Tiny Mix Tapes: Wow. Jemaine Clement and Brit McKenzie. Flight of the Conchords! This is a real treat. Thanks so much for taking time from your busy schedules for this fake interview.
Jemaine Clement: Yeah, no problem.
Brit McKenzie: Um, my name is spelled B-R-E-T, actually.
TMT: Pardon?
BM: My name. It’s Bret. A lot of Americans think it’s Brit because of our accents, but it’s Bret. B-R-E-T.
TMT: Great stuff, Brit. So, Jemaine... Flight of the Conchords has a new album out. What’s it called?
JC: It's called Flight of the Conchords.
TMT: Ha! Great title. I’m sure I’m gonna love it.
JC: You haven’t listened to it?
TMT: So, it says here you guys are from New Zealand. What’s that like?
BM: Uh, it’s fine I guess. But we’ve been spending a lot of time in the states lately – touring and doing our show for HBO.
TMT: Right, right. It must have been wild doing a concert for HBO.
BM: It’s a series, actually. We did a 12-episode season, and now we’re working on season two.
TMT: And what’s it called?
JC: It’s called Flight of the Conchords.
TMT: Ha! Outstanding. So, do you guys know Paul Hogan?
[Awkward silence]
JC: ...Anyway, our new album features songs from the first season of our show.
BM: Well, we’d been playing a lot of them in our stage act, before the show came about. Back then, Jemaine and I would be playing all these strange songs from a variety of genres, mostly on just two acoustic guitars. So the lyrics and the interaction with the audience were at the forefront.
JC: Yeah, but now with the show and the new album, we’ve been able to focus on the musical side of things.
TMT: You can really hear those musical reference points – Barry White in “Business Time,” Marvin Gaye in “Think About It,” and the Pet Shop Boys on “Inner City Pressure.”
JC: Wow. Yes, quite right.
TMT: The psychedelic ’60s sound is evident on “The Prince of Parties.” And the parodies of David Bowie’s myriad stylistic forays on “Bowie” are also achieved well.
BM: Sounds like you did listen to it after all.
TMT: Hmm? Oh sorry, I was just reading your press release.
[Uncomfortable silence]
BM: ...So as we were saying – the sound and musical quality were important to us. When a song like “The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)” has the same feel as all those ballads on the radio, the lyrics become funnier.
JC: Right. With the music up to speed, singing that so-and-so is the most beautiful girl “in the whole wide room” falls even flatter. It’s great to be able to have a love song with a lyric like “When you’re on the street/ Depending on the street/ I bet you are definitely in the top three.” A lot of girls would rip your head off if you said something like that.
TMT: Haha! Women. Am I right, or am I right, fellas?
BM: Good God, let’s wrap this up... So, in summation, no matter whether you know us from our show, our stage act, or even YouTube, this album is a nice collection of songs for our fans. And now they won’t need HBO or internet to hear us.
JC: Yeah, we really hope they like it.
TMT: Well if I like it, I’m sure the people will too.
JC: You haven’t listened to it.
TMT: Ha! Good one, Brit. Flight of the Conchords, thanks so much for talking with us! The kids all say you’re really boss, and I’m sure you’ll make it big in America some day. Till then, throw a shrimp on the Bar-B for me, eh?
[Painful silence]
1. Foux Du Fafa
2. Inner City Pressure
3. Hiphopopotamus Vs. Rhymenocerous (Featuring Rhymenocerous And he Hiphopopotamus)
4. Think About It
5. Ladies Of The World
6. Mutha'uckas
7. The Prince Of Parties
8. Leggy Blonde (Featuring Rhys Darby)
9. Robots
10. Boom
11. A Kiss Is Not A Contract
12. The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)
13. Business Time
14. Bowie
15. Au Revoir
More about: Flight of the Conchords
