This was a funny, offbeat read that captures Bargatze’s laid-back, self-deprecating humor perfectly. His storytelling voice comes through clearly on the page, full of dry wit and understated absurdity. That said, the book feels like it would be even better as an audiobook—his delivery is such a key part of what makes his comedy land. Still, it's an enjoyable, easy read that fans of his stand-up will appreciate.

Nate Bargatze (b. 1979) is an American comedian who's known for his family-friendly act. Bargatze likes to say he never reads books (too many words) but he guarantees folks will like THIS book because it's funny and has lots of stories that aren't in his act. And Bargatze's right; this is an entertaining memoir.

Bargatze grew up in the tiny burg of Lakewood, Tennessee, which was later incorporated into Old Hickory - a DuPont company town. The burg had six police officers whose only job was to give traffic tickets, and the cops would 'sit across from the Piggly Wiggly, shaking down families on their way to church.'

When Nate was a kid, his father Stephen was a professional clown who later morphed into a funny magician. Bargatze writes, "My dad's story is like the stories of a lot of funny people I know, in that it doesn't start out funny at all." Stephen had a difficult childhood with an abusive alcoholic mother, and he hit rock bottom before relatives helped him turn his life around. Afterwards, Stephen believed "we needed to laugh at ourselves and at each other" and he became a clown.

For Nate, having a clown dad was normal and fun, except when kids at his birthday party preferred watching Yo-Yo to playing with him. When Bargatze began his comedy career, he got his magician dad to open for him at a 2007 Nashville show. Bargatze asked his dad not to be TOO funny, since Nate wanted to be the funniest guy that night. But Bargatze's dad absolutely KILLED - and Nate still has Stephen open shows for him to this day.

Bargatze was a good student until the 7th grade, after which things went downhill. Bartgatze blames this on a concussion resulting from a terrible fall. Afterwards, Nate barely graduated from high school, had one year of community college, and flunked out of Western Kentucky University. Along the way Nate hung out with his friends, watched TV, ate pizza, and had sundry temporary jobs. In a fun story, Nate writes about being a water-meter-reader who helped guard a Tennessee water facility from the Taliban after 9/11.

For transportation, Nate's parents bought him a 1985 Mazda 626 jalopy that he named 'Old Blue', and Bargatze confides, "Every single one of my passwords, to this day is OldBlue626# - and now, I will have to change them all."

Bargatze riffs on a variety of subjects in the book. These include: His obsession with the correct socks; His conviction that competing brands can't be worn together (Adidas clothes and Reebok shoes are a no-no); Getting cut from his high school basketball team but making it to the NBA (Nashville Baptist Association); Being a dog owner (in Old Hickory, people didn't leash or clean up after their dogs); His love for the Vanderbilt Commodores; His food preferences (McDonald's two cheeseburgers meal is a favorite); Being Christian in small-town Tennessee (the first thing you ask people is 'Where do you go to church?'); And the culture shock when he moved away from his hometown and not everyone was Christian.

Note: Vanderbilt's athletics teams are called the Commodores in honor of the nickname given to Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided a million dollars in 1873 for the university's establishment.

Bargatze also has lots of anecdotes about his parents, his younger brother Derek, and his little sister Abigail. Nate and Derek had an ongoing rivalry, and one afternoon Derek rushed home and reported to their mother Carol that Nate had used the 'f-word'. Bargatze recalls, "Even my mom, with her sailor's mouth, was appalled." Mom then found out Derek meant 'fart', and laughed, but decided she wasn't a fan of that f-word either. Nate loved his sister Abigail from the day she was born, and they bonded over Disney songs and 'Men in Black' movies. It's clear the Bargatze brothers are VERY competitive, sister Abby is much loved; and the entire family is close and supportive.

When Bargatze was twenty, he decided to try a career in stand-up comedy, and moved to Chicago to get a start. Bargatze has lots of amusing tales about life in Chicago, like the giant rat that chewed through a baseball glove and pushed a heavy old-fashioned TV out of the way. When Nate's future wife Laura visited Chicago, Nate managed to hide the rat problem, and now that they're married, Laura is in charge of any rodent infestations in their home.

Bargatze later moved to New York, and suddenly life and dogs got a lot more complicated. Nate writes, "I'd barely ask [people] what church they went to before they'd tell me to get to the point: I'm in a hurry! Don't you see how much dog stuff I still got to clean up?" During this time Nate worked day and night to advance his career, struggled to take care of his dog Sasha, and got married to his fiancée Laura - and the memoir has gobs of fun yarns about those days. Bargatze's career took off when he was in New York, and of course he's a very successful comic today.

