The Breadwinner... Nate Bargatze
I recently had the opportunity to interview the biggest name in comedy today: Nate Bargatze.
His new movie, The Breadwinner, has just opened up, and he has a show later this year in San Jose, so his team asked if I’d like ten minutes with him. Do grade school kids love the poop emoji? Absolutely!
Incredulous. That aptly describes my son’s reaction when I told him I was going to talk to Nate. “Dad, don’t take this the wrong way, but why would he talk to you?” Ow. What was that our savior said about the whole prophet in his own home? In his defense, I kind of asked the same question, because all of us are filled with self-doubt. Then I remembered that I actually was quite good at what I do. Sometimes it ain’t just a humblebrag. That seemed to satisfy him.
The night before our call, which happened at 6:30 in the morning, my other boy asked me if I was nervous. No, but I haven’t slept well in two nights. “Isn’t that being nervous?” Some might think that way, but I’m not nervous that I’ll be horrible or say something stupid or that my phone will die. I’m focused on making sure Nate is allowed to be his best. My mind will turn over hundreds of options on how to talk about his movie, his stand-up, his family, and his future. And I only had ten minutes. The bigger the star, the less time you get. Also, it was over the phone. Big stars don’t do video. I am releasing the interview on YouTube and Substack, so I hope you can subscribe and check it out.
The best compliment I can give anyone is that they are who I hoped they would be. Nate Bargatze is a nice, funny, laid-back guy. He was a delight to talk to. I will add this aside: He talks just like he does in his stand-up, with long pauses. It’s hard to figure out when he’s stopped talking and when he’s just pausing.
My incredulous son, whom I mentioned earlier, asked me afterwards how it went. I said it was great, and he said some very funny things. My son replied: “I figured, I heard the patented Gary Scott Thomas laugh, which makes me laugh, too. So that’s how goofy I was, laughing at my dad because someone else was making him laugh”. That may be a happier version of Cat’s In The Cradle from Harry Chapin. We’ll get together then, Dad, you know we’ll have a good time then.
I was able to thank Nate for giving me stand-up comedy specials that I could share with my kids. I told him he was the King of His Lane right now, just like Michael Jordan was the King, Wayne Gretzky was the King, Garth was the King, now he was. He then said he had been looking for a way to describe himself to his wife, and now he has it. I don’t think everyone has to do clean comedy. My friend Phil Medina makes my sides hurt, and he is not clean at all. I’m just thrilled that we have an option, and I’m grateful to Nate for that. I have always done a show that my mother could listen to, even though she left this earth in 1996. I still believe she tunes in. And was thrilled Nate Bargatze didn’t tell any jokes that required the poop emoji.