Comedian Barnie Duncan is no stranger to the Fringe, having been part of ‘Different Party’ with Trygve Wakenshaw and through his previous alter-ego Juan Vesuvius. 2025 sees Barnie return with his debut solo ‘Oooky Pooky’. We talked to Barnie about ‘Oooky Pooky’, his two shows with Trygve Wakenshaw, and bringing his kids to the Fringe for the first time.

Can you tell us about ‘Oooky Pooky’?

This is a show about the concept of destiny, about guruism, and about clowning crossing the line. I had wanted to make a show about guruism for a while, because of a long-standing hatred of Russell Brand, and because I lived on an ashram in India as a kid. Then late last year I found a cassette tape that my late mum had made when I was a toddler, where she went to an astrological expert and got my entire life predicted. When I listened to the tape I found some weird cross-overs into this guruism idea and then I realised I had a show to be made.

For those unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your comedy style and approach to performance?

I have a background in physical comedy, but I also like telling jokes. I used to make character comedy (those at the Fringe might remember me as Calypso DJ clown Juan Vesuvius) so it wasn’t until only maybe seven years ago when I started to just be Barnie on stage, telling jokes. That was when I was living in Melbourne, where the stand-up scene is super healthy. I quickly found out that my style definitely suited the ‘alt-comedy’ scene, and I also found out that it was hard for me to leave physical stuff behind. So I guess my style now is half-physical, half-speaky jokey… or maybe a ‘physical stand-up comedian’. My humour is pretty surreal, I don’t realllllly like doing jokes about dating, or being a dad, or the trouble with airplane food. I am more into moths and soup and stuff like that. And then all of a sudden I will jab in some hot political content. 

How does your writing vary between your stand-up and your physical comedy? Are there some subjects you find lend themselves better to one approach than the other? 

I suppose if I wanna reference a dumb piece of policy or a stupid politics man I might use my talking more, but then I might set the joke up with words and punchline it with my body. Or vice versa… My physical stuff allows me to really draw out the little intricacies of a subject, like a horny Brazilian butterfly. Sometimes talking about a thing heaps is not as funny as just being the thing. 

You’re also performing in two different shows with Trygve Wakenshaw. Can you tell us about those, and from where are you getting the energy?

‘Different Party’ is a sell-out award-winning masterpiece of physical comedy that takes a long hard look at what happens in an office when the two people who work in the office have no real idea how to work in an office, and the office itself is for a business that is essentially useless and nobody ever needs its services. It is probably the best show of the Fringe. 

‘Hot Chips’ is a brand new thing that Trygve and I are making. Seeing as ‘Different Party’ has proved to be a great hit (we first brought it to Fringe in 2017 and last year it won Best Comedy at the NZ Comedy Awards), we thought we had better try and make a new thing so this is that! It is more of a direct-to-the-audience, series of ideas splattered out with no long coherent link. We aim to choose a new subject matter each night and then do as many interpretations of that subject as possible in the hour. It will not involve much rehearsing. 

‘Oooky Pooky,’ is your debut stand-up Edinburgh show. What are your hopes and expectations for the month?

I am so excited to be doing a ‘Barnie stand-up’ show in Edinburgh. I know my physical comedy works there, I know my character comedy works there, but I have never just been Barnie standing on stage being Barnie. So I am hoping to get a good gauge on how my humour goes down with the UK Massive. I hope that I make people think, and that I have nice conversations after my show about stuff, and that I don’t get cancelled for acknowledging the existence of Palestine. 

Apart from ‘Oooky Pooky’ and your shows with Trygve, is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to (or dreading) about the Fringe?

Having my kids there! The last time I was at the Fringe (2017) I was a childless vagabond, but now I have a five-year-old and a one-year-old, so I am looking forward to going to every single kid show over the course of the Fest (including Trygve’s show for kids ‘Monsterrrr!‘). Also I wanna go to the special tartan shop and get a suit made out of the Duncan clan tartan. I think about it every Fringe and never do it and this time I think I should.

Beside ‘Oooky Pookie’, can we expect to see you performing elsewhere during August?

I will be DJing with the Samedia Crew somewhere on Aug 15th, hopefully [Betty] Grumble and I will put on a party, too…. And I think I will be doing some late night madness with the ‘Stamptown‘ Crüe.

Are there any other acts at the Fringe that you would recommend audiences see?

Yes – I am really looking forward to seeing Betty Grumble do her ‘Enemies of Grooviness Eat Sh!t’, also the wonderful Paul Currie, Laura Davis, and maybe the Rocky Horror Night.

‘Oooky Pooky‘ is at Assembly Roxy – Roxy Bar from Thu 31 Jul to Sun 24 Aug 2025 at 19:05

‘Different Party‘ is at Assembly George Square Studios – Studio 2 from Wed 30 Jul to Sun 17 Aug 2025 at 17:10

‘Hot Chips‘ is at Underbelly Cowgate – Big Belly from Sat 2 to Sun 24 Aug 2025 at 23:10