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Owner Jared Thompson said he’s excited for this weekend’s shows at the Funny Bone Bloomington Comedy Club because well-known comic Todd Barry will be performing.

Thompson said Barry is one of the most famous comedians the club has presented in the year it has been open.

“I don’t know how to describe what I do,” Barry said. “It’s just me being me.”

Barry has recorded three CDs and, in addition to appearing on Chappelle’s Show, has run the gamut of late night shows, including the “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,”  “Last Call with Carson Daly” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Barry said his jokes usually come from “just whatever pops into my head.”

“I give it a try and hopefully it works,” he said, describing his target demographic as people over 100 and under six.

Barry also said he tries to interact with the audience in a way that is “not cheesy.”
Before Barry takes the stage, feature performer Prescott Tolk will entertain audiences with jokes about “financial destitution” and his “insolvent lifestyle.”

“It’s a lot of one-liners and quick-witted anecdotes,” he said. “It definitely has a slacker vibe.”

Tolk, a Bear’s Place comedy veteran, said he enjoys coming to Bloomington because “it’s a fun town.” For headliner Barry, however, performing in Bloomington will be a new experience.

“This is my first trip to Bloomington, and I’m pumped,” Barry said.

Samples of Barry and Tolk’s comedy can be found online at their respective Web sites, as well as on YouTube.

Barry’s CDs or individual tracks can be purchased through emusic, iTunes and Amazon.com; fans can order Tolk’s CD, “I Can Complain,” through his Web site.
While Tolk will have a few jokes about his girlfriend, he said those get filtered through her first.

“That’s the only censorship I have in my life,” he said. “I have to run it by her.”
Tolk added that he finds venting about his “frustration with everyday living” therapeutic and certainly uplifting for the audience, whether they sympathize with his plights or not.

“You’re getting a laugh, and you’re getting to feel good about how bad someone else’s life is,” he said.

Stand-up comedy by Todd Barry and Prescott Tolk
WHEN 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE The Funny Bone Bloomington Comedy Club, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut streets
MORE INFO $15 general admission, $10 with a valid student ID