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UCLA Rocks! The 10 Best Bruin musical acts/artists of all-time

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 09: Bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performs the national anthem before the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on January 9, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 09: Bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performs the national anthem before the game between the Arizona Wildcats and the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on January 9, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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6. Tenacious D

Rock and roll does not always have to be comprised of a 3-6 piece band with a drummer, bassist, guitarists (rhythm and lead if they are so inclined), keyboardists and vocalists.

No, sometimes rock and roll simply requires two acoustic guitars, passion… and comedy.

Enter Tenacious D. Former Bruin Jack Black (who attended UCLA but dropped out to pursue an acting career) and Kyle Gass met when the two were a part of The Actor’s Gang theater group in L.A. After five years in the group, Black and Gass decided to form a musical duo influenced by some of their favorite bands, which consist mostly of the heavy metal genre.

"Sorry I did not mean, (he did not mean) To blow your mind (to blow your mind) But that **** happens to me, All the time"

Excerpt from “Master Exploder” from the album “The Pick of Destiny”

Their name derives from a basketball term made famous by former announcer Marv Albert who would often say teams are using “tenacious defense”. Clever, right?

After playing shows, around the Los Angeles area, the two managed to land a half-hour comedy show with HBO in 1997. In 2001, they released their first album Tenacious D which was distributed by Epic Records. The album was a big deal and utilized the talents of other famous musicians such as the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and The Vandals’ Warren Fitzgerald.

This led to the release of the 2006 film, The Pick of Destiny which loosely chronicles how the band met. Though it did not do well in the box office, it propelled the band into another level of popularity beyond their metal-stoner audience. Either way, Tenacious D will blow your mind. And they are sorry about that.