Pulp Comedy: Series 5, Episode 2 (Flight of the Conchords)

A young Flight of the Conchords steps onto a New Zealand comedy club stage with an acoustic guitar and early versions of the songs that will eventually make them television stars. The duo tests out “Ladies of the World” and “Bowie,” working through the quiet rhythm that becomes their entire career. The central joke about David Bowie’s vocal range and complex tempo changes being too difficult for them to actually play works exactly as intended.

Filmed for the local stand-up series Pulp Comedy at Auckland’s Powerstation, the 2000 episode is hosted by Mike King. He anchors the broadcast, introducing club acts like John Glass to talk about kissing etiquette and Chris Brain to cover bikers and the Wiggles. The venue atmosphere is standard early-aughts broadcast stand-up. The primary appeal is archival, watching Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement figure out how to make their musical dynamic work in front of an audience.