different. And as I’ve gotten older, I think my perception of what I believe success is is also really different as I’ve gotten older. But I’ve never had that moment where I’m going, you know, I’m gonna just give this all up and do something non creative. I think being creative really fuels me. And it might be different as we go on and I might find new creative outlets, but I think I’ll always remain in the creative field in some way, shape or form.

Steve Cuden: Well, you’ve already said it, so there it is. You will always be creative in some way, whether you’re on camera, behind camera, or doing something completely different. That just requires creative thinking.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Steve Cuden: Do you think to yourself that you have a methodology or a technique about thinking about being creative? Do you ever dwell on that?

Natalie Lander: I mean, you mean like as a creative process or.

Steve Cuden: Well, you’re a creative person in many different ways, and we’re going to talk more about that in detail. You’re a creative person as an actress, you’re a creative person as a singer, you’re a creative person as a writer and a performer. Um, and so you’re in different multiple M levels of creativity. Do you think to yourself, hmm, I m must be creative. I’m going to think creatively, or is it just come naturally to you?

Natalie Lander: No, I think it comes naturally, but not in a way where I’m like, it comes so naturally to me, but it’s like sometimes it’s.

Steve Cuden: You have to work at it a little bit, right?

Natalie Lander: There will be a spark of an idea and then I’m like, oh, is that something fun to play around with? And then the next thing I know, I can’t get my mind off of it. And the next thing I know, it’s something that comes to fruition again, and

Steve Cuden: you’re in development on something, even though nobody’s paying you constantly. Well, that’s the business, isn’t it? You’re very frequently. You’ve written most everything you’ve written, I assume, on spec. Nobody has hired you to write the

Natalie Lander: things you’ve written, correct? There was one thing that actually, uh, a digital series my husband and I got hired to write, which was really fun, and we got paid, you know, peanuts. But it was very fun to write something and be given a budget to make it as well. So we got to write it and produce it together.

Steve Cuden: Do you think that the fact that you grew up in Los Angeles and around lots of people who were, uh, working in the industry. Do you think that that helped you, in a way, to understand how it worked more than somebody, say, who came from out of state and is trying to figure out Los Angeles in their, uh, mid-20s? You had a pretty good idea of things about the way it worked as you were growing up, don’t you think?

Natalie Lander: Definitely. I think sometimes I wonder. Oh, if I. You know, because sometimes I had a really realistic view of how it works. My dad was diagnosed with Ms. When I was 18 months, and, yeah. And, you know, I really watched him and his career go through a lot of twists and turns and ups and downs. And so it’s like, I really knew at a very young age that nothing was guaranteed, which sometimes that sort of, you know, plucky optimism of I just moved here from nowhere, and, uh, I have stars in my eyes. Like, sometimes I wonder, like, I wish I had had that and maybe not so much reality of it going well. You know, it’s like some. It’s not guaranteed, and you have to pay your dues, and, you know, so I wonder sometimes if maybe I knew a little too much going in.

Steve Cuden: Do you think it’s hurt you?

Natalie Lander: I don’t think so. I think it just gives me a different perspective of how I’ve navigated this career. But then there’s so many advantages of being, uh, in a family that’s in the showbiz industry of, like, so much knowledge that I gained just by being around it. So the learning curve was different. You know, it’s like I also had entree into a lot of different things. Like, you know, I won’t say I’m like, a full Nepo baby, because my dad didn’t quite, like, you know, wasn’t like, I wasn’t a Nepo baby when Nepo babies were cool. Like, it was kind of, like, not cool to be a Nepo baby. You know? Um, now I’m like, oh, it’s cool to be a Nepo baby, but, um,

Steve Cuden: is it cool now? I didn’t realize it was.

Natalie Lander: I mean, I feel like now it’s like, you know, you look at Judd Apatow’s daughters, and they’re like, big stars. And, you know, it does help where they’re like, oh, that’s someone’s next of kin or whatnot. And it does, I think, help people. I think you still have to have the talent to back it up. But.

Steve Cuden: But what I. What I’ve admired about you all along is you work your ass off at it. It’s not something that you just take for granted. You really work it.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, no, nothing was handed to me in any way, shape or form. I feel like, you know, I started from the bottom and worked my way. Well, I’m not at the top, but worked my way to the, you know, middle bottom.

Steve Cuden: You’ve had a career so far that I hope continues for you. It’s, it’s, uh, you’ve definitely worked. You’ve made money and all those good things.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, right. Yeah, exactly. And now it’s just the bonus that when people find out who my dad is, it’s like a bonus. They’re like, wait, oh, my God, that was your dad? And that’s really fun for me because, you know, they. They hire me because I’m of me, and then they find out who my dad was, and then they’re, like, so excited by that, and that’s really special.

Steve Cuden: Well, I’m sure it is, because you’re. I’m certain you’re not going into auditions and saying, hey, everybody, this is who I am. You’re going in and auditioning, right?

Natalie Lander: Exactly, exactly. They don’t know.

Steve Cuden: Um, so you’re. You’re not throwing your weight around.

Steve Cuden: No.

Natalie Lander: And they’re not like, oh, Lander, it’s not like my last name is Clooney. You.

Steve Cuden: Exactly, exactly. In fact, there are other Landers in the business, um, who are. You know, they’ve all worked. Audrey Lander, I’m thinking of in particular. Um, but, uh, that’s not you. You’re not going into auditions with anyone unless they already know in advance of your family history. Um, so where did you get your training? You. You are trained. I know you have both, uh, acting and vocal training. Where did you get your training?

