PopScreen: Tenacious D, "Pick of Destiny"

Dir. Liam Lynch

Even the most diehard fans of Tenacious D (otherwise known as Jack Black and Kyle Gass)—i.e. those who have been wailing “You broke the rules and now I’ll pull out all your pubic hair” in righteous two-part harmony for upwards of five years now—have been compelled to lower my, err, their expectations a little for the upcoming feature film “Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.” Given the near-100 percent awfulness rate of Black’s recent movie career, the new film seemed destined for failure.

Directed by Liam Lynch (who also did the much better video for “Tribute”), the clip for the title song is little more than a movie trailer enhanced only by two pairs of man-boobs and some particularly lazy songwriting.

The mediocre video consists of JB and Kage marveling at their movie outside, and later inside, a movie theater. They become so overwhelmed with the awesomeness of the movie that they stand up in front of the screen and proceed to rock out to the song, with Black annoying the whole theater (and the viewer) before they are both hauled out by security.

The song sucks, too. Apart from the always-funny guitar solo by KG (the real source of the D’s comedy), it is hard to believe that the band that wrote the greatest tribute song in history has stooped to “If you are a diva, then go to Geneva / And if you are snooty, then sniff on my booty.” This is the song’s funniest line.

The short clips from the film are the only deviation from this somewhat predictable storyline, and the viewer, presented with a complete lack of creativity in the song/video itself, is left to ponder the question: Is Tenacious D over?

The short answer: kind of. Critics and fans alike often attribute the genius of Tenacious D to the way it parodies classic rock and metal. Actually, it’s the complete opposite—what sucks fans in when they hear “Explosivo,” “Karate,” and “Tribute” is the overwhelming sincerity of the duo. Jack Black couldn’t do satire if his life depended on it (see “Nacho Libre” for proof). These dumpy fat thirtysomethings really love this music, and they truly believed that they were the greatest band in the world. Right now, it’s painfully obvious that they’re not.