Talk:Flight of the Conchords (TV series)

Running Jokes

• Wikification and Financial Failures Bit

Just tidied this up a bit, and rewrote the more recent section about their financial failures. A little concerned that there's more writing on the right-hand column, but that might just be me being weird. If anyone agrees, just move the bit about Murray's wife to the bottom of the left column. 86.135.183.212 21:23, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Parody Edits

One person's opinion on which songs or artists are being parodied is not suitable content for this page in my opinion. Firstly, the section being edited is a summary of episode plots and should really be limited to the plot of the episode and not include extraneous information. I don't think it would be suitable content for the episode pages themselves either since all of the songs so far existed prior to the TV show (and thus are not specific to the episode). It might be appropriate to perhaps create a page on the song itself and provide parody information there if you could find references to back up what you write. For instance, Bret and Jermaine have talked in interviews about some of the artists they have mimicked. BigBadaboom0 14:12, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

I disagree. The nature of the parody is a core element to the show. They may not form an essential element to the plot, although the third paragraph of the article itself may go some way to refute on the basis that the songs are actual dialogue or an internal monologue. The way I see it, the parody goes quite far in alluding to the dynamic of the show, and the nature of the situations the character in. With a show that's heavily based on parody the songs are the best way of concisely showing what the dramatic style is and the particular nature of that episode. Buceph Haelez 03:59, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Some comparisons people were making early on were a bit of a stretch, but since I wrote that I have softened my stance somewhat. If you look at the articles for some of the later episodes you will see details there about the styles they are mimicking. However I am still reluctant about statements of the form "song X is a parody of Y" unless (a) it is obvious and we can link to something that demonstrates it (eg the Serge Gainsbourg parody in 'Girlfriends'), or (b) there is a source originating with the filmmakers. - BigBadaboom0 09:40, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Songs

Song title confusion

One feature of FotC performances is that the lyrics of songs can vary quite markedly from one performance to the next. The same applies to the song titles to some extent. Songs have been called different things by different sources. This has already resulted in several edits back and forth by various people of the titles of the songs that are listed for each episode.

I am proposing a policy for determining the most correct song titles by specifying an order of authority. My proposal is that we determine authority in the following order:

1. Song title as reproduced in printed form on an official recording (ie. CD track listing).
   
2. Title as specified directly by the band members themselves (such as on an official website, or orally in concert footage).
   
3. Title as listed on HBO website - but with spelling and grammar corrections where necessary.
   
4. Otherwise the best guess until a more authoritative source presents itself.

My issue with the HBO website is that so far they have on many occasions listed a song title that differs from a previously common name for a song (eg. 'Think About It' rather than 'Think About It. Think, Think About It', or have had spelling/grammar errors ('If Your Into It', Rhymenocerous / Rhymenoceros).

I have used the above method for determining song titles for episode four and intend to update the three previous episode pages using the same technique. BigBadaboom0 15:37, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Episodes 1-3 have now been updated using the above scheme. BigBadaboom0 04:10, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

• Word. --Torasap 05:40, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Origin of/Inspiration for songs

Should this section not be expanded to say what influences went into each song, for example, "Inner City Pressure" is influenced by Pet Shop Boys "West End Girls". ?? I know it's a bit subjective, but some are obvious.

Cast Table

I made a cast table and uploaded screens of all of the characters. Let me know what you think and edit their descriptions. Thanks. --Excaliburhorn 23:12, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

The table looks great, but we can't use copyrighted images in charts like this, per our Wikipedia:Non-free content criteria, specifically #3 and #8. We're always striving for minimal use of images we can't release the rights to. (ESkog)^(Talk) 23:26, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

I've redone the table. I split it into two parts for organisational reasons and also because there is no real need for an episode column for the main cast. I also removed all the spoilers that were added. Finally I changed Coco back to (present-tense) girlfriend since the current episode is less than a week old (ie. spoiler) and it is not 100% definite that she is 'ex' yet :) BigBadaboom0 03:22, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Anyone else laugh everytime they read, "Sneaks into Jemaine's room and kisses him on the cheek every night..."? Good work on the tables. Too bad about the pics. --Excaliburhorn 06:00, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, seems a shame about the pics. If it's fair use to put up episode screenshots, it seems odd that it would not be ok to put up a small portrait pics. However since ESkog is an experienced admin, I guess we have to bow to his experience in this matter. BigBadaboom0 07:24, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

The main issue is our concept of "minimal use" of non-free content. A portrait of a character may be appropriate in an article about that character, just as an episode screenshot may be appropriate in an article about a show. Neither one is okay in lists or galleries. (ESkog)^(Talk) 13:14, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the explanation. BigBadaboom0 15:06, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

Mel

Mel is obviously not married.