Natalie Lander: So I, I started, like, when I was a kid. I started taking private voice lessons very young. And then when I went to college, I went to Pepperdine and I was a theater major. And there, I feel like I got a lot of training there because the wonderful thing was that that theater department was so small. Um, I got to do like 14 shows while I was a student in college, and I think that was really good place to train. And then after that, you know, I took class. I’ve taken classes in la. Like, I have my go to class that I love, currently taught by this wonderful casting director named G. Charles Wright. And he’s just amazing and builds a really wonderful community of working actors. But, you know, I’ve never done, like, the RADA summer program or anything like that. I find that actually where I really figure out who I am as a performer is When I’m performing, there was a space in LA called the Rockwell Table and Stage, which was a little bar restaurant that did these musical parodies. And it was really there that I found out that I was very good at character work and improv. And I found like a whole new version of myself as a comedy performer at this place. And it really was, you know, kind of like learning as you go and also being inspired by the other people that I was working with.

Steve Cuden: Did you know as a kid that you were funny?

Natalie Lander: I knew that I was a, uh. Yes. I mean, kinda. I really thought I was an ingenue.

Steve Cuden: Well, I don’t know why you wouldn’t think that.

Natalie Lander: No. I really wish I had really figured out I was a character actor, like much younger, but I really thought I was an angenue. But no, I remember the first time I felt funny was when I was 10. I knew I could work a room when I was 10 years old. I understood that concept. Um, for the first time When I was 10, I was at like, this conference thing that my dad was brought out for. And it was like a big dinner with all these adults in Washington, D.C. and I don’t know, I just started telling stories about, you know, the gross boys. And I had the whole table, you know, and, uh, on lockdown, and they, like, were laughing. And I just remember being like, oh, this is what being funny feels like. And this is so much fun.

Steve Cuden: You really got a taste for it at that moment. That’s when it really bit you. On being a comedienne and light, not your. Most of your stuff is not heavy drama.

Natalie Lander: It’s lighthearted, very light hearted. Yeah. I mean, even the dramas that I’ve been a part of, I’m always like the comedy part in it.

Steve Cuden: I’m like, man, what do you want to be the dramatic leading, um, lady?

Natalie Lander: I don’t know. Sometimes it’d be fun. But again, I’m leaning into my character actress, uh, phase.

Steve Cuden: So I think the listeners should pay attention to what Natalie’s talking about right now. It’s really important because she figured out early on, which many people don’t. Uh, she figured out early on where her niche in the world of show business is, and that is in that lighter, entertaining, comedic, comedic, um, um, take on things. And sometimes, if you had decided, correct me if I’m wrong, I’m actually going to be a dramatic leading lady, you might have screwed yourself up because you didn’t go into what your forte is, right?

Natalie Lander: No, exactly. I think it was like, I naturally found that I had a natural talent for comedy. Also. Look, growing up with a dad who was comedy icon, hilarious, I definitely wanted to be like him. Um, and so I always sort of dreamed of achieving his kind of success, which would be a sitcom. And yeah, that’s kind of how I found my comedic voice. And even like when I was younger and doing roles, I actually like, I got cast in Bye Bye Birdie and, and I got cast as Rosie. And I was really upset because I wanted to play Mama. Okay. And my mom called the theater and was like, she really wants to play Mama. She does not want to play Rosie. And they were like, okay. So they like switched the part so they got to play, you know, the 75 year old Jewish New York mother to Burt.

Steve Cuden: At what age were you?

Natalie Lander: I was probably 13.

Steve Cuden: 13. You wanted to play 70?

Natalie Lander: 13. I wanted to play 70. Yeah.

Steve Cuden: I will tell you, I’m glad that didn’t work out well for you.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, I mean, I was a hit in my Little Gray Bob.

Steve Cuden: So where did you learn how to write? Which is a totally different skill set.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, I don’t know where that really came from. I think actually my husband, um, used to be an actor. We met acting together and then he went to USC for film school and he now directs commercials and, you know, a lot of online marketing content for big companies and things like that. And, um, I think it was really his encouragement of me as a writer. He, I wrote something really short and tiny and he was like, this is really funny and really good. You should doing this. So I really started to write for the first time with him. And then over the years now I moved on and I written other things and I guess now I should say I’m a writer.

Steve Cuden: But you’ve written stuff that you’ve performed. I mean, that’s, uh, I think that’s the pinnacle of what all great writers would like. Although most writers are too shy to get on stage. So you’re actually able to perform the things that you write. Um, I think that’s spectacular. But you don’t have any formal training as a writer then?

Natalie Lander: No, I’ve never taken any writing class. You know, I think for me, the way I write is just based off instinct. And I’m sure any writers listening to this will be like, oh my gosh, like this woman. Um, but yeah, I just kind of write based on instinct, where I think of the emotional arc of how I would feel in something and carry that through a story and, you know, it tends to kind of work. So that’s been good Nice.

Steve Cuden: Do you think your long time working as an actress has helped you as a writer? Do you think that you’re able to get inside of a character’s voice in a way that you can write it?

Natalie Lander: I think so. I think, look, we’re, I think anyone, not anyone could be a writer, but I think we have more intuition and skill than we realize. You know, I mean, I think of like, how many scripts have I read in my lifetime and how many movies have I seen and how much TV have I watched? And you know, there is, there is format of a script, you know, with Act 1 and Act 2 and Act 3. And I think if we can tap into sort of that natural progression of a story that it does, like when we’re watching it, it feels natural. So to me, it’s like when I’m writing it, I kind of just naturally go with that. But I know I would be really interested to take a writing class. I also have to say I’m sort of leaving a big detail out. My husband who went to USC film school, he’s uh, very good at like structure. So anytime I have a script, he’s like, well, sometimes he’ll read it and he’ll be like, oh, I’m so mad. I’m like, what? He’s like, you just naturally have the exact Act 1 break in the right place and on the right page. I’m like. He’s like, uh, you didn’t even, you don’t even know. And how do you even do that? I’m like, I don’t know. But he’s really good at helping me like structure things and figure that out. So I don’t do it alone.

