Tenacious D Wiki Information
Tenacious D
, also known as "The D
", is an American rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Comprising lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D
(2001) and The Pick of Destiny
(2006). The band's studio releases, and more recently its live performances, feature a full band lineup, including such musicians as guitarist John Konesky, bassist John Spiker and drummer Dave Grohl.
Tenacious D formed in 1994 when the members performed as an acoustic duo. The band first gained popularity in 1999 when they starred in their eponymous television series and began to support large rock acts. In 2001, they released Tenacious D
, their debut album featuring a full band. The first single, "Tribute", was the band's most successful achieving their only Top 10 in any chart, until they released "The Metal", which was first shown at Saturday Night Live
. In 2006, they starred in, and recorded the soundtrack for, the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
. In support of the film, the band went on a world tour, appearing for the first time with a full band.
Tenacious D's music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass's acoustic guitar playing abilities. Critics have described their fusion of vulgar absurdist comedy with rock music as "mock rock". [1] [2] Their songs discuss the duo's purported musical and sexual prowess, as well as their friendship and cannabis usage in a style that music critics have compared with the storyteller-style lyrics of rock opera. [3] [4]
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TENACIOUS D TICKETS
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History
Beginnings
Black and Gass met in
Edinburgh, Scotland during the
Edinburgh Fringe of 1989.
Both were members of the
Los Angeles-based theatre troupe,
The Actors' Gang [5] [6] which was performing
Tim Robbins' and
Adam Simon's
[7] play
Carnage
.
[8] Initially there was animosity between the two as Gass felt threatened by Black—who was the main musician for the Actor's Gang—though they eventually worked out their differences, and agreed to form a band.
[9] [10] [11] Gass taught Black to play guitar, in exchange for Black helping Gass with his acting.
Initially when Black and Gass performed live they covered songs by
Bobby McFerrin.
[12] Up until 1994 the duo did not have a name, so they gave the audience at their first concert, at the now defunct Al's Bar, the chance to vote for one.
Black and Gass gave them the choice between "Pets or Meat", "Balboa's Biblical Theatre", and "The Axe Lords Featuring Gorgazon’s Mischief" (Gass' personal favorite).
"Tenacious D"—the name used by sports commentator
Marv Albert to describe robust
defensive positioning in basketball—did not get the majority of votes, however, but according to Black "we forced it through".
In attendance was
David Cross who later cast Jack Black in his
sketch comedy television series,
Mr. Show
.
[13]
Television series (1997–2000)
Cross, with
Mr. Show
writer
Bob Odenkirk, continued his involvement with Tenacious D by producing three half-hour shows based on the band.
[14] The series, entitled
Tenacious D
, premiered on
HBO in 1997, immediately following an episode of
Mr. Show
.
While a total of three episodes consisting of two shorts, ten to twelve minutes in length,
[15] were produced, only the first was aired that year; the final two episodes did not air until the summer of 2000.
[16] According to Gass, the series was cancelled after HBO requested ten episodes, but in doing so, he and Black would have to relinquish their role as executive producers,
[17] and only write songs.
[18] Gass and Black decided to make a film instead.
Many songs that eventually were included on the band's first album were first featured on the show, though the episodes also contain songs that remain unreleased.
The six shorts were titled "The Search for Inspirado", "Angel in Disguise", "Death of a Dream", "The Greatest Song in the World", "The Fan", and "Road Gig".
[19] After the series aired, the band continued to perform live. At a show at the
Viper Room in Los Angeles, they met
Dave Grohl, who remarked that he was impressed with their performance;
[20] [21] this led to their cameo in the
Foo Fighters' "
Learn to Fly" music video.
The popularity of Tenacious D further increased as they began to
open for high profile acts, including
Beck,
Pearl Jam, and
Foo Fighters.
First album (2001–2003)
In May 2000 Tenacious D signed to
Epic Records.
As Black's profile increased due to his roles in films such as
High Fidelity
the band worked on recording their first album with producers the
Dust Brothers.
In 2001 they released their debut
Tenacious D
. It peaked at number thirty-three on the
Billboard
200 on October 13, 2001.
[22] [23] While Tenacious D usually appears as a duo, the album was backed by a full band, consisting of
Dave Grohl on drums and guitar, keyboardist
Page McConnell of
Phish, guitarist
Warren Fitzgerald of
The Vandals, and bassist
Steven Shane McDonald of
Redd Kross.
According to Black, they chose to use a band because "no one's ever heard us with a band".
[24] The majority of songs on the album were performed previously on their short-lived television series.
[25]
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Although the critical reaction varied, by November, 2005, the album had achieved platinum status in the United States.
[26] Entertainment Weekly
described the release as "hilarious", and "no mere comedy record".
[27] Allmusic wrote that the album "rocks so damn hard", but lamented the absence of some of the songs from the television show.
[28] Flak Magazine
criticised the bands use of skits between songs, describing them as "distracting" and a "nuisance".
[29] In addition,
The Independent
remarked that the album was full of "swearing and scatology" and was "bereft of even the slightest skidmark of humour".
