Flight of the Conchords first took off at the Edinburgh Fringe, receiving a Perrier award nomination in 2003. A BBC Radio 2 show led to an HBO special and then, in 2007, the hit sitcom, in which Clement and McKenzie play naive New Zealander musicians in New York. Their fourth-wall-breaking songs are clever, affectionate pastiches of artists from Marvin Gaye to Serge Gainsbourg: there’s one about meeting a girl at a party (“You’re so beautiful/ You could be a part-time model”), another on the “robotic uprising of the late Nineties” (“We no longer say ‘yes’, instead we say ‘affirmative’ ”). In between, they struggle to get gigs and girls, supported one way or another by their manager, Murray (fellow Wellington export Rhys Darby), and their solitary, stalkerish fan, Mel (Kristen Schaal).
Have they had any real-life Mels? He hesitates, perhaps not wishing to seem ungracious. “Well, when we started in Wellington we had this group of ten very dedicated fans who’d come to see us every time we were on. Then my bongos were stolen and I was told I had to meet this girl at the full moon drumming to get them back.” He didn’t go.
One fan did get his Conchord moment, though. Clement’s Minecraft scenes were with Jason Momoa, who’d played a Dothraki warlord in Game of Thrones. “And he knew Flight of the Conchords so well! He did one of our songs in an acting class once, which I found unbelievable. I was, like, Khal Drogo is quoting us!”
His bandmate, McKenzie, leant into the music more, releasing two solo albums and writing songs for The Simpsons, The Muppets and even the 2016 Sainsbury’s Christmas advert — sung by James Corden. Man or Muppet, a number from the 2011 film The Muppets, won an Oscar for best original song. “It’s fantastic what he’s done,” Clement says. “There was a time when I felt a little left out but it was my own fault. Now I think we both have a thing where I wish I could do music more and he wishes he was making TV.”
The pair have been spending more time together lately. To the delight of fans in New Zealand and the States, they’ve just played a handful of gigs as Flight of the Conchords — their first in eight years. Reprising and refreshing songs they wrote almost 30 years ago “was an extreme memory test”, Clement says. Reviewers noted slight rustiness but were rapturous nonetheless. But the Conchords know their crowd. “If you do stand-up, people never want to hear the old stuff, but music comedy is different — they want the old ones they love.”
They’ve kept their usual positions on stage, Clement sitting on McKenzie’s right. “I don’t know why that’s happened. It’s like a side of the bed in a marriage. We probably should swap to keep it fresh.” He tests turning his head left, “I feel like my neck’s more flexible this way,” and right, “This way feels tighter.” Maybe yoga? “I’ll just look this way for two hours on my nights off.”
They’ve yet to decide if they’ll play more dates. “If we keep going, the UK will be next — we’re indebted. The BBC were the first people to give us a chance.”
David Vintiner for The Sunday Times Magazine. Grooming: Emma Leon. Styling: Tanja Martin. Jacket by Oliver Spencer, Glasses by Cutler and Gross
