The Pick Of Destiny

From mtv.com:

As one-half of the self-proclaimed greatest band of all time, Kyle Gass would seem to be — at the very least — equal to one-quarter of the greatest real-life band. And an interview with Paul McCartney would be a really big deal!

So imagine our excitement when we got to talk to the Tenacious D singer/guitarist and got a sneak peek of their epic November film, "Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny." (Check out the exclusive trailer right here.) True, the man that Jack Black affectionately calls KG may not be as famous as the Beatles legend, but -- as loyal fans of the D have known for years -- he's a hell of a lot funnier.

MTV: You guys finished shooting "The Pick of Destiny" a little while back, so what's going on with the flick right now?

Gass: The movie is totally shot. We're just doing some final tweaking. We're working on the score right now, getting lots of fun sound cues in there.

MTV: Give us a quick breakdown of this epic.

Gass: The plot is about how Tenacious D came to be, and then how we go on a quest to find the Pick of Destiny, which is a guitar pick that has been handed down since ancient times and gives its user special powers to rock.

MTV: Have you guys received any assurances from your good friend Satan in regards to the release?

Gass: Satan is a tough customer, but he wants to make sure that he has a good fourth quarter, so he wanted us to open around Christmas. He wants to go right up against Christ.

MTV: What was your favorite scene to shoot?

Gass: I really enjoyed shooting the scene where Jack and I stop into a diner along the way, and we bump into this mysterious stranger played by Tim Robbins. He's this crazy old Russian guy, and it turns out that for some reason he knows exactly what we're trying to find and he actually tried to find it, himself. It plays out really fun, and Amy Poehler's in that scene as well.

MTV: You guys have tons of cameos in this thing!

Gass: I think we have the best cameos in all of movie-dom. We've got Ben Stiller, we've got Tim Robbins, we've got John C. Reilly. It helps if you have at least been nominated for an Oscar to be in a cameo.

MTV: And, no doubt, all the cameos will be nominated for more Oscars after the movie comes out.

Gass: We're hoping, you know? All I'm saying is, if "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" can win [an Oscar for] best song, I think we're in the running. That's all I've got to say.

MTV: And you guys also got your hard-rocking idol, Ronnie James Dio, into the movie.

Gass: We got Dio! We got Meat Loaf. And then we've got Dave Grohl playing the devil. He sings and he rocks. I'm just saying it right now: It's going to be a classic motion picture.

MTV: When all is said and done, where will "Pick of Destiny" fit in the grand scheme of cinema history?

Gass: I think it's gonna fit somewhere between "Spinal Tap" and "Ben-Hur."

MTV: Would you call the movie a rock opera?

Gass: It has elements of a rock opera, but it's also close to just being a rock musical. I mean, people don't just break into song, but there are rocking songs throughout.

MTV: Could this have a future like "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"? Do you expect people to dress up, go to midnight screenings and sing along for decades to come?

Gass: It will forever exist in some place, somewhere at midnight, I predict. If you're a fan of the D, you're gonna love it. If you're not — I don't know what's wrong with you and I don't care, quite frankly.

MTV: Can we assume that "Pick of Destiny" will be accompanied by a soundtrack of all-new songs?

Gass: Yeah, it's all coming out at the same time. The record soundtrack comes out November 15. The movie comes out November 17, and then we'll leave on tour, like on the 18th.

MTV: And what kinds of songs can we anticipate from this movie? New stuff?

Gass: All new stuff. I think we have a couple left over [from earlier sessions], but mainly it's all new. The Tenacious D sound is just a continuation of crazy rocking with some crazy, fun lyrics that the peeps can sing along with and say, "My God, these guys are talented."

MTV: What are the titles of these crazy-rocking new ditties?

Gass: One of the songs is called "The Government Totally Sucks." Let's see, there's also "Classico Jam." A lot of them are so new, they don't even have names.

MTV: Jack has become a big-time movie star since his career with the D began. What kind of performance will we be seeing from him?

Gass: Jack is gonna give his finest performance since "Nacho Libre."

MTV: Since you're playing yourself, what kinds of things did you do to discover your inner Kyle Gass?

Gass: I had to go deep, man. We go back to the early days of our relationship, where I was the dominant one; I was the one on top. I was the one showin' Jack the ropes.

MTV: Really?

Gass: There's kind of a little "Karate Kid" thing we've got going on, where I have to show him how to rock. He's naive, wet behind the ears. And then as the movie progresses, all of a sudden, it's like today — I'm just chopped liver, falling behind Jack, trying to pick up his spare change.

MTV: In these flashbacks, are you wearing a full head of hair?

Gass: You know what, that is a whole part of the movie. Yes, there is a time when I have hair. It's pretty funny. I have long, glorious locks.

MTV: For months now, you guys have been running the best movie Web site out there [TenaciousDMovie.com].

Gass: Oh, you like "The Hell O'Clock News"?

MTV: Yeah, but there was one episode where you and Jack did the whole interview with a statue's privates behind you. Did I hear correctly that the Motion Picture Association of America made you guys take it down?

Gass: Yeah. I don't know what's wrong with people today. There's too much censorship. There's no one who is more positive than Tenacious D. Everybody's gotta relax.

MTV: But the movie is going to give us plenty of nudity.

Gass: The movie is just obscene. It's crazy dirty.

MTV: Finally, tell us about the one scene that you just cannot wait to unleash on the entire world.

Gass: How we come up with our name, Tenacious D. It's classic. It'll go down in cinema history.

MTV: Is it the true story?

Gass: Of course. Everything in it is true.

MTV: So, "Pick of Destiny" might qualify for the Best Documentary Oscar, then?

Gass: Yes. It is a docudrama. Everything happens precisely as it really did.