[30]
The first single from the album was "
Tribute"—a tribute to the "greatest song in the world" which, in the song, Tenacious D claimed they had performed in order to save their souls from a
demon.
[31] A music video, directed by
Liam Lynch, was shot for the song.
The video achieved success and was voted the fifth best music video ever by
Kerrang!
readers.
[32] This was followed by the second single, "
Wonderboy", the
music video of which was directed by
Spike Jonze.
[33] A third video, an animation depicting Black and Gass as cherubs, was made for "
Fuck Her Gently", directed by
Ren and Stimpy
-creator
John Kricfalusi.
The album also included "Dio", a song written as a tribute to rock singer
Ronnie James Dio, which mocked him somewhat for being too old.
[34] Dio liked the song enough to ask the band to appear in the music video for his song, "Push".
[35] An
EP entitled
D Fun Pak
was released in 2002. It featured a skit and acoustic versions of "
Jesus Ranch" and "Kyle Quit The Band", as well as a
megamix by
Mocean Worker.
The Complete Masterworks
, a music DVD featuring the entire run of their TV series, music videos, and a live performance from
London's
Brixton Academy recorded in 2002, was released in November 9, 2003.
[36]
The Pick of Destiny
(2004–2009)
In October 2003 Black announced that the
screenplay for
The Pick of Destiny
—a fictional portrayal of the band's formation—had been completed.
[37] The film was initially to be written and developed by
Working Title Films, but Black and Gass decided to assume creative control when they were not satisfied with the writers' ideas.
Filming had been expected to take place by the end of 2003,
[38] however it was delayed by almost a year due to Black being cast in
Peter Jackson's big budget remake
King Kong
.
[39] The band started recording songs for the soundtrack of the film, their second studio album,
The Pick of Destiny
. The album had
John Konesky and
John Spiker from
Trainwreck on electric guitar and bass respectively.
[40] Dave Grohl again played drums, and further lent vocals to "Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)" as well as acting in the film, as Satan.
A lot of enthusiastic stoners were like, 'Yeah, du-u-u-de! Just saw it!' I was like, 'Where were you when the movie came out?' 'Sorry, dude, I was hi-i-i-gh!' — Jack Black on The Pick of Destiny's
disappointing box-office performance. [41]
The film had its premiere at
Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on November 9, 2006. Many of the actors who had cameos in the film were in attendance; including Ronnie James Dio, Dave Grohl, and
Ben Stiller.
The film was released worldwide on November 22. The soundtrack had been released just over a week earlier, on November 14.
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
grossed $8,334,575 in the US and Canada and a total of $13,426,450 worldwide, falling well short of its $20 million production budget and $40 million in estimated marketing costs.
[42] [43] Financially, it is regarded as a
box office bomb.
[44] The soundtrack reached number eight on the
Billboard
200 in the US as well as topping the iTunes chart,
[45] and number ten in the United Kingdom.
[46] The film was released globally on DVD on February 27, 2007. In an interview on
the Daily Show
on November 30, 2006, Black admitted the film had "bombed",
[47] but has recently said that DVD sales have shown that the film has picked up a cult audience.
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Kevin Crust of the
Los Angeles Times
said that the film "might best be enjoyed in an enhanced state of consciousness, a herbal supplement, and we aren't talking
ginko biloba."
[48] Stephen Rae of
The Philadelphia Inquirer
said that the frequent drug-use in the film gives "the term potty humor a new meaning."
[49] Michael Phillips criticized the frequency of the drug-use by saying: "This may be the problem. Pot rarely helped anybody's comic timing."
[50] Stephen Holden of
The New York Times
suggested that the film could be viewed as a "jolly rock 'n' roll comedy", but he also described the progression of the film as being a "garish mess."
[51]
The soundtrack reviews were less favourable than for the band's first album.
Rolling Stone
comments that the soundtrack "never quite takes off".
[52] It criticises the reliance the album makes on a knowledge of the film, and some songs' existence only to "advance the plot".
It summarizes by saying the album is inferior to the band's previous effort.
Allmusic also describes the follow-up as less "satisfying" than
Tenacious D
, noting that the songs feel like "narrative filler".
[53] Blender
continues the criticism of the songs being plot devices calling them "plot-nudging song-sketches".
[54] The Guardian
views the album more positively, describing the album as a meeting "old school riffology" and "schoolboy humour".
[55]
right
To coincide with the release of their new film and album, Tenacious D embarked on their
2006–07 tour of the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. This tour included the band's first appearance at
New York City's
Madison Square Garden. Unlike other tours, this one featured a full backing band.
Konesky and Spiker resumed their roles from the album, and
Brooks Wackerman was added as drummer.
[56] Each member used a pseudonym; Konesky as the
Antichrist, Spiker as
Charlie Chaplin, and Wackerman as
Colonel Sanders.
Jason Reed also toured as Satan.
[57] Black has said that the band lost money on the tour due to the cost of touring with a full band for the first time.
[58] [59]
One of their songs,
Master Exploder
, appeared on the rhythm music video game ''
Rock Band 2s main set list, while
The Metal
appeared in
Guitar Hero III''.
