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Tenacious D Information
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The self-proclaimed "Greatest and Best Band in the World," 'Tenacious D' is a rock band comprised of accomplished musicians and actors Kyle Gass and Jack Black. They are known for their upbeat classic rock style, infused with vulgar comedy. Black and Gass, as well as their fans, like to call the band simply 'The D'. The group often come across better as a live act where the actors' personalities and acts can show.
Beginnings
Black and Gass met in Los Angeles when they were both in the The Actors' Gang theatre troup. Kyle taught Jack how to play the guitar, and eventually asked him to form a band. While they both sing and play the guitar, Jack is noted as the lead singer while Kyle is the lead guitarist.
The band started out as a stage act and, after being noticed in an LA nightclub by comedian David Cross, were given a series of comedy shorts on HBO. Additionally 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".
The first album
"The D" released Tenacious D (#38 UK), in 2001. For their first album, they enlisted the help of drummer Dave Grohl; keyboardist Page McConnell of Phish; guitarist Warren Fitzgerald; and bass player Steve McDonald. The Dust Brothers produced the album.
It should be noted that a majority of the songs on their debut album stem from early versions as seen on their much-vaunted HBO episodes.
The signature song of "The D" is "Tribute." The song is a tribute to the "greatest song in the world", which the duo once created and have now unfortunately 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 a rip-off or a cover of Stairway to Heaven.
Their song "Wonderboy" (#34 UK, #48 Australia) and its video were also well-received, as a parody of and tribute to both the fantasy genre and epic metal. "Wonderboy" was a tale of an unlikely superhero, portrayed by Black in the video, as he formed an alliance with a fellow adventurer (Gass) and attempted to destroy a fire-breathing hydra. ("Wonder Boy" is also the name of a video game series.)
Their song "Dio" was a tribute of some sorts to the rock singer Ronnie James Dio. In the song they ask that Dio stop playing rock music and allow them to fill his shoes. Dio himself liked the song enough that he let the band appear in his next music video "Push".
The third single from the album, "Fuck Her Gently," was released in May 2004. The video was animated by John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren and Stimpy, and features Jack and Kyle as nude cherubs on the shoulders of Satan.
It is interesting to note how Tenacious D presents themselves within the context of the album, where several songs are preceded by "skits" where Jack and Kyle go through some sort of rudimentary creative process immediately preceding the introduction of the next song. The careful presentation of the music as spontaneously generated belies the careful craft of the music involved, as well as the complex and absurdist humor of the lyrics. It can be said, then, that Tenacious D is as much of a comedic or at least situationist experience as it is a musical one.
"The D" on Screen
In 2003, they released a DVD entitled Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks, which features their HBO shorts, videos, and live footage.
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 .
Side Projects
Guitarist Kyle Gass 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," RJ "Lee" Reid, under the pseudonym "Darryl Donald".
Discography
Studio albums
* 2001 - Tenacious D
Singles
* 2002 - Tribute
* 2002 - Wonderboy
DVDs
* 2003 - The Complete Masterworks
Guest appearances
Appears in the following music video(s):
* Dio, "Push"
* Foo Fighters, "Learn to Fly"
* Foo Fighters, "Low" (Jack Black only)
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