Losing the magic touch

First of all, this post absolutely does not refer to anything sexual (ok, maybe a little. I have a slight crush on Bret McKenzie from FOTC). What I’m talking about is the freshness and originality of a new comedy group/person/skit/show/whatever it may be – the spark that allows them to jump into the comedy scene. Yet, when season two rolls around, they suddenly don’t seem as funny anymore. What happened? Where’s the originality that got you hooked in the first place? Were they brainwashed? Lobotomy? Run headfirst into a brick wall? Did they watch an episode of The Wire? (I kid, I kid). Let’s discuss.

Being funny is difficult. Being in the spotlight is difficult. Putting the two together leads me to understand John Belushi’s drug addiction. It’s amazing to be discovered, to be able to make an audience of more than just your family laugh till it hurts. The Flight of the Conchords, a folk comedy duo from New Zealand made up of Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, took off in the States with their first season. Their show followed the boys as they tried to make it into the music industry after moving to New York City. What was so intriguing were several hilarious aspects that they played into very well.

1) The simple fact that they are so unsuccessful – they rent a tiny apartment in Brooklyn that has little/no furniture. They can hardly afford food and in one episode, Bret comes home with groceries and a sandwich he discovered on the sidewalk (which Jermaine eats anyways).

2) They are from New Zealand and are constantly mistaken for being English. (“Yeah, my name’s Bret.” “Brit? Brit? Like Brittney?” “Uh, no. B-R-E-T.” “Oh Bret…I like your English accent.”)

3) Bret and Jermaine write and incorporate original music into their shows, talking about anything from The Lord of the Rings (Frodo, Don’t Wear The Ring) to living in the city (Inner City Pressure) to hitting on a girl (Most Beautiful Girl In The Room).

4) They make references to David Bowie. That’s automatically awesome.

5) The Flight of the Conchords has one lone fan, a woman named Mel who makes her own FOTC t-shirts and makes sure she attends all of their performances. She is their biggest fan and fawns over them much like a 13 year old drools over N’SYNC. Mel is also married, which only makes it funnier.

Their early material is amazingly funny. However, the end of their first season wasn’t as funny. I felt as though they were trying too hard, as though they were unable to keep the momentum of their comedy consistent. And now they are working on Season Two, which I’m slightly hesitant to watch. I don’t want to be put off by material that has been forced out of them, with the sole purpose of having a second season. That’s what I believe happens – material is squeezed out of these comedians in order to stay on the air. Creativity is something that CANNOT be forced. However, the want to remain in the comedy spotlight is such a powerful force. And I don’t blame them – it’s incredibly difficult to become a recognized name in comedy. It’s understandable to want to hold onto that success that you worked hard for. But this also comes down to what are your priorities – the limelight or the quality of the material? This brings me to Dave Chappelle, who stepped down from his own show on Comedy Central because of the quality of his material. I find it admirable that he backed out of this amazing situation that so many people would kill for because he felt that what he was producing was not what he wanted. It came down to the quality of his work, which is a sight so many have lost focus on.