-Our next guest is a Grammy nominated comedian
who's latest special "Hello, World"
is streaming now on Prime Video.
Let's take a look.
-So, one part of your brain is smart
and the other part is dumb.
You can trick your own brain.
That's how dumb the dumb part is.
[ Laughter ]
It's in the same head.
[ Laughter ]
That's embarrassing.
It's like, you don't hear this going on, dude?
If you're in a bad mood, they tell you to fake smile
and your dumb part will think it's a good day.
[ Laughter ]
I mean, you don't hear the planning going on?
Like, you're a part of the planning.
-Please welcome to the show the very funny Nate Bargatze.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
Welcome, Nate!
-Hey. Thank you, man.
-I've been a fan for a long time.
I'm so happy you're here.
-I'm excited to be here, dude.
This is fun.
-You're from Tennessee, you live in Tennessee,
but you you spent a fair amount of time here in New York City.
-Yeah, I lived here for eight and a half years,
like, 2004 to '12.
-And what were your first impressions of the city?
-It was great. It's a lot, Dude.
I mean, it's such a different thing coming from Tennessee,
like, haven't left.
I remember first seeing when people parallel parked,
like, they bump cars, you know?
And me, I saw it and I was like, I'm watching a hit and run.
I watched -- I wrote their license plate down.
I was gonna call the NYPD, who's probably the most buys.
And just be like, "You won't believe what's going on."
And, like, I mean, I thought it was like a giant thing,
and then you just learn that's what --
that's what everybody does. That's what bumpers are for.
-Yeah, that's right. -Yeah.
-That's -- We were like, "Nope that's what they're for."
-I actually became unbelievable at it,
and I remember I one time parked and mine was touching two cars.
So I got real good.
I though, it fits -- If we can do it, I will do it.
-Yeah, exactly. -Yeah.
-If there's a skill out there to be learned,
you might as well learn it.
Now, I'm surprised that you had this skill.
A lot of people I think know this now,
but when you're an early comedian in the city,
one of the things you do to get stage time
is you go out and you sort of are a comedy barker,
you try to get people to go to shows.
And sometimes if you're walking around, certainly, like,
Times Square, you see really enthusiastic young comedians
trying to convince people.
You did that.
You don't quite have that barker vibe.
-Yeah, it's this energy... -Yeah.
-...that's just like, "Hey, you wanna come --"
I wouldn't even do that.
"You wanna, like, come to this comedy show?
And people were like, "No."
Like, they would grab the flyer --
It was at Boston Comedy Club, it was called New York,
and they would get the flyer and just drop it
in front of me.
Like ju-- It was almost like they just wanted to litter.
Like, they could have just said no.
But they were like, they just wanted me to pick it up.
-They wanted to save other people
from having to be asked this question.
-They grabbed them all and they threw them.
They go, "Just go. Move back home."
-This last special is wonderful.
We were talking backstage.
I think we have very similar wives.
Your wife seems to know how everything works,
very helpful around the house.
I don't know anything.
You make a great show of the fact that
you don't know anything.
And a boiler guy showed up at you house.
and I've had this happen before where they assume
that you're the guy with the information.
-Yeah, we say "water heater." -Okay.
-So, boiler, I didn't even know what you're talking about.
So, I mean, I don't know what's happening.
But we, yeah, in the special,
I talk about how our water heater broke
and the guy who came over was asking me where it was.
And I don't know where -- Like, I was like, I don't know.
And -- 'Cause it's like, I would just walk by at the wrong time.
A lot of times when -- 'Cause she has people over there,
just coming over and doing stuff.
She's always fixing something.
And they talk to me.
And, like, I keep, like, looking.
I'm like -- And she answers.
But they keep looking at me.
I'm like, what are you not getting, dude?
Like, I don't know these answers.
We have a new roof.
And I found out from my neighbor.
A whole new roof.
[ Laughter ]
I was, like, out in the driveway, he goes,
"How's the new roof?"
And I go, "What's that?"
And then she went and got a new roof when I was gone,
and I didn't even --
There was no, like, heads up.
Like, I'm not in -- Like, it didn't matter.
It's not like I'm gonna live differently.
[ Laughter ]
But I was -- It's embarrassing, you know,
to be sitting there and be in my 40's.
