So. This new song from Flight Of The Conchords. Um. The one about single dads and their children… me and Isaac enjoyed watching it half-an-hour ago and I thought that we could… Um. Well, I thought we could write something about it. Er.
And that’s it.
So, Isaac. Hello.
“Hello.”
What is it that you like about this song?
“It’s quite funny.”
How so?
“I don’t know.”
Is it something about the self-deprecating way the two singers tackle the subject material and their downbeat wry manner, or is it the delicious delight of the (vaguely taboo) subject material itself, the way the duo sometimes throw in an unexpected sting at the end of a line, the understated pathos that is none the less sweet or moving despite the fact the song is satirical (like all the greatest comedy it holds truth), the underplayed but heartwarming musicality, the way the song builds up into mini-crescendos and dies away again, passion momentarily spent, the smart interplay between the two disjointed narratives, the smart way “Trevor” rhymes with “live together”, the wry nastiness of some of the more ostensibly throwaway lines, the way the song becomes funnier and funnier with familiarity and repeated listens, the unmusicality of the voices as the song draws closer and closer to its climax, the gentle chugalong of the rhythm and melody, bodies swaying gently in the spotlight, the…
“I don’t know. Er. Sorry. Something like that.”
………
Isaac: “You know what would make a great ice cream flavour?” Me: “No.” Isaac: “Dead dad.” Pause. Isaac: “That’s you.”
“Dad, you rock!” Really Isaac? That’s nice of you to say so. “No, not really. I was giving you a sarcastic build-up.”
“You said I can do anything I want when I get home. That means I can kill dad.”