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Arj Barker

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Arj Barker
Birth nameArjan Singh Aulakh
Born (1974-08-12) August 12, 1974 (age 50)
San Francisco
MediumStand-up, television
Years active1989–present[1]
GenresObservational, satire
SpouseWhitney Barker, née King
Notable works and rolesDave on Flight of the Conchords
Websitewww.arjbarker.com

Arjan Singh Āulakh (born August 12, 1974),[2] known by the stage name Arj Barker,[3] is an American comedian and actor from San Anselmo, California. He has toured in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.[4] He was born to an engineer father and artist mother. His father is of Indian Punjabi Sikh descent and his mother is of European descent.[3]

Career

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From an early age, I was trying to get laughs, but it wasn't a conscious thing. I think I was about six months old when I first realized I needed friends in life and making people laugh worked for me. By nine months, I came out of my shell.

Daily Telegraph, 30 June 2012

Barker started his career in comedy after graduating from high school in 1989.[5][6] His first gigs were at a café called Caffe Nuvo in downtown San Anselmo where he hosted stand-up night every Sunday throughout the early 1990s.[1] Barker appeared on Premium Blend in 1997, followed by appearances on the shows Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Glass House. He twice hosted Comedy Central Presents, first on September 20, 2000, and again on March 31, 2006. Barker was featured in Comedy Central's animated series Shorties Watchin' Shorties. He appeared on the Australian show Thank God You're Here on October 18, 2006, September 19, 2007, and June 17, 2009.

Barker co-wrote and performed in The Marijuana-Logues, an Off-Broadway show in New York City, with Doug Benson and Tony Camin. The title of the show was a parody of The Vagina Monologues. NBC gave Barker the lead role for sitcom Nearly Nirvana, originally scheduled for 2004. However, Barker was replaced in the lead role by the show's creator, Ajay Sahgal, and the show never aired.[7]

Barker appeared in the HBO sitcom Flight of the Conchords, playing Dave.[8][9] Barker has been successful in Australia for a number of years since first appearing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2000, and presently resides there.[10] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, he won Best Comedy Release for Organic.[11]

During the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Barker attracted widespread media attention in Australia for, while on stage in front of a live audience, demanding a mother breastfeeding her 7-month-old baby to leave and have her ticket refunded. Barker claimed the baby was interrupting his train of thought.[12][13]

Arj and Poopy

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Barker also has his own Flash series, Arj and Poopy, based on some of his stand-up material, that stars him and his cat, Poopy, who talks by farting.[14] The series was animated by Bernard Derriman, and has been syndicated to AtomFilms.[15]

The episode "Unlucky in Love" won the Annecy International Animated Film Festival Internet Selection in 2006.[16]

List of episodes

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  1. "Experimentation"
  2. "Venetian Rowing Machine"
  3. "Philosopher"
  4. "Brutally Ambushed"
  5. "Long Distance Relationship"
  6. "Shpants"
  7. "Unlucky in Love"
  8. "Yoga"
  9. "Oh, Christmas tree"
  10. "Congo Windfall"
  11. "Poetreet"

Last Comic Standing

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Barker was featured as a contestant on the first episode of the fifth season of Last Comic Standing, where he advanced to the Los Angeles semi-final round. He then failed to progress to the final 10 in the semi-final round.

Discography

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Albums

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Name Album details
Arj Barker: Issue Were Here
  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Art Baker (ARJ001)
  • Format: CD
The Marijuana-Logues
(with Doug Benson & Tony Camin)
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Comedy Central Records (CCR0028)
  • Format: CD
Live
  • Released: October 2006[17]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download
Forever
  • Released: October 2009[18]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download
Arj Barker: LYAO
  • Released: 2010
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: CD+DVD
Joy Harvest
  • Released: 9 October 2012[19]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download
Heavy
  • Released: 8 October 2013[20]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download
Organic
  • Released: 29 July 2019[21]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download

DVD releases

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Name Year
Live 2006
Balls 2008
Forever 2010
LYAO 2010
Joy Harvest 2012
Heavy 2013
Go Time 2015
Get in My Head 2017
Organic 2018

Awards

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ARIA Music Awards

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The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Barker has won one award from four nominations.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2010 Arj Barker Forever Best Comedy Release Nominated [22]
2012 Joy Harvest Nominated
2017 Get In My Head Nominated
2019 Organic Won

References

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  1. ^ a b "Comedian Arj Barker Reflects on Marin Upbringing". February 7, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  2. ^ "Arj Barker". IMDb. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "A Conversation With Arj Barker". April 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  4. ^ "Arj Barker's Biography: Chortle :The UK Comedy Guide". Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  5. ^ "Have the last laugh at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival - Le Garage". legarage.melbourne. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  6. ^ "LYAO with Arj Barker". marinij.com. March 10, 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 21, 2004). "The Vine: NBC finds new 'Nirvana' lead". www.hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  8. ^ "HBO: Arj Barker as Dave: Flight of the Conchords".
  9. ^ Ryan, Andrew (May 10, 2010). "Conchords fly back for one last TV season". CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  10. ^ Rogan, Joe (February 2011). "The Joe Rogan Experience feat. Eddie Ifft; Podcast 77". Ustream.tv. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  11. ^ "2019 ARIA Award Winners Announced". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  12. ^ Flux, Elizabeth (April 22, 2024). "'Focus is a delicate thing': Arj Barker defends decision to boot mum with baby from show". The Age. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "Comedy figure says it should be 'a given' that babies aren't brought to gigs, after show ejection sparks debate". ABC News. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "Arj and Poopy". arjandpoopy.com. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  15. ^ AtomFilms: Arj & Poopy series Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Unlucky in Love". Annecy 2006: Award Winning Films. Annecy.org. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  17. ^ "Live (DD)". Apple Music. October 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  18. ^ "Forever (DD)". Apple Music. October 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  19. ^ "Joy Harvest (DD)". Apple Music. October 9, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  20. ^ "Heavy (DD)". Apple Music. October 8, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  21. ^ "Organic (DD)". Apple Music. July 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  22. ^ "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved August 4, 2020.
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