Steve Cuden: Well, the thing is that you have read so many scripts and you’ve been around so much of it that it’s just sort of second nature to you. It’s how you know that this is how we communicate in a story.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly.

Steve Cuden: And so when you sat down, was the first big thing that you wrote for yourself, was it legally Burnett?

Natalie Lander: Um, yes. I mean, I think so. I mean I written before that I had written a pilot that I co wrote that got produced by a company, a digital company. And then I had done a show for, with that I co wrote with my husband for Awesomeness tv. But everything was more in short format. And so my one woman show was kind of like my first entree. Well, definitely into theater, writing a longer form of, uh, a show. But what’s funny about that is it while it was obviously scripted, it was actually written from My journal that I kept while I was on the show. So some of the actual writing in the show are my actual journal entries that I wrote.

Steve Cuden: That’s the best way.

Natalie Lander: So I guess I was writing for a long time, whether I realized it or not.

Steve Cuden: You weren’t writing in a formal sense. You were writing for yourself.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, yeah.

Steve Cuden: And so it seems to me that that’s also a good way to get at it. As long as you do understand the structure and to have someone help you, like your husband, that’s just a big bonus, uh, because he understood. Here’s Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, and here’s how it works. There is a form to it. Not a formula, a form. And you just naturally fell into it. And so was that scary for you to write it and then perform it with no safety net of any other people?

Natalie Lander: Oh, totally. I mean, I think my biggest fear whenever I perform something that I write is that nobody. I have two fears. Nobody’s gonna show up and nobody’s gonna laugh at anything. I’m not worried about the lines. I’m not worried about singing. I’m not worried about the performance aspect. I’m just worried that nobody will laugh and nobody or no one will come. And those are my two.

Steve Cuden: Uh. Has that ever happened?

Natalie Lander: Not yet.

Steve Cuden: It’s not going to happen. Uh, you know, I think that’s everyone. That’s a performer’s fears, that no one will show up, no one will like them. They. No one will think that they’re doing anything any decent or good or, you know. So I think that that’s, um. It’s the same fear for the writer. Will anybody like what you’ve written?

Natalie Lander: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Steve Cuden: I mean, and when people do. Oh, it’s so nice when people like things.

Natalie Lander: Such a relief. I feel like once you do one out the gate, then you’re like, okay, I can breathe now, and now I can have fun.

Steve Cuden: So when you did the show, did you need to have any kind of legal clearance for legally, Burnett?

Natalie Lander: Um, yes, technically. Um, I did. And so therefore, unfortunately, I haven’t been doing the show for that reason. Um, I didn’t get into actual trouble. Um, but I did try to investigate what it would entail to retain the rights to. Well, really it was because I used the clips to the MTV show in my show.

Steve Cuden: Could you do it without those clips?

Natalie Lander: I could, but there’s something so funny and nostalgic about those clips. Like, it’s kind of another character in the show. Especially when you see, you know, baby Natalie. And I’m you know, crying on camera, uh, because of a, you know, something that’s like this very insignificant seeming now, but at the time it was so huge. Um, so it is really fun to see my actual real life reactions, um, captured. But yes, there could be a version. But I still have faith that, like, one day, if I decide to do that show again, which I think I will at some point, that I’ll be able to, you know, have the resources to obtain the rights to the clips and do the show legitimately, freely.

Steve Cuden: That winds up being nothing more and nothing less than time and money, lawyers and people obtaining rights for you, which is a pain in the neck. Sometimes you’re going to be fortunate and sometimes you won’t. But, uh, you know, I think that I don’t know why anybody on that, their end would object. I’m assuming that the. I’ve not had the privilege of seeing it, but I’m assuming you’re not nasty about them, are you?

Natalie Lander: No, I mean, you know, I’m not. I’m pretty honest about the realities of reality tv, but it’s nothing that nobody doesn’t know already about how reality TV works. And also, you know, the character of Natalie in this show is really optimistic and really thinks only the best of everybody involved.

Steve Cuden: Well, so let’s tell listeners then about what Earth to Squiggy is about.

Natalie Lander: Yeah. So Earth to Squiggy is a new musical rock comedy event. It is about Squiggy’s daughter Squigronica and her best friend named Leni. It’s Leni with an I. It’s just a coincidence. Don’t think about it. And they are performing the entire album of Leni and the Squigtones, which is Squigronica’s father’s music and his best friend Lenny. And the twist is that Squigronica, you know, everyone thinks that Squiggy has passed away, but Squigronica actually has gathered everyone together on this night to tell them that he’s not dead. He was actually abducted by aliens and taken to Mars. And that tonight is a once in a lifetime cosmic event that if they perform the Lenny and the Squeak Tones album, this communication portal will open and she will possibly be able to reunite with her dad on Mars.

Steve Cuden: And did you need to clear the rights for those songs?

Natalie Lander: I did. So thankfully, you know, my dad and Michael own the rights to the characters and the music. That was something because they created Lenny and Squiggy in college. That was something that they. They retained the rights to the characters when they started to write them on Laverne and Shirley, and then so they’ve had them for all these years. And it’s really amazing and so lucky that, you know, I can have access to that material.

