Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny

[MacGuffin]

Tenacious D Promise Dave Grohl, New Songs, Nudity in 'Crazy Dirty' 'Pick Of Destiny'
Jack Black cohort guarantees all-star cameos, origins of D, Satan's stamp of approval for November flick.   
Source: MTV

LOS ANGELES — As one-half of the self-proclaimed greatest band of all time, Kyle Gass would seem to be — at the very least — equal to one-quarter of the greatest real-life band. And an interview with Paul McCartney would be a really big deal!

So imagine our excitement when we got to talk to the Tenacious D singer/guitarist and got a sneak peek of their epic November film, "Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny." True, the man that Jack Black affectionately calls KG may not be as famous as the Beatles legend, but — as loyal fans of the D have known for years — he's a hell of a lot funnier.

MTV: You guys finished shooting "The Pick of Destiny" a little while back, so what's going on with the flick right now?

Gass: The movie is totally shot. We're just doing some final tweaking. We're working on the score right now, getting lots of fun sound cues in there.

MTV: Give us a quick breakdown of this epic.

Gass: The plot is about how Tenacious D came to be, and then how we go on a quest to find the Pick of Destiny, which is a guitar pick that has been handed down since ancient times and gives its user special powers to rock.

MTV: Have you guys received any assurances from your good friend Satan in regards to the release?

Gass: Satan is a tough customer, but he wants to make sure that he has a good fourth quarter, so he wanted us to open around Christmas. He wants to go right up against Christ.

MTV: What was your favorite scene to shoot?

Gass: I really enjoyed shooting the scene where Jack and I stop into a diner along the way, and we bump into this mysterious stranger played by Tim Robbins. He's this crazy old Russian guy, and it turns out that for some reason he knows exactly what we're trying to find and he actually tried to find it, himself. It plays out really fun, and Amy Poehler's in that scene as well.

MTV: You guys have tons of cameos in this thing!

Gass: I think we have the best cameos in all of movie-dom. We've got Ben Stiller, we've got Tim Robbins, we've got John C. Reilly. It helps if you have at least been nominated for an Oscar to be in a cameo.

MTV: And, no doubt, all the cameos will be nominated for more Oscars after the movie comes out.

Gass: We're hoping, you know? All I'm saying is, if "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" can win [an Oscar for] best song, I think we're in the running. That's all I've got to say.

MTV: And you guys also got your hard-rocking idol, Ronnie James Dio, into the movie.

Gass: We got Dio! We got Meat Loaf. And then we've got Dave Grohl playing the devil. He sings and he rocks. I'm just saying it right now: It's going to be a classic motion picture.

MTV: When all is said and done, where will "Pick of Destiny" fit in the grand scheme of cinema history?

Gass: I think it's gonna fit somewhere between "Spinal Tap" and "Ben-Hur."

MTV: Would you call the movie a rock opera?

Gass: It has elements of a rock opera, but it's also close to just being a rock musical. I mean, people don't just break into song, but there are rocking songs throughout.

MTV: Could this have a future like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"? Do you expect people to dress up, go to midnight screenings and sing along for decades to come?

Gass: It will forever exist in some place, somewhere at midnight, I predict. If you're a fan of the D, you're gonna love it. If you're not — I don't know what's wrong with you and I don't care, quite frankly.

MTV: Can we assume that "Pick of Destiny" will be accompanied by a soundtrack of all-new songs?

Gass: Yeah, it's all coming out at the same time. The record soundtrack comes out November 15. The movie comes out November 17, and then we'll leave on tour, like on the 18th.

MTV: And what kinds of songs can we anticipate from this movie? New stuff?

Gass: All new stuff. I think we have a couple left over [from earlier sessions], but mainly it's all new. The Tenacious D sound is just a continuation of crazy rocking with some crazy, fun lyrics that the peeps can sing along with and say, "My God, these guys are talented."

MTV: What are the titles of these crazy-rocking new ditties?

Gass: One of the songs is called "The Government Totally Sucks." Let's see, there's also "Classico Jam." A lot of them are so new, they don't even have names.

MTV: Jack has become a big-time movie star since his career with the D began. What kind of performance will we be seeing from him?

Gass: Jack is gonna give his finest performance since "Nacho Libre."

MTV: Since you're playing yourself, what kinds of things did you do to discover your inner Kyle Gass?

Gass: I had to go deep, man. We go back to the early days of our relationship, where I was the dominant one; I was the one on top. I was the one showin' Jack the ropes.

MTV: Really?

Gass: There's kind of a little "Karate Kid" thing we've got going on, where I have to show him how to rock. He's naive, wet behind the ears. And then as the movie progresses, all of a sudden, it's like today — I'm just chopped liver, falling behind Jack, trying to pick up his spare change.

