“The audience is gone”: Jack Black names the most overlooked album of the 2000s
Given that he’s a very famous actor and musician, people have different pieces of work in which they discovered Jack Black. He’s been involved in a lot of films, series and music that wound up being successful, so entry points into his career are everywhere. However, for an entire generation of people, he was initially introduced to them via his portrayal of Dewey Finn. A dropout whose sole purpose is to do one thing and one thing only: rock!
How many of us heard Stevie Nicks, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC for the first time because of Jack Black in School of Rock? The lights, glam, and attitude of rock music were inspiring, as we were taught how much rock ‘n’ roll can be used as both a release and a means of rebellion. His speech about “sticking it to the man” still resonates with a great many people decades after the film’s initial release.
Jack Black’s affiliation with rock music doesn’t stop at School of Rock, either. A lot of what he has worked on has been somewhat adjacent to rock ‘n’ roll, as it incorporates the genre, Black’s vocal ability, and his carefree attitude. For instance, his band Tenacious D made the film The Pick of Destiny, which follows a wannabe rock band and their pursuit of a magical guitar used by all the rock greats from years gone by.
While Black is a talented actor, musician and all-around personality, even he would admit that he owes a great deal of his career to rock music and his affiliation with it. Why does he take to these roles so easily? It’s simple: because he loves rock music as much as the characters he portrays.
When you read a lot of Jack Black’s interviews, a great deal of them are taken up by him discussing his favourite genres and the bands that make them up. You’re never far away from him praising the likes of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC any chance that he gets. As is the case with a lot of fans of rock music, however, Black was never far away from also highlighting his concerns about rock music, namely, its dwindling presence in the mainstream.
Many have discussed how relevant rock music is in the modern age and how fewer and fewer people seem to listen to it. Black went one step further, as he wrote a song with his band Tenacious D called ‘Rock Is Dead’. In an interview, he cleared up the meaning of the song, admitting that he doesn’t think the genre is particularly “dead” but is instead just dying.
“It’s not dead – it’s actually on life support,” he said when discussing the track. “I’m hoping that it, too, will have a rebirth like the phoenix. Maybe we’ll usher it in.”
One of the things that Black hates the most about the genre’s lack of relevance in the modern age is that a lot of great rock music falls under the radar. When he was discussing some of his favourite records, he highlighted specifically Dog in the Sand by Frank Black and the Catholics, which he was surprised received very little airtime.
“Dog in the Sand is filled with so many incredible songs,” he concluded. “And it’s just so weird that it doesn’t get any play whatsoever. None! How could something that good just fly under the radar? It must be because the audience is gone.”
