20-02-2025
Jack Black reveals what the D in Tenacious D actually stands after 31 years
They've been creating mock rock since the mid 1990s - but some Tenacious D fans are only just learning what their band name actually means.
Actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass created a comedy rock duo known as Tenacious D in 1994, putting out songs such as Tribute, Beelzeboss, Kickapoo, The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage, Wonderboy and The Metal.
Despite being a comedy band, they've performed on various movies including Bi-Dome, The Cable Guy, Bongwater, Shallow Hal and Year One. But not only this, Black and Gass also contributed to the cartoon movie Kung Fu Panda, with Black playing Po and Gass as KG Shaw.
Alongside this, their cover of Britney Spears' Baby One More Time can be heard at the end credits of the fourth film of the series. But despite this, some Tenacious D fans still have no idea what their band name means, with many wondering what the D in Tenacious D actually stands for.
In an interview with Bill Simmons on Grantland, Black revealed how he loved the term NBA commentator Mark Robert would used to describe a basketball team with a tough defence - "Tenacious defence!" He shared how 'tenacious' is a little-known basketball term used to describe a player's determination and refusal to give up, especially on defense.
He said: "We were deep into the lakey lakes (LA Lakers) in the late 80s and early 90s, and we were jamming a lot at Kyle's apartment and watching basketball and jamming and getting high, and we were thinking 'what would be the best name for a band?' And for some reason we were laughing so hard at the idea of a band being called Tenacious D".
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He added: "I don't even know if he ever said the word 'D', I think we might have made that abbreviation for him, but yeah I think we were just really stoned..."
Commenting on their name, one Reddit user said: "Today I learnt that the band Tenacious D got their name from NBA commentator Walt Frazier's phrase for when players played tough defense." Another user added: "The greatest song in the world is Beelzeboss."
A third user said: "On a recent podcast Jack straight up says they wanted to write the greatest song in the world, and they just thought it would be dumb/funnier if they had written it then forgot it since they were stoners." One more user added: "So their name is just a tribute?" A final user said: "Here's me thinking it had something to do with a persistent erection."
