I first met Bret and Jemaine over Christmas break of last year. Being a teacher allows ample time off around holidays to be with family, read books, and view movies and comedians. I inadvertently flipped on HBO at 10:00 PM one night and there they were. Now, I hadn't tested HBO since the cancellation of the greatest television show of all time, The Sopranos, and I truly di not expect that I would ever venture upon an HBO series again. I have heard my wife rave of Sex In The City and Big Love, but neither appealed to me in the least. In fact, I hate them both. So on that fateful night, I am introduced to, now world famous, New Zealander wanna-be folk rockstars. Since then, I have found out a little background on this amazing duo. They first met in Wellington as university students and felt that they'd like to learn how to play guitar. Initially they tried playing other peoples songs, but finding that was too hard decided to write their own. Their first major international success came at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where they received rave reviews and built up a solid fan base. An initial BBC radio series in 2004 was followed by rising internet fame, which led to HBO picking them to up produce the self-titled sitcom. Along the way they've picked up a Grammy for Best Comedy Album, and have been nominated for an Emmy award. The second season has just concluded, and I am afraid, as I have heard rumors, it was their last. All in all, in might not be all that bad because BOTH the first and second season were nothing short of brilliant. The comedic timing of Brett and Jemaine, the mania of their manager Murray, and their one obsessive fan, Mel, all combine for some of the funniest comedic moments I have seen in many years. The show is simply brilliant. And I haven't even mentioned their songs, which are all original, but occasionally spoof artists such as David Bowie, the Pet Shop Boys, Radiohead, and even Gangsta Rap ("They call me Hiphoppopotamus...my lyrics are bottomless...") So if you have the time...no, make the time to see this series. It is available for download on iTunes or you can pick it up (season one at least) on Amazon for about $20 bucks.
"Inner City Pressure" - Brilliant Pet Shop Boys parody from FOTC
"West End Girls" - The original 1986 Pet Shop Boys video
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