NZ Herald Interview - March 08, 2009

Buckle up and prepare for landing
7 Mar, 2009



Flight of the Conchords stars Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie have been getting used to fame since their self-titled sitcom made it big in America. But it's not quite the same for their hapless characters in much-awaited season two, debuting on Prime tomorrow. The musicians are still struggling to "make it" in New York - and in one episode even contemplate prostitution to pay the bills.

View: It's been reported that the second season of Flight of the Conchords was proving to be your "difficult second album"?

Clement: When I heard we got the first series I couldn't sleep for three nights. I thought we couldn't do it. Then halfway through the first series they asked if we'd do the second one and Bret had heart palpitations.

McKenzie: I've never had such a physical reaction to a piece of information. I got a tic.

Clement: They wanted us to start writing episodes right then.

McKenzie: I had a panic attack. I think 'difficult second album' is an appropriate term: we'd spent years developing the first songs with no time pressure and suddenly we had to write 20 new songs in six months.

View: Where do you get the inspiration for the stories from?

Clement: We'll often try to think of famous bands, what's happened to them. And we'll try and think of things that have happened to Bret and I on tour.

McKenzie: There's one episode this season that's loosely based on when we stayed at a fan's house. We'd run out of money - it was a complicated situation. We'd come to L.A. to do some shows, but we'd paid for ourselves and we literally didn't have enough to pay for the hotel.

Clement: Bret did a brief cameo in Lord Of The Rings and the first thing she wanted to do was to watch the extended DVD of LOTR, which she'd just got.

McKenzie: So the three of us were sitting on the couch watching my deleted scenes. Which was pretty weird.

Clement: And she'd say things like, "Bret, there's another 40 seconds of you in the 'making of'."

View: So she really was [stalker fan] Mel?

McKenzie: Mel is an amalgamation of a dozen fans we've had over the years.

Clement: But it's growing. More women are being added to the character the more we tour. I got [sent] a ceramic bust of just my lips the other day.

McKenzie: We get hundreds of pictures, pencil illustrations, so many different pictures and paintings of us.

Clement: Dolls.

McKenzie: We should open an art gallery.

View: That's the price of fame - have you noticed the change in people's attitudes?

Clement: A lot of the time when we were off we'd go back to New Zealand so we didn't know how it went down [in the US].

McKenzie: When the show was on air no one would come up to us, but six months later people would come up and say hi. Because we use our real names in the show people will yell out "Hey Bret" and you're not sure if you know them. So you say "hey!"

Clement: A lot of people do the roll call from the show when Murray goes "Bret? 'Present'." In fact, a lot of the times when we do interviews journalists do the roll call.

McKenzie: Even our real music manager gets a kick out of doing the roll call.

View: You must have made a bit of money by now though. What have you spent it on?

McKenzie: Omnichords. Jemaine has an addiction to Omnichords. It's like a Casio digital auto-harp.

Clement: It's in episode one of the new series for a minute - a harp-shaped thing.

McKenzie: For a while I'd go round to Jemaine's and every day a new Omnichord would arrive by courier. Which is weird because they're all essentially the same with one tiny feature different.

Clement: I've got my favourite.

McKenzie: I mean, you must have one of the most extensive Omnichord collections in the world.

Clement: Which is about six.

View: You've also been voted into the top 100 sexiest people by an Australian magazine.

Clement: Have you been to Australia?

Clement: Because we're such horrible people. Or at least, I'm a horrible character. And Bret's an idiot. I've permanently got this scowl. It's the worst face.

McKenzie: I'm always looking completely disinterested.

View: Are you surprised by your success?

Clement: Well, we're surprised that we even have a show at all.

View: When did you realise it was all going to happen for you?

McKenzie: We've been really lucky, most places we go we've had a fairly successful time.

Clement: For me the best part is hearing about all the different countries that the show is playing in.

McKenzie: What amazes me now is the people who come up to you. A couple in their 70s approached me at the airport and said "Are you Conchordia?" Because we just really write this stuff to amuse ourselves.

* Flight Of The Conchords: On Air, Prime, 8.30pm tonight; second season, 9.30pm.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/buckle-up-and-prepare-for-landing/AXEKMWQG7OZGLWDXXOTOPZ72PM/]Source

I am in love with Jemaine's omnichord addiction.