New album and touring (2008–present)
right
In November 2006, Black expressed wishes to take a year-long break from acting, though Gass hinted a desire for Tenacious D to end at their current highpoint.
[60] However, Black hinted at a third album by announcing that a new song has been written for it entitled
Death Star
. He said that the album would likely be released in 2010,
[61] but on other occasions he has mentioned the year 2012.
[62] [63] In early 2008, Black announced that the band was working on a new album, and a DVD titled
The Complete Masterworks Part 2
. The DVD was released later that year,
[64] and included a documentary of their world tour entitled
D Tour: A Tenacious Documentary
. The film focuses on the
tour Tenacious D made in support of the film and soundtrack and the consequences of their film's poor showing at the box office.
[65] Kyle has commented that the new album only has "one to one and a half" songs written for it, and would like to write between twelve and fifteen.
[66]
The band played the main stage at the 2008
Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK, playing Leeds on Friday August 22 and Reading on Sunday August 24.
[67] In addition to this, the band provided support for
Metallica at
Marlay Park, Dublin in Ireland on August 20.
[68] The D is currently scheduled to headline the last night of the 2009 Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, on Sunday August 30, 2009.
[69] Music magazine
Billboard
quoted Black as revealing that "We just laid down a hot [...] we're calling it the bomb track. It's a very powerful recording called "Deph Starr" [...] so it has nothing to do with the
Star Wars
(
Death Star)," adding that "It's kind of sci-fi, doomsday rock."
[70]
Musical style
Lyrics and themes
Satire and comedy are a major aspect of Tenacious D's lyrical content.
Gass said of their approach: "I'd love to do the straight music thing, but that's kind of against our mission, which is to rebel against the serious singer-songwriter mentality."
[71] Their songs evoke heavy metal clichés of bands like
Iron Maiden and
Judas Priest.
[72] [73] In particular, the song "Dio" pokes fun at the idea of a torch being passed.
[74] Songs like "Friendship" parody the lack of real friendship in rock groups with the lyric "As long as there's a record deal, we'll always be friends".
[75] Tenacious D also employs the technique of deliberate
backmasking on "Karate",
[76] a technique employed by other metal bands like
Slayer, who recorded a message in
Hell Awaits
.
[77]
Influences
Black has said that the first song he enjoyed was
ABBA's "
Take a Chance on Me".
[78] He derived from "big dinosaurs of rock" such as
Led Zeppelin.
In addition, Gass lists his influences as being
Tom Waits,
Tony Hawk, and
Tony Robbins.
The band claimed that the inspiration for the song "Tribute" came after Black played
Metallica's "
One" for Gass, describing it as "the best song in the world",
[79] [80] leading to an attempt to themselves write an even better song.
We try to write the best songs ever, and they come out kind of funny… — Kyle Gass on the band's humorous lyrics.
Gass has described Tenacious D's comic assertion that they are the best band as being "ridiculous because it's a matter of opinion".
[81] Black characterizes Tenacious D's comic nature as an antidote to "the masculinity of rock", adding "There's also something funny about the macho-ness of rock. Like the bands that are the fucking hardest rocking are like, 'We'll fucking kick your ass, dude… with our rock.'"
[82]
Appearances
Film and television
Black and Gass first performed together in
Bio-Dome
(1996),
followed by
The Cable Guy
(1996),
Bongwater
(1997),
[83] Cradle Will Rock
(1999),
[84] Saving Silverman
(2001),
[85] and
Shallow Hal
(2001).
. Black has starred in a number of films himself including
Nacho Libre
,
High Fidelity
,
School of Rock
, and
King Kong
.
In 2006, Tenacious D starred in their own film,
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
, in which they set out to become the greatest rock band in the world, by means of a
guitar pick with mystic powers.
Black and Gass have made several television appearances performing songs from their first album. In June 16, 2001, Tenacious D were featured as puppets performing "Friendship" on an episode of
Crank Yankers
.
[86] In 2002 they guest starred on
MADtv
playing the songs "Tribute", & "Lee" with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums.
[87] Later, Tenacious D made an appearance in the first episode of
Tom Goes to the Mayor
televised on
Adult Swim.
[88]
In the run up to the release of the film
The Pick of Destiny
, Tenacious D performed the "
Pick of Destiny" at the
2006 American Music Awards and on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
. On December 2, 2006, Tenacious D was the musical guest on
Saturday Night Live
for the first time,
[89] although Tenacious D had previously appeared as an uncredited musical guest on May 2, 1998.
[90] They also opened the 2006
Spike TV Video Game Awards with a performance of "
The Metal",
[91] and played "Friendship" at the
2006 MTV Video Music Awards.
[92] The band's first television appearance of 2008 was in support of
the Who at the
VH1 Rock Honors.
[93]
Live
It's a roaring crowd, and they may be roaring your approval, but it's still a scary, roaring crowd. They can turn on you, conceivably. It's still a beast that you must ride. And once it's been ridden, in the midst of the ride, it feels fantastic. — Jack Black on performing live.
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In 2001, Tenacious D started their second nationwide