Interview with comic Todd Barry: Rock halls versus comedy clubs

by Sarah Crisman

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You've seen him on The Wrestler, Flight of the Conchords, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Tonight he stops by The Improv for a one night stand of epically dry proportions.

DALLAS —

Great comedy continues to march through Dallas this week. I had a chance to chat with Todd Barry before he left New York to come tickle the South with his wry wit -- this was exciting for a comedy geek like me, as I've been a fan of his work on Home Movies, Space Ghost, Sesame Street, and other cereal-friendly programs. Last week he played Carnegie Hall with Ricky Gervais, and tonight he'll be headlining at The Improv.

You made a recent foray into indie film with your dramatic debut on The Wrestler. Any plans to revisit the drama?

I don't know. I'm doing a little role on this show Bored to Death. I just have a small part on that, it's somewhat dramatic, but always a little comedic.

Your wit is very dry, so it sort of lends in either direction.

Yes it is.

You are among a number of comics making a switch to perform in live music halls in addition to the traditional comedy club. Do you find the energy changes in that dynamic?

It's not something I'm a champion of, necessarily – doing rock clubs. There are advantages and disadvantages. It depends on the club and how willing they are to adapt. They're not necessarily set up for a comedy show.

It makes me wonder how the crowds differ.

The crowds have been good for the most part. But sometimes there's a bar in the center of the room, with the constant glasses and bottles being thrown down. Usually they're quite good. I prefer to have the chairs down. I don't like asking people to stand for an hour and a half for a comedy show; kind of pointless.

You want to be able to keep them in one place.

Sometimes they have seats in the back, you walk on stage and everyone is in the back of the room. But it can be good, because you can play places that won't book you or don't have a comedy venue. You don't have to necessarily do the grind of four nights. There's less feel like you're working for someone.

You seem to be a music fan yourself; we saw you on Flight of the Conchords, your MySpace page features as many bands as other comics, and you'll be performing at Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest. What do you think of this intense flirtation between comedy and music? It's obviously not anything new.

Some people think it's new, and it's been going on forever.

There seems to be a resurgence lately.

I think when it's separated, like when there's a comedy stage, or a bunch of comedians, it works. Some people try to do a band, then a comic, then a band, then a comic at a club, and that asks too much of an audience. There's a certain amount of focus you need for a comedy show that people don't have when they're watching a band. But it's great to do a festival. I've done a lot this year. You feel more like a star with your backstage pass and skipping lines.

And hanging out with people who have beards.

Yeah. It's fun. I'm looking forward to Austin.

Fun Fun Fun Fest is more true to underground music than other festivals in Austin. I think that lends itself well to live comedy, because people who support live music seem more likely to go out to comedy shows. You have to have a good sense of humor to hang at a festival. You're going to be doing a show with Mark Agee while you're in town, that's pretty exciting.

Yeah, I've worked with him before, I think in Houston.

He's fun. I like our Dallas crowd, they're good guys. We have a handful of funny guys.

Most towns have a couple of funny dudes (or gals). I don't know how big the Dallas competition is.

It's not huge. Our circuit of working comics is fairly small, but they're not half bad.

I imagine you have to be on the road a lot living in Dallas.

I've been surprised by the number of clubs opening up recently. We've gotten a lot more touring acts come through lately. You can certainly find live comedy 6-7 nights a week, and it's not just at The Improv anymore. You just have to know where to look. Our rock clubs are jumping in on the game, so it's not just relegated to the club circuit anymore.

I like to perform in a wide variety of places.

It's got to be good for your chops.

Exactly, it also helps make it more interesting. It gives you a chance to get yourself into different situations, experience bigger spaces, and deal with focus versus not-focused crowds.

You do a lot of animated work, including some of my favorites, Wonder Showzen and Home Movies. Anything we can look forward to soon?

I did a new Aqua Teen coming out soon. I did the voices for some birds.

Yes!

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