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UCLA Live presents British comedian Bill Bailey in his performance of “Part Troll,” a

After announcing himself in the third person on a loudspeaker backstage at his April 5 show, Bill Bailey energetically strode out to his microphone, settled amid an array of unlikely musical instruments, and concisely informed the audience that “there are three jokes in this show.”

He promptly began the first with, “Three blokes walk into a pub” trailing off midway through, unapologetically explaining that he always seems to lose faith in his jokes halfway through. In place of this overused joke was a delightful blend of unusual observations and musical parody, with topics ranging from the academic to the absurd, and touching on almost everything in between.

Bailey, a popular stand-up comic and television personality in his native Britain, is performing at the Macgowan Hall Little Theater through April 23. He is the second performer in the UCLA Live British/Irish Comedy Invasion Series, which began in March.

After the success of “Part Troll,” his second live stand-up comedy show, which completed an extended run at Wyndhams Theatre in London’s West End, Bailey brings nearly the same show to Los Angeles.

“I don’t really tend to change it an awful lot,” Bailey said of his material when performing for international audiences. “With my experiences playing in New York, changing little things, like names, references or brand names – even those change the character of the piece. My stuff is very much characterized by use of language, by turn of phrase and linguistic style. If you mess with that, something important is missing.”

Even with a considerable amount of colloquial British-speak and a blasé style of rambling that could be taken as pretension from anyone who isn’t English, Bailey has connected with American audiences quite successfully.

“If you talk about it in the right way, you can talk about anything,” he said. “It’s about storytelling, about how you present it. I could tell a story about West London, and if I told it in the right way, it would resonate anywhere.”

As an afterthought, and in his characteristically rambling style, he added, “I try to not be so exclusive in my storytelling. It definitely shouldn’t be a lecture. Esoteric subjects need to be presented in an accessible fashion.”

Interspersed with Bailey’s storytelling is a motley collection of musical parodies ranging from a Portishead-inspired rendition of “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” to “Stairway to Heaven” played on a banjo.

This seemingly effortless tinkering with assorted musical instruments is probably what sets Bailey apart from so many others in the business. Despite the fact that the songs are parodies, Bailey’s skill is immediately apparent.

“I was in a few bands before I began doing comedy, and in those I played the keyboard and guitar,” he said. “I did a lot of classical music (in my shows) at first, but in the last few years I’ve used all the electronics and gadgets.”

Ironically, Bailey’s multi-instrumental talent stems from the desire to parody a wider range of music.

“Once I started making fun of bands, I needed extra sounds – just a wider palette to draw from. Each of these sounds can be applied to a different genre of music. I try not to be exclusive in my making fun of music,” Bailey said jokingly.

Among the more unusual instruments he uses in his act is the theremin, an instrument consisting of two antennas and played without any direct physical contact from the musician.

“I have always been fascinated by the sound of it,” he said. “It’s a cross between a violin and a human voice. It’s a totally unique sound.”

According to Bailey, it is also the ideal instrument for live comedy.

“(The theremin) is very difficult to play because you are literally plucking the notes out of the air. But that results in something that looks very comical, almost as if I were performing magic or something,” he said. “In that way, it is the perfect instrument for music and comedy together.”

Following his success as a live comedian, Bailey began appearing on British television, particularly on the BBC in “Never Mind the Buzzcocks,” “QI” and “Jonathan Creek.”

“TV is fun in a different way,” Bailey said. “I tend not to watch the shows – I just enjoy recording them. Really I am a live performer, and I get the most buzz from a live show. TV gives me a different kind of buzz, something more delayed. It gives me the satisfaction of producing a tangible piece of work.”

During live performances, Bailey relishes the element of surprise.

“The good and bad thing about stand-up is that they happen and they’re gone. Something may happen that day that never happens again, and that for me makes it the most satisfying performance style.”

Bailey also tries to incorporate the audience into his moment-to-moment mentality.

“On stage I am able to play music, act out roles, and tell stories. I can only do one element in TV. Watching comedy on TV, you are once removed, but on a live stage you are watching something unfold in front of you. There is really nothing quite like it.”

Many would say the same of Bailey himself.