Chance Encounter: Joshua William Gelb

"I hate small talk," Joshua William Gelb has the character Ryan proclaim. "I'd rather instantly converse with the intimacy of lovers, you know?"

We talk with him about intimacy, about lovers, and about his request that we put right up front here that his mother is not going to want to read this.

Cam Gelb: you have thus been warned!

Describe your ideal relationship.

I hold romantic monogamy up to a high standard. I crave it. I aspire to it. When I was 13 and the internet’s sole purpose was the distribution of pornography, I would scour chat rooms looking for X-rated cartoons of Disney Princesses. The spoon-fed fantasy of happily-ever-after was far more erotically exciting to me than an actually naked woman. I think this might still be the case.

Another passenger attempts to engage you on public transportation. Is this ever not creepy? And how would you know?

Once I noticed a woman holding a La Traviata program on the A train. I tried to talk to her about Verdi and she looked at me like I was going to rape her. This was so discouraging that I don’t make the effort anymore. 

When do you know you're in love?

Some people are suspicious of the love-at-first-sight concept. They say it’s shallow, or too saccharine, or dopamine enhanced, or that it speaks to some fate-driven model of love, like saying she/he is “the one”. Personally, I think the potential for love can be obviously apparent within moments of encountering a person. There may not be harpists playing arpeggios, but there’s some miniature corporeal equivalent.

                                                                                                                             

The most private thing you're willing to admit is:

My penis is named Pablo. Long story.

What's the most intense experience you've ever had in a foreign country?

I was in a hostel in Switzerland the day that Norwegian Mohammad-Cartoon Controversy broke. Found myself arguing the case with a beautiful local girl at the hostel bar. We got drunk, got high… Ended up snorting some unknown substances at a club nearby, dancing my ass off with her and her dealer – this creepy dude who kept showing me pictures of his kids. Next morning, I woke up at 7AM and skied the Swiss Alps.

People should see Sometimes in Prague because:

Johnstone’s written some badass tunes.