Bone-Dry Baby

Both times I've seen Todd Barry live were during music festivals, so perhaps my perspective on him is skewed. But my favorite part of his act is when he unleashes hilariously withering critiques of hipsters, bands, photographers and the entertainment industry as a whole, all delivered in his bone-dry deadpan. "I'd like to give a shout-out to my favorite people at South by Southwest: the guys who wear wool caps even though it's 95 degrees out," he said in Austin this year. "Never take those off. They feel extra good when it's 95 degrees out. And I'd like to shout out to the people who put bands in hotel lobbies. How am I supposed to ask for my upgrade that they're not going to give me if they can't hear me?" He had me howling with a routine about Metallica's increasingly bewildered reaction to the news that, after years of arenas, the band would be relegated to playing a barbecue joint. Maybe during his Dallas appearance he'll break out the bongos for his Flight of the Conchords smash hit "Doggy Bounce." He performs at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Addison Improv, 4980 Belt Line Road. Dallas' own Mark Agee opens. Tickets ($15) are at 972-404-8501 or improv.com.
Tue., Nov. 10, 2009