Vintage Trashwire Review – Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
When George Lucas decided to revive the Star Wars saga, it was his goal to give fans a back-story of how exactly Anakin Skywalker transformed into Darth Vader. We knew how the story ended, but he wanted to show everyone how it began. Unfortunately for Lucas, the new Star Wars trilogy was, by most accounts, not very good. Unlike Lucas, when Tenacious D aims to tell audiences the history of how they became the greatest band in the world, they do a damn good job of it.
The basic story involves Jack Black and Kyle Gass’ epic quest to obtain the Pick of Destiny, a mystical guitar pick fashioned from Satan’s tooth. In Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, we learn the back-story for the formation of The D, from the JB’s humble beginnings as a rebellious child in a religious family in Kickapoo to KG’s Yoda-like training in how to rock. Any fan of the 1999 HBO series (now available on DVD in the Tenacious D: The Complete Materworks collection) featuring the duo playing at open-mic gigs and encountering Sasquatch, will absolutely love every minute of Pick of Destiny.
The film references classic D moments like their encounter with Lee, their first hard-core fan, who is referenced in the song “Lee” from their previous album and also in one of the episodes of their HBO series. Sasquatch also makes an appearance in Pick of Destiny during a great sequence that involves Jack and a whole forest full of psychedelic mushrooms. Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl is also back in a very special appearance and Tim Robbins has a great cameo as a crazed man who is after the legendary Pick of Destiny. The best cameo goes to Ben Stiller, who is also an executive producer, as a very knowledgeable Guitar Center employee. Stiller’s hair and make up in the scene are reason enough to pay attention.
Any fans of Tenacious D will really enjoy Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, but it will also be enjoyable for those who are not yet “psycho fans” of the greatest band in the world. You’ll definitely want to check this one out and pick up the soundtrack featuring all the great songs from the movie.