Steve Cuden: Well, sure. I mean, it’s a little bit inside baseball, but that’s a great thing. Correct me if I’m wrong. They both went to school where I am in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Tech, I think, in those days, but now Carnegie Mellon University.

Natalie Lander: Yes. My dad is a huge Pittsburgh fan. He loves the Pirate.

Steve Cuden: I know. He always had a Pirate’s cap on. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Natalie Lander: And, um, yeah, they met at Carnegie Mellon, and then they transferred to nyu, and then my dad dropped out and moved to la, and I think Michael graduated from one of them, but I don’t know which one.

Steve Cuden: How long did it take you to write?

Natalie Lander: Um, Earth to Squiggy M. Well, it’s interesting. It’s had two iterations. The first iteration we wrote. We started writing it in March of 2025 and performed it in November of 2025. And then this new version of the show I started to rewrite in, um, December of 2025 to March of 2026. So it’s been about a full year in total developing this show.

Steve Cuden: And what are your plans for it? What would you like to see happen?

Natalie Lander: Oh, my gosh. I mean, what’s really wonderful is the feedback of the show has been great, and people particularly love the music. Um, and it’s so fun for me because a lot of people didn’t even know they had an album, and people are like, what is. What are these songs? They’re so good, and where can I listen to them? And so it’s really exciting because I feel like there’s a whole new generation of people learn, or not even generation, just people who loved Laverne and Shirley and didn’t even realize they had done this live album, um, discovering it for the first time. So that’s really exciting. I mean, you know, I think the dream would be to get a run somewhere and maybe, you know, New York would be obviously a wonderful place for it.

Steve Cuden: Or a tour, maybe.

Natalie Lander: Or a tour. You know, what’s really fun is I actually have paper, physical paper, copy of their tour schedule that they went on. And so it would be really cool to do their actual tour.

Steve Cuden: Uh, did they tour in Milwaukee?

Natalie Lander: Yeah, I believe they toured in Milwaukee. They toured all over the U.S. well,

Steve Cuden: I think that, uh, that’s a great idea for you. I think you could actually book that.

Natalie Lander: Wouldn’t that be fun?

Steve Cuden: Oh, that’d be real fun. And if you do, I certainly hope you’ll bring it right here to Pittsburgh so I can see it.

Natalie Lander: Well, I have to, because my dad would definitely be adamant that I bring it to myself.

Steve Cuden: Absolutely. So when you were working on it, I must ask, was it emotional for you to work on it since it was your dad?

Natalie Lander: Definitely. You know, I think part of it. It’s interesting because, you know, it’s a project that is so much, you know, dad coded. And, you know, I think part of it is the reminder. Oh. That he’s not here to actually see this. But the opposite is that I do feel like, you know, doing deep dives into the album and even other work that he’s done, it’s really made me a fan of his in a very different way than I. I mean, I was always a fan, but now I appreciate his work on, like, uh, an even grander scale, I think. And so it’s been a really special way for me to actually connect with my dad that even though he’s not here to. I feel so connected with him through writing the show and listening to the music and singing the songs. It’s really, really special.

Steve Cuden: Well, that’s really cool. I think that’s, you know, how. What a wonderful thing to do for that legacy, for sure. Has Michael McKean had a chance to see it?

Natalie Lander: Yes, he came to the show the first round. He wasn’t able to come the second time. Um, but I really hope that he can come again soon.

Steve Cuden: Did he give you a stamp of approval?

Natalie Lander: I hope he did. He did. He gave me. He really liked it. He didn’t expect any of the Mars stuff. And then he was like, you know, I was thinking, these songs are really good. And then I realized, wait, I wrote them.

Steve Cuden: Um, well, he also went on, Correct me if I’m m wrong, he went on to write stuff for Spinal Tap and Spinal Tap 2, I assume.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, Spinal Tap. And he wrote a song in a Mighty Wind that he was nominated for an Oscar for him and his wife, Annette o’. Toole. Um, so, yeah, he’s really talented. Musician.

Steve Cuden: Well, but both of them were extraordinarily talented. You were talking. McKean were extraordinarily. I mean, they were a whole thing. I mean, that’s. So let’s talk about your voiceover work for a moment, because you’ve done a bunch of that. And I’m fascinated because, uh, you may know that I wrote 90 cartoons.

Natalie Lander: Oh, wait, I do remember this. What cartoons?

Steve Cuden: Oh, gosh, 30 some odd different series. So I wrote, um, oh, Pink Panther, Beetlejuice. I wrote, uh, uh, X Men.

Natalie Lander: Right. I do remember that.

Steve Cuden: The Batman. I wrote a whole bunch of stuff. You can. Anybody that’s interested can look me up on the IMDb. It’s easy to find.

Natalie Lander: Yes, I do remember that. Wait, did you work with my dad? Did he work on any of your shows?

Steve Cuden: I don’t think he did. I don’t think anything that I. But that’s so common. And when I was writing in the 90s, mostly in the 90s and the 2000s, there were literally hundreds of cartoons being made. Um, and so it would be very easy to write and write and write and never see a specific actor ever.

Natalie Lander: Right, that’s true. Yeah. Right. I do remember that. Now that. That’s amazing that you’ve written for so much animation.

Steve Cuden: Well, so I ask only because we’re going to talk about what you do as an actress when you’re working on voiceover work. Um, how do you, when you receive a script, what do you do first? How do you figure out a character?

Natalie Lander: Usually some kind of artwork is helpful, but I think I kind of again, just go off an instinct of what I feel in the moment. Um, but I feel like there’s not a ton of process. I feel like I kind of am like, oh, yeah, I feel like this is what this creature sounds like and the voice just kind of come. Comes from that place.