MTV: In these flashbacks, are you wearing a full head of hair?

Gass: You know what, that is a whole part of the movie. Yes, there is a time when I have hair. It's pretty funny. I have long, glorious locks.

MTV: For months now, you guys have been running the best movie Web site out there [TenaciousDMovie.com].

Gass: Oh, you like "The Hell O'Clock News"?

MTV: Yeah, but there was one episode where you and Jack did the whole interview with a statue's privates behind you. Did I hear correctly that the Motion Picture Association of America made you guys take it down?

Gass: Yeah. I don't know what's wrong with people today. There's too much censorship. There's no one who is more positive than Tenacious D. Everybody's gotta relax.

MTV: But the movie is going to give us plenty of nudity.

Gass: The movie is just obscene. It's crazy dirty.

MTV: Finally, tell us about the one scene that you just cannot wait to unleash on the entire world.

Gass: How we come up with our name, Tenacious D. It's classic. It'll go down in cinema history.

MTV: Is it the true story?

Gass: Of course. Everything in it is true.

MTV: So, "Pick of Destiny" might qualify for the Best Documentary Oscar, then?

Gass: Yes. It is a docudrama. Everything happens precisely as it really did.

[modage]

TRAILER: http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1464248&sdm=web&qtw=640&qth=400

[Chest Rockwell]

I saw the trailer at Talladega Nights. Looks ridiculous and, what's worse, not that funny. I hope I'm wrong though, but honestly I'd have rathered they were spending the time making another great album.

[meatwad]

[MacGuffin]

Tenacious D Pick Their Sonic Destiny
Soundtrack to acoustic metal masters of mayhem's feature film coming your way.

Strap yourselves in babies! Oh yeah and be sure and mark November 14th, 2006 down on your calendar with a bright neon hi-liter. Seriously. Why? Because that's the day that The Pick of Destiny will be hitting record store shelves.

Just what in the hell is The Pick of Destiny, you ask? Well, dear readers, it's the soundtrack to the forthcoming Jack Black/Kyle Gass feature film Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny.

The Pick of Destiny, the album, was produced by the Dust Brothers' John King (yeah, one-half of the team that brought you the sick beats on Beastie Boys' Pauls Boutique and Beck's Odelay) and mixed by Ken Andrews (who has worked with Pete Yorn and A Perfect Circle).

The album features a slate of special guests including Dave Grohl on drums, John Spiker on bass and John Konesky on guitar, as well as Meatloaf and Ronnie James Dio (the latter duo actually appear in the film).

"POD" is the first single off of the soundtrack and the companion video was directed by by Liam Lynch, the director of Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic) and incidently also the director of Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (Lynch also shares writing credits with Black and Gass).

The Pick of Destiny will be available in a special limited-edition deluxe version offering fans the full album as well as special tarot cards, and their very own guitar pick of destiny, all packaged in a slipcase designed to look like an ancient tome.

The Pick of Destiny Track Listing
1. "Kickapoo"
2. "Classico"
3. "Baby"
4. "Destiny"
5. "History"
6. "The Government Totally Sucks"
7. "Master Exploder"
8. "The Divide"
9. "Papagenu (He's My Sassafrass)
10. "Dude (I Totally Miss You)"
11. "Break In-City (Storm the Gate!)"
12. " ar Chase City"
13. "Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)"
14. "POD"
15. "The Metal"

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

There were some nice moments, but a lot seemed regurgitated from the series or CD and I was hoping for some new material.

So, not necessarily bad but a little lack luster.

[modage]

i thought this was pretty bad and i place the blame squarely on Liam Lynch who is incapable as a director.  there was a great movie to be made from the D but he was not the man to make it.  the show is much much better than this.  it just did not work. 

[grand theft sparrow]

It was disappointing but it had its share of bright moments. I only blame Liam Lynch to the extent that maybe he didn't feel confident enough (or make New Line feel confident enough) to make a movie that was as weird as the show or the CD.  They hit this kind of middle ground, where it's too expensive to make a joke of its cheapness (I would have been happy with a 90 minute movie shot on video like the shorts they put on the Complete Collection DVD) but not expensive enough to make a joke of how grandiose and over the top it is.  In either case, if they had just had the balls to go for a full-on rock opera, it could have been the greatest and best movie in the world.  But no.

However, it was still much better than Talladega Nights.

[Sigur Rós]

What a shit movie....The joke that is Jack Black should have ended in the 90's

[Bram]

O, well. I laughed my brains out in the theatre. But it could've been the beer that made me to, of course.
The movie itself was pretty bad, yeah.

[squints]

What a shit movie....The joke that is Jack Black should have ended in the 90's

you're right he should've quit while he was ahead with Enemy of the State and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer