Beyond the Punch Line

By Belinda Luscombe

DON'T MIND THEM. THEY'RE MUSICAL THE GENTLE COMICS

In the comedy jungle, where Robin Williams is a big silverback ape and Jon Stewart a sneaky hyena, Flight of the Conchords are tiny fawns. Their whimsical acoustic-guitar songs and gentle banter totter out on spindly legs to nibble at funny bones. The duo, who claim to be the "fourth most popular folk parodists in New Zealand," sing about the usual stuff--mistaken identity, killer robots, racist dragons--but with an earnest, blinking naivete. It's a hemisphere away from the witty social commentary that reigns on America's comedy circuit. "I guess we're kind of nerdy hipsters," says Bret McKenzie (except he pronounces it "nurdy hupstas"). Jemaine Clement, on the other hand, prefers to describe their comedy as "awkward." The Conchords are about to take flight. An album is due this year, and the two are developing a sitcom for HBO. Meanwhile, you can catch Clement's seminal work on commercials for restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse. "Jemaine is more the blokey guy," says McKenzie. "I'd probably advertise fruit and vegetables."