Steve Cuden: Well, they cast you because of your voice. That’s obvious. Um, and so there’s some quality to what you’re bringing to that, you know, that moment, that character that they hired you for. Um, but so I guess what I’m asking is when you get a script and you sit down and break it down, is it the same for you when you’re working on voiceover work as when you’re working on, ah, um, you know, primetime TV show, is it the same process for you as an actress?

Natalie Lander: I mean, it’s a little different because, you know, with voiceover I don’t have to be off book. Um, which is great.

Steve Cuden: It is great.

Natalie Lander: Read it off the page. Um, so that’s good. But I think, you know, I do always, especially when I’m working on a newer. A new show. You know, it’s like, I do like to come in prepared and know, have an idea. Like usually what I’ll do is if it’s a new character on a show, if I auditioned for it, I’ll listen to my audition and get familiar with that and go, okay, well, that’s what they are. Who are. They’re expecting to show up in the booth. Um, but what’s great about voiceover is because you don’t have to be memorized and it’s, it’s just such a. I find like, it’s. You don’t get the same kind of like anxiety of like showing up on set and there’s like big things moving around and you get over there and uh, you know, you don’t feel that same pressure. So I feel a little more free sometimes when I’m in the booth to just kind of like play and have fun. And some shows love it when you improvise. And yeah, it’s really just about enjoying yourself and having a good time.

Steve Cuden: Are you still going into a studio to do that work or are they having you do m much of it at home?

Natalie Lander: So during the pandemic I did record from home and I do have an at home like broadcast quality booth. Um, but now I go back in the studio. I personally don’t enjoy recording from home. It gives me too much anxiety to have to be like the engineer and then make sure my neighbors don’t flush the toilet. And you know, I mean already, you know, my dog barked a second ago and like, it’s nerve wracking, uh, to do all that stuff on your own. And I really admire engineers, uh, and what they do. So I would much prefer going into the studio.

Steve Cuden: Do you find that are you in a studio now today with lots of other actors or is it always just you alone?

Natalie Lander: It really depends on the show. Some shows do group recordings. I find since the pandemic they are less and less, you know, there’s pros and cons to group recordings. I think it’s fun to interact with other actors, obviously, but then, you know, it takes longer or harder to schedule. And so there is something nice about when I know I’m going in on my own and like, if I have to move the session for some reason it’s, you know, it’s not gonna affect five other people in the room with you. Um, so I do enjoy like going in solo too.

Steve Cuden: So most people know and I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, which is that acting is usually about reacting. And so how are you able to then imagine, I guess, how you’re reacting to some other character’s performance that’s not there. Nobody’s there, it’s just you.

Natalie Lander: It’s hard. So some shows, sometimes you have a great director. Like, um, I worked with, ah, voice director Maria Estrada for many years. On Goldie and Bear. Do you know Maria?

Steve Cuden: I went to school with Maria at usc.

Natalie Lander: Oh, my God, of course you did.

Steve Cuden: And Kelly Ward, who’s been on this show, who’s also a voice director.

Natalie Lander: Yes, I know Kelly Ward, too. Um, so I’ve worked with Maria for a long time and she was a performer and she’s amazing to work with because she feeds you the line and she, like, is acting with you. Like, she doesn’t just, you know, she’ll like, read you in, um, and she performs with you. So it’s really fun when you get to work with her.

Steve Cuden: That’s helpful, isn’t it?

Natalie Lander: Yeah, it’s great. And it’s. And it’s fun. She’s so much fun. And she’s such a. She’s so good at what she does.

Steve Cuden: I’m sure she does know what she wants. I mean, that’s what makes a great voice director, or any director, really, when they know what they want. Also. I assume that she also lets you have free reign sometimes.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, yeah, it’s great. Like, I love when I get to work with her because, you know, she. She really loves actors and, and she appreciates them. M. And she lets you, you know, bring your own unique quality to it. And then also is really good at guiding you in the way that she wants the performance to be. And then sometimes you’re lucky. Like, sometimes an actor has recorded before I recorded, so sometimes I get to hear their performance. And so they play the line and read, like, read me in that way.

Steve Cuden: Is that. Do you find that to be even more helpful than just having Maria or someone else read lines to you?

Natalie Lander: It really depends. I think it’s fun when you get to read with someone. I think it’s because there’s that just natural live energy to it. But it’s also fun when you get to hear someone else’s performance and react from that place of hearing it for the first time, that it affects how you deliver a line for sure.

Steve Cuden: So as you say in a voiceover work, you don’t need to memorize the lines. Um, if you’re going to go do a live action show somewhere and, uh, you do have to memorize lines. Is that a much longer prep for you? I would assume it is, yeah.

Natalie Lander: I mean, it depends on what it is. You know, actually, this last. Last year I shot, um, an independent pilot and it was the first time I was the lead of a show and it was really cool. And I actually, Jason Alexander was in it and David Pamer. Um, so it was really Fun to work those guys. And that one was, like, kind of the first time where I was like, oh, I really have to. I mean, you. I’ve done, obviously, plays and things where I’ve been leads and things like that. But you have a whole rehearsal process with tv, you just don’t. So my prep for that was, you know, very specific because I wanted to make sure that I understood the entire arc of the story independent of what I was doing. So that when we were shooting out of order, I knew emotionally where my character was at that point in time. Just like when you’re rehearsing a play and they’re like, can you pick it up from this line? It’s like, you’ve rehearsed it enough, you know, like, okay, what happened before and what’s coming? But with TV or film, it’s kind of hard to keep track of that because you don’t get that.

