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Proper True Yarn
The Baron’s Yarns | TikTok Fame, Mining Origins & Why Viral Doesn’t Pay
In this episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, we sit down with Australian internet cult figure The Baron to unpack the real story behind the character, the comedy, and the chaos that made him one of the most recognisable storytellers on social media.
Nathan explains how The Baron was born while working in mining in Western Australia, after being handed a welder’s beanie that sparked the nickname “The Red Baron.” What started as a worksite joke quickly became a character that helped him sell thousands of T-shirts through his early brand Instinct Athletic, years before TikTok even existed.
He breaks down how the original Baron character was completely mute, communicating only through music and mimed clips on Snapchat, effectively experimenting with short-form storytelling long before platforms like TikTok took over. After stepping away from content and selling the business at a loss, Nathan later revived The Baron online, this time focused purely on telling funny, raw, true stories.
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the reality of social media money. Despite millions of views and viral clips, The Baron explains why Australian creators make nothing directly from TikTok or Instagram, and why only platforms like Facebook currently offer meaningful ad revenue. It’s an honest look at the creator economy that most people get completely wrong.
The episode also dives into the Baron Files Podcast, viral story submissions, and why telling good yarns still matters even when there’s no cheque at the end of it. From mining camps to social media myths, this conversation strips it all back.
If you’re into Australian podcasts, viral storytelling, TikTok reality checks, mining humour, or no-bullshit creator talk, this one hits the mark.
Funny, honest, and grounded.
A proper true yarn from start to finish.
#propertrueyarn
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434. The Side You Don’t See | The Baron on Fatherhood, Disability & Holding It Together
09:32||Ep. 434This is one of the most raw and important episodes of the Proper True Yarn Podcast to date.In a conversation that strips everything back, The Baron opens up about life behind the laughs, sharing the deeply personal story of his daughter Evie and the reality of raising a child with complex medical needs.Nathan speaks honestly about Evie’s diagnosis of cerebral palsy, her being nonverbal, and the shock of later discovering she also has type 1 diabetes. He walks through the early warning signs, the endless crying as a newborn, missed developmental milestones, hospital visits, and the moment everything changed when her pancreas shut down.The episode captures the helplessness of not being able to communicate with your child when something is wrong, the fear that comes with managing a life-threatening condition, and the emotional weight carried quietly by parents who still have to show up every day. Nathan also explains how modern medical technology has helped them manage Evie’s condition, while still acknowledging how fragile and overwhelming it can feel.Alongside the pain, there’s perspective. Nathan talks about resilience, gratitude, and the mindset that keeps him moving forward, even when things feel unbearable. It’s a powerful reminder that the loudest people often carry the heaviest loads, and that everyone you meet is fighting something you can’t see.This episode isn’t about jokes, viral clips, or internet personas. It’s about parenthood, vulnerability, love, and surviving situations you never imagined facing.If you’re a parent, a carer, or someone who needs to hear that they’re not alone, this episode will hit hard in the best possible way.Raw. Honest. Human.A proper true yarn that matters.#propertrueyarn
433. Peanut Butter, Sausage Rolls & Life in Tassie | The Baron Gets Personal
10:41||Ep. 433In this relaxed and unexpectedly personal episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, we sit down with The Baron for a yarn that moves from family life to food debates and everything in between.Nathan opens up about life away from the internet persona, talking honestly about his wife, his kids, and what it’s like raising a family in Tasmania. While most people know him for loud laughs and viral videos, this episode shows the grounded side that doesn’t always make it onto social media.Naturally, the conversation drifts into food, and it turns into an all-time Australian debate. Sausage rolls, bakeries, servos, and what actually makes a good one. Moistness is discussed at length. So is why lamb is officially off the menu for The Baron after too many years of mining camp meals in Western Australia.From there, things spiral into peanut butter. Crunchy vs smooth. Aussie-made vs imported. Loaded peanut butter flavours that probably shouldn’t exist but absolutely do. Nathan breaks down how his love for peanut butter turned into a collaboration, how a small Australian brand caught his eye before it even launched properly, and why good products still beat good marketing.It’s a loose, funny, and very Australian conversation covering family, food, business, Tasmania life, and the kind of arguments that only happen between mates sitting around a table.If you’re into Australian podcasts, Tassie yarns, food debates, internet creators, or unfiltered conversations that go absolutely anywhere, this episode is a ripper.Easy listening, plenty of laughs, and a proper true yarn the whole way through.#propertrueyarn
