Buzz
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, the duo behind Flight of the Conchords, humorously dubbed themselves New Zealand's "fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo." They headlined their own HBO series, which ran for two highly praised seasons. The show was a unique comedy centered on their struggles to succeed as a musical act in New York City, despite having just one incredibly loyal fan. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of its premiere, let’s dive into some behind-the-scenes stories of Flight of the Conchords.
1. THE SHOW ORIGINATED AS A RADIO SERIES BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO TV.
In the BBC Radio 2 six-part series, Rhys Darby portrayed Brian Nesbitt, the manager of Jemaine and Bret, a role he later reprised on HBO as Murray Hewitt. Rob Brydon served as the narrator, while comedian Jimmy Carr took on the role of the band's obsessive stalker. Several storylines from the radio series were adapted for the television version.
2. NEW ZEALAND TELEVISION REJECTED THEIR IDEA.
In 2014, Clement shared that TV producers in New Zealand showed no interest in a series featuring him and McKenzie. “They claimed, ‘Middle New Zealand won’t understand it.’ Idiots! I’d respond, ‘What do you mean? I’m from middle New Zealand, and you’re not.’ I’ve always carried a working-class resentment toward such people. New Zealand TV seems to fear being too clever, which really frustrates me.” Luckily, an HBO talent scout found their live performance in Montreal in 2004.
3. KRISTEN SCHAAL LANDED THE ROLE OF MEL THANKS TO HER STANDUP.
HBO
HBO sent Clement and McKenzie a recording of Schaal's standup, and within "about 30 seconds," they knew she was ideal for the role of Mel, the band’s overly devoted fan. Schaal later mentioned that while they described her character accurately, they never explicitly called her a stalker—though it was clear she was one.
4. DAVE WAS BASED ON ARJ BARKER'S REAL-LIFE PERSONA.
Comedian Arj Barker revealed to The Guardian that when he first met Clement and McKenzie at an Auckland comedy festival in the early 2000s, he was in a phase of life where he was "partying heavily, drinking," and "pursuing women as much as possible." This initial impression inspired the character of Dave, the wannabe ladies' man.
5. THE FIRST SEASON OPERATED ON A TINY BUDGET.
David Costabile (Doug) recalled that the budget for the first season was "ridiculously low," "bare-bones," and "extremely limited." On his first day, filming took place in an abandoned Lower East Side apartment without water or electricity. Catering consisted of a single box with 10 sandwiches. By the second season, the food situation improved.
6. MEL'S PHOTO OF JEMAINE'S LIPS WASN'T A WRITTEN INVENTION.
The 2006 documentary Flight of the Conchords: A Texan Odyssey captured Clement and McKenzie's experiences at the SXSW festival, before their HBO breakthrough. In the film, a devoted fan shared that she carried a photo of Jemaine's lips in her wallet (alongside regular pictures of her children). This detail inspired the scene in the show's first episode, "Sally," where Mel shows Bret the wallet photo of Jemaine's lips.
7. JEMAINE AND BRET FELL ILL DUE TO NEW YORK'S HARSH WEATHER AND THEIR INTENSE SCHEDULE.
Clement contracted pneumonia during the first season, and the grueling workload caused both to shed significant weight. "We looked like skeletons," McKenzie recalled.
8. DAVID BOWIE TURNED DOWN THE OFFER TO APPEAR AS HIMSELF, HAVING RECENTLY DONE SO ON RICKY GERVAIS' EXTRAS.
After considering Noel Fielding and John Cameron Mitchell, they chose British comedian Dan Antopolski to portray Bowie. However, technical issues led to Antopolski's London performance being scrapped, prompting director Troy Miller to suggest Clement step in and play the iconic musician.
9. CLEMENT HAD TO BE FREED FROM ONE OF THE BOWIE OUTFITS.
"The silver jumpsuit was so tight—my legs swelled from restricted blood flow—that I had to be cut out of it. But I didn’t mind. I was embodying David Bowie, and it felt like art," Clement remembered.
On the final day of filming the Bowie scenes, Clement was allowed to stroll the Lower East Side in full costume. He encountered Schaal, who failed to recognize him and appeared genuinely scared.
10. SONGS TOOK PRIORITY IN SEASON ONE, BUT SEASON TWO FOCUSED ON SCRIPTS FIRST.
The first season featured songs Clement and McKenzie had crafted and refined over years from their stage performances. For the second season, they flipped the process. "By the second series, things got chaotic. We were filming during the week and writing songs on weekends for the upcoming episodes, making it a high-speed creative process," McKenzie explained. "In season two, we wrote songs with visuals in mind, so the humor often lay in the music video rather than the lyrics."
11. THE "TOO MANY D*CKS ON THE DANCE FLOOR" INCIDENT INVOLVED CANADIANS.
HBO
The song featured in "Unnatural Love" was inspired by an encounter McKenzie, Clement, and two other New Zealanders had at a nightclub. "Some Canadian guys kept shouting, 'Hey, too many d*cks! Too many d*cks! Spread out the d*cks!' We took their words and incorporated them into the script to poke fun at them," McKenzie confessed to The Sun.
12. MICHEL GONDRY TOOK THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR FOR "UNNATURAL LOVE."
Gondry and the Conchords connected through a mutual costume designer. Known for directing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gondry was a hero to McKenzie and Clement. He was especially keen on drumming and repeatedly asked McKenzie when he would join the studio to add drum tracks to the songs.
13. THE SHOW EARNED PRAISE FROM RENOWNED MUSICIANS.
Daryl Hall predicted the show would be "huge" after watching the pilot and agreed to guest star as the World Music Jam Host in "New Fans." Art Garfunkel appeared as himself in "Prime Minister," praising the show's "deadpan, unpredictable, and unconventional humor" in an interview with TV Guide after his episode aired. Mick Fleetwood, though not featured on the show, acknowledged he enjoyed the Rumours reference in "Sally."
14. MCKENZIE HINTED AT A POTENTIAL MOVIE.
In 2012, McKenzie revealed
that he and Clement were brainstorming ideas for a movie but hadn’t settled on a story yet. By 2015, Clement reiterated that the project was still in early stages, stating it was "definitely a couple of years away, at least."
