“I couldn’t break the chain”: The real reason Jack Black named his son after his favourite album
Jack Black lives and breathes rock and roll. For decades, the actor and musician has been a regular fixture of Hollywood, immersing himself in countless different projects over the years, yet he always seems to come back to the inspiration provided to him by rock. From his beloved work with Tenacious D to iconic roles like School of Rock, the comic actor has never been one to keep his musical taste close to his chest, reflecting that deep-rooted adoration in virtually every aspect of his life, and of his family’s.
Ever since Black’s childhood, music has been a constant accompaniment to the Californian’s life. “I don’t have any real spirituality in my life – I’m kind of an atheist – but when music can take me to the highest heights, it’s almost like a spiritual feeling,” he once declared. “It fills that void for me”. So, rather than worshipping a higher power or following cultural trends, Black has always sought salvation in the timeless sounds of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Black Sabbath, to name only a handful.
This musical adoration has regularly bled into Black’s acting work. Playing the elitist record store clerk in High Fidelity with the kind of believability that can only come from lived experience, the actor gave a certain degree of insight into his own life. This theme only continued on School of Rock, a film that Black was seemingly destined to create, telling the tale of a rock-obsessed deadbeat who essentially kidnaps a class of school children (it’s less sinister than it sounds, we promise).
It was only a matter of time before Black espoused his own musical talents, forming Tenacious D alongside with Kyle Gass back in 1994. Although technically a comedy outfit, the band boasts an unparalleled knowledge, expertise, and appreciation when it comes to the extensive landscape of hard rock and metal. It is no surprise, therefore, that Tenacious D have earned the appeal of everybody from Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl to Meat Loaf.
The opening line of this article wasn’t an exaggeration; Black’s dedication to rock and roll has defined his whole career. Deeper than that, though, his musical taste dictated something as colossal as the name he chose for his second-born son, Thomas. As some of you may know, Jack Black’s full name is Thomas Jacob Black, owing to a family tradition of naming sons Thomas.
“My dad’s dad was Thomas, and his dad. And it goes back to, like, the ancient Ireland blacksmiths,” he shared on The Howard Stern Show in 2009. “There was a Thomas Black. They knew I was Jack, and I resented it, and so I was like, I just am Jack.” However, when it came to naming his own son, Black relented. “I felt the pressure, and I named my son Thomas. When push came to shove, I couldn’t break the chain.”
However, the decision to name his son Thomas wasn’t just as a result of that age-old family tradition; Black’s rock and roll sensibilities came into it, too. “I call him Tommy,” the actor said. “Tommy‘s also my favourite album. The Who’s Tommy.” So, not only does Black’s son reflect the lasting traditions of his family, but also his endless dedication to rock and roll history, as a kind of homage to The Who’s 1969 rock opera masterpiece.
If you were feeling conspiratorial, you could take this rock obsession back another generation, too. After all, Black was born in August 1969, only a few months after The Who originally released that groundbreaking album. So, perhaps Thomas Black Sr. was a bit of a rock obsessive, too.
