From New Zealand to New York, comedic folk duo finds their place on HBO
By Courtney Lear
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 7/15/07 — Part lo-fi 80s music video, part comedic genius, HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords” introduces the unconventional odd couple of New Zealanders Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement to delighted, and slightly confused, American audiences.
The show, named after college dorm toilets rather than the majestic jet, is filled with random scenarios and awkward moments are an extension of the duo’s quirky personalities.
“I’m not sure that we’re aware of the differences in our characters. We have exaggerated the stupidity, and Jemaine’s much more of an asshole,” said McKenzie. “But there’s a little bit of truth in them which makes them believable on screen as well.”
Like a modern Smothers Brothers, the pair began as a comedic musical act on comedy club stages, and make use of their song skills in their scripts.
“We started as two guys trying to practice guitar, who lived in the same house. We had difficulty memorizing other people’s lyrics so we started making up our own,” said Clement.
As far as their instrumental chops, “Bret’s better than I am,” said Clement.
“And I think we’re both just above mediocre,” said McKenzie.
Their complementary chemistry filled with playful conflict, seen in the efforts of the on screen band to achieve stardom by breaking big in New York, has made the show an instant success especially with the college age and indie crowds. However, fame isn’t changing much for them so far.
“A lot more people want photos with us. Before, people didn’t know who we were and so less of them wanted photos,” said Clement.
“Yeah, just families and when you’re at birthday parties. But now, it’s just strangers coming up, taking photographs with us,” said McKenzie.
“Flight of the Conchords” airs on HBO Sunday nights at 8:30 PST, almost the old “Soprannos” time slot, so it shows great confidence from the network for the offbeat comedy.
TV is not the only place the pair are making their mark. They also have a BBC Radio Broadcast that features Neil Finn of re-united Crowded House and other famed Brits and Kiwis. They had this to say about it on their website:
Flight of the Conchords’ 6 part BBC 2 radio series “The Flight of The Conchords” will air on National Radio starting July 2. The band officially apologizes to fellow New Zealanders for certain inaccuracies in the show with regards to New Zealand. In defense they claim that at the time of recording they were under the impression that the show would only play in Britain. During the recording period they were quoted as saying “no one in New Zealand will ever know ahahahahahaha!!”. The Conchords would like to apologize for the following:
Flight of the Conchords are not from Taranaki, they are from Wellington.
Neil Finn is not from Wellington, he is from Taranaki.
It is stated that Taranaki’s main tourist attraction is the ‘Tunnel of Wasps’. In truth it is only third after ‘The Simulated Cow’ and ‘The Amazing Rock’.
Some New Zealand accents attempted by British actors (episode 6) are inaccurate bordering on racist.
The Series stars Rhys Darby, Rob Brydon, Neil Finn, Andy Parsons, Mike Sengelow, Dan Antopolski, Emma Kennedy, Daniel Kitson, Jimmy Carr, Nina Conti, Greg Proops, Jarred Christmas and Justin Edwards.
Fun Trivia: Dan Antopolski who plays Tim/Bernard in episode two can be seen in recent film ‘The Da Vinci Code’ in a small but significant role. He plays ‘Jesus Christ’.
The Flight of The Conchords BBC 2 Series National Radio Sundays at 2.30 PM. Check the website for broadcasts in the U.S.