She claims she is married to Doug in the first episode, and other than her lascivious behaviour, I don't see any real evidence to the contrary. BigBadaboom0 07:04, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

In episode six (Bowie) we learn that it is Mel and Doug's wedding anniversary. So the 'Mel is not married' theory is losing some ground I think :) BigBadaboom0 15:21, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Mel is definitely married. Clconway 22:43, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Are you guys retarded? The whole point of the joke is that she's IS married yet still wants to mess around with them. :rolleyes: 71.202.65.158 19:11, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes, we get that. We were responding to one or two people who were insisting that she wasn't. My apologies if our use of politeness confused you. -- BigBadaboom0 02:21, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

I thought that it was implied that Doug was fired from the University because he got involved with a student -Mel? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.224.35.64 (talk) 17:52, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes it's in Episode 2 I think where they (Doug, Mel, Brett) are sat in the Uni library, he says he used to be the "Senior Psychology Professor" or something, now he just "hangs round here". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20.133.0.13 (talk) 14:41, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

"Codes"

What is the purpose of the episode codes in the table? They obviously aren't production codes -- the first episode to be filmed was "Mugged". Pele Merengue 00:56, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

If you're basing that on the fact that Mugged was filmed when it was all snowy, New York City had a bunch of periods of snow and heat in March, when they started filming the show. I was there for the week of March 11-17, and it was hot for two days, then there was a hail/snow storm lasting a day or two, and then melted the next day. -- Viewdrix 02:27, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I originally gave the episode those codes before we found out that they'd changed the order of some of the latter episodes. Obviously they are just pseudo production codes now, since they do not list real production codes in the credits. However they do provide a good shorthand numbering system for the series & episode number, and this method is not unique to this article. As for why I listed them in the recurring guest star table - I thought it might be useful information to collect. Obviously at some point (for example if there is another series) then the list would become stupidly long and should be removed or moved elsewhere. -- BigBadaboom0 10:55, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

???

Do you think the synopsis o each episode is really necessary? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.180.85.70 (talk) 21:13, August 20, 2007 (UTC)

Maybe not strictly, but my PoV is that it provides a spoiler-free summary of the episode for those that happen upon the article. So it does have some use. -- BigBadaboom0 00:33, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Is the guitar music at the beginning of each TV episode created by FotC? I listened some time ago to a Sunday Drivers song and it had the same chords... --80.26.11.89 (talk) 00:45, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

"running gags"

Should this page really tell people any of the jokes from the show? I don't think it should.SuperGerbil 02:41, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Discussion of the themes and nature of the show is not inappropriate I think. Other articles have similar sections. For instance, see Running gags in Friends and Recurring jokes in The Simpsons. -- BigBadaboom0 03:27, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

I agree that this section is not necessary and should be deleted, or at least reformatted. It looks awful right now. Incetardis101 05:09, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

I don't disagree with the section as it actually provides some interesting information about the series. However, the 'Elapsed Time' joke, as far as I can tell, isn't actually much of a running joke in the series. I suggest deletion of that particular entry but the rest of the section is fine by me. --Ishmael N. Daro 19:19, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps another running gag is the duo's lack of sexual experience with girls, such as in the episode where Bret gets a new 'girlfriend' and remarks after the one night-stand "Well you had sex on me..". Also in "New Fan" where there is confusion that a one-on-one encounter is not a "Twosome"? I'm sure there are others? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20.133.0.13 (talk) 15:05, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

I think this is covered by the section "Unsuccessful relationships with women". BigBadaboom0 (talk) 22:59, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Toyota Land Cruisers

Not a running gag but a running theme; I've noticed in a lot of the outdoor scenes feature strategically placed Toyota Land Cruisers, e.g. in the very first scene in Episode 1 outside the cafe, is an 80-Series parked up directly behind Bret and Jemaine and central to the shot for a few seconds.. The Land Cruiser being the definitive 4x4 of Australia and New Zealand for over half a century I'm pretty sure this is deliberate by one of the crew.

