[2] The album contained the hit single "Flagpole Sitta", which was featured in the 1999 film American Pie and was later used as the theme song for the British sitcom Peep Show.

On June 4, 2013, Nelson released his first official batch of recordings to bear his name, Make Good Choices, which includes contributions from Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie), Peter Buck (R.E.M./Minus 5), Matt Pence & Scott Danbom (Centro-Matic), Howard Draper (Shearwater), Dave Depper (Loch Lomond, Fruit Bats), Rachel Blumberg (The Decemberists/M.

Ward), Adam Selzer (Norfolk & Western), Steve Fisk (player: Pell Mell, Pigeonhed; producer: Nirvana, Beat Happening, Unwound), and others.

In 2024, Nelson began hosting the Nebula-exclusive podcast The Wonder of It All, focused on "people whose careers were largely defined by one early, conspicuous success", with interview subjects including Adam Duritz, John Hodgman, DC Pierson, Jacob Slichter, and Lena Hall.

He has also acted in David Russo's cult film festival hit The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle[13] and alongside Dax Shepard in Katie Aselton's The Freebie, which was released in September 2010.