Brian Barlow
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Brian Barlow is a Toronto comedian, a member of the comedy troupe the Gurg, and creator of The Loner Show. He is known for absurd character creations and laxidasical performance style, as well as several videos widely distributed via the internet, including Blind Brad Pitt vs. Maddox, and The Egg Man.
[edit] Early career
Brian Barlow originally attended the Second City Conservatory in Toronto, where he first met current comedy partner Chris Locke. While there, he collaborated with Sandra Battaglini, who founded Lambchops musical improv group. However, along with Chris Locke, Brian found the formal style and usual subject matter of the conservatory to be confining, and so abandoned his training in favour of forming a sketch troupe with Chris.
[edit] The Gurg
The Gurg co-founded a monthly comedy review in the Cameron house called Rad Maneuvers along with another comedian. They performed throughout Toronto from 2002 onward, and eventually helped to create the new Toronto Alternative Comedy Scene. Their output has been copious, including many reviews and short films.
In 2003, the Gurg were nominated for the Cream of Comedy award, though they did not succeed in attaining it.
[edit] The Loner Show
Founded by Brian Barlow in December 2004, this Monthly show became the cornerstone of Righteous Wednesdays. Typical of current trends in Alternative comedy in Toronto, the show is designed with restrictive rules in mind. The restriction is that, while all performances must be solo, they can not be standup comedy. This approach to banning any conventional material is in keeping with the Ethos of the current comedy movement. As of July 2006, The Loner Show is part of Laugh Sabbath a weekly comedy show that takes place every Sunday at The Rivoli in Toronto.
