The movie Jack Black called the rock equivalent of ‘The Sound of Music’
I was of the generation where DVD’s were a prized possession. In fact, nothing gave me more joy than going to the local store and renting a DVD. There was a thrill to the entire experience that made the possibility of watching that film temporary, giving the night of its screening some sort of ceremony. When I think of those days flicking through a DVD catalogue in a store, it’s inextricably linked with the face of Jack Black.
With his signature eyebrows pointed to the sky, I immediately picture him in his mexican inspired spandex for Nacho Libre, or slacker rock goatee in Tenacious D. If I saw his irreverent facial expression on the front of a DVD, the likelihood is I would be interested. But why? Well it all stemmed from what film fans across the globe, high or low brow, can all agree is his opus: School of Rock.
To say that film was formative to a generation of music fans is a criminal understatement. As bored teenagers stuck in the four walls of our maths classrooms, there was a glimmer of hope that any of us could become the next Zack Mooneyham. In fact, even without the guitar playing, I just want that name.
For many, it was a warm-hearted gateway into the world of classic rock while simultaneously advertising the idea of starting a band from the sentiment of ‘sticking it to the man’ to the simple bliss of learning how a walking bassline can play a part in a much wider sound, suddenly, the mechanics of what it meant to be a rock star made sense. It was more than just loud music, long hair and chaotic behaviour. There was a romantic underbelly to the truth of being a band that suddenly became clear.
In a generation of sleazy comedy movies where losing your virginity, crashing weddings and general demeaning women was the order of the day, School Of Rock stood up above the rest as something with a truly impactful intent. For burgeoning music fans, there simply hasn’t been anything of its like since. But what about before?
Well without Derek Smalls we wouldn’t have had Dewey Finn. Because althought it was cut from a very different creative cloth, This Is Spinal Tap was the film that inspired a generation of music fans before me. Including Jack Black, “The movie This Is Spinal Tap rocked my world. It’s for rock what The Sound of Music was for hills. They really nailed how dumb rock can be.”
Because, despite grandiose lyrics, gyrating hip thrusts and pensive press shots, the very essence of rock music is dumb. It’s a liberation from the everyday humdrum of society and an excuse to let all of your normal sensibilities go. That’s why when my grandmother walks in and catches a scene of School Of Rock she is as offended by Jack Black’s overegged facial expressions as she was Mick Jagger’s hips. However you exercise it, rock music is meant to be primal and Jack Black will always be a reminder of that.
