Tim Wilson talks to Rhys Darby

Tim Wilson talks to Rhys Darby.

Auckland Writers’ and Readers’ festival. 2012.

*Image uploaded with help from our friends, and a great deal of thinking, with all our minds, about Rhys Darby in a 4 piece suit.

Rhys Darby is funny.

At least that's what Tim Wilson tells us a number of times throughout the one hour Writers and Readers hour with Darby. It began to seem as though Wilson was concerned we wouldn't come to this conclusion of our own volition. Perhaps it was largely to do with the many varied opinions amongst New Zealanders on the topic of Darby's humour. There are those who find him hilarious and those who find him a one trick pony, or worse, just not funny at all.

On entering this seminar I confess to being a skeptic. I found his character 'Murray' on Flight of the Conchords amusing and his 2degrees television commercials pleasant. However, it has always seemed to me he has a certain style he sticks to relentlessly; inoffensive, prompting a chuckle or two but little more. I was hoping to find out if there was more depth to Darby.

Tim Wilson has a gift with language and clearly knows how to be engaging whilst not stealing the limelight. Asking Rhys to read a segment of his new autobiographical space novel entitled ‘This Way to Spaceship’ we were regaled with the tale of Rhys encountering a man (and his son) who didn't find him funny. It was a great segment of writing which actually made me interested in reading the book, something I would never have considered before this talk.

Towards the end of the talk, I sensed Wilson trying to get a bit deeper with Darby, asking about the 'darker side' of his life. Darby offered up his experience of poverty after the creation of Flight of the Conchords’ first season which was interesting although not particularly traumatic, deep, or what I think Wilson was really after.

He also brought up Darby's experience in the army, an occupation I found surprising as it's the last place I imagine Darby in. Rhys popped out with a few light hearted tales which got some good laughs but he still avoided getting serious or revealing something deeper about himself.

The hour ended with Wilson encouraging Darby to show the crowd the dance moves referred to frequently in the book. With ‘Dance is a Rhythm’ blasting, Darby worked the crowd with his laugh-out-loud moves which included ‘feeding the chickens’, ‘postie boy’ and accompanying commentary. It was the highlight of the hour and a glimpse into Darby’s entertainment CV.

On reflection, a few things come to mind. Darby is a professional at what he does. He knows where his strengths lie and sticks closely to them. He has shown a lot of perseverance throughout his career which has paid off, given his recent success. During the interview he stated ‘he never tires of being funny' because ‘that's just who he is’. This seems to be a genuine statement. I think Darby’s reluctance to offer up anything more thought-provoking is simply because he is who he seems to be, a light hearted, nice, friendly, likeable, funny person. And this is where his talent and skill in comedy lies. So despite his avoidance of revealing too much or just being serious, Rhys Darby is funny.

The book review is here. It sounds like a great read. However, I notice the reviewer also comments on the lack of actual detail about Darby's life.****