humor, humility, and warmth

Nice guy Nate Bargatze is known for his clean comedy and dry delivery. But if you want to know what’s really behind his comedy, just look into his Big Dumb Eyes.

Big Dumb Eyes is his book of comedic essays which tell the story of his life. He grew up in the South, in a small town near Nashville. His father was a clown (literally, like for birthday parties) and a magician. His mother sold tickets for Vanderbilt games, sparking a lifelong fandom for the school’s Commodores, no matter how many times they lose.

Bargatze tells stories from childhood, how he got started in comedy, and dating the woman he would later marry. He talks about growing up in the South, about going to church, about giving up school. There are chapters about the odd jobs he took along the way, about living cheaply, about loving fast food and hating exercise.

These stories are full of warmth and sentimentality, whether Bargatze is talking about hir first car, sharing Christmas elf secrets with his daughter, or his pet snake that his dad used to scare the mailman with. There is a lot of love in his family, and that comes through in these stories, whether his dad is cutting him from the basketball team he coached or forcing him to ride every ride in the amusement park just to make sure they didn’t waste the tickets.

Bargatze is now a very successful comedian, with several Netflix specials and a Grammy nomination for best comedy album. He’s no longer the guy sharing a small apartment in Chicago with a friend and at least one large rat while learning at Second City. But he does write about that and many more things with heart and humor and humility.

I really enjoyed Big Dumb Eyes. It was a lot of fun to learn more about Bargatze and hear the stories from his family and how he got started in comedy. Longtime fans of his will probably recognize a lot of these stories, but those who have discovered him more recently (like me) will appreciate this introduction to all things Bargatze and see why so many people love his comedy.

Egalleys for Big Dumb Eyes were provided by Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.