World famous in NZ for his Flight of the Conchords’ appearances, Arj Barker is bringing his new stand-up show to Christchurch for the Buskers Festival.
What can you tell us about your new show, We Need to Talk? It's awesome. I'm jealous of the audience for getting to watch it.
From Christchurch and the Buskers Festival, you head to the Adelaide Fringe for a month and then the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for another month – you must get tired just thinking about it? It's not too bad. I mostly work about an hour a day. And don't worry, I am not complaining!
How do you keep the show fresh on such a long tour? Do you mix it up along the way? Yes, the show will be slightly different each night, depending on many factors. But at the end of the day, the shops tend to close.
You are well known in NZ for your collab with Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords – how did you get involved with them? What’s your highlight from that time? Filming the show in New York was great fun but one of my all-time favourites was supporting them on tour around NZ when they came back after the TV show. The audiences were so pumped and I really fed off that.
How do you prepare for a gig? Any rituals or superstitions? I like to bathe on the day of a gig.
Tell us about your first gig? I was at summer camp with my family and they had a skit night. I wrote a little monologue poking fun at various incidents that had occurred in the previous days. I thought of it as a skit but looking back it was indistinguishable from stand-up comedy. I was about eight years old I'd say, maybe nine. Got some decent laughs too as I recall!
I’ll know I’ve ‘made it’ when… I get to be in this publication. What's it called again?
Of the many cities and venues you have performed in, what is your favourite? My favourite is the one I'm in. That’s the only way to stay happy.
Anything on the cards for when you’re in Christchurch? I'd like to do some nature photography, so I'll probably venture into some nearby woods when I get the chance. It's just as well that I'm letting you know – in case I don't come back, you'll know where to look.
If you weren’t doing what you are now, what would you want to be doing? Not sure! Maybe a door-to-door encyclopedia salesman? Heard they're hiring.
Is there a particular book or author that has inspired you in your life or career? Well, I love The Lord of The Rings, and I consider myself the No. 1 fan, so therefore it should come as no surprise that Peter Jackson is my favourite author ever!
I can’t leave the house without... forgetting something!
What’s the best advice your Mum ever gave you? Pants first, THEN shoes.
Bread & Circus – World Buskers Festival, Arj Barker: We Need to Talk, The Spiegeltent, February 9 – 12, 2020
breadandcircus.co.nz