The Nateland Podcast

Episode 279: Currency ft. Mike James & Jay Flake
Released: November 19, 2025
Hosts: (in this episode) Aaron Weber (main host), Brian Bates (late arrival), Comedians Mike James & Jay Flake
Produced by: Audioboom Studios

Episode Overview

This week, with Brian Bates arriving late due to travel delays, Aaron Weber leads a lively episode of The Nateland Podcast, joined by returning guest comedians Mike James and Jay Flake. The discussion weaves through the quirks of being a traveling comic, housework mishaps, tall-guy problems, sports fandom, hilarious errors with currency, and ultimately a deep (and funny) dive into the history and oddities of money, both physical and digital. Throughout, the show’s chemistry is on full display, peppered with improv bits, gentle roasting, pop culture references, and unique perspectives on a “penniless” future.

Main Themes and Purpose

Main Theme: The evolution and eccentricities of currency—both in the practical, philosophical, and comedic sense—plus a look at what money means to different people in society and everyday situations.

Purpose: To inform and amuse listeners while considering everything from the end of the penny to billion-dollar athletes, all through the lens of comedians who appreciate both nostalgia and absurdity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter & Intros

• Aaron introduces guest hosts in Brian’s absence:“For the first time in history, Brian is not going to be here at the start of the show. …But Brian will be joining the podcast shortly.” (00:12)
• Mike James and Jay Flake riff with Aaron about their heights, comedy backgrounds, and recent road gigs with Nate Bargatze.
• Tall Guy Struggles:
  • Mike insists he’s 6’6”, not 6’5”.
  • Jay jokes about needing to “claim every inch” when you’re short.

2. Catching Up: Road Stories and Domestic Life

• Mike recaps performing in arenas with Nate’s Big Dumb Eyes tour.
  • “Any arena is meaningful… I never thought I would get to perform there, so it is something.” — Mike James (04:07)
• Jay shares about a week off from comedy, spending time fixing the house (with lots of minor injuries):
  • “I looked down and I was like, there’s blood on my shirt… housework, man.” (05:21)
• All three trade stories about post-event home damage and the dangers of decorating for the holidays.

3. Comments and Audience Questions

• Shoutouts to fans met on the road, quirky club stories (house band drummers at shows), and debates about Christmas decor timing.
• Cruise-Ship Social Anxiety (13:09):
  • Jay: “I am quick to be like, y’all, I’m gonna talk to y’all later on. I might even say that. I am the type of person that will just disappear. I won’t say a thing.”
  • Aaron calls this the “Irish goodbye.”
• Comedy With Unusual Audience Dynamics:
  • Aaron tells of a club with a resident drummer who laughs louder than the crowd.

4. Serious and Silly: The ‘Sports Fandom’ Debate (17:06–25:00)

• Aaron opens the question: Is rooting for college teams more meaningful than for pro teams?
  • “My fandom in a college team is grounded in something underneath — the institution that persists throughout.” (17:53)
• Mike’s Take: For pro teams, it’s about representing your city (“the Titans represent Nashville”)—not just the players.
• Jay’s Take: Childhood ties and team branding (e.g., playing on a Cowboys Jr. Pro team = life-long Cowboys fan, regardless of city or roster).
• All hosts ultimately acknowledge the weirdness and arbitrariness of why we love certain teams—and how much it can feel like rooting for a uniform.

5. Currency Goes Extinct: America’s Last Penny (39:25–44:00)

• News Item: The US Mint has stopped producing pennies.
• Jay: “I got pennies, I got change in my car. …I just put it in the cigarette holder thing.”
• The crew jokes about never using coins, the humbling Coin Star experience, and the absurdity of the half-cent coin.

Notable Quote:

• “Currency really just doesn’t make sense to me. …It’s just paper. We’re giving it value and it doesn’t do anything.” — Mike James (41:40)
• Aaron explains the gold standard, but debates over why metals like gold/silver have value at all.

6. First Jobs and Wage Memories (43:12–47:00)

• The group recalls minimum wage jobs and the excitement (and humility) of early paychecks:
  • Mike: “4.75 an hour… as a bagger at CB Hun.”
  • Jay: “5.25, Taco Bell.”
  • Aaron: “7.25 at Bluegrass Country Club.”
• “You got tip?” “No, they just told me I got a raise — but it was just minimum wage going up.” — Mike & Jay (45:22)

7. Odd Comedy Gigs (45:36–47:16)

• Aaron once booked a “party-starter” gig at Chili’s: “Not a show, just like walk around, talk to people… like, hey, how’s your day?”

8. Noteworthy & Absurd Currency Facts and Stats

• Physical vs. Digital: Only 8% of global currency is actually physical; the rest is digital.
• Cocaine on Cash: “80% of US currency contaminated by cocaine.” — Aaron quoting a stat (50:04)
• Famous Faces on Money: Nearly nobody knows who’s on each bill or coin (except Abe on the penny and Thomas Jefferson on the nickel).
• $2 Bill:
  • “Who’s on the two? …It’s just Jefferson again. We just put him on everything.” (55:20–55:29)
• Harriet Tubman and delayed currency representation for women and people of color.

9. Money in Society & Economics – The Deep(ish) Dives

• The “agreed fantasy” of paper money, digital currencies, and the even stranger status of bitcoin. Mike: “Bitcoin doesn’t even make sense, cause you can’t even see it.” (105:41)
• Merch sales for comics: Regional differences in payment preferences—Venmo, Cashapp, physical cash, “tapping,” etc.

10. Changing Technology and Navigating Life

• Printing MapQuest directions, reading paper maps, pre-GPS navigation skills.
• “Now I can’t even remember how we used to…find anything before GPS.” (112:03)
• Culture shock at seeing someone use a credit card at McDonald’s for the first time.

