Citysearch Interviews Arj Barker

[size=133:f9torivx]Citysearch Interviews Arj Barker

[size=100:f9torivx]Citysearch interviews one of Australia’s favourite stand-up comedians, Arj Barker, in Australia for the 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

CS: Firstly, congratulations on your show Let Me do The Talking. It’s been very successful so far and you’ve just announced some extra shows…

Thanks, it has gone really well and I don’t know if should say this but I’m a little surprised actually because that’s a lot of people and it’s a pretty big theatre!

CS: What are your plans after the comedy festival? Any relaxation time in Australia?

No not really. I’ll be flying back to the states for a few gigs and then touring Europe with the Flight of the Conchords, then Hong Kong, then Thailand…it never ends. I will be back to Australia after that though and hoping to relax a bit with friends up in north NSW.

CS: We know that you have to say Aussies are great but is that really what keeps you coming back?

It makes sense to keep coming back here because I really do like it and I do well here. Australia is my best market for sure and I have substantially more fans here than anywhere else in the worlds so hey, why wouldn’t I come back?

CS: You really seem to “get” Aussie humour and it’s probably a big part of why we like you so much. Did you have to work at it?

All I ever did was come out and do my job like everywhere else. I wrote the same jokes and I never made any adjustments. I certainly didn’t study Aussie humour and try to write jokes that fit. The shows just went well, people came back and then they brought their friends. I’ve been coming here for 10 years now.

CS: Were you the class clown at school or were you a late bloomer?

The first years of school I was considered a pest - both my best friend and I - and really quite irritating to people. People thought we were kinda funny…but we were undiscovered. We got in trouble a lot with teachers but then later, as the years went by, I got a reputation for being a funny guy. We’re still best friends by the way and like all best friends, we have our own little inside jokes and catalogue of random references that we use to crack each other up.

CS: When you’re not “on” are you dark and moody?

No, not at all. I think I’m a pretty jolly guy actually! I have the potential to be dark and moody but I’m upbeat most of the time…although I might be a tiny bit ADD so sometimes I can come across the wrong way.

CS: What’s your most cringe worthy moment on stage?

Even at the time I thought this was funny but I guess it could be considered pretty cringe worthy. Years ago I used to wear these Lycra metallic pants because I was in a heavy metal or “glam rock” themed show. I couldn’t wear any underwear underneath because you could see it and I hadn’t considered a G-string… although maybe I should have. Anyway, a few minutes into the show I noticed people were giggling and I hadn’t really done any jokes yet and it took me a little while to realise I had my fly open. I wasn’t entirely “out there” but there was some definite foliage. Pretty embarrassing I suppose but I thought it was funny.

CS: You make a lot of jokes in your show about how irritating kids can be. Have you offended any of your friends?

No not at all. Everybody who knows me and even audiences know on the night, that I’m just going for laughs. I say in shows that I often offend people but I don’t’ really. It’s more that I’m the idiot and I think people see that.

CS: Comedian Mitch Hedberg once said, “I don't have a girlfriend. But I do know a woman who'd be mad at me for saying that.” Can you relate to that?

Yeah see, that’s a great joke and very, very funny. I have been in that situation but I wouldn’t say that it’s the case now. I think I can honestly and confidently say that I’m single. It is a tough one though because I suppose you can never really know what people are thinking 100% of the time - and I wouldn’t want to rub someone’s face in it but, I do consider myself single.

Finally, a really important question. Are you a MAC or a PC?

Mac all the way. And before the MAC, I was an Atari man. Yep, the 800.