Bostonist Interview: Rhys Darby

Bostonist Interview: Rhys Darby


Rhys Darby's live act combines excellent anecdotal storytelling with hilarious self-generated sound effects and physical comedy - there are some great video examples off of his MySpace page) and of course you can get more info at his web site.

Darby, who helped create Murray several years ago when "
Flight of the Conchords"
was a BBC Radio show, has been extremely busy as of late: his first movie, Yes Man (featuring Jim Carrey), hits theaters in December, and his second movie, The Boat That Rocked, comes out next spring00and it's written and directed by Richard Curtis, the man who brought Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones's Diary to the silver screen. Talk about some excellent career moves. His show at the Wilbur might be your last chance to see him perform live in Boston for quite a while.

Bostonist had a chance to talk to Rhys Darby by phone as he is in New York, shooting the second season of "
The Flight of the Conchords"
, which is set for broadcast on HBO in January. For the complete audio interview, listen here:

Bostonist: Tell us about your stand-up act.

Rhys Darby: I tell stories and act them out, involving the different characters, I do the different movements and use mime involve sound effects so I put together a 3D picture together for people with sound.

Bostonist: You've been working on this act around the world for several years now, but in the U.S., most people are probably more familiar with your excellent work on "
The Flight of the Conchords."
How are people receiving you in the U.S. so far?

Rhys Darby: I mainly came over to do "
The Flight of the Conchords"
TV show for its first season, and after that was over I began performing in the improv clubs but I got picked up for a movie role... but I've managed to squeeze in gigs here and there but I wanted to get across that I was a stand-up first and foremost and it has worked out really well.

Bostonist: About your experience with "
The Flight of the Conchords,"
it started out on BBC radio, and the Murray character had another name then. In creating the character of Murray] what did you reference for this autocrat? With his scheduling and demeanor, did you meet someone like that, perhaps when you applied for a passport in New Zealand, was there someone like that behind the counter?

Rhys Darby: Not at all, it's just a whole collection of things that I've drawn on in my life, and compiling ideas from experiences of meeting [this kind of man] from organizations that I've been in, like the Air Training Corps [similar to the US Civil Air Patrol], then I was in the Army for four years, and then in soccer teams with that kind of manager, and this is all in New Zealand of course. I wanted him to be a quintessential Kiwi character, someone who has a lot of heart and a lot of hope but who is quite naive in his world view. Being quite out of his position and out of his country and put in this giant city;
he's protective and proud of New Zealand and anyone in the same sort of boat as him.

He's also been unlucky in love and is a bit of a loner and he latches onto these two cool guys who just walked into his office one day. Although they seemed cool to him, from the way they looked, but they still were naive and were thick enough to follow him. It's really the blind leading the blind. With this band he feels popular and that he's got something going on, and that involves him having that leather bound day-planner with the pencil. He feels like he's got an important job but the best part of the day is when the guys show up. It's the hanging out with them that he enjoys.

Bostonist: Per your upcoming show and your act, were you ever influenced by Michael Winslow [of "
Police Academy"
fame]?

Rhys Darby: Oh no, not at all. I haven't even seen all the Police Academys, I remember seeing maybe one or two when I was a kid, and sure he was a favorite, and like it was with every boy, because of the noises he could do it was something we were all fascinated with and we thought was really cool and funny. But I didn't go on to devote a lot of time to try and be like that. I always made sound effects though, whenever I told stories to my friends or putting little plays on my back lawn, I would involve sound effects because it was just a natural instinct to me. I create the stories and then the sounds happen to be in them.

Bostonist: You have somehow managed to find time to be in a movie with Jim Carrey?

Rhys Darby: Yes, that happened right after the first season of "
The Flight of the Conchords"
ended. I had gone to England to pick up where I left off with my stand-up and I got a call to audition for this film. I had done many other auditions before but this part seemed to read like it was written for me, and the director was a big fan of the TV show and one thing lead to another and I landed the role so it was back on a plane to go back to America for that.

Bostonist: So this movie comes out in December, sounds like it will be a big Christmas movie. You'll go from cult status to being truly famous. All the people without HBO subscriptions are going to be getting access to you as well now.

Rhys Darby: It comes out in December and it should be big. I had wanted to get into film and had hoped to meet someone like Jim Carrey someday but to work with him in my first movie has been a big surprise.

-----------
Rhys Darby will perform at The Wilbur Theatre on Sunday, November 9th.

Awesome article. Thanks Ami! " title="" border="0"/>

I just listened along with it here: (noooo idea how to link!) and the interviewer really could have removed all of his own 'umms' and 'ahhs' and stuff. Nevertheless, I love Rhys and hearing what I presume is Finn making noises in the background. So cute!

zombie wrote:I just listened along with it here: (noooo idea how to link!) and the interviewer really could have removed all of his own 'umms' and 'ahhs' and stuff. Nevertheless, I love Rhys and hearing what I presume is Finn making noises in the background. So cute!

Haha I never want to hear the combination of the words "
Great"
and "
excellent"
together ever again.
This interview sounds like a police interview haha.
"
Is that true?"


Aw I love my adoptive daddy. <
3

Actually, the interviewer sounds VERY nervous. It's annoying, but quite sweet.

P.S. forget sweet.. he reminds me of Jigsaw in Saw. Hah.

LOL I that just gave me the most outrageous mental image of a tiny man on a tricycle talking away on the phone to him. He does sound nervous, and I guess he doesnt want to re-record himself at the risk of ruining the flow or whatever but damn, dude, stop saying GREAAAAAAAT. We know he's great.

HAHAHA that is teh very BEST image EVER. Ohhh boy.