I'm the Third Conchord

For part of this break, Steve and I have been tearing through the first season of a show from almost two years ago called Flight of the Conchords that airs on HBO. The second season is going to start pretty soon. We're a little bit behind the curve on this one, but it is a show that is hilarious in pretty much the complete opposite way of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Sunny is funny in a very un-nuanced, in-your-face, make fun of your groin kind of way. Conchords is far more subtle but equally hilarious. For the uninformed, the show is about a pair of lovable New Zealand losers, Brett and Jemaine who are in a band called, coincidentally, Flight of the Conchords, living in the U.S. They have a manager named Murray who works for the New Zealand consulate and is about as inept a manager can be. They don't have jobs (though Brett was a sign holder for a stint), they do play the occasional gig to a crowd of about 2-5 people in unfortunate venues (and they always seem to be playing a song called "I Rock the Party"), but mostly they hold band meetings and failingly attempt to come up with ways to increase the band's popularity. For example, Murray suggested they try walking around with a piece of straw in their mouths so they can appear rockstar-like. The show is based on a pre-existing comedy act of the musical duo and they intersperse some of their songs into the plot. Actually, much of the plot is written around the songs.

We're well on our way to the season finale, called "The Third Conchord". I don't know how they filmed me and included me in the season finale from two years ago, but as I've watched more and more of the show, I'm increasingly convinced that I, Ken, am the third conchord. These two loser guys from New Zealand pour time and energy into the creative outlet that they love, they have one diehard fan, but no matter what they do or someone does for them, they have zero success in finding success and popularity. The main difference between them and me is that the fictional in-show band is hilarious but unappreciated, whereas the real life guys and the show itself are much-beloved. I figure what I need to do now is convince HBO to make a show about me writing on my blog. It could include interactions with my family, me watching television in the basement, and as a Charlie Kauffman-like Adaptation plot twist, I could write about shows on HBO while I'm on an HBO program. There is absolutely no way this wouldn't be a massive success. Here are two songs from the show. Part of the brilliance of Flight of the Conchords is that it could almost air on network television because there are only minimally objectionable moments. The two clips below are about as inappropriate as the show gets. Check it out.