By David Farrier
Earlier this month I got to sit down with comedians Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, ahead of their one-off show in New Zealand.
I'd interviewed Tim on the phone a few weeks earlier, where he gave some quite insightful answers into the way the duo made comedy. From hiring struggling (and often aging) LA actors, to getting the likes of Jeff Goldblum & our very own Flight of the Concords on board.
However, I knew interviewing them for TV would be different. I'd watched other journalists try on YouTube, and their obscure answers often make for very awkward viewing.
So I knew what to expect.
That didn't help.
It was one of the strangest interviews I've ever done. Before the cameras were rolling, they politely said hello, but not much more. Once we started, they were on form, straight away - and there was no getting a "serious" answer out of them.
My plan was to remain deadpan, but this is impossible. As a fan of the show, it's almost like you're in an episode, and I just couldn't keep a straight face.
I'd brought my friend and fellow Tim & Eric fan along, Moses Robbins, who made the interview take an even odder turn when he gave a traditional Maori greeting to Tim.
You didn't get to see much on my official story for the 6pm News - it was just unusable for that audience - so I handed over the raw footage to wonderful editor Toby Longbottom to have a play with.
It took some time. The attached video is the result.
It's worth noting that when our interview ended, they thanked us for playing along, and said they looked forward to seeing it on the news. They RT'd my story on Twitter.
Their live show was great, and I left this whole experience feeling very lucky.
3 News
source: newshub archive
