Arj Barker is a man of action. Not only is he currently the toast of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival thanks to his brand-spanking new showOrganic, but he also finds time to train his beloved pet pooch.
“She’s a good girl, but sometimes she licks her own balls,” Barker says matter-of-factly. “It’s a habit I’m trying to break.”
In conversation, Barker is very similar to his onstage persona – laid-back and charismatic with just the right amount of sass. “I’m bringing my other show, Get In My Head, to the Sydney Comedy Festival. I haven’t toured it much up there and I don’t want to cheat the good people of Sydney out of getting to see it,” he says.
Barker first came to the attention of Australian audiences when he made his MICF debut back in 2000, but his numerous (and hilarious) appearances on Network Ten’s Thank God You’re Here and his scene-stealing role as Dave on HBO’s Flight Of The Conchordscemented his growing reputation as a fresh-faced comic on the rise.
“Bret [McKenzie] and Jemaine [Clement] are good mates and they’re really fun,” Barker says. “I started out supporting them on their small comedy tours and now they play big bloody stadiums! They’re like rock stars. They’re the genuine article, but they don’t act like stars at all – they’re real nice guys. I know they’re starting a tour of the US soon and I’m going to support them. I can’t wait!”
In the meantime, Barker is also developing a project of his own. “I’m working on my own TV show. I’ve never had my own TV show – I’ve been a part of other people’s TV shows occasionally, but I’m currently developing my own show, which I look forward to getting on the air eventually. We’re in the very early stages, but we’ve had some good developments and I’m already working with the production company, so the next step is to find someone who wants to show it on their network. So it’s still early days, but so far so good.”
Barker is quick to declare that he doesn’t plan to coast on the success of Flight Of The Conchords – he prides himself on his originality when it comes to writing his own material. “When people steal jokes, it’s disgusting and it sickens me when I see it happen. But the thing is, you’ve got to be careful, because there are a lot of comedians out there and sometimes people do have similar ideas, so I don’t jump the gun accusing people. There are cases when you hear somebody doing a joke word for word and you know it’s been done before. That’s like [US comedian] Carlos Mencia – I believe he was using other people’s material for certain. Sometimes when people get big they get called out easier, because people are interested. No-one pays that much attention to the lower level joke-stealers.
“In fact, I did hear about a guy that used one of my jokes,” Barker adds, “but he’s a fairly low-level comedian who works around a bit, so I’m not too bothered. When a joke is on my DVD, I feel like that’s enough proof anyway.”
While Barker’s career continues to soar, he admits he wouldn’t say no to a chance to reprise his role as the apathetic loan store sales clerk on Flight Of The Conchords – but he’s not holding his breath. “I can’t sit by the phone and wait for them. I’ve gotta make my own shit happen!”
Arj Barker’sGet In My Headis on Saturday May 14 at theCapitol Theatreand Sunday May 15 at the Enmore Theatre as part of the 12th Annual Sydney Comedy Festival 2016.
