Jack Black, the short, furry (as opposed to large, bald) half of Tenacious D, probably can't believe his luck. By rights he should be on the ignominious list of actors who have tried and failed to become rock stars. Instead, he is confronted by a jam-packed Astoria that is practically woofing with joy at the sight of him. "We never expected such a tremendous turnout," he says wonderingly.
Black is proof that some lucky sods really can have it all. By day he gets to carouse with Gwyneth Paltrow in films such as Shallow Hal; by night he's a bona fide pop idol. And here's the bit that will have Keanu Reeves of the tragic Dogstar weeping at the unfairness of it all: he achieved pop success through the cheapest of gambits. He and guitarist buddy Kyle Gass recorded a clutch of joke acoustic tracks with titles such as Fuck Her Gently and Cock Pushups, and kept the tape running during the slobbering banter that ensued between songs. The apparently unedited result is what might happen if Simon and Garfunkel tagged along on a rugby club stag weekend.
Foo Fighter Dave Grohl pops on to announce "the world's greatest rock'n'roll band", and on strut two portly men, armed with acoustic guitars and the conviction that poo and pee jokes are the highest form of wit. It is hard to believe that either the songs or the comedy routines that precede each number were ever intended to be heard in public. Performing in front of a backdrop depicting the pair as chained-up demons (in your dreams, boys), Black and Gass lumber through their 90-minute show like two drunks who have invaded the stage at open-mic night.
Skits about giving birth to a "butt baby" and selling "rock star sperm" are bad - not ironically bad but just wretched - and the songs are pretty much like the skits, set to folkily strummed guitars. A handful contain the germ of a funny idea, like their tribute to rock screamer Ronnie James Dio and a satirical look at rock stardom, Wonderboy, but Tenacious D are constitutionally unable to perform a tune without resorting to knockabout japes. How can this be the seriously talented Black who was so clever in High Fidelity, et al? Sad, sad, sad.
