Nateland Podcast #275

Scary Movies, Wrestling & Happy Clowns ft. David Arquette

Date: October 22, 2025
Hosts: Nate Bargatze, Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, and Dusty Slay (out)
Special Guest: David Arquette

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, the Nateland crew is joined by actor and wrestling champion David Arquette. Together, they dive into a mashup of Halloween-season themes—scary movies, wrestling nostalgia, and the joyful (and sometimes misunderstood) world of clowns. The conversation is a nostalgic romp through ‘90s horror, the wild days of WCW wrestling, personal stories, cultural impact, and lots of laughs. David Arquette’s multifaceted life threads through the podcast, from starring in Scream to his unorthodox wrestling career and his mission to bring back the "happy clown."

Episode Structure and Highlights

1. Kicking It Off: Nostalgia & Catching Up

[01:17-07:59]

• The hosts reminisce about the early days of the podcast and their recent live shows.
• Sports talk: specifically Vanderbilt football’s best season in lifetimes, SEC hype, and field-storming etiquette.
  • “Imagine saying this even two years ago that you’d be top 10… and not storm the field because you were expected to win that game.” – Nate [06:04]
• Playful jabs about who really holds the podcast together.

2. Behind the Scenes: Touring, Comedy, and Arena Shows

[13:56-24:47]

• Inside look at the comic rotation for tour stops, the challenges of arena shows, and efforts to promote opening acts.
  • “The biggest thing you could give me is to go give these other comics—just listen to them, and you know, it’s awesome.” – Nate [23:19]
• Anecdote: Greg Warren’s shows explode from four to thirteen after opening, thanks to the podcast fans.
• Audience Q&A: On integrating local jokes and the realities of stand-up “acts vs. crowd work.”

3. The Yips, Eating Contests & Sports Memories

[25:46-41:54]

• Listener tales of getting “the yips” (softball, pitching), with stories of coaching tricks (like blindfold training).
  • “They finally fixed it by making him throw strictly blindfolded for about a week. He is now in the big leagues…” – Listener Vinnie [29:29]
• Personal highlights:
  • Aaron’s fond childhood memory: winning a watermelon-eating contest—"You just gotta go for it." [37:58]
  • Eating contest reflections: "It's usually not the biggest fattest guy." – Nate on competitive eaters [39:45]
  • The Krispy Kreme challenge episode: under-promising, over-delivering, and lessons learned.

4. David Arquette Joins – Scream, Horror, and Cultural Impact

[32:47-51:05]

• David shares how Scream became culturally iconic and behind-the-scenes memories:
  • On the infamous Drew Barrymore opening: “Drew Barrymore is the most famous person on the planet... for her to die immediately is—I'd always tell people, you don’t understand.” – Nate [46:04]
• On set stories: almost being killed off, test screenings, and how Wes Craven surprised him with his dad's cameo.
  • “Wes Craven was just such a cool person... in Scream 2, I speak with Ghostface... and he goes, 'yeah, he’s actually here…' He was thinking on that level.” – David [52:06]
• Nate's deep fandom: “You’re really it. As far as the movie left is—if I can get to meet all of y'all. I love Matthew Lillard... Jamie Kennedy... Courtney Cox... Nev... Like, it’s unbelievable. Like, you’re my—you're my starstruck.” [44:55]

5. The Making of Scream and Horror Movie Evolution

[51:05-62:52]

• Hollywood inside baseball: Scream’s original title (Scary Movie), script leaks, and how big reveals are protected.
• The blend of comedy and horror, why Scream stands out in the genre—less gore, more cleverness: “I think that’s why I think Scream was just so good. And then they went to, like, Saw... well, now we just have to show the inside of a bone.” – Nate [77:22]
• “You meet fans and... some of them are like, ‘We saw this on our first… now this is our kid, and they love the series.’” – David [67:18]

6. Culture Fandoms: Wrestling & Stand-Up as Community

[80:11-84:12]

• David digs into the overlap between wrestling, horror, and clown fandoms—how these subcultures thrive on community.
  • Nostalgia for the heyday of wrestling (Stone Cold, The Rock, Ultimate Warrior, etc.).
• His wild experience winning the WCW championship and the backlash:
  • “I did this one show… and they said to me, we’ll make you the champion if you go onto the pay per view. And I said, well, that’s a terrible idea, but I’ll do it…. And then they hated me for 25 years.” – David [87:11, 88:49]
• On wrestling’s legitimacy and reality, and being inspired by Andy Kaufman's performance art.

7. All About Clowns: "Bringing Back the Happy Clown"

[101:02-115:42]

• David’s passion for clowning, being a certified Bob Ross painting instructor, and his mission to revive “the happy clown.”
  • “I fell in love with Bozo when I lived in Evanston, Illinois as a kid… you want to bring back the happy clown. So we’re on this sort of journey to do that.” – David [102:19]
• Clown history, conventions, rivalry (“How can you guys be upset with each other? You’re all clowns!”), and famous clowns from Bozo to Chaplin.
  • “Clowns represent joy… a clown’s job really is to create happiness, make people laugh and uplift.” – David [103:34]
• The shadow of IT and real-life “scary clowns”—David details the struggle to steer the cultural ship back to joy.

8. Physical Comedy & Community

[119:02-120:31]

• The art of the pratfall, clowning, and what it means to take comedy seriously (“The idea of an act…”).
• David’s stories of clown and magic conventions, learning from the best, and why physical comedy is always funny.

9. David's New Projects & Closing Thoughts

[121:13–124:48]

• David plugs his new movie The Perfect Gamble and upcoming Scream VII.
• Discusses the importance of community in every field—from fandoms to performance art.
• David’s mission: “It’s all about bringing the happy clown back and having fun with it and having people have a great time.”
• “Nice to know that... a lot of people will be excited that you’re with the heart of you bringing Bozo back.” – Nate [124:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [46:04] Nate: “Drew Barrymore is the most famous person on the planet. And, I mean, for her to die immediately is—I'd always tell people, you don’t understand.”
• [49:09] David: “It felt really special. The script felt really special… it was originally called Scary Movie.”
• [87:11] David: “We’ll make you the champion if you go onto the pay per view. And I said, well, that’s a terrible idea, but I’ll do it.”
• [88:49] David: “And then they hated me. For 25 years. They'd spit on me… I’d go to wrestling shows, they'd still be mad at me.”
• [103:34] David: “Clowns represent joy and having—like a clown’s job really is to create happiness, make people laugh and uplift.”
• [117:12] David (on bringing back the happy clown): “It happens all the time… we’re trying to fight against [scary clowns].”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Reminiscing/Podcast Opening: 01:17–08:59
• Comedy Tours/Audience Q&A: 13:56–24:47
• The Yips / Sports Stories: 25:46–32:13
• David Arquette Joins ("Scream" discussion): 32:47–51:05
• Making of Scream & Horror Films: 51:05–62:52
• Fandoms/Communities: 80:11–84:12
• Wrestling Journey: 86:34–95:53
• Clowning Mission/Bozo History: 101:02–117:12
• Physical Comedy & Community: 119:02–120:31
• David’s Projects/Wrap Up: 121:13–124:48