Tenacious D recently showed off its broad stylistic range during a visit to SiriusXM Octane (channel 37). The exclusive performance from the duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass witnessed a Beatles medley, a Chris Isaak cover, and a spirited rendition of the group’s autobiographical “Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage”.
Beginning with a lesser-loved cut from The Fab Four, Black gives Abbey Road‘s “You Never Give Me Your Money” a bit of his personal touch when he alters the lyrics from, “Any jobber got the sack / Monday morning, turning back,” to, “Monday morning, hit the sack / What the f–k, y’all look at my crack.” The beloved comedic actor even delivers a blistering drum-less drum solo by utilizing his scatting talent before pulling off the transition to a “The End” coda. The band released its “Beatles Medley” as a standalone single last year, with Paul McCartney calling it  “so imaginative and so well performed.”
Related: Tenacious D Performs The Who Medley On ‘Howard Stern’ [Videos]
Switching gears, the two also offer a performance of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”. Popularized by the oft-overlooked 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart, the song reveals that—behind the laughter—Black remains an amazingly gifted singer. Finally, the duo finishes out its performance with “Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage”. The song is about as autobiographically accurate as the new “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic Weird, but it also gives Kage a chance to showcase his whistling skills before Jables closes out the ballad with a pensive lone low E note on guitar—his only stringed contribution to the song.
Watch Tenacious D cover The Beatles and Chris Isaak and deliver its origin story on SiriusXM Octane. SiriusXM subscribers can hear the performance on demand on the SXM App.
Tenacious D – “Beatles Medley”
Tenacious D – “Wicked Game” (Chris Isaak)
Tenacious D – “Ballad of Hollywood and the Rage Kage”
[Videos: SiriusXM’s Octane (ch. 37)]