NYLON - February 2009 - (Page 110) radar: as the scene-stealing stalker on flight of the conchords, comic-actress kristen schaal has finally amassed a following of s her own. by stephanie trong. photographed by disco meisch KRISTEN SCHAAL, WHO plays enthusiastic band-devotee Mel on Flight of the Conchords, is experiencing a bit of karma—even if she doesn’t exactly deserve it. Last season, her character busted in on Bret McKenzie, one half of the New Zealand folk-novelty duo she worships (the other being Jemaine Clement), while he was relieving himself. “In the past year, I have been walked in on at least four times,” says Schaal, in her signature high-pitched voice that suggests a lispy teen girl with braces. “One time this guy was mad at number one fan me because I scared him by being in there. I was like, ‘OK, well, you maybe saw my vagina, so I think we’re even?’” The stakes of such invasions of privacy are high for Schaal, who’s well on her way to fame. Suddenly, she’s everywhere: In addition to Conchords (season two airs mid-January on HBO), Schaal has popped up in Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, and MTV’s Human Giant. And then there’s The Daily Show. Officially the program’s senior women’s issues correspondent, Schaal, who delivers her lines with a cutting faux naiveté, has taken the piss out of “cougars” and Sarah Palin alike. “My big dream was to go into a restaurant and order whatever I wanted—then I’d know I made it,” says the fast-rising Schaal. “Oysters? I would neeeever get them before. And lately, I’ve been ordering as many as I can handle.” Born and raised in Longmont, Colorado, Schaal recalls standing on the hearth of the family’s fireplace, singing into a spoon, and—in a home-sewn gown made out of curtains—prancing around playing Cinderella. “I believe that your favorite childhood story actually has a lot to do with who you are [later],” she says. “The reason I loved Cinderella so much was because, for a few hours, she got to pretend to be someone else.” Schaal moved to New York City in 2000, armed with a degree in performance studies from Northwestern University and improv skills honed in classes at Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade. She worked the comedy circuit and tried acting. “When I couldn’t get auditions because I didn’t fit any ‘type,’ I was, like, ‘Are you kidding? This is bullshit,’” she says. So Schaal concentrated on stand-up. Her break came in 2005 when New York magazine named her one of “The 10 Funniest New Yorkers You’ve Never Heard Of,” and she landed a spot at the prestigious Aspen Comedy Festival shortly thereafter. That gig earned the attention of the Flight of the Conchords guys. “When I got the job, I could not wait to hang out with these Kiwis,” Schaal says. Conchords’ new season finds Mel just as fannedout as ever—plus she gets to do her own song. “It was so cool because I got to write lyrics,” says Schaal. “Of course, I’m a terrible singer, so we’ll see how that goes over.” And will Jemaine or Bret ever succumb to her charms, or rather, her scary persistence? “Mel is so much about living in her fantasies,” she says. “If anything ever did happen—like if one of the guys were like, ‘Let’s get it on’—I think it would freak her out.” In real life, Schaal has been dating Rich Blomquist, a writer for The Daily Show, since January 2008. It was actually Blomquist who brought Schaal’s first idea, an address to the first female president in the year 2300, to Jon Stewart. The host obviously liked it. “Jon’s the best boss,” she gushes. “He critiques your work such that you end up feeling good about his comments.” Still, Schaal admits she was hesitant at first to be the program’s resident voice on women’s issues, for fear of being dismissed as, say, a “femiNazi.” Now she’s just having a good time with it. “With any stance that you take, if it’s funny, you’re safe from being called overzealous. If you’ve made it funny, you did your job.” 110 stylist: jessie cohan. hair: joshua barrett for artistsbytimothypriano.com. makeup: alex byrne for nars cosmetics. shot at the rusty knot. cardigan by verrier, dress by jeremy scott. http://www.artistsbytimothypriano.com
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