Stick It Together with Tape, the Tape of Love

Tonight will be much less funny, since Flight of the Conchords‘ season has concluded. I didn’t know what to expect back in June when the HBO series began, but it instantly won my heart. Thanks to the new “In Demand” function on my cable box, I am now able to watch any of the twelve episodes that aired this summer. I have now watched the fourth episode, entitled “Yoko”, three times, and I am convinced that it is among the funniest things I have ever seen on television.

The gist of the series is that there are two fellows from New Zealand who now live in New York City and have a band called Flight of the Conchords. They are not especially good, unfortunately, and, in spite of having an enthusiastic manager–who conducts band business during the course of his duties as deputy cultural attaché at the New Zealand consulate–and one overly-devoted fan, the two are poor and unappreciated. Each episode involves the efforts of Bret and Jermaine to woo women and reach a wider audience, with little success. There are usually a couple songs in each episode, and they often come in the form of hilarious music videos.

(Episode-specific spoilers follow.) Read more »

Filed under: Comedy, Popular Music, Television on September 9th, 2007 | No Comments »

La Speranza!

One last word on Pavarotti:

This morning I pulled several sets of La Bohème off my shelf and compared and contrasted performances of what I consider to be the best tenor aria of all, “Che gelida manina”, sung by the poet Rodolfo in the first act. What I determined was that, between Roberto Alagna, Carlo Bergonzi, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, it’s the Pav who did it best. Certainly, Bergonzi is stylish and elegant, but Pavarotti has the right combination of warmth and charm and hope. Hear the climactic high C here:

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Filed under: Music, WAYLTL on September 9th, 2007 | No Comments »