Steve Cuden: Well, that for sure. And if you’re, um. If you’re having to do everything out of sequence, out of order, which is the way most shows are shot, um, as opposed to a sitcom, where you might be on a stage and you’re going from the beginning to the end of the script, but on a single camera show that’s not a sitcom, um, or could be comedy, but not necessarily a sitcom, you’re going to be out of order, a lot out of sequence. And I think that’s probably what makes the great film actors great, is that they are able to do this thing without having this continuity that you would have as a. As a stage actor, where you’re going from the beginning of the show to the end. Do you have any particular technique for, uh, um, being in continuity when you’re out of continuity?

Natalie Lander: Well, I kind of made it up for myself when I did this.

Steve Cuden: Okay, so what is that?

Natalie Lander: I mean, I don’t know if it worked. We should watch the pilot. Uh, well, for that one in particular, I remember I basically, I had the whole script printed out and I had it all organized. It was in order, but I had tabs of, like, what scenes were shooting, what day. So I knew, like, okay, well, here’s my Thursday day, and this is what I’m shooting. And so then I could remind myself, like, before we shot a scene, I’m like, great. Oh, right. That’s what happens right before. And I’m coming from that. And I’m going into this. And so it just about. It’s kind of like just a little bit of paperwork, homework, you know, and then your own memorization process.

Steve Cuden: You’re sitting there and I assume, calculating, um, some kind of. What is your goal in the scene? What do you need to do, uh, before anybody’s directed you or blocked you? You sort of have to have some concept of it, Right?

Natalie Lander: Yeah, you definitely. I think having a want in every scene you go into makes for. Even if it’s really simple, uh, it does make a difference and makes it more dynamic, I think, makes for a more dynamic performance. And then the goal is that you kind of know those things and you don’t have to, you know, pound them into your brain anymore. It’s like you already know what you want because you’ve done the work. You want to, like, do the work before, so you can show up and do the work. You know what I mean?

Steve Cuden: Yeah, of course.

Natalie Lander: You don’t want to be working on set while you’re there. You want to just want to be in a place where it’s just, like, it effortly, effortlessly comes out of you, and it’s so much more fun.

Steve Cuden: No doubt. You don’t want to be figuring that out while you’re standing on set.

Natalie Lander: Right.

Steve Cuden: Do you ever get frustrated by, uh, scripts where it’s not clear in the script and you have to figure it out?

Natalie Lander: Definitely. I mean, I’ve definitely done things where, you know, you’re like, the writing is, you know, not the strongest, you know, and you kind of have to make things work that don’t work and justify for yourself, like, okay, well, this must have been left over from an old draft, because it makes zero sense. But I’m just gonna choose that. This is why I’m saying X, Y and Z.

Steve Cuden: What happens if you get to the set that day? And that’s not right. How do you adjust?

Natalie Lander: I mean, you just hope that the director cares enough to give you the adjustment, and then you. I mean, that’s the other thing is you can’t be attached to anything you planned because you don’t know what they want at the end of the day. And you have to just be open to what they’re looking for, even if you don’t agree with it.

Steve Cuden: What happens if you really don’t agree with it? Like, you’re certain they’re not right. Have you ever had that discussion or argument with a director?

Natalie Lander: No, I am not that ballsy. I don’t know what the word would be. Um. No, I am very much. I show up, I do my job, and I leave, you know, And I’m very proud of that. And I try to be as easy as I possibly can. Be, um. I have spoken up at times where something where I’m like, oh, you know, I don’t know if you need me to run barefoot in the woods because you can’t see my feet. You know what I mean? I have had that conversation.

Steve Cuden: Well, now you’re talking about protecting your physical body from harm.

Natalie Lander: That’s the only time.

Steve Cuden: That’s the only time. Otherwise, you’re a trooper, you’re a pro. You’re gonna come in and do what they’re asking you to do within reason. I mean, if they say, jump off this cliff with no safety harness, you’re not doing that, but within reason, you’re going to do what they are asking you to do, which is what a pro does, right?

Natalie Lander: Yeah. And part of my job is to trust that they know what they’re doing. And even when I might go, do they know what they’re doing? It’s like I kind of have to just say, well, I hope it turns out in post. Hope they can fix it in post.

Steve Cuden: Yeah, sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t. It just depends. But, uh, yeah, it’s the director’s job to have that oversight, to see, you know, to have the vision for the whole. And you, uh, as an actress, you may not have that whole vision. Sometimes you will, but sometimes you won’t. Uh, and so, yeah, I guess it’s good for you to be able to, uh, adjust to whatever it is they’re asking you to do.

Natalie Lander: Yeah. And I’ve seen on sets, you know, I’ve been on a few sets where you can tell that the lead actors don’t trust the director. And it really, unfortunately, like, creates a lot of problems because then nobody starts to trust the person in charge. And it then becomes, like, survival mode, and everyone’s, like, thinking of ideas and trying to fix things, and it gets sort of out of control. And I think, you know, if you’re like, the number one, like, part of your job is to, like, you know, be the leader and lead by example and be like, okay, we’re gonna. We’re gonna go on this journey together and we’re gonna trust this person and, and respect them and. And hopefully, you know, we all come out looking great. But yeah, I’ve definitely seen it where they’ve turned.

Steve Cuden: Well, and sometimes once a director has lost that trust from everyone, they’re in trouble.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, they can’t. They just can’t get it back.

Steve Cuden: Can’t get it back because once it’s gone, it’s very hard to re. Get it. Um, so Obviously you have to go through various audition processes. You’re not, uh, nobody’s calling you every day and saying, hey, you’re cast in this. You have to go show somebody your stuff, right?

Natalie Lander: Not yet. Every day.

