It was a cold November afternoon in 2006. "The Greatest Motion Picture of All Time," Tenacious D's The Pick of Destiny, had just been released and moviegoers were pouring into multiplexes across the country.
But only a handful of stoners showed up, and actually paid for, The D. The film was a commercial flop, hammered at the box office by Happy Feet and The Santa Clause 3: Escape Clause.
However, Jack Black and Kyle Gass would never allow shitty box office numbers to compromise The D's legacy.
Instead, the comedy rock duo grabbed their cojones and aurally addressed their critics six years later on the title track of Rize of the Fenix.
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And risen they have.
Last month, Tenacious D kicked off a nine-city "Old School Acoustic Tour," which wraps at the Fillmore Miami Beach on Tuesday, March 12.
We caught up with the group before sound check in Pittsburgh, and discussed everything from Skrillex to LeBron James.
The audio from that interview will be up in the coming days. In the meantime, here are a few excerpts of from what The D boys had to say.
Kyle Gass on What to Expect from "Old School Acoustic Tour"
"I think their minds are blown a tad bit more when it's just two acoustics 'cause they can't quite wrap their heads around how hard we're rocking with just a minimalist setup. But I think that's part of the magic of The D, to bring it with acoustic guitars and a couple of voices."
Jack Black on Seeing Skrillex Live
"The jams are tasty and the people are jumping around on ecstasy. There's a cool lightshow on stage, they've got production value. He brings some flames and a flying saucer and all kinds of crazy shit. Yeah, this is a party; I get it. But he didn't blow my nuts off like a Tenacious D show, but it was good.
Kyle Gass on Jimmy Fallon's Grammy Win for Best Comedy Record
"He didn't even show up at the awards. We were there in the front row, you know, hoping [to win]."
Jack Black on LeBron James
"LeBron James has gone on record saying Tenacious D is his favorite band. Somebody actually told me, 'Lebron James plays Tenacious D every night.' And the other guy said, 'No that's just the way he plays basketball, he's never heard of your band.'
I said, 'No, no, I think he loves our band.'"
Tenacious D's Old School Acoustic Style Tour. Tuesday, March 12. Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. and tickets cost $47.50 plus fees via livenation.com. Call 305-673-7300 or visit fillmoremb.com.
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