Tenacious D is known for its lively rock songs and its blend of comedy and heavy metal, played through acoustic guitars.
Videos by American Songwriter
But the band, comprised of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, performed two epic covers for SiriusXM: a rendition of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” and a medley of Beatles songs. And they nailed them both. See videos of the music below.
Black performed “Wicked Game” with seriousness and emotion and the bit of music makes one wonder what Tenacious D rehearsals are like or can be like given the real musicianship presented by the duo in the SiriusXM songs. Gass is a talented musician. In fact, he’s the one who purportedly taught Black how to play the six-string and even write songs.
The Beatles’ medley included beatboxing from Black and a number of the most famous songs from the former Mop Tops. Previously, Tenacious D has released other cover offerings, including a medley of songs by The Who and a cover of the yacht rock song “Summer Breeze” with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Beck.
In 2023, the band is slated to tour Europe. See HERE for more on that.
Earlier this year, American Songwriter talked with Isaak, asking him about the origin of his hit single, “Wicked Game.”
“I have some place in my tapes where I have the first time—probably 20 minutes after I wrote it, I made a little tape of it so I could remember it,” Isaak told American Songwriter.
Isaak remembered when he brought the song to the band. They played it and they liked it. He wasn’t sure that they would, but they did. And when they began to play it live, they noticed the bars and clubs they performed in would hush, even before the track had hit the airwaves. Suddenly everyone would go quiet.
“My drummer said, ‘I think we have something here,’” Isaak recalled. “People really liked that song. That was probably our first real sign that yeah we had something different here.”
For more on Tenacious D, check this clip in which Black talks about undertaking an intervention for Gass.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
