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Flight of the Conchords return

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:56:00 +0000

After taking a nearly three-year hiatus from composing together, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement of the beloved Flight of the Conchords have released a single. They wrote the song, "Feel Inside (and Stuff Like That)," for Red Nose Day, an Australian fundraiser that benefits sick children. All proceeds from the song go to charity.

The lyrics are based on interviews with a cute group of kids from Wellington, New Zealand. McKenzie and Clement asked them questions about what it means to be sick, how to raise money and what they think of "The Muppets" (for which McKenzie wrote an Oscar-winning song, solo).

On being sick after drinking bubble mixture:

Jemaine: What were you thinking, drinking bubble mixture?
Girl: I wanted to turn into a bubble.

One boy's conception of the financial system:

Ten Grammy nominees that don’t suck

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:10:00 +0000

The Grammys generally have a way of bringing out the indignant, stage-storming Kanye inside of all us. Unless you're a big Phil Collins, Celine Dion or Kings of Leon fan, odds are good the awards don't exactly jibe with the reality of your own picks for the best music in any given year. This, after all, is the institution that has honored Milli Vanilli, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and "Smooth." But once in a while, something that qualifies as listenable slips in among the nominees. And though you won't find anything super-revelatory among this year's crop (not really possible in a world where Iron Maiden and John Mayer are up for accolades), if you'd assumed anything up for a Grammy would automatically make you want to shove a kebab skewer in your ear, open your mind and give these 10 a listen.

The Black Keys: "Tighten Up"

Nominated for: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals, Best Rock Song, Producer of the Year

I Like to Watch

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:34:00 +0000

I was watching the inauguration on Tuesday, filled with hope and loving my country and Obama and Denzel Washington and Smokey Robinson and everyone else in the crowd, when a startling thought occurred to me: Does this mean "we are the world" again? Because that suggests that we're going to have to feed the world to let them know it's Christmas time, and I don't think I have to tell you how expensive that can get.

It's almost as expensive as teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony, which we're also going to have to work into our ballooning federal budget. Living in a land where the river runs free sounds great, sure, but don't forget, that land is also a place where you and me are free to be you and me. I'm OK with me, of course, but I've never been completely comfortable with you. Are you still collecting Nazi memorabilia in your basement? Did your little phase experimenting with plastic explosives ever pass?

I Like to Watch

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +0000

In calculus, I hit the wall when variables started approaching infinity. Up until that point in my math classes, I had been very brave. I held my breath and sallied forth as more and more unknown variables and steps and bizarre rotating parabolas were thrown into the picture. But when infinity came into play, I threw up my hands. Even though I knew that you could just move infinity around like any other variable (although it doesn't obey the usual rules of algebra, oh no, that would be too easy!), even though I realized that you didn't need to grasp infinity in order to solve most equations, you merely had to politely step around it and tolerate its unknowable existence, I still couldn't handle it. I felt overwhelmed by the sight of that little 8, lying on its side, helplessly slouching toward some unfathomable abyss ... Black holes... Outer space...

Conversations: Flight of the Conchords

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:50:00 +0000

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In a studio lot in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, N.Y., Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are on the verge of wrapping "Flight of the Conchords," their new HBO comedy series. The "comedy-folk" duo, working with director James Bobin, have turned their stage performance into a 12-part series for American television, and in the final days of shooting, things are hectic. They're doing interviews during their lunch breaks, and Clement is delayed by a fitting for "David Bowie pants" for an upcoming gag.