Tenacious D

This article is about the band. For their eponymous album, see Tenacious D (album).

Tenacious D
Tenacious D playing guitars onstage
Kyle Gass (left) and Jack Black (right) of Tenacious D performing at Rock am Ring in 2016
Background information
Also known as
  • The D
  • The Greatest Band in the World / on Earth
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1994–present
Labels
Members
Websitetenaciousd.com

Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were then members of The Actors' Gang theater company. The duo's name is derived from "tenacious defense", a phrase used by NBA basketball sportscasters Walt Frazier and Marv Albert.[1]

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 the band met David Cross on the LA music scene—and Black featured in episodes of Mr. Show with Bob and David.[clarification needed] The band befriended Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, which began a relationship between Foo Fighters and Tenacious D.[2] Towards the end of the 1990s, the duo supported large rock acts such as Weezer, Pearl Jam, Tool, and Beck.[3] 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", has achieved cult status, contributing to their popularity in the UK, Sweden and Australia.[4] In 2003, the band released The Complete Master Works, a concert DVD, which achieved gold and platinum status by the RIAA.[5]

In 2006, they starred in the film, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, with Epic Records releasing the soundtrack as their second album, The Pick of Destiny.[6] The film cost $20 million, but only grossed $14 million, with mixed reviews.[7] Despite this, the band would near sell-out arenas on its respective tour, including Madison Square Garden.[8] Following years of sporadic festival dates and special appearances, the band released their third album Rize of the Fenix in 2012, with the album making light of The Pick of Destiny's commercial failure.[9]

In 2013, the band hosted the comedy music festival Festival Supreme in LA. In 2014, the band were invited to feature on Ronnie James Dio – This Is Your Life, a compilation album to raise funds for cancer. Their cover of "The Last in Line" won a Grammy for best heavy metal performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.[10] Following teases from Black and Gass regarding a second film, in 2018, the band began independently releasing an animatic hand-drawn web series titled, Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto. Columbia Records released the album Post-Apocalypto on November 2, 2018, after the release of the sixth episode.[11]

Tenacious D's music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass' acoustic guitar-playing.[12] Critics have described their fusion of vulgar absurdist comedy with rock music as "mock rock".[3][13] 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.[14][15]

  1. ^ Bryan, Steve. "Black tells origin of 'Tenacious D'". Stltoday.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "Dave Grohl interviews Tenacious D: Kerrang! November '06". Fooarchive.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "AMG Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
  4. ^ Hung, Steffen. "australian-charts.com - Tenacious D - Tribute". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  6. ^ "Tenacious D tell us all about the Pick of Destiny". EW.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  7. ^ "Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny (2006) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  8. ^ NME (December 2, 2006). "Tenacious D play in iconic New York venue". NME. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  9. ^ "Tenacious D Talks Comeback, the Death of Rock and How to Write the Best Song Ever (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "Tenacious D". GRAMMY.com. May 22, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  11. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (September 28, 2018). "Tenacious D on Their Wild New Animated Series 'Post-Apocalypto'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference dynamic duo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Schaer, Cathrin (December 12, 2004). "Tenacious D: Mock'n'rollers". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2007.
  14. ^ Fry, Ted (November 22, 2006). "Sympathy for the devil: Rockers seek Satan's pick". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
  15. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (November 21, 2006). "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2007.