11. Richest Athletes

• LeBron James and Michael Jordan as billionaires; Magic Johnson gets his due credit for investments (115:23).
• Net worth of athletes is the value of all their assets—not just income per year.

12. Science and Existential Comedy

• Astronomy, the Hubble deep field image, and existential questions (“The Andromeda Galaxy and Milky Way are going to collide in 4.5 billion years…” 69:53).
• Mike explains why he never wanted to be an astronaut: motion sickness, fear of heights, throwing up in a dark locker room (123:02).

13. Pop Culture and Improv Bits

• Parodies of Brian’s impressions: “He was just on. I was like, I didn’t see it.” (36:39)
• Banter about “kick doors,” “Irish goodbyes,” and “fade away layups.”
• Mike’s faux pas with basic Spanish after 400+ days of DuoLingo: “Welcome—day four-eighteen, and you ain’t got the ‘welcome’ yet!” (81:44)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Arena Comedy:
  • “Any opportunity to get out there and bless the stage, any Nate show is amazing to me. …I’m thankful for any opportunity.” — Mike James (03:45)
• On Childhood Sports Dreams:
  • “Did you think you’d be playing basketball in those arenas?”
    “No… The dream got derailed by talent. It just wasn’t there.” — Mike & Aaron (04:16)
• On Home DIY and Accidents:
  • “Housework… Don’t know how I cut myself.” — Jay (05:03)
• On Penny Extinction:
  • “I can’t remember the last time I held a penny.” — Aaron (40:04)
• On Bitcoin and the Value of Money:
  • “Bitcoin doesn’t even make sense, cause you can’t even see it!” — Mike (105:41)
• On Odd Comedy Gigs:
  • “They wanted someone to walk around during their lunch at Chili’s. Not a show, just start conversations.” — Aaron (46:49)
• On Tall Guy Travel Rants:
  • “If you are not at least 6 feet, you have no business in the exit row!” — Mike James (128:01)
• On Club Impressions:
  • “Brian shot a fadeaway layup… I don’t know how you do it. It didn’t work, but he did. That was his move.” — Mike (35:01)
• On Spanish Learning:
  • “Day 418 and you ain’t got the welcome?” — Jay (81:44)
• On Avoiding Astronaut Life:
  • “I woke up, forgot where I was at, and threw up in the locker room. That’s why I wouldn’t be an astronaut.” — Mike (123:02)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |-----------------------------------------|--------------------| | Introductions/Host Switch | 00:12–03:00 | | Comedy Road Stories | 03:02–05:03 | | Holiday Decoration Hijinks | 05:03–06:38 | | Sports Fandom Debate | 17:06–25:01 | | Ion Extinction (Penny) | 39:25–44:00 | | First Job & Minimum Wage | 43:12–47:00 | | Money Myths & Facts | 49:08–55:00, 105:24| | Athlete Billionaires | 48:02–48:25, 115:23| | The ‘Bitcoin is Fake’ Debate | 105:41–106:26 | | GPS & Pre-Smartphone Navigation | 111:14–112:47 | | Impressions Bit (Brian as Denzel) | 103:02–104:09 | | Brian Returns / Airline Woes | 95:14–100:01 | | Wrap-up/Plugs | 130:07–132:49 |

Notable Quotes (with Speaker and Timestamp)

• Mike James on making sense of money:
  • “Currency really just doesn’t make sense to me. …It’s just paper. We’re giving it value and it doesn’t do anything.” (41:40)
• Aaron Weber on Bitcoin:
  • “It’s a thing. Maybe it’s digital—but you have a bitcoin, you have an actual thing.” (106:13)
• Jay Flake, on Spanish fail:
  • “Day 418 and you ain’t got the welcome?” (81:44)
• On Arena Gigs, Mike James:
  • “I gotta tell you, any opportunity to get out there and bless the stage, any Nate show, is just amazing to me.” (03:45)
• On Tall Guy Plane Rule, Mike:
  • “If you are not at least 6 feet, you have no business in the exit row!” (128:01)

Standout Improv & Banter

• “Brian shot a fadeaway layup… It was an airball. How do you do it?” (35:01)
• “I woke up, forgot where I was at, and threw up in the locker room. That’s why I wouldn’t be an astronaut.” — Mike (123:02)
• “If somebody moves backwards in sports, he would’ve been cold.” — Mike roasting Brian’s athleticism (35:55)
• The whole “kick door” and “Irish hello” explanation bit (15:17–15:41)

Episode Structure

1. Welcome & Guest Intros
2. Banter on touring, home life, and comics’ foibles
3. Reading & riffing on fan comments (early Christmas, drummers in comedy clubs, Nateland cruise social anxiety)
4. Deep-dive sports fandom discussion
5. Penny extinction and philosophical musings on currency’s value
6. Stand-up origin stories and “minimum wage memories”
7. Absurd gig requests and road stories
8. Pop-quiz on money trivia, U.S. coins/bills, celebrity faces
9. Philosophical tangent: digital money, how value is assigned
10. Comedy impressions (with Brian), recurring inside jokes
11. Science/astronomy tangents and more banter
12. Host returns and wrap-up banter
13. Upcoming show plugs for all comics

Final Thoughts

Summary:
This wide-ranging episode is part money history lesson, part standup hangout, and part philosophical roundtable—delivered with Nateland’s trademark warmth and absurdity. Whether breaking down the meaning of a sports team, arguing the point(s) of the penny, or calling out “short folks” in the exit row, the comedians blend real insight with everyday humor and lots of teasing. Fans will enjoy the mix of education, nostalgia, and much-needed comic relief.