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Hero image for The Underwatermelon Man and Other Unreasonable Rhymes

The Underwatermelon Man and Other Unreasonable Rhymes

Short Film (Full Length) – 2006

[Fane] Flaws' delightful, dazzlingly colourful animation is a treat, and with short songs which don't patronise kids with moronically repetitive melodies and inane lyrics, this is one of those repeat-play items which is timeless in its humour and which doesn't outstay its welcome at 40 minutes.
– Writer Graham Reid on the film version of The Underwatermelon Man, Elsewhere website, 25 January 2012
It was all just completely spontaneous out of this genius, comic mind. He knew exactly what to do. Like he changed the lyrics to Daggisms ... the lyrics in the book are not the same as the lyrics in the song...
– Fane Flaws on John Clarke improvising extra words on song 'The Hide & Seeky Bird', in an interview for 2019 TV Series Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy (82 minutes in)
The strangest thing I personally have ever heard / concerns the aforementioned Hide and Seeky Bird...
– John Clarke at the opening of song 'The Hide and Seeky Bird'
For 10 years on the parlour floor/ it lived alone in clutter/ until by chance one afternoon / a magic word was uttered...
– Excerpt from the song 'Neville the Enchanted Rug', sung by Neil Finn
He was engaged to be married to a lovely salad spoon / and they planned to raise some cutlery in the upstairs dining room
– Darren Watson sings sad kitchen saga 'The Forgotten Fork'
All the songs were designed as proper music for children, because I'm a hater of dum de do music for children. I hate The Wiggles. I believe they should be exterminated ... I think it is a disgusting fact of the children's music industry [that] a bunch of morons write really bad songs, and it's okay because it's only for children. What do you mean by that? You have to give children the best music and the best songs you can possibly give them.
– Fane Flaws on the importance of writing good music for children, in his interview for 2019 TV Series Funny As: The Story of NZ Comedy (70 minutes in)
...suddenly because Neil [Finn] was on it, I could get anyone ... I just had to say "oh, Neil's on it", and people go "yeah, I'm in". I could get Che Fu, and I could get King Kapisi, and I could get The Topp Twins. And so this whole team came together. So we got the perfect vocals on each track, that suited the track.
– Fane Flaws on assembling a musical dream team for The Underwatermelon Man album, in his 2019 interview for TV series Funny As: The Story of NZ Comedy (68 minutes in)
You try telling a publisher in bloody 1999 that you're going to put out a book with a CD. "Yeah, but is it a book with a CD, or is it a CD with a book? I mean, how are we going to promote this?' I'd go, "Well, why don't you promote it as a book with a CD in the publishing industry, and get a record company involved, and they can promote it as a CD with a book? And you'll get both markets." It was impossible, so I ended up doing it myself, and I borrowed a whole lot of money, and I Iost my house.
– Creator Fane Flaws on The Underwatermelon Man, in his interview for 2019 TV Series Funny As: The Story of NZ Comedy (69 minutes in)

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