Flight Conchords is a Grammy Award-winning comedy duo from New Zealand that recently announced a big US FOTC tour that has fans going nuts with anticipation. Flight of the Conchords is composed of Bret (not Brit) McKenzie and Jemaine (not Jermaine) Clement,a pair of musicians that combine hilarious comedy with fantastic music playing. They have delighted audiences across the US with their HBO television show and now are set to do even more with theis US tour.

Beginning of Flight Conchords

The Flight Conchords started back in 1998 when Bret and Jemaine roomed together at Victoria University of Wellington. Both of them were studying film and theater. They sometimes jokingly refer to themselves as “formerly New Zealand’s fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a capella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo.” The band features a combination of witty observation comedy melded with acoustic folk guitars as well as other zany musical instruments.

Flight of the Conchrods comedy and music was the basis of a BBC radio series before the duo moved to the US and get their HBO series, which premiered in 2007.

Flight of the Conchords accolades:

Due to their funniness and genious, Flight of the Conchords has enjoyed a number of accolades over the years. They were named “Best Alternative Comedy Act” by the US Comedy Arts Festival, “Best Newcomer” at the “Melbourne Comedy Festival,” received a nomination from the Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Fringe and won a Grammy Award in 2007 for best album. Flight Conchords have performed at Bonnarroo and the Sasquatch! Music Festival. They have also been on televisions David Letterman and Conan O’Brien.

Their debut comedy album “The Distant Future,” won the Best Comedy Album Grammy at the 2007 Grammy Awards. In 2008, Flight of the Conchords was nominated for two Emmys, one for Best Writing (Comedy Series) and the other for Best Directing (Comedy Series). FOTC also created a radio series for BBC Radio back in in 2004. The series, which centered the their search for success in London, won the “Bronze Sony Radio Academy Award for comedy.”

FOTC was given an HBO appearence on “One Night Stand.” That was apparently good enough to get the duo the chance for a full-blown series.

Flight of the Conchords HBO TV Series:

American audiences first started being exposed to Flight of the Conchords via their HBO show. The FOTC show premiered in June 2007. It once again centers on the duo striving for success in American while dealing with being flat-broke. A “winningly grotty sitcom,” according to Time, the show is based on the duo’s early life trying to break through in New Zealand. For example, one episode is based on a real life show. According to Clement “we start off, and there’s one person, and then we turn the lights on at the end, and that person has left. That was a real gig that we did.” The FOTC show is also constantly broken up with FOTC music videos for the bands hit songs. The show also features a number of talented comic actors. Along with Bret and Jemaine, comedians Rhys Darby, Arj Barker and Kristen Schaal appear on the show. There have been several other comedians who have appeared on the Flight Conchords show. The first season had 12 episodes. With the success of the first series, Flight of the Conchords got back to work on the second season of Flight of the Conchords, which debuted on January of 2009.

Flight on the Conchords influences:

According to the Flight of the Conchords My Space page, FOTC includes as their influences: Simon and Garfunkel, Hall and Oates, Sly and Robbie, Crocket and Tubbs, Lone Ranger and Tonto, Laurel and Hardy, Steely Dan, Tears for Fears, Kriss Kross, Sonny and Cher, Ike and Tina Turner, Turner and Hooch, Kid n Play, The Front Lawn, Chaz and Dave, Savage Garden, Kings of Convenience, Bananas in Pyjamas, MC OJ and the Rhythm Slave, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Daft Punk, Eric B and Rakim, The White Stripes, Double J and Twice the T, Mel and Kim, Wham, Milli Vanilli, Hard ‘n Phirm, The Blues Brothers.

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