History Music / FlightOfTheConchords

** The boys are both in love with TV's [[Clueless Cher]].

** [[Scrubs Dr. Denise Mahoney]] lies to Bret about her shipping out to Iraq in order to get him to sleep with her.
** [[=MacGruber=] works as a dry cleaner and a semi-professional actor.
** [[24 Jack Bauer's girlfriend]] is Australian.

** [[XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]] works for the Prime Minister of New Zealand?!

** Murry, who's misconceptions about the music business and American culture are largely responsible for the Conchords' lack of success.

* SmallReferencePools: The show frequenrly references ''LordOfTheRings'' due to the fact that just about the only thing most Americans know about New Zealand is that the movie adaptations were filmed there. One of the promotional posters in Murray's office is a shot of a grassy rock formation with the words "New Zealand ... Like Lord of the Rings"

* SnallReferencePools: The show frequenrly references ''LordOfTheRings'' due to the fact that just about the only thing most Americans know about New Zealand is that the movie adaptations were filmed there. One of the promotional posters in Murray's office is a shot of a grassy rock formation with the words "New Zealand ... Like Lord of the Rings"

* TechnologyMarchesOn: Check out those instruments.

* MusicalWorldHypotheses: One of those musicals that are ''not'' Alternate Universe. Some of the songs are diegetic, such as "Robots," "If You're Into It" and "Albi the Racist Dragon"; some of the songs are All In Their Heads like "Business Time" and "Prince of Parties", and some of the songs are musical adaptations of events that really do happen, such as "Foux da Fa Fa,
"Most Beautiful Girl in the Room," "I Told You I Was Freekie" and "Hurt Feelings."

* ActorAllusion: The Coco episode repeatedly references a connection between New Zealand and ''LordOfTheRings''. On top of the fact that the movies were filmed in New Zealand, Bret had a bit part as an elf in one of them.
** And that was far from the only LordOfTheRings [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWf3iJjqYCM reference]].

* AffectionateParody: "Bowie" is an over-the-top, yet still somehow spot-on parody of DavidBowie; "Inner City Pressure" takes on the PetShopBoys; "Fashion" - the entire [[TheEighties New Romantic]] genre; "You Don't Have to be a Prostitute" - "Roxanne" by ThePolice; "I'm not Crying" - "I'm not in Love" by 10CC; "Hurt Feelings (Reprise)" is a dead-on take of the "Wise Up" [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimee_Mann Aimee Mann]] montage in {{Magnolia}}...

* ButtMonkey: Poor, poor Murray.
** And in the second season, Greg, who is even Murray's ButtMonkey.
** Don't forget Doug, Mel's UnwantedSpouse.

* CelebrityParadox: Subverted with the band featured as a novelty band in the show.
** Played straight where the Conchords never achieve higher than "New Zealand's Fourth Most Popular Parody Folk Duo".
*** Which is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] with the only songs they are seen ''performing'' being ones like "We Like To Rock The Party" [[StylisticSuck (lyrics: "I like to rock the party.")]]
*** They ''used'' to be fourth, but then they were overtaken by their own tribute band.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Pretty much the entire main cast - and telling from Prime Minister Brian, all of New Zealand.
** Well given that the Maori name for New Zealand is "Land of the Long White Cloud"...
* ComplimentBackfire: "Sure you're weedy (and kind of shy), but some girlie out there must be needy for a weedy shy guy."

* DownerEnding: The Season 1 finale could apply. [[spoiler:"The Crazy Dogggz", a band formed by Todd and [[DemetriMartin Demetri]] (two musicians who quit the Conchords), has hit the big time with a song Bret and Jemaine refused to play. Their manager, who also manages the Dogggz, has almost totally stopped managing them. And, possibly worst of all, their former LoonyFan, Mel, has lost all interest in them.]] However, as this ''is'' the Conchords we're talking about, it's all played for laughs.
** Of course, this is all [[SnapBack reversed]] in literally the first ten minutes of Episode One of Season Two, as [[spoiler:The Crazy Dogggz are found to have plagiarized a Polish band fifteen years before them, leaving Murray literally homeless. Mel is also back, seen lighting a Crazy Dogggz bonfire.]]