432. Silly Saturday 16: Moxey’s Ambo Nightmares & The No-Stopper Special
14:27||Ep. 432This week’s Silly Saturday is basically a full-blown Moxey special, with Knuckles and Zak diving headfirst into some of the wildest ambo yarns you’ll ever hear.From one of the all-time great warnings about why anything heading up there needs a stopper, to a caravan park root gone completely sideways, Moxey unloads story after story from the ambulance frontline that are equal parts horrifying and hilarious.In this episode, you’ll hear:A bloke who made a shocking decision and paid dearly for it, a shower incident that ended in a full medical emergency, a ridiculous sex-toy disaster solved in the most old-school way possible, a baked Greek grandma convinced she’d been poisoned, and Moxey’s brutally honest thoughts on childbirth after years on the job.It’s loose, crook, chaotic, and one of those episodes that just keeps getting worse in the best possible way. Massive shoutout to the ambos who deal with humanity at its weirdest and still front up every day.A filthy, funny, full-tilt Silly Saturday that proves the ambos have truly seen it all.📞 Get involved🎤 Send a voice message to the boysDrop us a yarn or question and you might feature on the show.📧 Enquiries: propertrueyarn@gmail.com🌐 Website: linktr.ee/propertrueyarn📲 Follow the PodcastInstagram: @propertrueyarnTikTok: @propertrueyarnFacebook: Proper True Yarn PodcastYouTube: Proper True Yarn Podcast🤠 Meet the HostsKnuckles – Country Trucker CapsInstagram: @countrytruckercapsTikTok: @knucklesctcZak PalmasInstagram: @zpdigitalsTikTok: @zakpal
431. The English Language Is a Cunt | The Baron vs Words That Make No Sense
10:44||Ep. 431In this episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, we sit down with Australian internet favourite The Baron for a full-blown verbal demolition of the English language.What starts as a casual chat quickly turns into a hilarious, rage-fuelled breakdown of why English is one of the most confusing, inconsistent, and poorly designed languages ever forced upon humanity. From words that look identical but sound completely different, to spelling rules that simply disappear when they feel like it, The Baron explains exactly why learning English is an absolute nightmare.He runs through some of the most painful examples imaginable. Tough, though, rough, cough, thorough. Make, bake, ache, naked. Desert and desert. Wind and wind. Produce and produce. Object and object. Bass the fish, bass the instrument, bass the drum. Every example somehow makes sense on its own, yet none of it works together.As the frustration builds, the conversation expands into teachers trying to explain this madness, why educators secretly agree it makes no sense, and how the English language seems to have been designed by a committee that hated consistency. Even the letter W cops a hiding, with a surprisingly valid argument that it is harder to say than the words it represents.This episode also dives into why The Baron turned this exact frustration into his book The English Language Is a Cunt, how his videos around spelling and pronunciation blew up online, and why people from all over the world message him daily just to say, “Thank you, I thought it was just me.”If you love Australian comedy podcasts, language humour, viral internet creators, or yelling at words that don’t behave, this episode will hit home hard.Loud, funny, painfully accurate, and impossible to argue with.A proper true yarn for anyone who has ever tried to spell “thorough” without swearing.#propertrueyarn
430. Lost in Amsterdam | The Baron, a Sex Show & the World’s Nicest Non-Taxi Driver
07:56||Ep. 430In this classic laugh-out-loud episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, The Baron drops one of his all-time great travel stories from his first wild night in Amsterdam.What starts as a harmless Europe trip with his then fiancée quickly escalates into sex shows, cheap joints, tour groups getting loose, and a nightclub that somehow empties out without him noticing. After getting absolutely cooked and separated from everyone he knows, The Baron finds himself wandering the streets of a foreign country with no phone direction, no hostel name, and no clue where he is.Trying to wave down taxis in the dark, he finally hops into a car he assumes is a cab, only to realise after more than an hour of driving around the city that the bloke behind the wheel is not a taxi driver at all. Just a local on his way to work who decided to help a blind drunk Australian stranger get home.The story somehow gets better with every turn, covering weed cafes, tour groups, sex shows, language barriers, hostel roulette, and one of the nicest random acts of kindness you’ll ever hear in a yarn that sounds completely made up but somehow isn’t.If you love travel disaster stories, Amsterdam nightlife yarns, Aussie humour, or proper true stories that spiral out of control, this episode is an absolute belter.Unplanned. Unfiltered. Unforgettable.A proper true yarn told exactly how it happened.#propertrueyarn