There's a few more scattered around but I need to confirm the episodes and model numbers just to confirm. Any views on this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20.133.0.13 (talk) 15:20, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Hmmm... interesting if true (I hadn't noticed). I'm not sure that it is significant enough to warrant inclusion though. This section is hard enough to keep under control as it is. :) BigBadaboom0 (talk) 05:07, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

In Episode 2, during the song "Inner City Pressure" and outside the fruit shop/"Coffee Connection", a Silver 100 Series Land Cruiser is seen parked up in camera shot behind the duo. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20.133.0.13 (talk) 14:36, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

This article or section resembles a fan site.

A week ago, user Dancter, inserted the following template:

to the top of the article. I posted a question on Dancter's talk page asking for further info on what he/she thought was inappropriate. Since there has been no response after a week, I've removed the template. It's possible Dancter is right, but I believe everything in the article has a precedent, so I'd like more info on what he/she (or anyone else) thinks needs fixing. Until that time, I think it is appropriate to remove the tag. Please add a comment below if you have suggestions on how to improve the page. Note that there is already some discussion about certain sections in other parts of this talk page. -- BigBadaboom0 15:34, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Australia as a Nemisis and Confusion of Nationality?

Could those two be merged? To me, they seem like basically the same thing. Thanks! Mammamiamania 00:50, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

They seem pretty different to me; not just the nature of the problem, but also the fact that they are mistaken for being English as well as Australian. -- Avenue 04:08, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

User:Avenue is correct. These are two very different themes. --AStanhope 10:54, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Vikings

The following note was placed in the body of the article by an anonymous contributor. I have moved it here. -- BigBadaboom0 05:14, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

(Note to previous contributor - New Zealand does have a large section of its population descended from Vikings and is recognised by the Danish government as being the most ethnically Danish country outside of Denmark. Our Viking heritage is a very important part of New Zealand culture. In the episode in which Coco asks about Vikings, Bret answers in the affirmative. So that isn't really a joke. The name New Zealand uses Danish spelling of the word meaning "Sealand" and though originally named after Zeeland in Holland, is is entirely appropriate that we use the name of the island in Denmark where Copenhagen is located. But it is true that the rest of the world knows very little about us.)

Fair use rationale for Image:Conchords Intro.png

Image:Conchords Intro.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 23:46, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

This appears to have been flagged due to a lack of a link back to the referencing page. This has now been fixed. -- BigBadaboom0 12:44, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

Tenacious D

This show is clearly very similar to the 1997 show Tenacious D had (on HBO) - whether this was on purpose or not, I have no idea, but the story of two comedians taking their music seriously and trying to make it big is similar, as is the guitar riff theme between scenes. I propose to link the two, at minimum in a See Also section, but possibly also in the text briefly noting the similarity in both this article and the Tenacious D (TV series) page. Metao 08:12, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

It is clear that many Tenacious D fans feel that they deserve some recognition. I would support it if there was some indication that FotC or the production company was inspired by that show, but AFAIK there isn't. I don't agree that simple similarity to another show warrants a link. BigBadaboom0 (talk) 06:48, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

I agree, actually. WP:NOR has stopped me from doing it for 8 months now... Metao (talk) 07:28, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

Note to self: http://monsterfresh.com/2007/06/06/conchords/ Just about every article on FotC compares them to the D, so Im thinking that Id like to incorporate that the comparison exists. Unfortunately, when it comes to comparing the two shows, only this one no-name blog post seems to state anything useable. *sigh* Oh well. Metao (talk) 10:06, 12 September 2008 (UTC)

Any mention of Tenacious D should include the bit in Episode 6 after the Photo Shoot, the photo appears in Page 8 of a publication. It clearly says "Tenacious Dundee?" under the photo. When it next zooms in this is removed! Anyone else notice that?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 20.133.0.13 (talk) 14:50, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

State Connection...?

I know it's in the credits on the page for "Drive By", but should Kevin Allison from the State be mentioned in the Cameo section? I know I at least felt it was significant seeing Aziz, Bret, Jermaine, and Kevin all in one shot, especially since it's a cast member from the State that doesn't pop up all over the place. Just a notion. 65.122.207.2 (talk) 14:26, 9 December 2008 (UTC)