[More Than] 3 Questions with Comedian Todd Barry

Have you heard the one about Santa Fe’s growing comedy scene? If you somehow hadn’t noticed, it seems we’ve got more stand-ups prowling our streets than ever lately, and this has manifested into more shows, more performances—more touring jokemakers wending their way through our weird little town. This week, as it so happens, finds legendary yukster Todd Barry coming through to make us all laugh and stuff as part of the Todd Barry Stadium Tour 2023 (6:30 and 9 pm Friday, April 14. $25-$100. Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezuma Ave., (505) 466-5528) with local comedian Evan Galpert opening. Barry’s one of those comics who all the comedy nerds know and love, and who even impresses the normies with roles in Bob’s Burgers, Flight of the Conchords and Master of None. Did you catch his Spicy Honey special on Netflix? You should. With his signature delivery and ongoing dedication to hilarity, Barry somehow wormed his way into the hearts of anyone who likes laughing, so obviously we had to ask the guy some Qs via email. The A’s are short and sweet, but we’ll tell you what we told him—Barry’s a real pip.

I’m told you have a propensity for playing smaller markets. Is it that we’re so thrilled by the prospect of entertainment, or do you just prefer a more intimate space?

Well, most of venues I play are intimate, even in big cities. I do like playing the smaller markets, especially if they are cool cities like Santa Fe!

Seems people want to call your work “deadpan” every chance they get. Do you think of yourself that way? Or, to put it another way, is your material the product of your comic evolution; or are you more working toward a mission?

I don’t think of myself as deadpan, but maybe I am. But I’ve never consciously worked on my delivery or stage persona, it just evolved organically.

Without getting into the semantics of cancel culture, do you feel or notice your work changing lately?

My act has always been fairly innocuous, but I’m sure there are a couple of things that would be questionable today.

The dreaded pandemic question—did you get into any of that Zoom stuff, or, to maybe be more succinct, did the last few years have any affect on your practice, how you write, etc.?

I mainly did Zoom and outdoor shows during the first part of the pandemic. Most of the Zoom shows were crowd work shows, which were interesting once I got into the rhythm, but they were also surprisingly draining. And it’s a bit surreal to do a show in your kitchen. As far as writing, I generally write on stage, so I didn’t have as much opportunity to generate new material the way I usually do.

I feel like when I was a kid, liking stand-up was almost more niche, whereas comics are seeming more elevated to me now—like we all finally agreed making people laugh is an art form. You’ve been in the biz for some time now, would you have any advice for your younger self, or even someone newly trying to make a go in comedy?

My advice for young comics is write and get on stage as much as possible, don’t bug people, don’t post a clip that doesn’t make you look great, don’t obsess with getting a manager or agent. Just get good at what you do and have fun.

Have you been through New Mexico before? Do you like spicy food? We have a lot of that here...

I did a show in Albuquerque a few years ago and took a solo vacation to Santa Fe a few years before that. Unfortunately, I had a little stomach ailment going on during that trip. I still ate your green chiles but it wasn’t easy. Hopefully I’ll be in good shape for this trip!