Flight of the Conchords

Bret and Jemaine
The duo rocked out at the 'Flight of the Conchords' Concert at The Greek (Not Roman) Theater up in Los Angeles last night.

The deadpan, dorky duo, The Flight of the Conchords, proved themselves to be as funny, if not funnier in person, and much, much better musicians than I ever expected. They're really great.

I thought the show really came alive when they literally moved for their sets. Like, got up and moved about the stage, or reacted to unexpected antics from the audience. The energy level was a bit more sedate than I anticipated.

If I have any one complaint it is that they seemed a bit too nailed to the spots where they played.



Since the joke was often extremely deadpan, and often lost in a New Zealand accent, I fear that by not providing visual explanations in order to underscore their "irony," that a bit of the humor became lost in translation.

Very good musicians and vocalists, though. Really.

They mocked all of us Americans, for confusing Greeks with Romans, which I think they discovered wasn't exactly a great laugh factory move, when you already sound smarter than we do.

However, their "David Bowie" voice was amazing.

And we all, took a gander at their "package" toward the end of the show. It was impossible not to.

All in all it was a great show under the stars, and we had amazing seats.

I especially enjoyed the two American stand-up comics, Eugene Mirman and Arj Barker who did a great job of opening the show for them.

I thought their material was original, fresh and a very good set ups for FOTC. Great energy from both.

I really liked them quite a bit, actually. I think Eugene Mirman is very gifted and I am hoping to hear more from them both soon.

Oh, that was me giving Mirman a "shout-out" for "Western Mass."

Yeah, it kind of surprised me, too. I don't actually live there, but I wish I did. Does this count?

Can you cheer for a place you've liked even though you didn't actually live there? I didn't read how to handle this in my audience handbook.

But, that's a very cool area. Every year when I drive through Western Mass (Northampton, Amherst, Greenfield, etc...) on my way to visit my parents in Southern Vermont, I always wished I did lived there. So, I shouted out to the 'Louise' who lives there in an alternative universe.

And I especially like it more now that Mirman's confirmed that they've closed Linens 'N Things. He's right, it's all their fault. They should have been much more specific.

Anyhow -- Great show last night. And even better was seeing my childhood friend "Beeper" (Yes, that is her unofficial name.) and her family for dinner beforehand in their lovely So. Masselin Street home in LA.

Meet "Beeper."


Beeper and I go way, way back. When she was 3 and I was 4 or 5. Beeper, and her very funny older brother, Jay, and I were the kind of friends that evolved because our parents spent a great deal of (party) time together, over the years.

I think of all the friends I still socialize with since birth, she may be the one I've known the longest. I met her before starting Kindergarten when our moms worked at Yale Library in 1966-7. And "only kids" like myself, take this kind of personal history seriously.

It was only a year we lived there, but New Haven at that time was a trip. Then the weekend trips to Yale from VT through the sixties and seventies were highly memorable, too. She's pretty much been my "adopted" little sister for the past 43 years.

Remind me to write about the day my very Episcopal parents decided to baptize (then, heathen) Beeper when we were in middle school. That was interesting.

In any event...

Now, we have four daughters between us through which we get to relive all the horrors and joys of growing up all over again!

As usual the men move into the TV room to watch sports while the girls laugh and show off our bums.

The Ladies:




The Gentlemen:



It really was a very good day.