* GenderFlip: In "Girlfriends", a girl [[RapeAsComedy coerces Bret into sex]] by saying she's going to ship out to Iraq, causing Bret to later [[HeroicBSOD curl up into a ball]] and [[ShowerOfAngst take a shower with all of his clothes on]].

** [[AssShove Unless it's...]]

* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Dave, though the guys are [[TheBlindLeadingTheBlind always seeking his advice]] anyway. Particularly impressive when he works on the tourist information point for New Zealand Town.
** Murry, who's misconceptions about the music business are largely responsible for the Conchords lack of success.
* LampshadeHanging: An amazing number of first season episodes involved Bret quitting the band, and in a later season 1 episode Murray quits the band, prompting Jemaine to tell him "you can't quit the band, Bret normally quits the band!"
* LetsGetDangerous: Bret is a very shy and sensitive guy who usually feels uncomfortable around women, and if he gets laid is mainly because AbuseIsOkayWhenItIsFemaleOnMale. However, ''BEWARE'' if you are his fancy and [[MakesSenseInContext he gets freak-ay]]: you may end bodypainted to match the wall, photographed with a goat on a boat, dressed as a squirrel in order to steal his nuts or performing foreplay with cardboard silhouettes of yourselves...
** Hey, [[YouHaveBeenWarned he told you that he is freaky]].
*** Also, [[DracoInLeatherPants leather outfits]], [[RollerbladeGood roller skates]], [[EightiesHair hair gel]] or just [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench conversational French]] will make the Conchords feel more dangerous.

* MagicFeather: Parodied.

* MistakenForGay: In one way or another, this happens throughout the entire series. Did someone say HoYay? Why yes.
** Specifically in the Season Two episode "Love Is A Weapon Of Choice" in which Brahbrah admits she had remained oblivious to both Bret and Jemaine's advances because she thought they were a gay couple.

*** "But how can that be gay, if you're pretending he's a woman?"

* MusicalWorldHypotheses: One of those musicals that are ''not'' Alternate Universe. Some of the songs are diegetic, such as ''Robots'', ''If You're Into It'' and ''Albi the Racist Dragon''; some of the songs are All In Their Heads like ''Business Time'' and ''Prince of Parties'', and some of the songs are musical adaptations of events that really do happen, such as ''Foux da Fa Fa'', ''Most Beautiful Girl in the Room'', ''I Told You I Was Freekie'' and ''Hurt Feelings''.

** This is part of what makes it funny when Bret and Jemaine order biscuits from New Zealand in one episode and [[BrickJoke the biscuits actually do arrive a few episodes later]].
* NiceHat: In episode one, Bret is working on a helmet that looks like his hair. Later in the series, he wears it while biking.
* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: As noted above, the band often introduces themselves in live performances as "formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo". (The third-most-popular is claimed to be "Like of the Conchords," a [=FotC=] tribute band.)
** Additionally, the song ''Most Beautiful Girl in the Room'' revolves around this:
--->Looking 'round the room\\
I can tell that you\\
Are the most beautiful girl in the\\
Room...

* PrecisionFStrike: "Go fuck yourself, Bret." From Murray, whose usual version of this is "Stuff you" or "Stuff you twice" if he's particularly mad. It makes you go "Whoa, he's serious."

* SitcomArchNemesis: Australians in general.
** And in one episode, the racist greengrocer. But then it turned out he thought [[spoiler:''they'' were [[AcceptableTargets Australian]]...]]

'Jay-Z is not very good'
'Snoop Doggy Dogg is not very good'
'Dr Dre is not very good'

* CulturalCringe: Completely ignored by New Zealand's TV networks, until they made it big in America. Averted, however, by their New Zealand fan base.

