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Ami
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Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 Empty Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008

Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:18 pm
Wired Talks Jet Packs and Groupies With Kiwi Duo Flight of the Conchords
By Brian Raftery  04.21.08 | 6:00 PM

Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 A9A0gQE

Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie (left) and Jemaine Clement have hit the big time, what with their EP winning a Best Comedy Album Grammy and HBO renewing their sleeper hit series. The group, formerly "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based, digi-bongo, a cappella, rap-funk-comedy folk duo" has soared in the past year to the rank of New Zealand's second most popular guitar-based, digi-bongo, a cappella, rap-funk-comedy folk duo. With the April 22 release of their first full-length album on Sub Pop, FOTC are set to become the greatest Kiwi phenomenon since the Zorb ball. Wired quizzed McKenzie and Clement about their love of jet packs and John Oates.

Wired: New Zealand has given us Peter Jackson, Lucy Lawless, and that guy who played Jango Fett in the last two Star Wars films. But when it comes to music, the last big New Zealand hit was OMC's "How Bizarre" in 1995. And we haven't heard from him since.

Clement: I think he went bankrupt, actually.

McKenzie: That's the danger of a one-hit wonder. He was a bit of an MC Hammer-type figure. Even in New Zealand, he was only famous for that one song. There's a fine line between catchy and annoying [starts singing the "doot-doot-doot" chorus of "How Bizarre"].

Wired: Thanks! Now that will be in my head all day. You guys recently won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. How was the ceremony?

McKenzie: The comedy award isn't even part of the main ceremony. It's done in the morning with a breakfast buffet in a conference center. There's all these really small categories — polka, spoken word — all sorts of awards that we hope to get into next year. We're trying to crack the polka scene.

Wired: Now that the band has become better known in the US, what's the most extravagant item on your tour rider?

Clement: Deli meats.

McKenzie: Jet packs.

Clement: He's just saying "jet packs" because he knows Wired is a technology magazine.

McKenzie: We have a jet pack that we fly around on before we go onstage, just like in the 1984 Olympics. Hopefully, once we're bigger we'll get two of them so we don't have to take turns.

Wired: Jet packs are pretty hard to come by nowadays.

McKenzie: I know. What happened to jet pack technology? Why aren't people developing that shii? And I'm massively disappointed that we don't have flying cars. Or at least a hovercar, because that's barely flying — it's just floating. All they've come up with are those sneakers with wheels. That's the best traveling automotive invention?!

Wired: Can't you buy a jet pack with your pay-cable fortune?

McKenzie: Turns out it's not a fortune. Apparently, you have to keep going for years to make money. I don't know if we'll make it that long — we don't have that many songs.

Wired: Have you at least gotten to meet some celebrities in the past year?

McKenzie: The other night we did a gig with the Pussycat Dolls and the Temptations.

Clement: Well, we didn't really play with them. We just played on the same night, during cocktails and after dinner. We went backstage and met the Pussycat Dolls. They were really...hot. I was going to say "nice," but the first thing I noticed was that they were hot.

McKenzie: They were in these lingerie outfits, and we're just hanging out backstage, and the Temptations are cruising around. That's just how we roll now.

Wired: According to your show, the band has only one groupie. Have you noticed an uptick in the adoring fans department?

McKenzie: If we walk around together. Separately, people don't recognize us as much. Actually, we really haven't had any groupies.

Clement: Well, we did do one gig where we opened the backstage door and there was screaming: Ahhhhhhh! But it soon died down into a very orderly meeting.

Wired: Finally, which one of you is Hall and which is Oates?

McKenzie: I can't decide. I'm a huge Hall and Oates fan. We listened to a lot of their music in the studio while we were recording, trying to emulate their harmonies and doing a Hall vocal style. Hall was even a guest on our show — but I'm looking forward to meeting Oates.

Wired: So, if you were on a lifeboat and you only had room for one of them, who would you save?

Clement: I'd sacrifice myself. To keep Hall and Oates going.
Source


Last edited by Ami on Sun Feb 07, 2021 2:56 pm; edited 2 times in total
boomqueen
boomqueen
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Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 Empty Wired Magazine interviews FOTC --04/21/08

Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:24 pm
McKenzie: We have a jet pack that we fly around on before we go onstage, just like in the 1984 Olympics. Hopefully, once we're bigger we'll get two of them so we don't have to take turns.

that cracked me up...take turns! haha

They can't stop getting cuter!
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alexandriaj22
I like to rock the party!
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Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 Empty Wired Magazine interviews FOTC --04/21/08

Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:25 am
lol Jemaine is always going on about hot women. iiii love him
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Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 Empty Wired Magazine interviews FOTC --04/21/08

Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:16 pm
He's just saying "jet packs" because he knows Wired is a technology magazine.

I just love how Jemaine is all big brother-like! Calling him out! BRETT is soo funny in this article! Thanks for posting!
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duttle
Lost but happy at sea
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Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:47 pm
I know. What happened to jet pack technology? Why aren't people developing that shii? (HAHAHA!) And I'm massively disappointed that we don't have flying cars. Or at least a hovercar, because that's barely flying — it's just floating. All they've come up with are those sneakers with wheels. That's the best traveling automotive invention?!

Seriously, Bret! I wonder the same thing every day.
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ladytronzapatista
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Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 Empty Wired Magazine interviews FOTC --04/21/08

Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:15 pm
I always wondered what happened to OMC....
Ami
Ami
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Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 Empty Wired Magazine interviews FOTC --04/21/08

Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:10 am

Fallon wrote:I always wondered what happened to OMC....

Me too... and I also had no idea he was from NZ either...
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mistysquarepants
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Wired Magazine Interview - April 21, 2008 Empty Wired Magazine interviews FOTC --04/21/08

Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:24 am
well how bizarre.. lol
Ami
Ami
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Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:09 pm
mistysquarepants wrote:well how bizarre..  lol

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