LIFE ON THE D-LIST KYLE GASS AND JACK BLACK GET AN `A' FOR MANIC ROCK EFFORT.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Writer

They're called Tenacious D for a reason.

Formed by two distinctly non-rock-star-looking guys, Jack Black and Kyle Gass, in 1994, the heavy-metal parody band has stuck it out for more than a decade. Now their first movie, ``Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny,'' arrives in theaters Wednesday.

Not bad considering that they began eking out gigs at such legendary L.A. venues as Al's Bar and Largo and playing a joke song, ``Tribute'' -- about the best song in the world -- over and over again.

Eventually, they turned appearances on HBO's ``Mr. Show'' into their own short-lived cable series, and began opening for the likes of Pearl Jam and Tool.

In 2001, they even released a platinum-selling album. And talk about venue change: D headlined Universal's Gibson Amphitheatre this weekend.

The D wanted more, but it took years of script development, production delays and legal wrangling to get a movie done. (You'd be amazed by how many different entities claim some kind of rights to their work).

``Pick of Destiny'' is a story about the origins of the band, in which runaway JB (that's ``Nacho Libre'' and ``King Kong'' star Black) meets Venice Boardwalk busker KG (character actor Gass). Their dream of metal godhood leads them on a quest for a magic guitar pick made from Satan's tooth.

The real story is a bit different. Black and Gass met in Tim Robbins' L.A. stage group the Actor's Gang. And while they both pretty much play juvenile idiots in the movie, each of the longtime friends has a distinctive comic gift.

``Generally, I think people see Kyle as the straight man in Tenacious D,'' says ``Pick'' director Liam Lynch. ``He's actually really outspoken and funny and sarcastic when you're hanging out with them as friends.

``And he's actually a pretty animated guy, but Jack is just so hyper-animated, with those octopus eyebrows and all, that Kyle ends up looking like the straight man.''

However it works, it works. The pair make an effective team -- or at least a determined one.

So now, in their own words, the heavy-metal ballad of Jack and Kyle.

WERE JACK AND KYLE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER?

Jack: Kyle, how did we become friends?

Kyle: Well, at the time, I needed a friend. And I think the fact that Jack was younger than me meant I could kinda be his big bro. That appealed to me somehow, I don't know why. But also, I always thought it would be fun to have a duo. I loved Simon & Garfunkel. Jack hated the first few songs we wrote, though, and then we went more sort of a comedic route.

Kyle: Strangely, most of my best friends are like my favorite songs. They don't start out my favorite songs; don't really like 'em. And then it becomes, `Ohhhh, yeah.' We're drawn to each other -- Kyle doesn't want to say it -- mag-net-i-cally.

FRIENDSHIP AND MUSICAL GLORY

Jack: I just wanted to hang with Kyle, but he was unavailable because he had this new girlfriend. She was threatening to destroy The D, Yoko Ono style. So I created these gigs and he had to come out of the cocoon. He had to!

Kyle: I'm still friends with the girlfriend, actually. But you see, I had written a musical with her and she was jealous of our partnership. She'd say, ``What? You guys are doing better work than us?'' So it made it easier to leave.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HALF THE TEAM HEADLINES HUGE MOVIES, AND THE OTHER HALF'S NEXT GIG IS A BIT PART SINGING KARAOKE 

Kyle: Yeah, I've seen him pass me right up. And then, as large as Jack has gotten, he's been able to go to the next level. I have to say, it's actually pretty cool to have someone that close to you just, all of a sudden, they're on the level of the Jim Carreys and Will Ferrells, swimmin' in the same river.

We always thought Jack was funny from the get-go, so it's not that much of a surprise. And I knew, like, it can't hurt the band. I'm just trying to make a living out here, so for me it was never really a bad thing.

But if it ever dries up for him? See ya! Although, I guess, we can always do Vegas.

IS HEAVY METAL IDIOTIC OR JUST PLAIN STUPID

Jack: I still love my metal. I feel like metal is the most satisfying of all forms of ... music. Not all the time. Sometimes I'm gonna want a little classical, a little jazz. But when I want UNGH! It's metal.

Kyle: It's always been ripe for poking fun at. Any time rock or pop takes itself too seriously, which is most of the time, it's hard not to. The thing we latched onto is the grandiosity of metal, the fact that there's so much more than just this music happening. We're speaking to the heavens! I think Spinal Tap tapped into that a lot.

Jack: Spinal Tap went further in the direction of making fun of it. Their songs were really good and funny, but I got the feeling that they didn't really like metal, really. Whereas, when we're writing the songs, I'm coming from the place of, I was a metalhead.

HOW TENACIOUS D HAS MAINTAINED ITS DOMINANCE OF ROCK 'N' ROLL 

Kyle: We've always felt that the less material that we generate, the greater we are. There's less material to judge; that's why we've had two albums in 12 years.''

COPING WITH THE SEX-AND-DRUGS RIGORS OF TOURING

Kyle: We're hoping for some this tour,'' Gass says.

Jack: We didn't do a lot of drugs, did we? Did we, like, do any rock 'n' roll cocaine on the road? See, the thing is, we got into it pretty late. I was 30, Kage was older than 30 when we first got it going. We had already kind of got our hard partying out of our system. The sex ... heh, heh, heh. I never kiss and tell, but let's just say, you're magnificent!

Kyle: That was grodie.

TIME TO GROW UP A LITTLE: JACK JUST HAD HIS FIRST CHILD

Jack: It's great. It's like a strange adventure because I don't know what's going to happen as he develops, how my responsibilities will change and his needs will change. I've not read all the books. I'll be honest with you: I haven't read any of the books all the way through. I've read a few chapters of a few.''

EVEN WITH A NEW TENACIOUS D MOVIE, ALBUM AND TOUR, ROCK ISN'T HAVING A DEVIL OF A TIME

Kyle: Well, I think the heart of rock 'n' roll is still beating.

Jack: And from what I've seen, I believe it.

Kyle: It doesn't seem to be on pop radio too much, though.

Jack: There's not a lot of excitement. There aren't a lot of bands that I go, ``Oh man, I can't wait until their new record.''

Kyle: ``I guess there's, like, The Killers.

Jack: There's no more devil, that's the problem. The devil used to be so prevalent, it was really exciting. But it's not because of the Christianization of America. That means the devil's coming back! The devil follows wherever Christians go.

Bob Strauss [phone]

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- cover) TENACIOUS D

On the metal, the devil and the fame

(2) no caption (Kyle Gass and Jack Black)

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(3) These distinctly non-rock-star-looking guys, Kyle Gass, left, and Jack Black, formed Tenacious D in 1994.

Zade Rosenthal/WireImage.com