Lee Tran Lam - Arj Barker Ego No Amigo
21 March 2005
“I used to be high on life, but I have built up a tolerance,” comedian Arj Barker once remarked. For his new show though, Ego No Amigo, he’s re-embraced life with wholehearted, touchy-feely, New Age enthusiasm. But just so you don’t take him too seriously, he’s also wearing purple “shpants”. Shpants, for those unfamiliar with Barker lingo, are trousers that are “too short to be pants, too long to be shorts”. Not only do they match the sartorial dodginess of his big purple cloak perfectly, they are also remarkable enough to have their own “shpanthem”. The main focus of Barker’s new show however, is not his shpants (as spotlight-courting as they can be), but feel-good alternate philosophies and self-help therapies. The Californian comic poses as our guide on these matters, and the show is like a self-help seminar, except with lots of funny, sharp segues instead of deep breathing, crystal gazing and heavy chanting.
Over New-Age panpipes and ambient muzak, he talks about the origins of yoga (founded in Los Angeles “over seven years ago and now they even do it in India!”), embracing silence, and being attacked by Tai Chi gangs. “They only hit me twice, but it took six and a half hours,” he exclaims. And who has time for that?
Sometimes his unhealthy lifestyle clashes with his moral soap-boxing, but Barker manages to find clever loopholes. “The body is a temple,” he admits. “But I like to lease my temple out to demons for private parties.”
The comedian works up highly original routines about Venetian rowing machines, shoe shopping and the surreal quality of Spam. He also envisages some crude ads for Lord of the Rings products - think scatological use of the name “Balrog”, for instance.
Strangely, he ends with a screening of a film about the Labradorian cult he is apparently part of – it’s obviously a send-up of people who would be silly enough to worship doggie-like aliens (and wear shpants), but it lacks the pace of his onstage show and seems anti-climactic. Nevertheless, Ego No Amigo, is greatly entertaining. It importantly highlights Arj Barker’s vibrant imagination, crystal-sharp wit and schpants-wearing brilliance. Hallelujah.
More Information
Arj Barker - Ego No Amigo
Arj and Poopie, can be viewed at:
http://www.arjandpoopy.com/home.html
Website: http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/
