Australia, “we need to talk”, says American comedian Arj Barker, ahead of his sold out show at Geelong Performing Arts Centre on 6 October.
“Hey, you got an hour? Look, I’ve been doing a s**t-ton of thinking about…us, and where we’re headed.
“This isn’t easy, but I need to be 100 per cent honest with you, even if what I say makes you laugh, very, very hard.”
But the world-famous comedian assured fans We Need to Talk would not be his last Geelong show, when he spoke to the Indy on Monday.
“The name of show implies I’m going to break up with Australia but that’s not true,” he said.
“It’s just to get people’s attention.”
In fact, Barker is booked to return to Geelong on November for another show because of next weekend’s sellout.
“That’s good news – I didn’t know that,” he said.
“Geelong’s easy to get to because I’m in Melbourne all the time. I’ve done a lot of shows there – they’re always energetic.
“You wouldn’t want to miss it – it’s quite possibly my best show yet.
“But I’m not going to beg them – if they want to do something else that’s fine with me”
In his new Australian show Barker delves into humans’ dependence on technology.
“I’m asking the question of if that’s going to improve us,” he said.
“All the subject matter sounds a bit serious, until you hear the jokes.”
Barker also talks about being married for a year and gives advice on raising children.
“Which is odd because I don’t have any children,” he said.
Born Arjan Singh, Barker performed stand up for the first time at a bar in his home city San Francisco in 1989.
“I went into it thinking this would be fun for a laugh or good story – the time I tried comedy.”
But after performing for 25 people, including his sister, her boyfriend and a good mate, he became addicted.
“I was fairly hooked on it because it was so much fun,” he said.
“I like the freedom of the hours and the freedom I have on stage to say whatever I want.”
Barker “tagged along” with a bunch of comedians going to Los Angeles where he got his first TV gig on Comedy Central in 1997.
He quickly became one of Australia’s favourite US comedians at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in the mid-2000s.
“I think it’s just a bit of good luck and we both like our humour to be on the dry, sarcastic side,” he said.
His self-depreciation also resonated with Australian audiences.
“Most comedy has some target and it’s the best target in some ways,” he said.
“Assuming you don’t mind laughing at yourself, it’s a victimless comedy.
“Being self-deprecating is enjoyable for other people. They think ‘hey I’m not the only one that screws up’.”
