SPOTLIGHT M Ichael E Lins
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JUNE 2012 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM SPOTLIGHT M ichael ichael E lins Jack Black, Kyle Gass TENACIOUS D Playing their music for fun and the industry for laughs HOW DOES A COMEDY DUO FOLLOW massive synths are a bright and shiny an album that won neither stellar reviews counter to Black and Gass’s acoustic nor sales? Turn it into a joke, of course. guitars and the ever-evolving Tenacious D Tenacious D’s 2006 film The Pick of Destiny myth. “We were conscious of the fact that and its accompanying soundtrack garnered there was no Satan on the album,” says a lukewarm reception at best, but it has since Black of the character that often cropped gained a cult following. After six years, Jack up in their earlier work. “We were like, Black and Kyle Gass have returned with ‘What happened?’ There were no druggie their follow-up, Rize of the Fenix—rife with references, either. I feel like we really moved self-deprecating jokes about the struggles into a new phase of the D.” JUNE 2012 the band faced releasing the album. “Just “Tenacious D grows up,” agrees Gass. M MUSIC & MUSICIANS because we’re not working on it, doesn’t But not too much. Around any mean we’re not working on it,” says Black. suggestion of label strife is plenty of innuendo MAGAZINE “It’s six years in the making. It wouldn’t be a and potty-mouth language, along with thinly good sales pitch to say, ‘Uh, we just worked veiled Star Wars references and hard-rock on it for a few months.’” guitar noodling. “I guess the thing that keeps Joining Black and Gass is Foo Fighters’ on coming up for me is just these songs are Dave Grohl, who has played drums on all better than sex,” says Black. “But that’s not of their albums, as well as guitarist John for everyone. If you don’t like things that are Konesky and multi-instrumentalist John better than orgasms, don’t get the album.” Spiker, whom Gass met years earlier. “I And as for the trouble releasing Fenix? said, ‘You guys come out to Hollywood, “Every word is true,” says Black. and I’ll make you stars,’” Gass remembers. “Did they really try to block our album, “So far I haven’t done that. There’s a lot though?” asks Gass. of talent there. It would cost us a lot more “Of course they did. I’m not going to to hire Steve Vai or something. It’s a good say who ‘they’ are, I’m not at liberty to say,” value. Konesky is probably one of the best says Black. “That’s for the next album. That’s guitarists in the world.” when we get really specific.” Konesky’s rock-star solos and Spiker’s –Amanda Farah 22 M mag 20_cs6.indd 22 7/9/12 12:21 AM.