TENACIOUS D - THE COMPLETE MASTERWORKS

I have to be honest, my first experience with Tenacious D was a bad one. Everyone had been fuckin' yammering on and on about them for months; about how funny and talented they were. There is little that I hate more than people building something up for me because, usually, the actual product rarely lives up to my expectations. So it was with much trepidation that I placed their CD into my car stereo.
But when I finally heard Tenacious D, I was hooked. I had been proven wrong.
Now, I wouldn't call myself an addicted fan, by any means. They are some funny motherfuckers, no doubt. But comedy CDs usually fizzle out over time for me. Kind of like the Adam Sandler CD I thought was hilarious in 1993, but now I barely chuckle through. Something about hearing a joke 1,000 times over makes it not as funny.
So when I got the D's new DVD to review, The Complete Masterworks, once again, I was hesitant. And once again, I've been proven wrong.
The first disc has a full concert, live from the Brixton Academy. I didn't get to catch the D live when they came through on tour, but I'm assuming it was a lot like this. Some songs, some shtick, some screaming. Funny stuff, for sure, but, essentially, it's just the album on a stage. They come out, play some songs, Kyle quits the band, Jack fights the hydra, etc. It's the meat of the disc, but it was the one thing I found the least entertaining.
Far more hilarious is their HBO episodes that are also featured on the first disc. The "Death Of A Dream" episode is amazing, and it features John C. Reilly as Sasquatch-- at least that's what D.J. Kirkbride tells me. It's not wet your pants funny, but it's cool to see how the beginnings of Tenacious D started here, and then progressed into a CD, a tour, and (coming soon) a full-length movie.
Disc two is the real gold in this set. First, you've got the most hilarious part of the entire collection: three short films directed by Liam Lynch. "JB's BJ" is vile and leaps out of the realm of clean and pure within seconds. "Rock Star Sperm For Sale",.. well,.. do I even need to say it? And "Butt Baby" makes "JB's BJ" look like a fucking Saturday morning cartoon. These three films alone are worth the price of the disc. Lowest common denominator comedy, for sure, but absolutely fucking genius.
Next in line on disc two is three of the D's many television appearances. The MAD TV and Conan appearances are hilarious, but the Crank Yankers one falls flat for me. Then again, I've never found anything on that show to be that entertaining, so it's more than likely my bias coming through.
Music videos are next. "Tribute", "Wonderboy", and "Fuck Her Gently" (done by SPUMCO, of Ren & Stimpy fame) are there for all to enjoy. And the "making of" features on "Tribute" and "Wonderboy" are even funnier than the videos themselves. The making of "Wonderboy" is a documentary by Lynch, who ends up interviewing director Spike Jonze. John C. Reilly and Dust Brother John King are hanging out on the set, too, just taking it all in. It's a cool look into the making of a video with a bunch of madmen.
The disc ends with a tour documentary. There is some funny stuff: diary entries, arguments over video games, etc. It could have been longer and more telling, I guess, but there is already a ton of stuff on this set, so it wasn't all that necessary.
In the end, The Complete Masterworks is worth its price, for sure. There are hours and hours of material here for you, so be sure to ask for it this Christmas or Kwanzaa or Hannukah or whatever.
I'm glad the D proved me wrong. Again.
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