Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind (2025) is a memoir by comedian Nate Bargatze, written as a collection of short comedic narratives about the author’s life. Bargatze is a Grammy-nominated standup comedian, who had a breakthrough appearance in 2017 when he was featured on Netflix. His first special, The Tennessee Kid (2019), was well received by critics, and in 2024, Bargatze was the highest-grossing standup comedian in the United States. Bargatze’s writing draws on his life experience growing up in small-town Tennessee. The title of Big Dumb Eyes references the author, who has a wide-eyed appearance that he jokingly characterizes as “dumb.” The memoir features themes such as The Importance of Strong Family Bonds, Finding Humor and Joy in Simplicity, and Taking Pride in Southern Culture Despite Its Stereotypes. 

This study guide refers to the Grand Central Publishing Hachette Book Group edition published in May 2025.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of animal death, child abuse, substance use disorder, and death by suicide.

Summary

Bargatze introduces his memoir with a story about a funny misunderstanding he has with his publisher. Over the phone, he tells the publisher he believes “Big Dumb Eyes” will make a great title. Unable to decipher his Southern accent, the publisher misinterprets this suggestion as “Big Demise.” Bargatze assures his readers that the book will be an easy read. Bargatze himself does not like to read long, difficult texts, so he intentionally makes this memoir accessible.

Bargatze is from the small town of Old Hickory, Tennessee. He recounts humorous incidents and misunderstandings there, such as his father being pulled over for drinking and driving though he was holding a can of Big Red soda, not beer, as he drove.

Bargatze’s father is a professional clown and performed at Bargatze’s birthday parties because the family couldn’t afford to hire entertainment. Bargatze loves his father and his performances but worried that his dad always outshined him. On Bargatze’s seventh birthday, all his friends paid more attention to his dad’s performances and magic tricks than they did to him.

Bargatze’s father came from a troubled background, which he believes is common for very funny people like his dad. Bargatze’s grandmother was a professional bowler, and both his grandparents had substance use disorder. When Bargatze’s dad was a toddler, his mother left him outside the bowling alley, and he was attacked by a dog. The injuries took years of reconstructive facial surgery, and Bargatze’s dad’s mouth was so injured that he started speaking with a lisp. Bargatze’s dad was living unhoused as a teenager, and he had various injuries from his mother’s abuse. His cousin took him in to care for him, and he became a born-again Christian as a result.

Bargatze was intelligent as a child. He was first in his class for years, even winning a competitive science fair. A few months later, he suffered a severe concussion after falling off a cliff while playing with friend. Bargatze maintains that his mental capacity was never the same after that, though his family disagrees.

When Bargatze was in high school, he bought a used Mazda, which he nicknamed Old Blue. The car didn’t run smoothly, but Bargatze appreciated having a car.

In high school, Bargatze loved basketball, and his goal was to play in the NBA. He tried out for the school team every year, but he was cut every time. As an alternative, Bargatze played in his church league. The league was called the Nashville Baptist Association, or NBA, so Bargatze considers his dream fulfilled. He also often played basketball in P.E. class with his friends. One day during class, Bargatze’s friend was hit in the groin with the ball, so everyone started calling him “P-P.” He is still a close friend, and Bargatze still calls him P-P even though he is a grown adult with a family.

Bargatze has a younger brother, Derek, with whom he is very competitive. One Thanksgiving, the boys got into an argument over a game of Spades in front of their extended family. Years later, Bargatze took home his girlfriend (and future wife), Laura, for the first time. The family played Risk, and Bargatze and Derek got into another fight. That time, Bargatze ended up so upset that he called Laura an idiot.

After graduating high school, Bargatze attended community college, where he took remedial classes. After a year, he transferred to Western Kentucky University with his friend P-P. Bargatze and P-P took a bowling class, which Bargatze assumed will be easy, but it turned out to be very challenging, and Bargatze failed it. He failed every other class too, so he dropped out. He started a job as a host at Applebee’s, where he met Laura. Laura was an experienced waitress who was older than Bargatze, had a boyfriend, and looked down on Bargatze for being “dumb.” Eventually, though, Bargatze won Laura over when he drove her around in his car while blasting Disney music.

After leaving Applebee’s, Bargatze worked as a water meter reader. He enjoyed this job because it was easy, but eventually he felt the desire to make something more of himself. Bargatze moved to Chicago with a friend from work. Both of them wanted to break into comedy. They had very little income and live in a rat-infested apartment. Eventually, Bargatze met Jerry Seinfeld—his comedy idol. Bargatze decided to move to New York City, where he did well in his comedy career. He and Laura got married, and they now have a daughter, Harper. Bargatze loves his wife and daughter dearly. He calls Laura multiple times every day, and Harper is his best friend.

During COVID, Bargatze hired his barber, Eric, to trim his hair secretly in Bargatze’s garage. Eric had gotten into fitness, and Bargatze thought it would be a good idea for him, too, as he wanted to look trim for his increasingly frequent television appearances. Eric and Bargatze started a training plan, but Eric was too intense for Bargatze, and he soon quit.

Bargatze’s parents moved out of his childhood home and into a condo. They were very thrifty due to a lifetime of poverty, so they refused to hire a moving company to help them move. Meanwhile, Bargatze and Laura bought a house. Bargatze wanted to hire a service to mow the lawn, now that they could afford it, but Laura refused to pay someone to do a job that she could do herself. Bargatze notes that Laura has the same mindset as his parents. He calls it the “Bargatze Way.”