Jack Black has said that his band Tenacious D would not exist without Rob Reiner’s cult rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. Speaking during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the actor and musician credited the 1984 comedy with shaping both his musical career and his approach to comedy on screen.
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The film, which starred Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap, was described by Black as a crucial influence. He said there would be “no Tenacious D” and “no School of Rock” without Reiner’s work paving the way, urging audiences to revisit the film and recognise its lasting impact.
Black also praised Reiner’s wider body of work, highlighting films such as When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men and Misery. He described the director as a genius with an extraordinary catalogue, adding that Reiner’s films brought him immense joy and inspiration throughout his life.
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Tenacious D, formed by Black and Kyle Gass in 1994, has since released four studio albums and starred in its own feature film. Black also found major success in School of Rock, playing a struggling musician who forms a band with his pupils. Reiner, aged 78, was found dead alongside his wife Michele at their home in Los Angeles, with police later charging their son, Nick, with two counts of first-degree murder.