Steve Cuden: Keep working, you’ll get there. What is your technique? What is your thinking, uh, about the way to audition? How do you audition? How do you think about auditions?

Natalie Lander: I mean, it depends on what it is. You know, I think sometimes time is really what is the main deciding factor on how I think about an audition and how much time I have to put into it, um, depending on also my interest in it. It’s really hard for me to tape things that I like, think the material is not great and I probably should turn those down. But we’re not there yet.

Steve Cuden: Um, a gig is a gig.

Natalie Lander: Yeah, you know, I’m like, well, you never know what will come out of it. But, um, you know, I have, like I mentioned before, this acting class that I take with on and off with G. Charles Wright. It is an audition technique class that is on Zoom. It’s all about self taping. It’s all auditions. It’s kind of like going to the gym and working out. And I think that’s kind of half the battle with the self tape in particular is you kind of have to just learn to have the muscle of how to do it and do it efficiently, not drive yourself insane. Learn how to let it go and move on. Um, it’s not for the faint of heart for sure.

Steve Cuden: Are you at the point now where it’s just part of the job? Does it still nerve wrack you to do it?

Natalie Lander: No, not anymore. I mean, now every, mostly everything is on tape, which I really like because I can do it on my own time. I can do it if I’m traveling. Like it gives me a lot of freedom, which I like. Um, so I don’t get nervous when I’m self taping. But you know, in the strikes, us actors fought for, um, the option to do a zoom audition with casting. And I’ve gotten zoom auditions with casting and that is really fantastic. And I, I really enjoy that because you get that one on one interaction. But you know, you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

Steve Cuden: So let’s explain that for the listeners as opposed to you putting yourself on tape and submitting a tape that you’ve created where you’re not having an interaction with the casting director, you’re actually on Zoom with someone and you’re actually talking back and forth with a casting director.

Natalie Lander: Exactly, exactly.

Steve Cuden: Sort of like, being in the room without being in the room.

Natalie Lander: Exactly. And it’s great because, you know, it’s like, you can wear comfortable shoes. You don’t have to worry about parking. If you have nervous diarrhea right before you can go to your own toilet. Um, it’s great. Like, when I did, um, I did a guest star on Grey’s Anatomy in 2024. And that one, I did a zoom audition with the casting director. And while I was in the audition, I mean, they were like, this is your part. I mean, they were like. They were like, you’re gonna. This is. You’re, like, so perfect for this, you know, And I still knew when I left going, you never know. They don’t really make the full decision. But it was so wonderful to get that feedback in real time and be like, oh. And they were able. They gave me a small adjustment. I was able to take the adjustment. And so that’s really cool is you get the feedback and then you also. But you don’t have to drive well,

Steve Cuden: because if you’re submitting, uh, a tape, you really don’t know whether they’re looking at it or not.

Natalie Lander: No. It’s like a fart in a vacuum. That’s what I call it.

Steve Cuden: Wow. I have to stay away from your vacuum.

Natalie Lander: Or thank me. You know, thank you.

Steve Cuden: Thank you for cleaning this up. I do appreciate that. Well, I’ve been having just the most fun conversation with Natalie Lander, and we’re gonna wind the show down just a little bit. Um, and just wondering, you’ve shared these amazing experiences with us, and I’m just wondering, is there a story you can share with us that’s either weird, quirky, offbeat, strange, or maybe just plain funny?

Natalie Lander: Okay, so, yes, I have a story. Okay. So in. I think it was 2012. Ish. There was a show on Fox called Touch with Kiefer Sutherland, and it was. I don’t even really know what it was about. I think it was about, like a. Like a boy who could. Had psychic predictions or something like that, or could see into murders. I don’t know, something weird. And so I booked a role on that show, and it was a little three line part, and the name of the role was College Girl. Okay, great. But it turned out that in the episode, the guest lead of the episode, the character’s name was Natalie, and she was also, you know, a young college type girl. So of course I show up on set. Oh, and my scene is like, I’m a fan of this Natalie girl. She’s Some, like, blogger or something. And so, like, my lines are something like, oh, my God, Natalie, I’m such a huge fan, whatever it is, you know? But it was also really awkward because I’m a small, little kind of nothing role. This other actress is playing Natalie. So anytime they were like, natalie, we’d both be like, yes. And, like, you know, it was, like, kind of uncomfortable. And, like, the director was like, okay, for today. And he. She was like, you, meaning me? She was like, you are Natalie, and you are whatever her name was. So it was, like, so that we knew, like, I’m actually. She’s not gonna call me college girl, because that would be kind of rude. So, anyway, so I was feeling a little, like, down on myself, and also, like, why didn’t I audition for the guest star named Natalie? You know what I mean? Like, I didn’t really understand. Like, I didn’t even get to go in on that role. And that’s sad to me. And so I was, like, a little, like, feeling a little glum. So I was sitting in my little chair waiting for the next setup, and down the hallway, I see we’re shooting in this beautiful art deco hotel in Culver City, the historic hotel. And I see Kiefer Sutherland. And he’s walking, and he’s, like, making a beeline straight for me, and I’m, like, the only one there. And I’m like, what’s going on? And he goes, hey. I go, hey. He goes, um, sorry, are you Natalie? And I go, yeah, I am. He’s like, oh, my God. I. I just want to say I’m Kiefer. It’s so nice to meet you. I heard you’re doing an amazing job. And I’m like, oh, my God. Thank you. Uh, that’s so nice of you. He’s like, yeah. And I heard that yesterday was incredible. And you just really were so wonderful and emotion. And he goes on and on. And I realized, like, oh. Oh, no. He think as they’re talking about the girl playing Natalie. And so then I stopped him, and I go, oh, I’m so sorry. I think I got confused. Um, I think you’re looking for the actress who’s playing Natalie. My real name is Natalie, and I’m playing college girl. And he goes, oh, sorry. And then, like, literally ran off. And I was like,

Steve Cuden: But you. You were. And you remain Natalie.

