In the Gospel According to Tenacious D, every epic tale starts with a dumb idea — and if they can get paid for it, even better. “We were like, how can we make money?” Jack Black says, looking every bit the fake rock shaman he’s always been. “Our manager said Amazon wants to give you money to do this new thing called Words and Music. We asked, ‘How much money?’ And then, ‘What’s the easiest thing we can do?’ So we just told our true story.”
The Road to Reduction, their new Audible “not a book” (but absolutely a book, if you ask them), is two hours of Jack and Kyle Gass rewriting their own mythology between fart jokes, Spinal Tap devotionals, and enough behind-the-scenes weirdness to keep their cult well-fed. “We like to say we wrote a book,” Jack smirks. “Amazon insists we didn’t. They’re like, ‘Please don’t call it a book.’"
Turns out the plan to “just make some cash” turned into a faux high art crisis halfway through. “A magical thing happened on the way to making money,” Jack says. “We started to enjoy ourselves. We started to have dreams — wait a second, this might be a masterpiece. We could be the new Great American Novel. All the other ones are overrated. Great Gatsby? I just read it. It sucks.”
But the true secret sauce isn’t the new orchestrated intros or the carefully “warts and all” origin story. It’s the sacred Tap. “Without Spinal Tap, there is no Tenacious D,” Jack says, immediately wincing at the cliché. “I know that’s corny, but it’s true. They did it so well they almost did it too good.” Cage nods in agreement, “I saw that movie in the theater and went, ‘Okay, that’s it. Funny music. That’s the thing.’”
Back then, the D were just two alt-comedy weirdos lurking around the Mr. Show gang, a scene that felt more punk than polished. “It was a very punk rock comedy vibe,” Jack remembers. “People were trying weird shit. You could feel it bubbling and churning. And then, thanks to Seinfeld, you could maybe shoot up that pipe to your own show. It was like a gold rush for funny people.”
All these years later, they’re still playing with the same formula: rock plus dick jokes plus the occasional social conscience. And yeah, they know exactly how the game works. “We leaned right into Behind the Music,” Kyle says. “You gotta have the breakthrough, the big rise, the fall from grace — and then the triumphant comeback. It’s the hero’s journey but with more weed.”
So what’s the comeback plan now? A tour, obviously. And it’s got a noble cause — or at least a convenient one. “It coincides with the midterms,” Jack says, tongue firmly in cheek. “The deadline to register is October. Rocktober’s too late if you really want to rock the vote. So yeah — it’s a cash grab and saving democracy. Mainly a cash grab.”
Dynamic ticket pricing? Hell yeah. “I just heard about it — Springsteen’s out there charging five grand a ticket,” Jack says, eyes gleaming. “What if you do it and your show’s worth five bucks? That’s the risk. But it’s dynamic. I love the word ‘dynamic.’ Makes you feel fancy while you scalp your own fans.”
Through all the nonsense, the D still know exactly what they’re doing: a gonzo blueprint for survival. “We’re just two dudes putting our pants on one leg at a time,” Jack says. “Except our pants are leather and they smell like rock legend. The kids want it real — they want the sausage-making. The warts and the sensitive bits. That’s what they’ll get.”
So sure, it’s an Audible Original and not a real book — unless you ask Jack Black, in which case it’s already a Pulitzer contender. There’s a new show every night that might save democracy, or just the D’s bank account. Either way, they’ll be in your town soon, screaming Tribute until your ears ring.
Watch the interview above and then check out the videos below.