View: You must have made a bit of money by now though. What have you spent it on?

McKenzie: Omnichords. Jemaine has an addiction to Omnichords. It's like a Casio digital auto-harp.

Jemaine

Thanks for posting this, Jessica!  

What a great read - they usually seem to be much more open and forthcoming with the NZ press.

Jem's omnichord addiction -  

Poor Bret!  

And that story about staying with the fan in L.A.  - wonder how long ago that was.  
Can you fucking imagine BRET AND JEMAINE STAYING AT YOUR HOUSE???!!!

drunkagain wrote:Can you fucking imagine BRET AND JEMAINE STAYING AT YOUR HOUSE???!!!

That's a frightening thought.  If they're not terrified by my obnoxious dogs or my kid's fighting, then they'll surely be turned off by my staring and drooling.  

omg that interview made me laugh sooo hard hahahahahahahaha

I can imagine how awkward it must of been. WOW.

I as well love Jemaine's omnichord addiction too Jess, soo cute ^^

I love the bit where they talk about their faces.

Clement: Because we're such horrible people. Or at least, I'm a horrible character. And Bret's an idiot. I've permanently got this scowl. It's the worst face.

McKenzie: I'm always looking completely disinterested.

chickenkarma wrote:I as well love Jemaine's omnichord addiction too Jess, soo cute ^^

And how appropriate of you to have given Sheeple Jem an omnichord! He must be soooooooo in love with it.

View: You must have made a bit of money by now though. What have you spent it on?

McKenzie: Omnichords. Jemaine has an addiction to Omnichords ...

   

gezyka wrote:
McKenzie: Even our real music manager gets a kick out of doing the roll call.

         

I would love to see this...     

That whole interview was  

(Smileys make me lazy when posting.     )

Clement:  ... Bret had heart palpitations.

McKenzie: I've never had such a physical reaction to a piece of information. I got a tic. ... I had a panic attack.

Bret-y.  

Jemaine's omnichord addiction!
The first step's admitting you have a problem, love.

And poor Brety's anxiety! *hugs poor stressed out Conchords*

gezyka wrote:

chickenkarma wrote:I as well love Jemaine's omnichord addiction too Jess, soo cute ^^

And how appropriate of you to have given Sheeple Jem an omnichord!  He must be soooooooo in love with it.  

YAY! another one for his collection

It's one of a kind too... 1st and only edition

lolololololololololol

I almost feel like I unintentionally won the lottery by adding that to his sheeple ^_____^

hellomyfriend wrote:

Clement:  ... Bret had heart palpitations.

McKenzie: I've never had such a physical reaction to a piece of information. I got a tic. ... I had a panic attack.

Bret-y.        

I know.  That made me feel sooo terrible.   :

blondesnotbombs wrote:

hellomyfriend wrote:

[size=150]Bret-y.[/size]  

I know.  That made me feel sooo terrible.

this sounds like me...and I really felt for him there. I want them to do these shows as long as they are comfortable. but, it WAS their first time doing it...so i'm sure it was a shocking experience.

They should start an art gallery

I love Jemaine's omnichord obsession

blondesnotbombs wrote:

hellomyfriend wrote:
[size=150]Bret-y.[/size]  

I know.  That made me feel sooo terrible.  

I thought he was joking O_O

that's pretty frightening  

Um. What did Jemaine mean when he said "Have you been to Australia?" In response to being one of our top 100 sexiest people..  ???

My take was the people on there aren't viry sixy.

Except Lulu!

blondesnotbombs wrote:

hellomyfriend wrote:
Bret-y.  

I know.  That made me feel sooo terrible.  

Bret.

tanfastic wrote:My take was the people on there aren't viry sixy.

That would mean he is insulting Australians

LadyinRed wrote:

tanfastic wrote:My take was the people on there aren't viry sixy.

That would mean he is insulting Australians

Jemaine!


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thedistantfuture wrote:They should start an art gallery

we all could be the curators. give guided tours and back stories.


poor bret. :'( that actually scared me too.

lixxx wrote:

thedistantfuture wrote:They should start an art gallery

we all could be the curators. give guided tours and back stories.

I'd love that!

hellomyfriend wrote:

LadyinRed wrote:

That would mean he is insulting Australians

Jemaine!


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