Bret McKenzie's solo project takes the performer in a new direction. Photo / Supplied
It's business time for Bret McKenzie.
To be fair, the singer-songwriter has been doing funny business for years now - he's one half of musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Man or Muppet from 2011's The Muppets movie, has written songs for and guest-starred on The Simpsons, and much more.
But now it's the turn of serious business, with McKenzie releasing his solo album Songs Without Jokes, produced by long-time collaborator Mickey Petralia, on August 26. He's also gearing up for a New Zealand tour during September, including a gig at the Royal Whanganui Opera House, which stars alongside McKenzie and some other familiar faces in the video for A Little Tune, from the new album.
"I started the album wanting to do something different – not a film, not songs for comedy shows," McKenzie says.
"It's been hugely refreshing. It opened up a different side of songwriting for me.
"I feel that's a new challenge for me, writing songs that are more heartfelt or personal, not for a character or series, based around a joke."
It was "frightening and exciting" to write something more personal.
"I was trying to make something as beautiful as I could. The Conchords songs were always driven by the joke but we still tried to make them beautiful."
McKenzie and Conchords partner Jemaine Clement didn't set out to be a comedy duo.
"When Jemaine and I started we thought of ourselves as a 'weird band', like Ween or Beck."
But a gig at a comedy club, where it was all about the laughs, changed their focus.
"We always would have been funny and strange - but not doing comedy."
Although McKenzie confesses to being slightly obsessed with not writing jokes into the new songs, audiences can expect an entertaining show and some laughs during his tour.
"I'm not on a mission to do a serious show. I'll have these songs [from the album] but I want the audience to have fun."
There's some serious subject matter on the album. This World, for example, includes lyrics about the world being broken and no one coping. But it's a remarkably peppy tune.
"It seems to have become increasingly relevant but it's a climate change song that's really catchy and sweet," McKenzie said.
"I'm fond of songs like that – like The Smiths and Morrissey."
Yes, McKenzie's a big fan of The Smiths' former frontman's music - but the feeling isn't mutual. Morrissey was angered by an episode of The Simpsons that parodied him. McKenzie wrote songs for the episode, and actor Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the character Quilloughby, a British musician and former lead singer of "The Snuffs".
How's McKenzie's relationship with Morrissey these days? "Still blacklisted," he says.
After splitting his time between Wellington and Los Angeles for years, McKenzie has been based back in New Zealand, and started writing for the album during the Covid-19 lockdown.
"One song on the album that's quite special to me is Crazy Times, that I wrote during lockdown. It captures a really specific memory for me. I love them all, but that's my Covid lockdown song. I think all songwriters have one."
Although he's been busy in the past few years, McKenzie says he now feels like he's coming out of hibernation, playing shows and going to shows.
"I used to travel a lot, but Covid slowed that down.
"I've been doing a lot of work over Zoom but I've missed working with people, so I'm very excited about working with the band [on the album and tour]."
That same band features in the A Little Tune video, shot over a couple of days last year in Whanganui's Opera House.
"For the first video we made we were looking for an old opera house to shoot in. Ezra Simons, who directed the video, looked around New Zealand and found Whanganui," McKenzie says.
"It's an amazing place - people in Whanganui probably take it for granted. A lot of opera houses have been really tastelessly refurbished. And it's available to the community. Most opera houses are too expensive. It's cool that it's run by a group of volunteers.
"We had a brilliant time. The band in the video is pretty much the band playing the actual show.
"I love beautiful old theatres. It feels special being on stage and in the audience."
The video also features comedian Madeleine Sami, McKenzie's dad Peter McKenzie, and Whanganui musician Emma Bernard (Ludus).
It's not McKenzie's only connection with the Whanganui area.
His dad's family had a farm at Manutahi near Pātea, and the McKenzie children spent a lot of time there and in Whanganui.
"I remember my older brother going on a school trip from Manutahi to Whanganui to go to KFC – a school trip! And I was very jealous because I was too young to go."
Things have changed since McKenzie's early memories of Whanganui, which mostly involve his grandmother driving really slowly.
"I was blown away by Whanganui. It's got a real creative energy that you don't see in many other places in New Zealand. It reminds me of Wellington when I was a bit younger. Arty people making cool stuff. There seems to be a lot of energy at the moment. I came home and raved to my wife [Hannah Clarke] about it."
It's nothing to do with Kermit but McKenzie is pretty green, something that's become even more relevant now he and Clarke have three children.
"Having kids, and the challenges facing the planet, is something very important to me. That comes through in the music.
"I wonder if, in 20 years, are the kids going to say, 'What were you doing? Why were you driving a car?'
"I'm amazed if someone's not concerned about the planet."
McKenzie and his band embark on a New Zealand tour next month, with his Auckland show already sold out and another added.
What else is on the horizon?
"I'm really excited about this music I'm making and about the band," McKenzie says.
"I'm working on another record of songs without jokes – but probably with some jokes."
His recent focus has been on writing for films. He did another song for The Simpsons a couple of weeks ago and his work is part of various animated films coming out in the next year.
"It's a busy time, but it's exciting and fun at the same time."
• Songs Without Jokes was released worldwide on August 26. Bret McKenzie plays at the Royal Whanganui Opera House on Monday, September 12. Tickets from ticketek.co.nz
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