Podcast Summary

Podcast: Bussin’ With The Boys
Episode: Best of the Bus: Nate Bargatze On Going From Tire Recycler To Touring With Chris Rock
Date: December 6, 2025
Host(s): Will Compton, Taylor Lewan
Guest: Nate Bargatze

Episode Overview

This episode features comedian Nate Bargatze, known for his clean, observational humor and recent rise to arena-sized comedy tours. The discussion is wide-ranging, from Bargatze’s rough-and-tumble blue-collar jobs before comedy, to the grind and competitiveness of the New York stand-up scene, the challenge of staying original, and the impact of mentorship and kindness in the entertainment industry. The group also swaps stories on drinking, bombing onstage, and meeting celebrity idols. Throughout, the episode is packed with laughs, humility, and insights on success, failure, and the evolution of a stand-up career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nate’s Early Jobs & Blue-Collar Hustle

• Nate reminisces about mowing lawns, recycling tires, and working deliveries in his hometown.
  • [02:09]: “I used to work this area. I used to do. I was a delivery guy and we used to deliver appliances.”—Nate Bargatze
• Mowing and landscaping were tough work, with physical exhaustion and low pay. Observes how high schoolers running landscaping businesses were “rich” in their world.
• Memorable: “Moen’s the worst, dude. It’s, you know, like, I would cut grass growing up, like your neighbor’s yard or. I had this old lady, she gave me. I got five bucks, they cut her grass.”—Nate Bargatze [02:31].
• Detailed story about the tire recycling job: picking up recalled tires, fighting off mosquitoes, and retrieving dumped tires from a cave.
  • “We had one time we had to go pick up tires out of a cave... We just drove back up in there... There’s the most tires and you’re like, all right.”—Nate [07:12-08:37].

2. The Leap to Stand-Up & New York

• Started with open mics in Chicago, inspired by Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedian” documentary to move to NYC in 2004.
  • [10:37]: “I moved to Chicago first... did that very briefly. Then I kind of started doing stand up... then I saw [‘Comedian’] and... I gotta go to New York.”
• New York described as the true bootcamp for comedians: lots of competition, tough crowds, and learning resilience.
  • “Go to New York to get good and LA to get famous.”—Nate [11:46].
  • Describes grinding: handing out flyers for stage time, doing midnight spots for tiny audiences, and being inspired by seeing unknowns like Bill Burr and Patrice O’Neal.

3. Finding a Unique Voice in Comedy

• The importance and challenge of not unconsciously mimicking successful comics around you.

  • “Their cadence is a big thing... with my buddy Giannis about it... that’s worse than stealing a joke because it’s a... you’re stealing the way to tell the joke.”—Nate [14:35].
  • Shares how he caught himself adopting rhythms—a subtle but critical danger for comics finding their voice.

• Joke theft and originality:

  • “A lot of times when jokes are stolen, you can really look at [if] it’s a... not a super original idea. Like, I could see two people coming up with this thing and you really look at it like that.”—Nate [15:55].
  • Examples: Dane Cook/Louis CK, Amy Schumer—discussed as often more about similar premises than conscious theft.

4. Expectations, Success, and Staying Grounded

• On being ‘on’ and fan interaction:

  • “Being on is the thing that gets exhausting. That’s for anybody... when you go to work and... gotta turn it on a little bit.”—Nate [21:43].
  • Discusses importance of always making a good impression, as one bad meeting can put a fan off forever.

• Handling fame, business pressures, and staying clean:

  • Nate outlines his conscious choice to remain a clean comic, rooted in his Southern, Christian upbringing and family approachability.
  • “The audience should not feel my tiredness or my whatever. Like, that’s not on them to do any of that stuff.”—Nate [24:34].

5. On Heroes, Mentorship, and Disappointments

• Meeting heroes who live up—and those who don’t.

  • Talks about meeting Jerry Seinfeld and Louis CK; describes brief, sometimes chilly interactions. Louis CK story: being chided for his intro and having a joke mocked onstage, which fueled his motivation. [27:58-34:35]
  • “I would use it for, like, I hate this dude. And, like, I will make sure he knows me.” –Nate [33:22].

• Comics who gave a helping hand:

  • “Burr was... a Big one. When he knew your name... it was a really big deal. And I remember him saying... the route that guys like us go, it takes us a long time, but you gain fans for life.”—Nate [36:10].
  • Others: Marin, Fallon, and their impact on his confidence and career direction.

