Comedian Nate Bargatze…
A Favorite of Jimmy Fallon — Talks Faith & Comedy!

Nate Bargatze is without a doubt the most accomplished and celebrated comedian to ever come out of Nashville, Tennessee. With appearances on Comedy Central Presents, Conan, and The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon under his belt, and Jim Gaffigan calling him, “One of the top up and coming comics,” there is no doubt his talent is being recognized as it should be. He is from my home state, and I couldn’t be more proud to be associated with him and call him my friend. Nate has also been to Iraq and Kuwait and performed for our troops five times so far. He has performed at Zanies Nashville and at Bonnaroo, and he won the New York Comedy Festival and Boston Comedy Festival in the same year! Not bad for a guy from Old Hickory, Tennessee. He caught the entertainment bug early in his life while watching his father perform, who was a clown, and he later became a world-class magician. His album Yelled at by a Clown can be found on iTunes or his website along with his videos and touring schedule.

Nate has an everyman approach to comedy. He has a cool comfort zone on stage that makes him seem quaint but easy to relate to. His laid back southern approach also helps brew up a solid punch line with his stories and experiences. With Nate Bargatze, when you see him perform you learn about his life, his roots in Tennessee, his love for the Vanderbilt Commodores, his wife and kid, and his family. He has a joke about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that is one of my favorite jokes of all time. He is brilliant, he has been kind and encouraging to me in my comedy career, and he is always more than willing to take an interview when I ask. No matter how busy, whether on stage, or in real life, Nate Bargatze is more than a comedic talent: he is a story teller that almost everyone can relate too. I give him five out of five stars. If you love to laugh, get to know Nate, catch a show, watch a TV appearance, or even drop him a line on his website, Twitter or Facebook page. He almost always responds.

Here is our most recent conversation:

What is your background as far as religion and faith and is that one of the reasons you do clean comedy?

I was raised Southern Baptist. I am a Christian. It definitely played into it. I grew up watching clean comedy, and that is just where my head goes when I write a joke. I just don’t think dirty — not that I don’t enjoy comedy that is not clean, but I just don’t think that way or write that way.

My dad and me. It is a picture from when I was about 5, and my dad was going to one of his gigs and my mom took that picture.

How did you get started in stand-up?

I moved to Chicago with my buddy Michael Clay, and we took classes at Second City. I then left those classes and took a comedy class and started doing open mics.

You attended the same high school as Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum; did you two attend the same classes?

No. I am older then her. I think I am about seven years ahead of her.

Do you have any more television projects coming up?

I have a development deal with NBC and working on a sitcom with writer Halsted Sullivan.

Your dad is a world class magician. Was he a big influence on your career?

Huge. More than I even realized. I never thought of it growing up but now when I think on it, I can see it in my act.

How can people keep up to date with Nate Bargatze?

Twitter, and my Website!