About Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles in 1994 by the actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Their music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass' acoustic guitar playing. Critics have described their fusion of vulgar absurdist comedy with rock music as "mock rock". Their songs discuss the duo's purported musical and sexual prowess, their friendship and cannabis usage, in a style critics have compared with the storyteller-style lyrics of rock opera.
Prior to the release of the 2001 debut album Tenacious D, the duo had a three-episode TV series released on HBO between 1997–2000. The series came about after they met David Cross on the LA music scene and Black featured in episodes of Mr. Show with Bob and David. The band befriended the musician Dave Grohl, which began a relationship between Grohl's band Foo Fighters and Tenacious D. Towards the end of the 1990s, the duo supported large rock acts such as Weezer, Pearl Jam, Tool, and Beck. In 2000, they signed with Epic Records and the year after they released Tenacious D, their debut album featuring a full band, including Grohl. Their second single, "Tribute", achieved cult status, contributing to their popularity in the UK, Sweden and Australia. In 2003, the band released The Complete Master Works, a concert DVD, which was certified platinum.
In 2006, the duo starred in a film, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, and released the soundtrack as their second album, The Pick of Destiny. The film was a box office failure and received mixed reviews, but the Pick of Destiny tour was successful, with performances at venues including Madison Square Garden. Following years of sporadic festival dates and special appearances, the band released their third album, Rize of the Fenix, in 2012, making light of The Pick of Destiny's commercial failure. In 2013, Tenacious D hosted the comedy music festival Festival Supreme in LA. In 2014, they featured on Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life, a compilation album to raise funds for cancer. Their cover of "The Last in Line" won the Grammy Award for best heavy metal performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2018, the band began independently releasing an animated hand-drawn web series, Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto, and released the album Post-Apocalypto. In July 2024, Tenacious D cancelled their world tour and put their work on hold after Gass made a controversial on-stage joke about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Jack Black and Kyle Gass met in Los Angeles in 1986 as members of the Actors' Gang theater troupe. They were initially not friendly, as Gass was the main musician for the Actor's Gang and "felt threatened by Black". The Actor's Gang travelled to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1989 to were perform Tim Robbins' and Adam Simon's play Carnage. The two became friends during the trip and climbed Arthur's Seat on a day off.
Following the trip, Black and Gass bonded over music. Black did not learn guitar until he was around 23. He would regularly visit Gass's apartment on Cochran Avenue; Gass would teach Black to play guitar in return for food, mainly from the fast food chain Jack in the Box. They worked together professionally at the Actor's Gang and collaborated in productions. Black said they often ate tacos as they were cheap. The two would work together professionally at the Actor's Gang and would collaborate in productions.
Black and Gass eventually wrote their first song after Black was dumped by a girlfriend called Melissa, a non-comedic song. The two said they now felt embarrassed about the song, though they occasionally sing it during interviews when telling their story. Their second song came about when Black was listening to the Metallica song "One" and told Gass that it was "the best song in the world". Gass told Black that they could not write the best song in the world, but Black put a twist on it and said they could "write a tribute". Gass played an A-minor chord on his guitar at the apartment and the two spent three days crafting the song. When it was done, Gass said they "knew they had something". The song made the duo realize their comedic potential. The duo briefly called themselves Responsive Chord while rehearsing the comedy act.
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