Bargatze jokes about how cheap his father and wife are, but it's good-natured ribbing. For instance, Nate and Laura got married in Old Hickory on Friday the 13th because the club basically said, "We will pay YOU money to get married on this date, because everyone else will be home hoping they don't get murdered by a dude in a hockey mask." After more 'frugality' anecdotes, Bargatze quips, "Next time you need your lawn mowed, your driveway sealed, your brick drilled, or a refrigerator dragged flat on its back across your front yard, just call 1-800-BARGATZE. We work real cheap."

There's lots more entertainment in the book, and Bargatze's sincere affection for his family and friends comes through as well. If you're a Bargatze fan, you'll probably like the book, and if you're unfamiliar with the comic, the book can help you get to know him.

I liked 'Big Dumb Eyes' and enjoy Bargatze's specials on streaming services.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nate Bargatze, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

I saw Nate live last summer and could not stop laughing the entire hour of his set. He is a hilarious comedian! This book though…I sadly just didn’t enjoy it. It took me almost a month to read because it just wasn’t very funny, and I had to force myself to keep reading a chapter at a time. I laughed out loud only a few times. I did find parts of his life to be interesting, especially seeing how he rose to such fame, but as a whole was relatively bored and disappointed by this one. I still love your stand-up though Nate!!

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.

Going into Big Dumb Eyes, I was unfamiliar with Nate Bargatze's stand-up comedy. I had only previously seen his Door Dash commercial and a couple of clips of him on SNL as George Washington. I enjoy reading memoirs and saw this book as an opportunity to discover someone new to me. The chapters are not very long and there is humor throughout. It did make me want to look up his specials to see him perform his jokes.

Thanks to NetGalley, Nate Bargatze, and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of Big Dumb Eyes in the return of an honest review.

Nate Bargatze had me out of breath laughing at points — absolutely hilarious! His humor is so authentic, so relatable, and refreshingly clean. It’s rare to find a comedian who’s this funny without being brash or vulgar, and Nate pulls it off perfectly. This book captures his voice so well — I could practically hear him reading it in my head. Highly recommend for anyone who loves smart, lighthearted comedy that leaves you grinning (and sometimes gasping for air from laughing so hard).

A fun book to read filled with hilarious stories from Nate Bargatze's life. I would highly recommend his memoir to anyone looking for a book that will keep you laughing!

We have been following the career of Nate Bargatze since we stumbled onto his very first Netflix special - for so long that at our house we just call him Nate. ("Nate has a new show on." "Nate got that one right." "Oh, that Nate.") This book is relatable, as someone who grew up in Indiana with relatives in the Deep Southern=Adjacent area of Southern Indiana (IYKYK), there were many stories that were extremely relatable and funny. And if the thought of those areas amuse you - and believe me, they are very amusing, we get it - this book is for you. There are several laugh out loud moments, and many more humorous "I get that" moments. Throughout your time together, you hear Nate's voice and cadence, which makes it an experience. In short, Nate is THAT cousin....you know the one where you won't commit to the holiday until you hear he is coming because he makes the after dinner story time so much more fun. And seeing the photos included with the book? A great enhancement to filling that cousin fantasy..

Comedy is best delivered the way Nate Bargatze does it-onstage. The book is missing the pregnant pauses, facial expressions and audience participation that are part of his presentations, but is nonetheless entertaining. Relating to a book makes me appreciate it = and the chapter on the NBA made me cackle. Sadly, Baptists are much the same everywhere.
As America reads less and watches more, writing a book with so many words and few pictures was brave. Enjoy it, I did. More? Yes, please.

First and foremost, unless you want to read this book, I suspect it would be best as an audiobook read by Bargatze, because I spent most of this book "picturing" how he would speak the stories aloud and missing that. That doesn't mean it's a bad book or that it wasn't a fun read. I just think it is more solid as something you listen to because the beauty of Bargatze's comedy is in the telling and the hearing.

This is not a memoir per se, although there are stories throughout that give a glimpse into who Bargatze is and his rise to fame. The book was definitely more musings and interconnected stories told in Bargatze's comedy style. Some stories link to his comedy shows directly so worth watching probably before you read.

There were some good chuckles throughout the book and I appreciated that it wasn't much longer because I'm not sure that it would have kept me entertained to keep reading this memoir-adjacent book.

If you like Bargatze and find him a hoot, then you should definitely read or listen to this book. If you have never seen any of his sketch comedy or just saw him on Saturday Night Live, I suggest getting more familiar with him through other media before you jump into a book format.

Fun Bargatze humor for all occasions. A summer read, a family book talk, a wine and opine title. Serves all purposes and is fun for all ages.