6. Stand-Up Philosophy: Act vs. Crowd Work

• Advice to younger comics: “Go be great at one thing. If you can be great at one thing, you can do all the other things, but... you need to really learn how to be great at one thing.” [38:22]
• Expresses skepticism about comics relying on crowd work over developed written material; says crafting a lasting, reliable act is what builds a lasting career (citing Carlin, Gaffigan, Rock).
• “When people come see you and do a live show... they want to see an act. They want to see a whole kind of thing.” [41:31]
• Praises Shane Gillis for both great material and crowd performance: “He’s unbelievable as a comedian. And like, seeing him... his next special is going to be... great.”—Nate [42:24].

7. Comic Camaraderie, Vulnerability, and Recovery

• Trading stories of bombing, drinking, and ridiculous gigs:
  • Bombed cruise gig: “I wrote an elevator with guys... and on me, they go, that other guy is like, not good. And I mean, my shoulder is touching that man...” [81:12]
• Stories of quitting drinking for health and career, giving up hard-partying to maintain energy and output as a touring comic.

8. Celebrity Meet-Ups & Power Dynamics

• Memorable meetings: Tiger Woods (“very humble”), Larry the Cable Guy (“exactly like what you see on camera”), Tom Hanks (“good dude”), and John Elway (“most fun”).
• On natural social hierarchies—comparing comedy’s “older comics” to NFL coaches; there’s always someone who commands respect.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On mowing lawns for $5:
  “I got five bucks, they cut her grass. And then this was 1953. Yeah, it was.” —Nate [02:31]
• On finding your comedy voice:
  “Their cadence is a big thing...with my buddy Giannis about it, or Giannis would always bring up. That’s worse than stealing a joke because... you’re stealing the way to tell the joke.” —Nate [14:35]
• On peer validation:
  “You want the validation from your peers. I mean, that’s all that really matters is what other comics... think of us.”—Nate [37:49]
• On his clean brand:
  “My kids can come to my show. Like it’s all ages... That’s the hard part of being clean. You’re kind of on your own.”—Nate [54:41]
• On a low moment:
  “I wrote an elevator with guys... they’re like, but that last one, like, he just wasn’t very good. And I mean, my shoulder is touching that man who’s saying that.” —Nate [81:12]
• On quitting drinking:
  “When I drank, it’s like... When I started, I didn’t know how to stop... I knew if I wanted to get where I wanted to go, I couldn’t drink.” —Nate [62:27]
• On seeing Shane Gillis succeed:
  “When I saw Shane for the first time... I watched him and I was like, oh, man, this is crazy, dude. This is like... this dude’s gonna be... super funny... But he has an act and he goes up with an act and goes out and destroys.” —Nate [45:01]
• On meeting Tom Cruise:
  “When you meet Tom, they go. Just so you know, you’re gonna think y’ all are gonna be best friends. Like, that’s how charming he is.”—Nate [73:38]
• On comics’ respect dynamic:
  “Bobby [Kelly]... I feel like Bobby told me to go do something, I would just have to go do it... You just looked up to him so much when you started.”—Nate [69:35]
• On bombing at sea:
  “I was in an elevator in the ocean... a moment you would think you’d be happy and instead you just... got off whatever floor was the next floor. I just walked off.” —Nate [82:21]

Standout Stories, Humor, and Tone

• The episode is classic “Bussin’ with the Boys”—locker-room camaraderie meets real vulnerability, self-deprecating stories, and tangible advice.
• Nate’s signature deadpan humor carries the show, making even tales of bombing or grueling manual labor hilarious.
• The group’s well-earned respect for Nate is palpable, especially as they discuss the grind, mentorship, and the difference between viral moments and true craftsmanship.

Important Segment Timestamps

• Nate’s early jobs and tire recycling: [02:09] – [08:37]
• Move to New York & starting stand-up: [10:37] – [13:20]
• Finding your voice, joke theft: [14:35] – [16:49]
• “Being on” and audience expectations: [21:43] – [25:31]
• Meeting comedy idols—Louis CK, Burr: [27:15] – [35:39]
• Peer mentorship & carving a path: [36:05] – [38:49]
• Crafting an act vs. crowd work, comedy philosophy: [38:22] – [46:40]
• Shane Gillis, spontaneous Zanies show: [42:24] – [54:06]
• Going clean, drinking stories: [60:00] – [65:09]
• Bomber cruise & low moments: [80:45] – [84:09]

Conclusion

This episode is an inspiring, brutally honest, and often hilarious look inside the mind and journey of Nate Bargatze—one of the cleanest and most respected comics working today. It blends behind-the-scenes stories of blue-collar struggle, the cutthroat NYC comedy scene, fan expectations, and the importance of kindness and perseverance. Whether you’re a comedy fan, an aspiring performer, or love a good underdog success story, this conversation is insightful, accessible, and full of wisdom—and plenty of laughs.