I had a chance to catch up with a few real rock stars at the movie’s premiere to get their opinion of Jack Black taking on a bunch of kids in a rock and roll movie. Ozzy Osbourne admitted he’s all for a real school of rock. “They should have a school of rock. They’d teach rock and roll. I’m all for keeping music 'live.' There’s so many tricks and machines in it now.” Graham Nash (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) confessed that even though he’s been a musician since he was 13, he’s still got a lot to learn. Commenting on actor/rocker Jack Black, Nash said, “I love him. [This movie’s] got something for everyone.” The members of Dashboard Confessional took Nash’s praise even further, “He’s actually a genius as a musician. He’s a man of many talents. He’s got one of the better voices out there, quite frankly.” Asked if Jack Black could handle a class full of hyperactive 5th graders, Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba replied, “I think he’d be a fine instructor and I think he knows how to motivate kids.”
The current king of musical parodies, Weird Al, was anxious to check out “School of Rock” after having heard nothing but good things about the film and its lead actor. “I’m a huge Jack Black fan. I’m down with the ‘D’ and I love his work. I hear this is probably the best Jack Black movie to come out this month so I’m here for this.”
Moving on to the kids who play Black’s students and make up his onscreen band, it was easy to pick up on their excitement over having worked with Jack Black. The kids (they showed up in a big group and answered with one voice) found working with Black to be a blast, if not a little overwhelming. What did Jack Black teach them on the set? “I learned how to be a kid, and I learned how to rock hard. I learned a lot about rock.” Sounds like he was a good teacher. If his movie career and that Tenacious D thing don’t work out…
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"School of Rock" Production Photos
"School of Rock" Movie Trailer
"School of Rock" Movie News and Websites
