Tenacious D:
The Complete Masterworks
(*Epic Region 1 DVD)
(2003)
review by Head Cheeze

If one were to ever face starvation, one could feed off of the rock contained herein. The epic musical adventures of the greatest rock band in history, Tenacious D, couldn't be held to just one measly, insignificant DVD. No, folks. These boys, they need at least...err...TWO! Two discs of non-stop, rip off your face rock and roll (insert devil horns sign here)!

The brainchild of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, Tenacious D started off as a sketch on HBO's early 90's Mr. Show series, before blossoming into a short-lived series of it's own. The show spawned a huge cult-following, and, after Black became a celebrity in his own right, he and Gass retreated to the recording studio and released Tenacious D's eponymous debut record. Mixing hilariously vulgar, inept, and cliche ridden lyrics with very catchy and skillfully written melodies, as well as a hilarious bit of sketch comedy and faux rock star attitude, the band launched a successful world tour, which much of Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks documents.

Disc one features the duo live at Brixton Academy in London, where they perform a riotous sixty minute set of songs from the D archives, including the brilliant Dio, whose lyrics discuss placing the pint sized former Black Sabbath singer in a nursing home so that he may pass on the torch to Jack and Kyle, as well as the "hit" ballad, Fuck Her Gently. Perhaps the oddest thing about the concert is the fact that you can hear the entire audience at Brixton singing along with this "joke" band, word for word. It may be a joke, but I'll be damned if these songs aren't better than much of what is on the radio right now! Consider the funny a bonus!

Disc one also features the complete six episode HBO series, which is quite simply some of the funniest stuff I've ever seen on television. Living the rock star life on a welfare budget, the show alternates between "live footage" of the band playing the local bars, fighting over women, and labouring for days to write another song (seeing that they'd only had one, and the club owner was getting tired of hearing it all night). Much like the extremely bizarre and funny Ben Stiller Show before it, Tenacious D was brilliant, but only a handful of people realised it, and now it's the stuff of legend.

Disc two features three more HBO short films including JB's BJ, Rock Star Sperm for Sale, and Butt Baby, a documentary of the recording of the band's album, three music videos (Tribute, Fuck Her Gently, and Wonderboy), along with making-of documentaries, a Tenacious D: On the Road documentary, and, finally, three D television appearances, from MAD TV, Crank Yankers (a bizarre puppet show/crank call series on Comedy Central), and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

All told, this set features literally hours of absolutely fantastic stuff. The Tribute video alone is worth the purchase as it is one of the most ludicrous things I've ever seen, and features Dave Grohl, of Nirvana/Foo Fighters fame, as the Shiny Demon who requests that Jack and Kyle play the best song in the world, or he'll eat their souls. I almost soiled myself.

While Tenacious D may, in fact, be a comedy act, their music is actually damned good, and Gass and Black prove to be very talented musicians as well as comedians. Gass, in particular, plays a mean acoustic guitar, as evidenced by his classical solo during the Brixton concert (which Black interupts because he insists Gass is boring the crowd), while Black has a fantastic singing voice, even if he's prone to veer off into metal growls and his own bizarre version of yodeling.

At a suggested retail price of merely $19.95, The Complete Masterworks is a bargain and then some. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining (or feature packed) DVD at twice the price!

* The features on this region one DVD are identical to it's region two counterpart, so the rock is spread evenly throughout the world!!!!