* GonnaFlyNowMontage: In "Drive By", when Dave attempts to train Bret and Jemaine in the art of extremely rude gestures. It takes a while.

** Blink and you'll miss it, but the gentleman trying to sell Dave a cake in the first episode is [[ThirtyRock Frank Rossitano]].

* CanisLatinicus;

* HumansAreBastards - Mocked in "The Humans are Dead," in which robots kill all the humans for making them work unreasonable hours. However, one line suggests that, by killing the humans, the robots are becoming like the humans.

* AffectionateParody: "Bowie" is an over-the-top, yet still somehow spot-on parody of DavidBowie; "Inner City Pressure" takes on the PetShopBoys; "Fashion" - the entire [[TheEighties New Romantic]] genre; "You Don't Have to be a Prostitute" - "Roxanne" by ThePolice; "I'm not Crying" - "I'm not in Love" by 10CC; "Hurt Feelings (Reprise)" is a dead-on take of the "Wise Up" AimeeMann montage in {{Magnolia}}...

* BlatantLies: "They call me the Hiphopapotamus, my lyrics are bottomless. [[AwkwardSilence ... ...*ahem*]]"

** This article argues the entire series is a big gender flip [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frankie-thomas/a-eulogy-for-flight-of-th_b_177431.html]]

* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: As noted above, the band often introduces themselves in live performances as "formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo". (The third-most-popular is claimed to be "Like of the Conchords," a FotC tribute band.)

* YaoiFangirl: Mel.

* EstrogenBrigadeBait: The guys have their share of admirers in the real world, especially for their song [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ozSSseCh3U Sugar Lumps]].

* UnusualEuphemism: "Sugarlumps"

* DroppedABridgetOnHim: In the second season song "Carol Brown", there's "Bruce turned out to be a man"...

--->''[one terrible gig later]''

* MusicalWorldHypotheses: One of those musicals that are ''not'' Alternate Universe. Some of the songs are diegetic, such as ''Robots'', ''If You're Into It'' and ''Albi the Racist Dragon''; some of the songs are All In Their Heads like ''Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros'', ''Business Time'' and ''Prince of Parties'', and some of the songs are musical adaptations of events that really do happen, such as ''Foux da Fa Fa'', ''Most Beautiful Girl in the Room'', ''I Told You I Was Freekie'' and ''Hurt Feelings''.

* MusicalWorldHypotheses: One of those musicals that are ''not'' Alternate Universe. Some of the songs are diegetic, such as ''Robots'', ''If You're Into It'' and ''Albi the Racist Dragon''; some of the songs are All In Their Heads like ''Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros'', ''Business Time'' and ''Prince of Parties'', and some of the songs are musical adaptations of events that really do happen, such as ''Foux da Fa Fa'', ''Most Beautiful Girl in the Room'', ''I Told You I Was Freekie'' and ''Hurt Feelings''.

--> ''Bret'' (singing): She was comparable to Cleopatra...
--> ''Jemaine'' (talking): Why, old?
--> ''Bret'' (singing): She was like Shakespeare's Juliet...
--> ''Jemaine'' (talking): What, thirteen?

-->-- '''Dave, Episode 7, "Drive By"'''

* ComplimentBackfire: "Sure you're weedy (and kind of shy), but some girlie out there must be needy for a weedy shy guy"
** And all of "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room."

Flight of the Conchords are [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo]]. The group is made up of Jemaine Clement and Bret [=McKenzie=]. They have had a [[TheBBC BBC radio]] series and an {{HBO}} TV series.

* BlatantLies: "They call me the Hiphopapotamus, my lyrics are bottomless. [[AwkwardSilence ...]]"

** [[AssPull Unless it's...]]

* BlatantLies: "They call me the Hiphopapotamus, my lyrics are bottomless[[AwkwardSilence ...]]"