Tastemaker: Arj Barker
A role in a cult TV comedy gave him his big break, but Arj Barker prefers to earn his laughs live, writes Pavan Shamdasani
"That Flight of the Conchords guy" - for years, comedian Arj Barker has had to live with that alter-ego. As supporting character Dave, Barker won plaudits and broke through to the comedy mainstream for his role in the cult HBO show. But fame has its drawbacks, and ever since the show ended its two-season run in 2009, he's been saddled with that somewhat unflattering description.
It's not a terrible tag, mind you - thousands of comedians would kill for that shot at the spotlight - but it hasn't changed his life just yet. "Nothing about being on that show transformed my life or career … it's not like I have butlers or anything."
Case in point: I'm talking to Barker on a crackly international mobile phone call just minutes before he's about to head on-stage for a gig in Minnesota. While most Conchords fans might see him as a comedy actor, this is actually Barker's grind: he's a Californian-born stand-up comic who loves hitting the road, touring circuits and making audiences laugh.
"I've done a lot more stand-up than acting - stand-up is more gratifying because you get immediate laughs," he says. "With a TV show, there's a responsibility for the cast and crew to stifle their laughs, so really you don't know if what you did was good or not."
Barker says he'd like to do more acting, but simply hasn't had the time. He has just finished touring a large part of the US and Canada, is about to finish off the year with shows in Asia, and has most of Australia lined up for 2013. It's a tough life, but right now, he's just trying to find the spontaneous inspiration that comes before facing a large crowd.
"As much as I travel, you might think I experience things all the time, but airports and hotels and comedy clubs are so similar that it's important for me to do different things," he says. "The work's important - you never write the best jokes when you're forcing it. It's important to flex your muscles and if there was a secret that I knew of, I'd do it all the time. The best thing is to experience new things in life and not get caught in a routine." Later this month, he'll be experiencing the flip-side to his global standing when he faces local crowds at Hong Kong's Punchline Comedy Club.