An Interview with Todd Barry.
If you’ve managed to find this site but somehow you don’t know who Todd Barry is, then its likely you’ve created a paradox that will unravel the very fabric of time and space, or at the very least, you’re not the comedy nerd you thought you were. Congratulations! For those of you that have read past this unfunny, slightly patronising intro, Todd Barry is a great comic who has starred in in some of the best comedies out there; including Louie,The Flight of The Conchords, The Larry Sanders Show, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! And others that I can’t quite recall of the top of my head. He is also a great stand up, and any comedy connoisseur should be familiarise themselves with his brilliant comedy album: From Heaven. Interview below.
The Humourdor: Why did you want to get into stand up initially? Was it something you’ve always wanted to do?
Todd Barry: I used to go watch open mic nights in Florida, then at some point, I just got the urge to try it. I never thought about doing standup until after I graduated college.
H: Besides your stand-up work, you’ve worked on a a huge variety of TV shows. Has that been satisfying?
TB: Yeah, it’s pretty fun doing the occasional acting role. I do a lot of standup shows, so it mixes it up a bit.
H: Sex and the City has a history of putting younger comics in bit parts. Arguably, your most famous role is “Ordinary Guy” in that series. Do you think it significantly helped your career, being on a programme that is viewed by so many people?
TB: I can’t say whether or not that particular role helped my career, but I don’t imagine it hurt.
H: What are your views on torrent sites, with regards to your material?
TB: I have no idea how many people are downloading my stuff for free, and wouldn’t even know how to figure that out. I’d love it if they all paid for it, but I’m sure many people who are using torrent sites are downloading stuff they wouldn’t buy if torrent sites didn’t exist.
H: A lot of interviews with you seem to focus on the huge internet backlash to your Conan appearance/negative reactions to your comedy. Do you think there’s a persona of being a dick that people have created of you, despite it (as far as I know) not being true? Perhaps partially because you tend to play characters like your role in The Wrestler?
TB: I don’t know how “huge” that backlash was. It was really one woman posting an opinion. I happened to see it, and I sort of stirred it up, by reading it on Conan.
H: It seems like you work in a pretty tight-knit community of comics, who get each other parts on their shows/tours/etc. Do you think this sort of idea of a community amongst comedians is fading what with the information superhighway and the YouTubes?
TB: I think people still want to have actual friends, so I don’t think youtube has affected that.
H: Is there ever a nostalgia for when you were all young comics doing comedy in little clubs? There seems to be a bit of that in Louie.
TB: I still do a lot of my shows in little clubs, so I haven’t reached that “nostalgic” phase net.
H: How did you get involved with Funny or Die? Do you think the internet has reached a point where it can compete with mediums like Film and TV, or does traditional broadcasting still have too much of a hold on too many people?
TB: I know a guy who works at Funny or Die, so when some friends and I came up with the idea for the “Black Swan” video, I just called him up, and he was into helping me make it. I have no idea about the future of traditional broadcasting, but I’m sure the internet is just going to get bigger and bigger.
