Put down your phone. Arj Barker would like a word with you. In his new show, We Need To Talk, Barker finds the funny side of oh-so-serious topics like child-rearing and social media addiction.
Despite hailing from California, Barker has found his biggest fanbase Down Under, where many know him as the non-sequitur-spouting pawn shop owner from the TV show Flight of the Conchords.
“Melbourne has some of the best audiences, and I think they’re going to dig my show,” says Barker. “I’m not coming out there with some bullshit. I worked hard on this, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Like many of us, Barker wonders if his smartphone doesn’t have too much of a grip on his life – if social media hasn’t made it harder to be social. His solution is getting up close and personal with audiences and making a connection through laughter.
“When I can really connect with an audience, that’s the best moment for me,” says Barker. “I love seeing people laugh. That’s what makes life gratifying in a broader sense – connecting with other people. Friendships and even passing interactions with strangers, when you have a connection, that makes you feel human.”
With Flight of the Conchords, Barker performed for audiences upward of 15,000, but he also likes the intimacy of smaller venues.
“The benefits of performing in big venues should be pretty obvious, especially to anyone with a mortgage,” says Barker. “But a small venue can be as fun as a big venue. In a café packed with 50 people, you might not even need a microphone.”
A chosen few are born with “funny bones,” says Barker, but the rest of the comedy world has to rely on hard work and a smidgen of luck to put on a top-notch act. Barker preps for each tour with a smaller pre-tour where he fine-tunes his material, carrying a notebook to jot down ideas as they occur.
“There’s no magical source for funny ideas – you have to work at it,” says Barker. “An idea is like a fleeting little hummingbird that shows up and then zips away. You have to grab it – you have to be quick with the pen.
“I have to admit, I’ve slacked a little bit, because I’ve always got my phone on me. With technology, you can become a little complacent.”
In We Need To Talk, Barker also offers his many insights on parenting, undaunted by the fact that he doesn’t have kids himself.
“Every kid can’t be special,” exclaims Barker. “That defies the definition of ‘special’. Over many years, I’ve learned that I’m just one of the gang. And it’s actually easier to be happy when you accept your normality.”
Barker also runs Do It Myself TV, a YouTube show where he muddles his way through building shelves and staircases alongside Steven Gates of Tripod.
