“When I’m performing I like to fill every hole full of laughter and try and make sure everyone is laughing as much as I can.” And for Australia’s funniest person that shouldn’t be too hard to do.
Carl Barron started his stand-up career back in 1993 but shot to fame in 1997 with his first ever television appearance on ‘The NRL Footy Show’. Carl said before that memorable appearance he never really had the desire to be on television.
“From ’93 to ’97, I was doing my trade on the Sydney pub circuit and just didn’t think I was good enough for TV,” he said.
“I was interested in making people laugh but I never had a burning passion to be famous or anything like that and I still don’t.”
Carl is set to leave the western Sydney community in stitches when he performs his popular all-new ‘One Ended Stick’ tour at Penrith Panthers and Rooty Hill RSL this February and March.
With some local dates already sold-out, more shows have been added to the calendar to keep up with Carl’s ever growing popularity.
“It’s a funny thing because I’d be lying if I said that I was totally surprised that my shows sell-out because it’s been really good for a while now, I guess I’ll never get 100% used to it,” Carl said.
“I just feel grateful mostly because each time a show sells out I just can’t believe all these people come to see me.”
Now in his 20th year in the stand-up industry and still at the top of his game, Carl said there’s a lot of pressure on him to continue to keep the bar perched high.
“There is a lot of pressure but overcoming that is what keeps you at the top,” he said. “A lot of good ‘comics’ I know are really hard on themselves but you just always have to raise the bar and continue to make your act better.
“I think I’m less hard on myself these days but I’m never happy when half the audience is laughing or when they’re laughing for a half a show, so that’s why I try and make it as good as possible.”
The 47-year-old Queensland born comic’s style is based on observational humour, where his act is centred on making remarks about commonplace aspects of everyday life. Carl said whenever he witnesses something funny or unusual walking down the street, he likes to use an updated method of taking notes.
“When I was younger I would always write things down with a pen and paper but now I don’t do that because it was becoming a pain but what I’ve always got on me is my mobile phone and I talk into my voice recorder, that way it’s always there with me,” he said.
Comedians always have their good nights and bad nights in the spotlight, sometimes jokes work well and sometimes they don’t, and Carl admits he’s had rough nights on stage to the extent where he’s thought he should just chuck it all in.
“I’ve had those days when you feel you’re just not hitting the mark but I think it’s like anyone’s job,” Carl said.
“People say to me ‘How can you get over playing in theatres and making all those people laugh?’ But it’s like any job. Some days you just want to get away and you get tired. Usually you just need a break but right now I love what I’m doing but I just know if I work too much I get tired and jack of it.”
Before Carl was a successful stand-up he made a living as a roof tiler, an occupation he confesses he “didn’t like”.
He said life being a comedian really defines who you are and people will always have their perceptions of you – good and bad.
“Comedy can define who you are because when you go out on stage night after night talking to people about what you think and the way you see life, you get to see the way you are and as well as that you get a lot of people saying nice things about you and also people that aren’t quite as complimentary,” he said.
“In this job you must learn to accept yourself despite people saying that rubbish. It’s a hard road because when you go out in public people are going to have an opinion of you. It’s helped me to see that opinions are just opinions and that’s all. It’s more about how you feel about yourself and what you are doing that matters most.
“Some people are going to like you and some people don’t and you just have to learn to live with it but I must admit it’s difficult some days.”
While Carl’s made millions of people in Australia and all over the world laugh until they’ve wet themselves over his two decade career, it’s always interesting to know who makes the comedian laugh or in Carl’s case ‘giggle’.
“I grew up listening to Bill Cosby and Billy Connolly but they didn’t really make me laugh hard because I’m not a hard laugher,” Carl said.
“I can enjoy a show like ‘The Office’ or ‘The Extras’ but it doesn’t make me laugh out loud, I just really enjoy it. Not much makes me laugh actually.”
Carl Barron is guaranteed to make everyone laugh when he visits the EVAN Theatre at Penrith Panthers on Wednesday, February 15 at 7.30pm. Tickets are $46.50.
To book or more for more information call 1800 061 991 or visit http://www.penrith.panthers.com.au.
Carl’s also playing shows at the Rooty Hill RSL on Sunday, February 5, Sunday, February 19 and Tuesday, March 20 at 8.30pm. Tickets are $45.
