Bret's Flights of fancy

[size=133:6tqull4c]Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords talks of freaky things

* Mikey Cahill
* From: Herald Sun
* November 12, 2009 4:11PM

[size=100:6tqull4c]Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie muses on strange experiences, such as trying to make out in a zebra costume.

Are you pleased with how Flight of the Conchords' second album I Told You I Was Freaky is being received?

I don't feel that connected with it because we haven't done a tour. We planned on having the album out when we toured in April, but we didn't have it ready so we messed up. I can't really listen to it because you hear it so many times when you're making it and with the TV show. The last time we mix it is the last time we hear it.

Will you and your partner in crime, Jemaine Clement, bring your freaky tour to Australia?

Yeah we're trying to organise an Australia and New Zealand tour. We're touring Europe in the middle of next year, so hopefully we're gonna tour Australia before that. We seem to have left NZ and Australia out for the past few years.

Is it a case of treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen?

How long does that last? How long can you treat 'em mean before they stop being keen? (Laughs.)

Which song from I Told You I Was Freaky gets you in the mood?

Petrov, Yelyena and Me. It's a bit of late-night Eastern European folk music.

What song on the album makes you blush?

Too Many D---s on the Dancefloor is embarrassing because we must say "
too many d---s on the dancefloor"
about 80 times in three minutes! We were worried people would come up and say, "
Oh you're those guys that do that song Too Many D---s on the Dancefloor"
. That's quite a song to be remembered for.

But it's about time someone sang about the fact a dancefloor is no fun when it's filled with males.

That's true;
at the heart of it there's something there. I also like the fact people dance in a club to a comedy song. That situation happens and it's perfect for the DJ to play it.

Which of your new songs makes you feel strong?

What song makes me feel strong? These are weird questions, man! So if I was to play one song to improve my strength . . .

It could be mental strength, too.

Demon Woman makes me feel strong. There's something about the drumbeat. It's got a voodoo hook that creeps up on you.

What song makes you cry man-tears?

Hurt Feelings. It's so personal. It reminds me of the time I tried on a wetsuit and it didn't fit.

How old were you?

I would have been 20 and old enough that I should have fit into a man's wetsuit. If the water's really cold your d--- can retract entirely (laughs) just to protect itself. It's not a very masculine skill.

What's the freakiest thing you've ever done?

Made out in a zebra costume. I turned the lights out and I put on my zebra suit and I turned the lights back on. It didn't go too well. You can kiss with it but she's just kissing a mask so there was no real contact. She wasn't into it. By that stage she'd left. I didn't realise she'd left.

How recent was this?

This was last night.

You're wearing a zebra suit right now aren't you?

I haven't got over it (laughs). She was dressed as a cheetah so she was a lot faster. Over a long-distance chase though . . .

What are the biggest changes in your life since Flight of the Conchords became a worldwide phenomenon?

People recognise me on the street . . . and they say "
Where's Jemaine?"
And people think they know you because you've been on TV. That comes with perks, with pros and cons. The pros are sometimes you get free dessert or free drinks;
the cons are that sometimes you have to talk to the person who got you the free drinks.

Are you a patient guy as far as talking to fans?

It depends on my mood. I'm not a bitter, angry man . . . yet. Luckily most of the people that come up to me are fans of the show.

What's the worst thing a fan has done to you?

Oh s---, this one time I didn't say hello to someone and they let down my tyres. They left a note saying, "
You didn't say hi. Flat of the Conchords"
. That can happen when you're a minor celebrity. They say that the chance of having a crazy fan is one in a million. What concerns me is that now we probably have a million fans.

Maybe you're talking to that one-in-a-million fan right now . . .

Yeah (laughs). Maybe you're not even a journalist and you've been able to swing this.

The line of questioning has been strange.

It has! That's true. Your questions could be, "
Where do you live? What time do you get home? What would it take for you to invite a fan in for dinner?"


What's the best present a fan has given you?

Some fans gave us a quilt and it had 12 different squares on it. Each one was from a different fan. The main one had a picture of Jemaine's shorts from You Don't Have to Be a Prostitute and from Sugar Lumps. Oh also, a couple of fans made some miniature sheep dolls and one had glasses and one had a beard.

Amily wrote:

[size=100:kmcz73n7]What's the best present a fan has given you?

Some fans gave us a quilt and it had 12 different squares on it. Each one was from a different fan. The main one had a picture of Jemaine's shorts from You Don't Have to Be a Prostitute and from Sugar Lumps. Oh also, a couple of fans made some miniature sheep dolls and one had glasses and one had a beard.

gezyka wrote:
[align=center:x19nbeq9] [/align:x19nbeq9]

And Irene! Flighties represent!

ADD: there's a bit of goldfish!Bret in this.....

emira wrote:
[size=200:ryn7c09d]
the quilts!

the tour!

the questions!

Please, let them interview Jemaine

[size=100:1x8zhjcl]What's the freakiest thing you've ever done?

Made out in a zebra costume. I turned the lights out and I put on my zebra suit and I turned the lights back on. It didn't go too well. You can kiss with it but she's just kissing a mask so there was no real contact. She wasn't into it. By that stage she'd left. I didn't realise she'd left.

How recent was this?

This was last night.

You're wearing a zebra suit right now aren't you?

I haven't got over it (laughs). She was dressed as a cheetah so she was a lot faster. Over a long-distance chase though . . .

sheila wrote:

[size=100:zjb9wz33]What's the freakiest thing you've ever done?

Made out in a zebra costume. I turned the lights out and I put on my zebra suit and I turned the lights back on. It didn't go too well. You can kiss with it but she's just kissing a mask so there was no real contact. She wasn't into it. By that stage she'd left. I didn't realise she'd left.

How recent was this?

This was last night.

You're wearing a zebra suit right now aren't you?

I haven't got over it (laughs). She was dressed as a cheetah so she was a lot faster. Over a long-distance chase though . . .

he is such a smart-ass

helgecko wrote:tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia tourofAustralia

gezyka wrote:

Amily wrote:

[align=center:kzgjs4xu] [/align:kzgjs4xu]

And Irene! Flighties represent!

ADD: there's a bit of goldfish!Bret in this.....

hellomyfriend wrote:[size=200:xpvif6l1]THIS

IS

THE

GREATEST

INTERVIEW

EVER.

Amily wrote:

What's the best present a fan has given you?

Some fans gave us a quilt and it had 12 different squares on it. Each one was from a different fan. The main one had a picture of Jemaine's shorts from You Don't Have to Be a Prostitute and from Sugar Lumps.[/size]

emira wrote:You're brilliant! It's possible