So, I have to start by saying that I LOVE Nate Bargatze so I was VERY excited to read this book. I normally audiobook non-fiction books by authors I either hold in high regard or have an unexplainable attachment to because of their lives or work...or a distinctive voice. So I really wanted to audiobook this particular book but the opportunity to read this came up and I jumped at it. As I was reading, the sound in my head was Nate's. It had his southern draw, his pauses, and his laugh. But it didn't land like it would have if he had read it himself. The stories were typical small town Tennessee tales that he speaks about on stage. They were his humor and some made me laugh out loud. But I have to be honest, this is one you should 100% buy the audiobook to. I plan to as well. Thank you to Nate Bargatze, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the electronic version of this book.

Let me start by saying that I am a huge Nate Bargatze fan. I have seen all of his specials, his SNL appearances, I have even seen him in concert. So of course I was eager to read his first book, “Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind”. And although it was enjoyable, I guess it left me a little underwhelmed. Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe I was expecting all new material, maybe the audiobook would be much better with his voice and cadence. This was amusing, but rarely really funny.

So why was I disappointed? Most of the book is about growing up, from when he was a kid through getting jobs and then deciding that he wanted to be a stand-up comic and the journey to get there. The stories were vaguely interesting, somewhat humorous at times, but nothing that you wouldn’t hear at a party where you meet someone new. His religious upbringing, his first car, working menial jobs (water meter reader), going to the big city to become a comic, getting married (with a thrifty wife), having children (and cutting the umbilical cord). Things that most of us have gone through and could probably tell an amusing anecdote or two, but captured in a book, along with random food thoughts and other observations.

Once again, unlike his stand-up, this did not have the laughs that I was expecting. Some of it was interesting (being in the Chicago area my entire life I appreciate his history living here), some of it expanded on some of his stand-up bits, some was new, but none of it was really funny. Go and watch any of the specials instead.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

I have run across videos of Nate Bargatze on YouTube and Facebook over the last eighteen months or so. His droll humor can make me laugh. He basically didn't have a chance between being the son of a clown and hitting his head on a rock when he was a kid. His Dad went from clown to magician which upgraded things or who knows what may have happened to him. All I know is there's a bit of magic in the clean, refreshing quips that Nate comes out with. To me, it shows in his book. As a self-confessed non-reader it's a bit of a shock that he has talked a book into being.
I received an advanced reader's copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley. This is my own opinion of the stories from a simpler mind. I really enjoyed this book. It's a collection of stories that reflect on Nate's life, his family, which he clearly loves and his career. I didn't expect it to be one haha every minute, he reflects on life. It is told in a way that I can almost hear his voice and visualize the stroll around a stage that he has in his acts. When a solemn punchline comes, he looks up at the audience and there's a small glimmer in those "big dumb eyes". I laughed out loud at times because I 'get' his kind of humor. I appreciate it. I have a feel for his love of the family he grew up with and the memories he has. I love that he describes his daughter as his best friend. I think his wife must be just short of awesome for way she keeps him alive (and arguing).
Thanks, Nate Bargatze, for being you.
I give this book a 4.6. It's rounds up to 5 Nate, because, you know, elementary math.

Love you too m as a comedian and I am guessing it is his delivery. Interesting book for his fans. I think audio by Nate to be 1oo%
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this advanced read copy.

I just adore Nate. I've listened to and watched all of his comedy skits/shows. So, of course, I was super excited for this book. And it did not disappoint. I as laughing out loud in the prologue and it only got better from there. If you need a good laugh, serotonin, comfort, this book will deliver. It's light hearted fun with a comforting family setting and so freaking funny. Plus, it's easy to read. So, even non-readers will enjoy it.

5⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of Big Dumb Eyes.

I am a huge Nate Bargatze fan and this book was so funny. You could just picture him telling you this story. I really enjoyed hearing about his life and how he got to where he is today!

If you don’t read every word in this book in Nate Bargatze’s voice, I can’t relate.
I’m not one to read comedians biographies, but when I saw Nate B. came out with a book, it immediately held a top spot on my TBR list. As one of my favorite comedians, I was curious to learn more about his history and personal life. His book only cemented the fact that who he is on stage is 100% authentic.
This book made me laugh out loud numerous times, and read just like one of his stand-up routines. If you’re anything like me, you’re always eager for more Nate Bargatze material, and Big Dumb Eyes will definitely scratch that itch!

This was fun, but not interesting. I am familiar with Bargatze as a stand-up but I'm not sure these stories really translated well into a whole book. It was loosely organized chronologically with plenty of callbacks within the chapters but only some of these stories were actually funny and others just seemed like a thing that happened that we're supposed to find charming? It's possible this would have worked better as an audiobook but as it was, I wasn't as drawn in as I would hope to be by a comedian's memoir. It was fine, but not engaging enough to recommend.

Nate is one of the most entertaining comedians of our time. He is clean, so no worries where you listen to his sets, but shows us the entertaining side of our daily lives. I highly recommend you read his book. It's fun and an easy read. It's full of words, which Nate hates, but he does have pictures to help your brain!