Barnie Duncan is a multi award-winning comedian, known for crafting shows which involve things not usually associated with stand-up.
His work has won him awards in New Zealand and around Australia, and audiences would be familiar with performances he's presented that include giant taps, turntables, filing cabinets, pulsing LED signs and more.
Since moving to Melbourne in 2013, Barnie's style of physical comedy and immersive theatre has grown and developed, especially through his company Theatre Beating, whose goal it was to mark dark, slapstick shows for audiences not particularly keen for the theatre.
Now, at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), Barnie goes back to basics in a show he calls 'Just Jolks'. It's stand-up in its purest form. A mic stand, maybe a stool. . . And that's it.
We chat to Barnie about his career, and what audiences can expect from him at this year's MICF.
You’ve won a couple of awards both here in Aus and over in NZ across your career. What do these accolades mean to you?
Yeah, awards are weird. They are cool, and I freely admit that I chase them with the zeal of a kid playing pass the parcel. But they can also be hollow and not indicative of talent and often times more indicative of zeitgeist. I guess what they mean for me is recognition and that means a lot in this industry. It is an industry that very few people can actually live off. Artists put absurd amounts of time into making shows, doing countless free open mic nights, writing and writing and writing all for no monetary compensation. So an award can be a nice thing – you don’t get adequate financial compensation for the show, but at least you get some object you can look at when you are depressed that makes you feel proud of yourself.
In 2015 you were nominated for MICF’s Best Newcomer Award. What would you say is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your craft since then?
Well at that point I was doing a character called Juan Vesuvius. At that point I still wasn’t ready to come on stage and 100 per cent just be ‘Barnie’. So I have since learned to do that. That wasn’t really a lesson, though. More of a. . . Shedding. I guess the biggest lesson I have learned in the last wee while when it comes to comedy is how to talk about things that have happened in my personal life on stage without feeling like a dick.
You’re returning to MICF for ‘Just Jolks’. Any other comedians you’re keen to check out at the festival?
Definitely my ol’ pal Phil Burgers aka Dr. Brown. Also Daniel Kitson. Also Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall, Oliver Coleman, Clara Cupcakes, David Quirk, Hannah Camilleri, Matthew Vasquez, Sam Campbell. . . Oh and Sheng Wang is my new very favourite man. Stuart Daulman will no doubt steal my heart. . .
For this show you’re bringing it all back to classic jokes and stand-up. What are you most looking forward to about this?
In all honesty I can say I am looking forward to just touring with a suitcase. I have no props (. . .ish) and don’t have to do an enormous tech rehearsal. I am looking forward to the simplicity of it.
How would you describe your style for newcomers to your comedy?
My style is like a weird guy that you meet at a beach one night when you are 20 and backpacking with your two best friends in France. You hang out with him for two hours and afterwards you feel really stoned and also kind of spiritually rinsed, and you and your two best friends keep quoting odd sh.t this guy said to you for the rest of your lives. That vibe, plus a good dash of feverish physicality.
Why do you think this brand of comedy works for you?
Look, I have tried other brands and I just feel very unfashionable in them. This is a good brand for me because, as a comedy fashion designer, I created this brand, and I am also an ex-catwalk model, so I really know how to flaunt that sh.t.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the industry you’re in?
Hanging out in green rooms with ten silent nervous passive aggressive comedians. Just Jolks! Ummmmm. . . I truly believe stand-up is one of the great elusive arts. Like poetry. You just need your brain and your mouth and some other body parts to do it. You take a moment of life and you simmer it and decant it and reduce it down to a joke that hits people in a particular way that makes them laugh and simultaneously understand something deeper. It is endless in its combinations and possibilities. It is easy to get addicted to it. Plus, it is an honour to be in a position to make people forget about their dumb day for one hour. . . Or ten minutes, or however long your spot is. Comedians are vital weirdos.
Barnie Duncan plays Trades Hall – The Evatt Room (Melbourne International Comedy Festival) 30 March-9 April.
