Nate Bargatze wasn’t planning on doing anything crazy.

Nate Bargatze is from Tennessee, but he got his start as a comedian in the Midwest. And then he went to the Middle East, to practice his comedy there. And then he went back. Courtesy Nate Bargatze

“I had always thought about doing comedy, but nothing crazy,” he said. “I had never planned to move anywhere for it.”

Things changed when a friend of Bargatze’s moved to Chicago – and he tagged along.

Originally from Nashville, Bargatze got his start in comedy in Chicago and elsewhere.

“I moved to Chicago from Nashville and I started there,” Bargatze said. “I took a class actually, and I lived there for three years then moved back to Nashville and then New York. I’ve lived in New York for seven years.”

But moving between each city for the Tennessee comedian hasn’t been a burden.

“It’s been good. I think Nashville to Chicago was my biggest shock, because I had never been to a city like that,” Bargatze said. “Then moving to New York was intense, but was a little bit better, since I lived in Chicago, I had a little warning.”

But he does look back on his days in Tennessee.

“I definitely think back on old days for newer jokes,” Bargatze said. “But I don’t think about my stand up back then. It was terrible; it was horrific back then.”

But the times have changed for the stand-up comedian.  He’s found his groove.

Recently, Bargatze traveled to Iraq to perform his routine in front of the United States military stationed there.  He’s about to go to Kuwait for another show.

“You think back, it’s not normal,” he said. “Just to think that my jokes that I have written have gotten me to Iraq.”

Aside from his solo work, Bargatze has worked with fellow comedians, Chris Laker and Yannis Pappas on “It Could Be Better,” a podcast.

“We haven’t done it in a while, we need to do it again soon,” he said.  “We actually have 70 podcasts out now.”

The trio has chemistry, with each representing a different area of the country and a different style of comedy.

“We‘re just all pretty good friends, and we’re all polar opposites,” Bargatze said. “Laker is a referee and helps to try and make it better. We haven’t done one in a couple of months but we’re about to get back on it.”

But broadcasts aside, the comic has always found time to write — for good reason.

“Whatever makes you funny, it’s all about writing,” Bargatze said. The guys that you see are the best are the ones who put out the most material.  They keep writing and it gets better and better.”

Bargatze said the better the writing, the funnier the material. And he aims to kill.

“Once you get good you get a fan base,” he said, “I think it’s all about churning out new material.”

NATE BARGATZE

Where: Caledonia

When: 9 p.m.

Price: $5 (21+)/$7 (18+)