Most comedians would consider the “medium energy” tag an insulting description of their act, but it fits Todd Barry so well that he named an album after it.
The balding, deadpan New Yorker turns patience into a fine art, drawing out twisted punch lines with delivery that wavers between a knowing yawn and a brilliant aside. But Barry keeps the audience firmly on the hook, injecting his material with liberal amounts of improv crowd interaction.
The 44-year-old stand-up is a favorite of the indie music crowd, playing alternative venues as well as traditional clubs and theaters. We spoke with Barry in advance of his show at the Oriental Theater on Thursday about his new Comedy Central album, his work ethic and the double- edged sword of comedy nerds.
Q: You’ve been on Letterman and Conan quite a bit over the past couple of years. Did you watch many talk shows growing up?
A: I watched various young comedians coming up on talk shows like Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Johnny Carson and early Letterman, and I was a comedy fan before David Letterman and Jay Leno had talk shows. I also bought albums by Steve Martin, Cheech and Chong, Sam Kinison — all sorts of people. I remember I even had a Martin Mull album on 8-track tape.
Q: What was your first stand-up experience like?
A: It actually went really well. I prepared a lot of jokes that I’m sure were terrible, but I looked as professional as you could be for your first time.
Q: You have an English degree, but I understand you’ve also worked as a substitute teacher, clerk at a VD clinic and a drummer.
A: I was in a couple of bands that got some small amount of notoriety, but that sort of fizzled after a while.
Q: What did they sound like?
A: One was sort of garagey, indie, jangly, 12-string kind of thing. The lead singer was very much into the Paisley Underground movement.
Q: You’ve also played with musical acts like Yo La Tengo, Jens Lekman, the Shins, Aimee Mann and They Might Be Giants.
A: I never identify myself as “alternative,” though, and would never stop working any clubs. It doesn’t go along with my work ethic.
Q: But do you enjoy doing comedy at music festivals like South by Southwest, Bonnaroo and Bumbershoot?
A: Oh yeah, I’ve done Bumbershoot six or seven times, and it’s just amazing. They have their comedy sets in a theater, and you feel like a star. Every show is packed, and people are walking about taking pictures with you.
Q: Are you still performing bits from your latest album, “From Heaven,” or do you consider them “retired” now that it’s out?
A: I’ve never been prolific enough where I could put out an album and be like, “I’m done with that stuff,” but there’s different schools of thought on that. I nervously approach doing jokes from older albums because if I show up in Minneapolis, the chance of the audience knowing them is pretty unlikely. At the same time, you don’t want someone leaving there and going, “Oh, I knew every joke he did.”
Q: It seems only hard- core comedy nerds would be that way.
A: They’re a vocal minority that doesn’t seem to understand they have an extreme interest in something. The vast majority of people are not seeing comedy six times a week.
Q: The final episode of last season’s “Flight of the Conchords” on HBO was a cliffhanger. Will they bring your character back?
A: I have no idea, but it’s possible. My friend Vernon Chatman (co-creator of MTV’s “Wonder Showzen”) called it a triumph for low-key comedy, and I tend to agree.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
Todd Barry
Comedy. The Oriental Theater, 4335 W. 44th Ave., with Adam Cayton-Holland, Matt Vogl. Thursday. 8 p.m. $15-$19. 303-455-2124 or
