Todd Barry

by David JeffriesFinding it hard to apply his B.A. in English to his previous jobs -- VD clinic clerk and drummer -- the deadpan, sometimes doe-eyed Todd Barry accepted his fate and turned to standup comedy in 1987. Bronx born and bred, Barry grew up a fan of Steve Martin, George Carlin, and Andy Kaufman. After spending years touring the comedy clubs, a 1998 Jury Award for Best Stand Up Comic at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen welcomed him to the big leagues. After an April 1999 appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Barry took to the Internet newsgroup "alt.fan.conan-obrien" only to find one of the group's regulars describing him as "worst guest of the week" and "icky." Rankled, Barry created the one-man show Icky, which featured instrumental music from Yo La Tengo and had a successful run at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. The television special Comedy Central Presents: Todd Barry also appeared in 1999. In 2001 he made his debut on CD with the self-released Medium Energy. After comedian David Cross declared it one of his favorite CDs, the Sub Pop label picked up the album for distribution in 2004. That same year, Comedy Central Records issued the CD/DVD combo Falling off the Bone and a year later reissued Medium Energy. From Heaven appeared in 2007.