Since I don't have cable, I tend to discover some things late. Like Flight of the Conchords. The HBO series starring the Grammy Award-winning New Zealand comedy duo of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement had been on the air almost an entire season before a friend of mine clued me in on how funny the show was. Billing themselves as "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo accapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo," Flight of the Conchords served up the driest of dry humor in both a BBC radio series and then the HBO show. I had experienced Clement's deadpan comedy in the Kiwi comedy Eagle Vs. Shark, about a pair of inept young people who manage to hook up romantically. Flight of the Conchords maintained a similar deadpan style and some people, not willing to watch closely enough, might have missed some of the jokes altogether. One of the highlights of the series was the musical numbers. These music videos ranged from David Bowie rip offs to DIY special effects with cardboard robots. Since the music was so funny in the series I was intrigued to hear that they would be playing in concert. But I did have to wonder if the humor that worked in the show would work in a concert environment. That remains to be seen but it seems definitely worth the gamble. McKenzie and Clement reveal a knack for witty observations and deadpan irony. I'm also wondering if Murray (their dauntless manager) will be out front hawking band swag. I'll let you know.
The first season of the series is currently available on DVD with the second season coming out on August 4.