Natalie Lander: I’m still the only Natalie, but, yeah. Oh, my God. I’ll never forget. And in my head, I’m thinking, this is it. This is the moment that actors talk About. I was three lines. You know, I see myself on Jimmy Fallon and be like, I was three lines on Touch playing college girl. And I was so incredible that they spun my character off. And now I’m a series regular and I’m nominated for an Emmy, and because Kiefer Sutherland heard about me, and then I was like, oh, yeah, no.

Steve Cuden: And, um. And, um, that, folks, is show business. Yeah, in a nutshell. Oh, my goodness. That’s very funny. All right, so last question for you today, Nat. Um, you’ve shared a gigantic amount of very interesting and useful information throughout this whole show, but I’m wondering if you have a single solid piece of advice or a tip that you like to give to anyone that says to you, well, how do you do this? How do you proceed in the business? How do you break in? Et cetera, et cetera. What advice do you give people?

Natalie Lander: I think the biggest thing is not to compare and despair with other people, that we are all on our own specific paths and journeys and that, you know, one person’s success doesn’t take away from your success. It’s an infinite pie. And I believe that everyone can eat. You know, and I think having that mentality where you can. You’re able to celebrate and support people, especially actors and or other artists in your community, um, it’s really going to serve you. Because I think a lot of times it’s really easy to sort of fall into that pattern of negative thinking and going, oh, well, they got that. And that was taken from me. And, you know, I think overall, I noticed any time I really make a mind shift switch where if I see, like, a. Someone posts something and I feel that feeling of like, oh, how did that not happen for me? I just remind myself, well, if it can happen for them, it can happen for me. And that means I’m that much closer, because it did. And I really think that’s important. I think that’s a, uh, the only way to really get through this is by having a mindset like that.

Steve Cuden: So that is terrifically valuable information. I think that anybody that’s trying to be in the business in a performing role, for sure, although it’s true for writing and directing and all the rest of it, um, I think that that is a truly valuable piece of information because, um, you don’t control it ultimately anyway, unless you wind up producing something on your own. And, you know, um, I had the great privilege of having Bryan Cranston on this show at a point of several years ago, and he very wisely said that he Realized at some point in his relatively early journeyman’s career, well before he became a celebrity, uh, that he had to figure out that if he didn’t get cast in a role, it wasn’t his role, it was somebody else’s role. And that’s just the way he looked at it.

Natalie Lander: Exactly. The roles that are meant to be yours won’t pass you by, you know, and you kind of have to choose to believe that.

Steve Cuden: Uh, I think that that’s very wise advice. Natalie Lander. This has been so much fun for me. I cannot. I can’t thank you enough for your time, your energy, and your wisdom, and you’ve, as they say, grown up good. So I thank you so much for being on the show with me today.

Natalie Lander: We didn’t even really talk about our song, but we’ll do another interview.

Steve Cuden: Um, of course we will. Thanks, Natalie.

Natalie Lander: Thank you.

Steve Cuden: And now, as promised, for your listening pleasure, here is Natalie singing a song that I wrote with composer Rachel Lauren. Here now is. Nothing gets me down.

“Nothin Gets Me Down”: No matter how my day begins I never think about what might have been I’m always looking down the road that’s all I know Cause if the sun is gonna I say that nothing’s gonna make me frown I will shed no tears cause I don’t wanna drown I never dwell on yesterdays no matter what I let em fade away Just take it one day at a time Straight down m the line I know my feet are gonna hit the ground As I say my worry’s gonna come unwound I won’t hang my head Cause nothing gets me down Every time I think I hear the rain begin to fall I just laugh out loud until the skies clear up for once and all Even the stars refuse to shine our way and should the wind forget to blow up the haze I will be standing for another day I’m here to stay. Sure as the day follows the night There is no wrong dance can be it all right. Just gotta keep your head up high don’t wonder why Although the mountains can be shaken down any Even rock and roll will lose its sound I won’t hang my head cause nothing gets me down Every time I think the world is anything but clear I just pace myself and prove there’s nothing much for me to fear Even my wisdom never goes away and if my music is born a minute to play I’ll still be pushing through another day I’m here to stay Won’t go away. Every time I think I hear the the rain begin to fall um, I just laugh out loud? Until the skies clear up for once and all? And even stars refuse to shine our way? And should the wind boy get too blow and the haze I’ll still be standing here no matter how it plays? No, nothing’s ever going to take me down? I’ll always make myself leaving somehow? And nothing else should ever be allowed? No, nothing’s gonna get me down? You’ll never catch me throwing in the towel? Cause if the sun is up there hanging around? They’ll say that nothing’s gonna make me proud? No, nothing’s gonna get me down? No, nothing’s ever gonna take me down? I’ll always make myself believe it somehow? And nothing, nothing else should I ever be allowed? No, nothing’s gonna get me down? No, nothing’s gonna get me down? No, nothing ever gets me down? No, nothing’s gonna gonna get me down? No, nothing ever gets me down?

Steve Cuden: And so we’ve come to the end of today’s Story Beat. If you like this episode, won’t you please take a moment to give us a comment, rating, or review on whatever app or platform you’re listening to? Your support helps us bring more great Story Beat episodes to you. Story Beat is available on all major podcast apps and platforms, including Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Tune in, and many others. Until next time, I’m Steve Cuden and may all your stories be unforgettable.