 He first made a name for himself in the late 1970s and early 1980s, performing several shows of raunchy comedy a day at outdoor parks in New York City, most notably in Washington Square Park.In September 1980, Barnett auditioned for "Saturday Night Live".Producer Jean Doumanian was ready to hire him; however, Barnett was self-conscious about his poor reading skills and he skipped a follow-up reading.