Tenacious D

Next month, Xbox Nation interviews Charo about Gex, Art Garfunkel about the nVidia chipset, and Lassie about the Mideast crisis. For now, it’s Tenacious D.

Part Crosby, Stills, and Nash, part Morbid Angel, part Steve Martin—it’s a fair assessment of the supergroup that is Tenacious D. The world was first Introduced to the duo a few years ago via several shorts featured on the HBO comedy program Mr. Show. Although Mr. Show ranged from god-awful to goddamn genius, the D shorts were end-to-end whoppers. Since the shorts aired, lead singer/actor/comedian/favorite of the Xbox Nation staff Jack Black has blown up and Tenacious D has exploded with him. Since the record came out, Black and his partner Kyle Gass have toured ceaselessly with Weezer, appeared on all the late night shows, and snorkeled zero times. Dragons beware.

Xbox Nation: I saw a huge raccoon last night.

Jack Black: Where are you?

XBN: San Francisco.

Black: When you say huge, how huge?

XBN: It was up to my knee.

Black: Oh my God. Those things can be vicious. They look cute. but you’re not supposed to pet them.

XBN: Where are you guys?

Black: We’re at the…Kyle—what are you doing?

Gass: I’m right here. Can you hear me?

Black: Yeah, but are you doin’ some other stuff?

Gass: No, go ahead. Is this better?

XBN: Way better.

Black: [To Kyle] What were you using, a special headset?

KG: I was using a special flight simulator headset.

XBN: Do you ever get to go snorkeling while you’re on tour?

Black: That’s a strange question, and the answer is no. I could if I wanted to, but I have not chosen to snorkel.

Gass: There’s a lot of things you can do…

Black: What’s with you and the snorkeling?

XBN: It’s fun, I did it, and heard whales singing.

Black: Okay, you are insane. But yes I have enjoyed the fruits of snorkeling, in my youth, but not lately, maybe you’re right, maybe I’m missing out on something.

XBN: When did you guys find out you’re the best band?

Black: I suspected it from the very beginning. Before we even played a live show. I suspected that maybe we could be the best band. but that goes back to my childhood when I used to think maybe I was the fastest runner, and I was proven wrong. I thought maybe I could be the strongest man in the world until proven otherwise, but I found out that was not the case. And then I thought smartest, nope, but then the best band. I thought, maybe the best band and then f*ck, lo! and behold, we found it.

XBN: Are you going to work with Lee Perry?

Black: Hell yes, from Journey?

Gass: No. Lee Scratch Perry.

Black: Oh, he’s a raga dude? Um, I’m not gonna say no, I’m open to all possibilities. Has he expressed interest?

XBN: I don’t know, but he’s a very good producer.

Black: If he’s down with the D, that’s the main thing. Can you check into that?

XBN: Yep. How many dragons have you guy seen?

Black: Seen or slayed?

XBN: Seen.

Black: I’ve seen only two, but I’ve slain three. Because one of them was coming up behind me, I slayed him and he disappeared in a ball of flame before I could get a glimpse.

Gass: I’m not really sure you slayed him, though.

Black: No, but you told me, you saw.

Gass: That’s true. I assumed you did.

XBN: What do dragons smell like?

Black: Sulfur.

Gass: They do not smell good dude.

Black: And one time there was an invisible dragon, that I had sex with.

XBN: So you were Zeus and the dragon was Leda?

Black: I’m not familiar with that fable.

XBN: Zeus wants to make love to Leda, and she doesn’t like him, so he turns into a swan and they have sex.

Black: And she has sex with a swan? She boned a swan? And he was stoked. I like Zeus, I like all those Greek guys. They’re very sexual, the gods from Christianity and all the other ones, you don’t hear about them boning. Zeus will go and bone and have a good time.

XBN: Which one Is the best god?

Black: Well Zeus is obviously the most powerful right? Best god…I’m gonna go with Elron, ‘cause he’s the most sci-fi. He can kill microscopic aliens with his laser vision.

Gass: What’s the guy that’s fleet of foot?

Black: That’s Flash.

Gass: Apollo?

Black: Who’s faster, Flash or Apollo?

Gass: I think Apollo.

Black: They both have wings on their feet.

XBN: Flash has wings on his head.

JB: Only on his head.

XBN: You guys ever see someone run a loop-de-loop?

JB: [Laughs] How do you do that?

XBN: You have to run really fast.

Black: You mean if there was a ramp? I haven’t seen that. Have you Kage?

Gass: Have not, although the chick last night…she was a gymnast, and she was trying to do one of those walk-overs, but not using her hands.

Black: Oh no, did she bite it?

Gass: So close to biting it, she kinda fell backwards and It looked like the head was gonna…

Black: But she didn’t hit her head.

Gass: She didn’t hit her head, but she did kinda biff.

XBN: Are you back In LA for awhile or are you going to keep touring?

JB: We’re going on tour dude. Major f*ckin’ tour.

XBN: With Cannibal Corpse?

JB: I’m not familiar with their work. Who’s Cannibal Corpse?

XBN: They’re a good death-metal band.

Black: Really? Hell no. We’re gonna do a stretch with David Cross hopefully. And we’re gonna do a stretch with Kid Rock, and hopefully Eddie Vedder will come out. I heard [Paul] McCartney and Ringo [Starr] are gonna back us up on some of the shows. Check this out: We’ve got an offer out, we’ve haven’t heard back from them yet. We’ve asked Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic to come out, and we’ll call it Nirvana, and me and Kage will have to join forces to make up for the missing Kurt Cobain.

Gass: I think the name might be Nirvana Redux. I’m not sure though.