2009 Summer Tour

ANNA!OMGZ! wrote:I'm annoyed that Arj isn't coming to MA to do a show, so if the offer is still up and about, I'll totally come down to NYC to see him be funny!

sheila wrote:

in vegas

pcthirtyone wrote:


Me and my best mate are making a point of going to his Denver shows, to make up for her deciding to go to the restroom and not meet him after the show and I couldn't call her 'cos my phone was dead, and it was just kind of a sad affair because she really likes him...

shianne517 wrote:

pcthirtyone wrote:


Me and my best mate are making a point of going to his Denver shows, to make up for her deciding to go to the restroom and not meet him after the show and I couldn't call her 'cos my phone was dead, and it was just kind of a sad affair because she really likes him...

Is that your best friend? I totally remember her! She made me laugh hysterically.

pcthirtyone wrote:

shianne517 wrote:

Is that your best friend? I totally remember her! She made me laugh hysterically.

Nah, that's me. My friend doesn't believe in internet. But I'm glad I make people laugh!

sharona65 wrote:arj in chicago on 7/11!!! who's with me?!?!?!

sally wrote:

sharona65 wrote:arj in chicago on 7/11!!! who's with me?!?!?!

I may be able to go!

[size=133:1bgfpu0z]Arj Barker of 'Flight of the Conchords' says he hasn't 'made it' yet

July 16, 2009

Sunny Freeman , THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Canadian Press, 2009

[size=100:1bgfpu0z]TORONTO - Comic Arj Barker, best known as Bret and Jemaine's bandana-clad friend Dave on the cult hit "
Flight of the Conchords,"
is successful enough that he's constantly on the road, but he's not yet big enough to be recognized on the street.

Despite a hit TV show, a loyal fan base in Australia, and the nightly highs he gets from worldwide audiences, he's not entirely comfortable with the notion that he's "
making it"
in the industry.

"
I don't think I had a big break,"
he says from his California home, where he was relaxing before a flight to Toronto for the city's third annual Just For Laughs festival.

"
In retrospect, there were some little breaks that add up, and again I'm still, I'm doing okay, but ... I gotta work,"
he says between measured pauses.

"
I'm starting to get recognized (from 'Flight of the Conchords') after my shows but walking down the street, I'm not recognized very often, but when it does happen, it's kinda cool."


Barker will be performing a mix of new and vintage material from his collection of witty insights into everyday culture in Friday's Sarah Silverman Gala and Saturday's Headliners show.

Barker has been a stand-up comic for 18 years, dating back to his first experience at an open mic night at a San Francisco comedy club.

"
My fondest memories of stand up are the first five years or so because every show was a major event,"
he reflects.

"
It was such an exciting thing to be a part of ... now it's more of a steady satisfaction as opposed to the ups and downs of the early days."


Barker now sells out 600-seat theatres in Australia and is serious about holding onto his legion of fans Down Under, who are willing to line up around the block to see his shows.

It was a serendipitous meeting while touring Australia and New Zealand that led to Barker's role on a hit TV show.

During a gig at the Auckland Comedy Festival, Barker sparked with Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, who form the Grammy-winning comedy duo Flight of the Conchords.

"
They're just some friends of mine who were making a TV show and they just decided to put their buddy in the show."


Barker's role as Dave, an Indo-American pawn shop owner, is his first recurring role on a television show, although he had also appeared on the "
11 O' Clock Show,"
a late night British comedy show that helped launch the careers of Sasha Baron Cohen and Ricky Gervais.

"
Clearly my skit didn't take off as much,"
Barker says self-deprecatingly.

On his days off during his two-year stint filming "
Flight of the Conchords"
in New York City, Barker ensured he "
kept his stand-up muscles warmed up"
with nightly gigs.

Now, he's busy producing new webisodes of a cartoon "
Arj and Poopy,"
and travelling the world on comedy tours. After his gig in Toronto, he'll travel the U.S. and head to Amsterdam followed by a months-long tour of - where else - Australia.

"
Whatever happens with TV and acting and all that, my main skill is as a stand up and I don't plan on letting that get atrophied,"
he says.

"
I am a stand up. Whatever comes out of it is cool...but my true calling in life is as a stand up."