Arj Barker

Arjan Singh (born 12 August 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, and is half-Indian, half-European.[4] His father is of Sikh heritage.[3]

Arj Barker
Birth nameArjan Singh Aulakh
Born (1974-08-12) 12 August 1974
San Francisco
MediumStand-up, television
NationalityAmerican
Years active1989–present[1]
GenresObservational, satire
SpouseWhitney Barker, née King, May 2017 (Separated)
Notable works and rolesDave on Flight of the Conchords
Websitehttp://www.arjbarker.com

Career
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, June 30, 2012

Barker started his career in comedy after graduating from high school in 1989.[5][6] His first gigs were at an old 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 20 September 2000 and again on 31 March 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 18 October 2006, 19 September 2007 and 17 June 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 Bret and Jemaine's indifferent friend Dave.[8][9] Barker has enjoyed success 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]

Arj and Poopy

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.[12] The series is animated by Bernard Derriman, and has been syndicated to AtomFilms.[13]

The episode "Unlucky in Love" won the Annecy International Animated Film Festival Internet Selection in 2006.[14]

List of episodes
  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

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

Albums
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[15]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download
Forever
  • Released: October 2009[16]
  • 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[17]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download
Heavy
  • Released: 8 October 2013[18]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download
Organic
  • Released: 29 July 2019[19]
  • Label: A-List Entertainment
  • Format: Digital Download

DVD releases
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

ARIA Music Awards

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.[20]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Lost to
2010 Arj Barker Forever Best Comedy Release Nominated Andrew Hansen, Chris Taylor & Craig Shuftan - The Blow Parade
2012 Joy Harvest Nominated Buddy Goode - Unappropiate
2017 Get In My Head Nominated John Clarke - Clarke's Classics
2019 Organic Won N/A

References
  1. "Comedian Arj Barker Reflects on Marin Upbringing". 7 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  2. "Arj Barker". IMDb. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  3. "A Conversation With Arj Barker". 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  4. "Arj Barker's Biography: Chortle :The UK Comedy Guide". Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  5. "Have the last laugh at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival - Le Garage". legarage.melbourne. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  6. "LYAO with Arj Barker". marinij.com. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  7. Andreeva, Nellie (21 October 2004). "The Vine: NBC finds new 'Nirvana' lead". www.hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  8. "HBO: Arj Barker as Dave: Flight of the Conchords".
  9. Ryan, Andrew (10 May 2010). "Conchords fly back for one last TV season". CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  10. Rogan, Joe (February 2011). "The Joe Rogan Experience feat. Eddie Ifft; Podcast 77". Ustream.tv. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  11. "2019 ARIA Award Winners Announced". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 27 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  12. "Arj and Poopy". arjandpoopy.com. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  13. AtomFilms: Arj & Poopy series Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Unlucky in Love". Annecy 2006: Award Winning Films. Annecy.org. Retrieved 21 October 2007.
  15. "Live (DD)". Apple Music. October 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  16. "Forever (DD)". Apple Music. October 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  17. "Joy Harvest (DD)". Apple Music. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  18. "Heavy (DD)". Apple Music. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  19. "Organic (DD)". Apple Music. July 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  20. "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 4 August 2020.
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