San Francisco-bred comedian Arj Barker may be best known as Dave, the half-lidded shop owner on HBO’s comedy series “Flight of the Conchords.”
And even though the show wrapped in 2009, it allowed Barker to open for the Grammy-winning Conchords — a New Zealand musical-comedy duo — at such legendary venues as Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Barker has grown his own considerable following, and he’s back to touring his stand-up act around the world, including headlining sets at Comedy Works downtown this weekend.
We caught up with him in advance of his final show there tonight.
Q:Were you disappointed when Bret (McKenzie) and Jemaine (Clement) didn’t renew “Flight,” even though HBO reportedly wanted them to?A: I certainly have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, that show was certainly the biggest thing I’ve ever been involved with, and a third season would have been excellent from an exposure point of view. Also, working on that show forces me to live in New York City, and though my liver might protest, that is certainly a fun problem to have!
Q:Were there any drawbacks to it?A: Working on that show meant that I could not tour, and I often felt the road calling me while I was waiting to deliver my three or four lines of the week. It’s no secret that I have a small part on the show, and sometimes it was frustrating because I would only work one day or even half a day a week, when I knew there were big, fat, juicy audiences to be had Down Under, especially during festival season in Adelaide, Melbourne, etc.
Q:What are some of the differences between audiences in Australia and New Zealand and the States?A: Well, size for one thing! I perform for substantially larger audiences in the Southern Hemisphere. For some reason I have been able to catch the public’s attention more so in Australia than anywhere else. I choose not to overanalyze why, but I’m sure doing many TV spots over the years was a big part of it.
Q:What’s your biggest creative influence outside of comedy?A: Probably my friends. The ones who I’ve known long before I ever conceived of trying stand-up. I also think I was influenced by the amount of marijuana I used to smoke, and although I don’t smoke anymore, I’m sure it has left an indelible mark on my perception of the world. I hope I used the word indelible correctly, because it just sounded right, but I don’t actually know what it means.
Q:I’m always curious when talking to comedians: What was your first time doing stand-up like, and what made you want to come back?A: I started in the early ’90s in San Francisco at a place called the Holy City Zoo. It was just a hole in the wall but had a pretty rich history, as many big names such as Robin Williams and Dana Carvey came up there. Anyway, there were about 20 people at my first show, and it was a massive rush! That was that intensity and adrenaline which had me immediately hooked. I never stopped doing it or wanting to do it for one minute since that night. OK, that’s not true. Sometimes I fantasize about quitting, and becoming a reclusive dog owner.
Read more of our Arj Barker interview in the “Why So Serious?” Q&A on .
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
Arj Barker
Stand-up. Comedy Works on Larimer Square, 1226 15th St. Today. 7 p.m. $25. 303-595-3637 or comedyworks
