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PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   38816 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of July 15, 2024

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I'd always wondered how it stayed running so long.

My main guesses were:

  1. Jack Black actually liked the band and was having fun.
  2. Kyle was very good at guilting him into coming back.
  3. It was a way for Jack to stay in an active performance role between movies and to keep him sharp.

Jack cancelling the tour makes me wonder doubt the fun explanation and makes the other two explanations sound more likely.

Kyle always kinda confused me. It seemed like he just super lucked out being next to Jack Black early in his career and otherwise didn't have the talent to keep up. Any of their stuff together Kyle is just sort of a way for you to take a break from laughing at Jack.

Tenacious D, and Kyle’s role in it, play to a very obvious male fantasy. You’re a normal schlubby guy who can play a bit of guitar, and all of sudden a Real Live Superstar who oozes charisma picks you up and makes you a celeb as well.

he keeps saying kind of as a joke that you’re a king among men and a sex god and what do you know, a bit of it rubs on you as well. Guys see you on the street and go ‘Heyyyy, Rage Kage! Love you man!’ You can probably get cute women with a fair bit of ease despite, again, being a schlub.

Of course, it’s also knowingly a role Kyle has assumed and built together with Jack Black, but it’s a fantasy, that doesn’t matter. There are obvious dividends for Jack as well, as can be seen from how many guys are angry at Jack for betraying his friend.

For sure it's #1. One of his breakout movies was School of Rock, which made it pretty obvious that he dreams of being a rockstar. Tenacious D allowed him to live out that fantasy.

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