(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Sun 19 October 2025 17:00, UK
Sure, Jack Black is an actor but his legacy is so crossed over with music, thanks to his band Tenacious D and his roles in movies like School Of Rock, that his opinion has become one to listen to. He is however well aware that it does not extend to the actually musicians themselves as he knows when to keep his mouth shut.
If Black hadn’t gone into the acting world, there’s the sense that he could have dominated in the world of rock. Especially in the realm of hyper-theatrical, super maximalist, head-banging rock with a silly edge, he could’ve ruled the roost.
Tenacious D proved that. Starting back in the 1990s as a comedy act on the Los Angeles music scene, it worked and got famous because it’s the perfect balance of stupid and genuinely good. Both Black and Kyle Gass are great musicians, meaning that even when the songs are joking around, they sound great.
That’s why the opportunities kept coming for them. Not only have they released entire albums, going beyond the band being a live show joke thing and instead becoming legitimised, but they’ve also collaborated with icons.
In the ‘90s, they supported Tool, Beck and Pearl Jam on tour. They’ve collaborated with Jack White before. They also managed to befriend Dave Grohl, getting him to perform on their debut album and appear in the music video for ‘Tribute’.
It’s a friendship Black doesn’t take lightly. While they’ve settled into a friendly collaborative connection by now, it has never been lost on him that Grohl is a super talent and there is a line to not be crossed.
As they asked him to come back and perform again on their 2018 album Post-Apocalypto, a journalist for Rolling Stone asked them if they ever dared to give Grohl notes.
“Now, let me just say, every time we make a new album, we ask Dave Grohl if he would be available/interested in throwin’ down on the new Tenacious D record,” Black said as Grohl has a forever invite to join them in the studio. “We always assume this is the year that he’s gonna say, “Sorry, guys, I’m a little busy.” But he fuckin’ comes through. Again, he comes through,” he said, calling it “Unfathomable” as he added, “I don’t know why, I don’t how, but we got him again.”
Already feeling grateful that the drummer would offer up his time and help, Black continued, “He crushes it. He crushes it with thunderskins.”
But the big question is, “Do you give him notes?” Black’s answer is simple – “First you wanna hear what’s he gonna do, and there’s always minds blown.” After that, they can pretty much just shut up and let him do whatever he wants to do, because in the mind of Jack Black, “He’s the greatest living drummer.”
“What are you gonna do?” he asked, with Gass riffing, “Go in there and say ‘Hey, Dave, can you hit a little harder? Come on, bro?’” No, the band know their place and their admiration is far too strong to ever dare to coach a great.
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