Jack Black has said he’s cancelled the rest of the Tenacious D world tour after his bandmate Kyle Gass sparked an outcry with a comment about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
The comedy rock group were on stage in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday when Gass was asked to make a wish after being presented with a cake for his 64th birthday.
He appeared to reply: “Don’t miss Trump next time.”
Gass also split with his agent following the incident.
I understand Jack here.
I don’t let my kids get away with “He did it first!”
We want change? We want to see more rational and measured speech in the public forum? We want good to win over evil?
Then sure, we fight evil. But we keep our character. If we don’t, then what’s the difference if they win or we do?
this comment needs to be higher. it’s amazing how little self-awareness people have when they show astonishment that only Trump can act like Trump.
well, duh, that’s why he’s a dickhead. wishing him harm only makes one another bird of the same feather.
Wishing harm on someone who causes other people greater harm for causing that harm doesn’t make you the same at all.
I do not condemn people who celebrate murderers and rapists getting the death penalty. And I even feel the same way myself, although I don’t support the death penalty.
I refuse to condemn people who want him gone, even though I don’t want a system that allows it.
We fight evil. But not with death camps. We don’t use their methods.
Is that so hard to understand?
I don’t want a system that allows political violence. However, I would not have been upset if they were successful in this case.
I wouldn’t want to share a stage with someone actively encouraging the assassination of a political figure - even if I agree with the sentiment…
I talk to my friends about wishing he was gone but I don’t want to be around him if he’s shouting about it at work, either.
Cowardly nepo baby isn’t tenacious, absolute shocker.
What makes you think the outage is fake? If he doesn’t believe in political violence (doesn’t seem like that should be a controversial opinion even if you disagree), or at least believes in separating his private thoughts from his stage personality, I imagine the outrage is completely real. I’d imagine he very much did not want Kyle to implicate him by saying it in a very public venue with Jack on stage, even if he privately agrees.
I don’t know who he is in private but his public face is very much, “it’s all about the music, man!” and being innocuous. Being divisive can only hurt his popularity, and very much his bottom line as he and anyone thinking of casting him have to worry about boycotts and review bombs, to say nothing of targeted political violence against him and his fans.
Also, yes Trump and his followers espouse political violence. Do we want to normalize that? Really? That’s a scary thought to me because I don’t know how we put that genie back in the bottle. Right now it remains outrageous when the right does it, but if the left does as well then we can’t condemn it without hypocrisy. It’s just the new normal - we kill each other when we can’t get what we want through other means.
That thought very much frightens me because I don’t know how we all walk away from the precipice. I get Jack’s perspective and I’d be outraged about being put in the position of seeming to endorse that as well.
I guess bring on the downvotes if you must. I’ve got nothing to lose by speaking my mind.
Have fun not fighting back against fascists because defending against violence with violence would be “sinking ot their level”.
Read the “paradox of intolerance” if you have not, and wonder after you do who and for what purpose the ‘citizens should never ever resort to violence’ idea serves best. I upvoted you because i like when people speak their minds knowing they’ll be unpopular. I do disagree with you, but ive come to my new belief recently and don’t look down on those i feel are walking on the same path i walked
I’m aware of it. And I agree with it. It’s nuanced and hard to really get into without writing a book here. I hate Trump and I can’t even say I haven’t considered how much safer I’d feel if he died. That I haven’t at times impatiently wondered when the backlash against stochastic terrorism would inevitably rise up and answer violence with violence.
Hell if the assassin had gotten him, I think a lot more people would condemn the act from the safety of a post Trump world. But such things threaten to spill into open violence. And who can de-escalate if both sides are doing it? And without de-escalation, what is the end of violence? A horrific outcome no matter which side wins.
If we won, if we murdered and assassinated every white suprematist, every anti-abortionist, every homophobe and transphobe, every billionaire, who would we even be? And when would we stop?
I could go on at great length, but I’ll stop here. I appreciate respectful disagreement. I’m not anyone’s enemy here. I value the discussion and opinions I don’t share. I might not have spoken up but I didn’t see anyone else saying the things I felt needed to be said.
Anyway, salute brother (or however you identify). May we all come out on the other side of this thing together.
JB’s response may be more of a concern for their safety than just an attempt to mitigate bad publicity. There are a lot more Trump supporters with guns than without.
Fearing for their safety on an Australian tour? No, if you read the article the response is all political and Australian politicians were calling for the band’s deportation.
Anyone standing behind Trump is a traitor insurrectionist flying the flag of a felon. The world will be a far better place without Trump, and anyone expediting that outcome has my respect as a patriot.
Populist are the true destroyers of civilizations.
A martyr Trump would be much much worse than a living one. Trump needs to be further discredited and the plutocracy as it exists today dismantled, otherwise things will either stay the same or get worse. Tall order, I know, but an assassinated Trump now would be terrible.
It’s probably more they don’t want crazy fucking trumpers taking shots at them. This is a safety issue a very real one. The band probably agrees with what he said but not enough to get killed over it. Which again is a very real possibility. These crazies almost got Trump with his security while Jack black walks around the venue of his shows alone before gigs.
