Tenacious D
From Free net encyclopedia
Tenacious D (sometimes referred to as "The D") is a band composed of musicians and actors Kyle Gass and Jack Black, who perform rock music,[1] [2] meshed with other music styles such as folk metal [3] [4] [5], comedy rock [6] [7] and even country-rock [8]. In essence, they are known for their upbeat classic rock style infused with vulgar comedy. The band first gained reputation in 1999 starring in a self-titled HBO television series known as "Tenacious D", during which Black and Gass tried to establish themselves as "The D" and the "Greatest Band in the World". Comedy Central occasionally airs the short-lived television series.
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History
Beginnings (1984 - 2000)
Sixteen-year-old Jack Black met 24-year-old Kyle Gass in Los Angeles in 1985 when they were both in the "The Actors' Gang" theatre troup. Ironically, Black and Gass didn't much like each other at first, but the two eventually worked out their differences. Later, Gass taught Black to play the guitar, and eventually asked him to form a band. While they can both sing and play the guitar, Black is billed as the lead singer and Gass as the lead guitarist.
The band, naming themselves "Tenacious D" after a phrase coined by sportscaster Marv Albert referring to the Knicks' defense, started out as a stage act. After being noticed in an LA nightclub by comedian David Cross, the duo were given a series of comedy shorts on HBO, which aired in 1999.
The first album (2001 - 2004)
Image:Tenaciousd stancecover2001.jpg "The D" released Tenacious D (#38 UK), in 2001. For their first album, they enlisted the help of Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl (former drummer of Nirvana); keyboardist Page McConnell of Phish; guitarist Warren Fitzgerald; and bass player Steve McDonald. The Dust Brothers produced the album. The majority of the songs on their debut album stem from early versions as seen on their HBO television series.
From this album comes the band's signature song "Tribute", a tribute to the "greatest and best song in the world", which according to the duo they once played to outwit a demon (played by Grohl in the video) — but which they have now forgotten. Early versions of the song incorporated guitar riffs borrowed from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", suggesting that the so-called "greatest song" was in fact that song, but this was dropped for the album version.
Three singles followed "Tribute": "Wonderboy", "Dio", and "Fuck Her Gently" (a nod to Jim Croce's "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song"). "Dio", a tribute of some sorts to rock singer Ronnie James Dio, asked for Dio to stop playing rock music and allow them to fill his shoes. Dio liked the song enough to let the band appear in his next music video "Push". The video for "Fuck Her Gently" (released in May 2004) featured animations by John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren and Stimpy.
Several songs on this album are preceded by "skits" where Jack and Kyle go through some sort of rudimentary creative process or argument which immediate precedes the next song. Most of these skits are adapted from HBO episodes and showcase the band's absurdist humor.
Side Projects
On screen
The Tenacious D song, "Jesus Ranch", was featured in the 1997 film Bongwater, performed by Jack Black's character, Devlin. The song was later featured in one of their HBO shorts, which they aired in 1999.
Earlier, they performed as a band in the movie Bio-Dome (1996) and shared the silver screen in 2001's Saving Silverman and Shallow Hal, but not in character as "The D".
In 2003, they released a DVD entitled Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks, which features their HBO shorts, videos, and a live performance from London's Brixton Academy (recorded on November 3, 2002).
A Tenacious D movie, entitled Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, is planned for a 2006 release. Directed by Liam Lynch, who helmed their "Tribute" video, the film will portray the fictional beginnings of the band and their rise to super-stardom.
The first track from The Pick of Destiny, entitled "Dude, I Miss You", was unveiled by the duo on December 17, 2004, at St. James Theater in Wellington, New Zealand .
On a 2005 Saturday Night Live episode, Jack Black hosted, and "The D" played a song about a spelling bee, and also a song about King Kong.
Black and Gass also made an appearance in the first episode of Tom Goes to the Mayor to be televised on Adult Swim. In the episode, the duo were known as "The Bear Trap Brothers," two competetive brothers who ran bear trap shops that were located side-by-side.
Other bands
Guitarist Kyle Gass a.k.a. "KG" also plays guitar and sings vocals for the band Trainwreck, under the pseudonym "Klip Calhoun" along with lead roadie and sometimes vocalist of "The D", JR "Lee" Reed, under the pseudonym "Darryl Donald".
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
DVDs
Guest appearances
Appears in the following music video(s):
- Dio, "Push"
- Foo Fighters, "Learn to Fly"
- Foo Fighters, "Low" (Jack Black only)
- Good Charlotte, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" (Kyle Gass only)
Interviews