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The hip new HBO TV series, “The Flight of the Conchords,” is pretty darn funny. It’s a show in the flat-affect stupid vein of “The Office”—which came from Seinfeld and movies like, well, everything that Apa-dude makes and flicks like “Office Space.”
The twist here is that it’s about a ne’er-do-well 2-man rock band that plays malls and libraries, if that. No, that’s the plot. The twist is that the show has a music video in each episode. The show also has its own CD out.
What might tie this show in to OYB is that it plays up the low-rent indy style. …But there are likely millions$ behind it…as it does its best to capture the hilarious lifeblood of the real indy scene. (The same friend—LINDEE!—put us on to the Larry David Show and probably Dave Chappell also—both of these are OYB-ish in that they’re VERY CLEVER and a bit painful. Is that too much of a reach?)
And, darn, that thing is catchy! It’s like a virus, in fact, so be careful. The first few listens might be charming but in the second week you’ll be humming stanzas that just won’t leave you alone. Martha says she’s going to send the CD we were given back to the friend who gave it to us. It’s a plague, she says. A pleasure plague. (Warning, like many HBO shows this one is R-rated—mostly for inuendo—does that really make it R? Our 8- and 10-yr-old kids have watched it some—they just say, What did that mean? and we get a bit vague on them.)
The song “Bowies in Space” is darn funny—well, all the songs are (most are done in a swanky 70’s R&B style). I heard that the dudes spent a month talking like they were Bowie before they decided to record a Bowie-like song. That’s nuts. What’s worse is what the song will do to your mind. Be careful out there. (“Bowie to Bowie…do you read me loud and clear, man…”)
“Ladies of the World” is a scream. “If all the soldiers put down their weapons / and picked up a woman what a peaceful world this would be. / I’m talkin’ about brunettes not fighter jets. / Sweet sixteens not M-16s…”
Oh, all right: I have to recommend both the show and the CD. But the CD really is better than the show. But the show isn’t far behind. It’s funny. They’re both funny.
ANYWAY!
Like everything in big media, a comedy about a ne’er-do-well band was done 10 years ago and far funnier by a zeenster who did seven issues of his smash hit zeen, “The Pornographic Flabbergasted Emus.” Last year I published the saga as a novel via ULA PRESS. So, cutting edge hipsters unite! —And check out the real thing!
I’ve told the author that he should do an audio version of his story and put songs from his real-life bands between chapters. A novel that rocks! …I sure wish he’d do it. What do you think?
Check out the real story at: outyourbackdoor.com/article.php?id=684
Oh, OK, here’s “Ladies of the World”…
Bowies in Space…
Don’t blame me!
The Emus rock! …And they’re darn funny, too.
Bowie to Bowie…do you read me loud and clear, man?
