Drawing You in and Dragging out the Laughter: Todd Barry Speaks

The words most frequently associated with comedian Todd Barry are “low” and “key” – which belie the man’s knack for quickly unleashing loud, uncontrollable laughs from his audience. When you dig for information on Barry, you’ll also encounter the words “favorite comedian.”

The man’s trademark style on stage is quiet, even and smooth. Most narrators on the Discovery Channel speak with more volume and urgency than Barry. This is a good thing. He doesn’t project his voice, he draws you in. It’s a perfect foundation for his conversational, personal comedy about unsold CDs, Chipotle restaurants or ponderings about “shit water.”

Whether you’re familiar with Barry or not, you’ve probably seen or heard him somewhere. The New York comedian has been on a streak that, while it hasn’t exactly been hot, it’s been pleasantly temperate for some time. He’s built up a pretty solid career over the years.

Since getting his start in Florida, Barry has worked his way into voice acting, guest appearances on numerous TV shows (Dr. Katz, Wonder Showzen, Tom Goes to the Mayor, Chappelle’s Show and even Sesame Street). Not to mention his recent, hilarious role as the “Doggy Bounce” guy on Flight of the Conchords.

Strangely, given his deadpan demeanor, one of the latest chapters in his slow, steady rise in show business includes a turn as Wayne, the prickish grocery store manager in The Wrestler – the award-winning drama from 2008 and Mickey Rourke.

All the while, Barry’s been honing his standup on stages everywhere – including small screen performances on Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel and Comedy Central to mention a few.

Barry’s standup burrows its way into the brain without the listener even realizing it. Unless he’s joking about being a comedian, it doesn’t even seem like he’s on stage. His cool, metered approach sounds less like an act and more like you’re listening to a friend who is an exceptionally gifted storyteller.

If you listen to his latest CD, In Heaven, it feels as if he’s walking alongside you, relating his personal life to you. The stories feature lots of convention: “I was dating this woman” or “You guys been to Washington DC?” But he somehow avoids everything that’s grating about comedy.

The biggest reason for this? Probably because, and big surprise, he’s extremely funny. He moves lithely from joke-to-joke – never spending too much time on one subject. His voice and observations are highly original. His stuff is highly accessible, but his style and outlook are irregular enough, and his crowds are still small enough, to satisfy those who drift toward alternative comedy.

“Barry imagines a world where Bruce Springsteen is stood up by his friends at a bar, where people would think it’s OK to email Mick Jagger for directions to a Stones concert, and tourists drive through New York City without being intrigued enough to stop,” reads a review of In Heaven. “It’s a procession of foolishness and bad manners.”

Barry’s already gone on record about his upcoming Fargo debut at the Aquarium. Last week during his appearance on The Best Show on WFMU (a highly regarded and recommended radio show featuring the great radio/comedy duo Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster), Barry commented on the Aquarium, expressing a bit of confusion and interest in what it means to be at a venue within another venue (The Aquarium is located upstairs from Dempsey’s) .

“...I don’t know what that means [Dempsey’s Upstairs] … but I sort of know what it means,” he said. “I do like how one place is called Dempsey’s and within Dempsey’s the place is called The Aquarium… I mean, it will be funny if I show up and there’s like eight showrooms going on. If I run into friends of mine, bands playing…”

Barry will experience the Aquarium first hand this Tuesday, May 19th… and thankfully, he won’t have to share the Fargo crowd with anyone. If you were one of the thousands who paid (Ticketmaster-level) prices for Jim Gaffigan at the Fargo Civic, you won’t regret seeing a hilarious show at one of the area’s most intimate venues for only $10 in advance!