-I also, I mean, it seems like you're the same way as me.
Like, I would assume if my wife decides we need a new roof,
I agree, right?
-Yeah, oh yeah. -I would never put my foot down
and be like, "There -- Not on my --"
"This roof is the roof we're gonna have."
-No, I would -- Yeah.
I stay out, and I would like to.
I would like to do that, to go, like,
"Over my dead body, are we gonna get a new roof."
I love this roof so much.
[ Laughter ]
I don't even know how to tell if a roof's bad.
Like, I don't --
[ Laughter ]
Like, I mean, if it's just gone,
you know?
-If water poured in, I would say we need a new roof.
But other than that...
-If she told me we don't, I would say okay.
Like, I would be like, "Well, she knows."
-Yeah. -You know?
-She's like, "Oh, this is a bucket.
You just get a bucket for this."
-You're like, "All right." -"Where's the buckets?"
That's where? I don't know.
[ Laughter ]
-You -- But this is -- You used to read,
so I'm surprised you don't know about a water heater,
'cause you used to do -- You were a meter reader. Yes?
-A water meter reader.
-Water meter reader. -Yes.
And, so, when I first started, like, this is the job I had.
This is the job I'll go back to when all this falls apart.
-Okay.
This is a Tennessee job?
-This is a Tennessee, Wilson County,
we read water meters, so, like, you know, to see, like,
how much water you used, and you get billed for it.
And, so, it was in 2001 and it was when 9/11 happened.
So right after 9/11 happened,
they got worried that they were gonna come after our water
at Wilson County -- the terrorists.
And...
[ Laughter ]
So, we --
This is all we --
For one year, we would take shifts
and you would guard the water towers.
And we spent the night just begging the Taliban to try.
[ Laughter ]
Just --
Come get in Mount Juliet's water, dude.
You gonna have the nerve
to poison Wilson County's water?
Not on our watch.
We were out there all night in the woods waiting for them.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-Well, it was effective.
They didn't -- Word got back to them.
They didn't come near it.
-Ah, water's been great.
-Yep. -It's been great.
-You, uh, you do tell a lot of jokes about your wife.
I should note, she comes out always...
I mean, you tell 'em. You know.
She comes out a lot smarter than you.
-Oh, yeah, yeah. -Makes it helpful,
but do you run everything by her ahead of time?
-Yeah, she knows everything.
Like, I tell her --
Like, she knows all the jokes that I'm gonna say.
Like, I don't want to surpri--
Like, you know, say anything mean, or, like,
you know, stuff like that.
So she knows all the jokes, and she's got a sense of humor of,
like, she likes making fun, too.
So it works that I can say the stuff and I let her hear it.
I may have one joke -- I don't have one,
but it's like, if one was great, though, it would be tough.
Like, 'cause it's like, how hard it is to get a good joke.
If she's like, "I don't like that one,"
I was like, "Ah, it gets a pretty big applause, so..."
Like, I don't know.
-"I mean, I did get you a new roof."
-I'd go -- Yeah!
I'd go, "We'll get another one! We'll get two roofs!"
-Yeah, you want one? -Might as well put another one
on top of it. Double it up."
-Double the roof. -Why aren't more people
not doing more roofs?
You should do two roofs.
-You have a daughter. -Yep.
-Does -- Who gets the laughs at home?
Does your -- Is your daughter funny?
Does she think you're funny?
-I don't think she --
I mean, she gets that people think I'm funny,
but she'd very funny.
And she -- And I like it 'cause she'll get my wife going,
and then once my wife starts laughing, like, our daughter,
she just doesn't let up. It's like a show.
So, it's, like, very fun to see, like she just gets it,
and she's like, all right, I got her, and it just keeps rolling.
She does, like, she does voices,
like very more talented than I am.
Like, I'm just this.
[ Laughter ]
-Well -- -She can -- all over the place.
-Well, next generations sometimes are.
It's a 2.0 situation.
I remain a very big fan of what you do on stage.
Thank you so much for being here, man.
What a pleasure to meet you. -Absolutely.
-You guys, that's Nate Bargatze.
"Hello World" is streaming now on Prime Video.
We'll be right back with more "Late Night"