428. Silly Saturday #15: Cracktivities, Croc Attacks & Close Calls
12:03||Ep. 428It’s another loose Silly Saturday on the Proper True Yarn Podcast, and this one’s absolute chaos from start to finish. Knuckles and Zak dive into wild listener stories including late-night street “cracktivities,” a brutal croc attack in the NT, a caravan park spa yarn you won’t forget, and a near-miss with a roadside drug bus. Plus, plenty of banter, stitch-ups, and classic Aussie humour.If you love outrageous real-life stories, unfiltered laughs, and proper true yarns from around Australia, this episode delivers big time.📞 Get involved🎤 Send a voice message to the boysDrop us a yarn or question and you might feature on the show.📧 Enquiries: propertrueyarn@gmail.com🌐 Website: linktr.ee/propertrueyarn📲 Follow the PodcastInstagram: @propertrueyarnTikTok: @propertrueyarnFacebook: Proper True Yarn PodcastYouTube: Proper True Yarn Podcast🤠 Meet the HostsKnuckles – Country Trucker CapsInstagram: @countrytruckercapsTikTok: @knucklesctcZak PalmasInstagram: @zpdigitalsTikTok: @zakpal
427. Make It Happen | Craig Membrey on Loss, Lessons, Legends & Living All In
09:18||Ep. 427In this powerful and wide-ranging episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, we sit down again with Australian transport heavyweight Craig Membrey for a raw, honest conversation that moves from wild stories to deeply personal reflection.Craig answers listener questions that dig into the moments that shaped him - from the biggest lessons of his life to the people he’s admired, the mistakes that still sit with him, and the experiences money can’t buy. He opens up candidly about losing his son Rowan, the realities of grief, regret, parenting, and how perspective changes after surviving multiple heart attacks. This isn’t filtered or polished - it’s real talk about life, responsibility, and learning to live with what you can’t change.The episode also delivers classic Craig yarns, including his unbelievable run-in with Michael Schumacher at the Melbourne Grand Prix, where a freak crash, a tow truck, the media, and a chance encounter led to a moment most people would never believe. It’s one of those stories that sounds made up - until you hear it told properly.Craig also reflects on meeting influential figures like Lindsay Fox, rubbing shoulders with global industry leaders, attending no-expense-spared parties in Las Vegas, and why his personal motto - Make It Happen - has guided every decision he’s made. When asked who would play him in a movie about his life, his answer is pure Australian: Paul Hogan.Balancing humour with honesty, this episode covers success, failure, loyalty, enemies, second chances, and why Craig values people over possessions. It’s a fitting close to a series of conversations that capture exactly what the podcast is about - unfiltered stories, lived experience, and proper true yarns.If you’re into Australian podcast interviews, real-life success stories, business lessons, grief and resilience, wild true stories, or larger-than-life characters, this episode hits hard and stays with you.Uncensored. Honest. Human. A proper true yarn from start to finish.
426. The Wildest 60th Ever | Craig Membrey’s B'Day Party That Went Off the Rails
10:54||Ep. 426In this unforgettable episode of the Proper True Yarn Podcast, Australian transport identity Craig Membrey takes us inside what may be one of the most outrageous 60th birthday celebrations ever thrown.Craig breaks down the full story behind the party - from exploding birthday cakes and last-minute chaos to tattoo artists giving permanent reminders, casino tables, Vegas-style showgirls, comedians, stretch Hummers, supercars, cranes on display, and over 400 hand-picked guests. Hosted at the legendary car museum owned by Lindsay Fox, this wasn’t just a party - it was a full-scale production.Beyond the madness, Craig explains why milestones matter more as you get older, how surviving multiple heart attacks reshaped his outlook on life, and why he believes money is best spent creating memories and rewarding loyalty. He opens up about celebrating life after loss, surrounding yourself with the right people, and refusing to do anything “small” - especially when it comes to gratitude.From mates mistakenly thinking real tattoos were fake, to friends flying in from all over Australia, to giving every guest something meaningful to take home, this episode perfectly captures Craig’s philosophy: go all in, or don’t bother.If you’re into wild Australian yarns, larger-than-life personalities, outrageous party stories, business success, or real conversations about living life properly, this episode is an absolute standout.Raw, ridiculous, and unforgettable - a proper true yarn from start to finish.