Carol Brown (Choir of Ex-Girlfriends) - Flight of the Conchords

What this video is

Produced for HBO's Flight of the Conchords Season 2 (2009), 'Carol Brown' represents a rare convergence of prestige television comedy and auteur music video direction. Michel Gondry, fresh from Be Kind Rewind (2008), brought his signature handcrafted surrealism to a small-screen format. The song itself is a homage to Paul Simon's '50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,' inverting the formula so that Jemaine catalogs all the…

Why it matters

A landmark intersection of comedy-folk television and auteur music video craft. 'Carol Brown' demonstrates how the embedded TV music video format could achieve genuine emotional and aesthetic complexity beyond parody — critics called it one of the Conchords' finest pieces of songwriting. Its lo-fi…

The director

French filmmaker and music video director born 1964 in Versailles. Began career directing videos for his band Oui Oui; gained international recognition directing Björk's 'Human Behaviour' (1993). Known for inventive handcrafted visual style. Directed Eternal…