Kyle Gass
Gass performing in 2017
Gass performing in 2017
Background information
Birth nameKyle Richard Gass
Also known as
  • K.G.
  • Rage Kage
Born (1960-07-14) July 14, 1960
Walnut Creek, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
  • comedian
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • flute
  • recorder
Years active1988–present
Member of
Websitekylegass.com

Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and comedian, best known for co-founding—and being a member of—Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band.[1] He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, with which he also performs.[2]

Early life

Gass with the Kyle Gass Band at the Zelt-Musik-Festival 2017 in Freiburg, Germany

Gass was born in Walnut Creek, California, and has two brothers.[2] He attended Las Lomas High School, where he played flute in the marching band, graduating in 1978.[2] He studied acting at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where he met Tim Robbins. In 1982, he joined Robbins' The Actors' Gang and in the early 1990s met and befriended Jack Black in the group.[3]

Career

Acting career

Gass first appeared on-screen in a 1988 7up Gold commercial, and made his film debut two years later in Brain Dead.[4]

He made a cameo appearance in the Seinfeld episode "The Abstinence" in 1996, in a 1999 episode of the television show Fear of a Punk Planet, and in a 2003 episode of Friends, "The One With The Mugging" (S9 E15), as Phoebe's street friend Lowell. He appeared in music videos for Good Charlotte's 2002 song "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", the Foo Fighters' 1999 song "Learn to Fly", and I Prevail's 2017 song "Already Dead".

Gass has played small roles in many of Jack Black's films (Year One, Kung Fu Panda, Shallow Hal, Saving Silverman, The Cable Guy, etc.). He starred with Jack Black in the movie Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny.

Gass appeared in Jacob's Ladder (1990), appeared as the "couch potato" in The Cable Guy (1996), and as an inept author of children's books in the comedy Elf (2003). He had a cameo role as a singing karaoke cowboy in Wild Hogs (2007). In 2008 he played the porn director in Extreme Movie, Walrus Boy in Wieners, the dirty trucker in the men's room in Sex Drive, and Decatur Doublewide in Lower Learning.[5]

Music career

In Tenacious D, Gass plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals, and also plays the role of Black's comic foil in most of their comedy routines.

While appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on November 15, 2006,[6] Gass claimed to have been the youngest graduate of the Juilliard School of Music with a degree in classical guitar studies at the age of 13. Juilliard did not have a guitar program in 1973, but began its graduate level guitar program in 1989 under Sharon Isbin, and its undergraduate program in 2007. Earlier, in an article in the Sunday Times on October 29, 2006, Black stated that Gass was the youngest graduate of Juilliard.[7] On May 13, 2008, Gass was a phone-in guest on the Adam Carolla Show. When Adam Carolla asked him "... And did you go to Juilliard?" Kyle replied "I didn't. I—you know, I made that up as a joke," he continued, "and I thought it would be hilarious, and then I've been hearing about it ever since. Apologies to Juilliard."[8]

In 2017, Gass performed the song "Penelope" for Amazon Music's "Love Me Not" compilation album.[9]

In 2021, Gass announced his first solo tour "Kyle Gass Must Save the World", however it was later cancelled.[10]

Other media

Gass starred in a web show, Guitarings, with John Konesky[11] and currently hosts the Did We Do It podcast with Kevin Weisman.[12] He has appeared as a contestant on the TV game show Sale of the Century.

Discography

  • Tenacious D (2001) — Tenacious D
  • Trainwreck Live (2004) — Trainwreck
  • The Pick of Destiny (2006) — Tenacious D
  • The Wreckoning (2009) — Trainwreck
  • Rize of the Fenix (2012) — Tenacious D
  • Kyle Gass Band (2013) — Kyle Gass Band
  • Tenacious D Live (2015) — Tenacious D
  • Thundering Herd (2016) — Kyle Gass Band
  • Post-Apocalypto (2018) — Tenacious D
  • Do You Wanna Get Wrecked? (Unreleased) — Trainwreck

Filmography

Film[13]

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Brain Dead Anaesthetist
Jacob's Ladder Tony
1993 Mike the Detective Phil
1995 The Barefoot Executive Joe
1996 Bio-Dome KG
The Cable Guy Couch Potato
1997 Bongwater Guitarist
1999 Idle Hands Burger Jungle Guy
Cradle Will Rock Larry
2000 Almost Famous Quince Allen
2001 Saving Silverman Bar Dude
The Zeros Reed / David
Evolution Officer Drake
Shallow Hal Artie
2002 The New Guy Mr. Luberoff
2003 Elf Eugene
2006 Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny KG
2007 Wild Hogs Lead Singer
Monkeys Uncredited
2008 Kung Fu Panda KG Shaw (voice)
Wieners Walrus Boy
Dead and Gone Reverend Grass
Lower Learning Decatur Doublewide
Sex Drive Trucker
Extreme Movie Director
2009 Year One Zaftig the Eunuch
2010 Barry Munday Jerry Sherman
2011 High Road Winter Weirdo
2012 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta! Lester
2014 Book of Fire Sal
2015 Circus Circus
2017 Gnaw (Apartment 212) Terry

Television[13]

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Seinfeld Smoker Episode: "The Abstinence"
1997–2000 Tenacious D Himself All
1999 Fear of a Punk Planet Fire Marshal
2000 Manhattan, AZ Merv Episode: "Lt. Colonel's Boy"
2001–2002 Undeclared Eugene Episode: "Eric Visits Again" and "Eric's POV"
2001 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Himself Episode: "Sweet for Brak"
2002–2003 Fillmore! Mr. Collingwood (voice) 2 episodes
2003 Friends Lowell Episode: "The One with the Mugging"
Player$ Himself Episode: "Tenacious D a la Mode"
2004 Cracking Up Naked Man Episode: "Panic House"
Tom Goes to the Mayor Trapper Kyle Episode: "Beat Traps"
2005 Living with Fran Rocker Dude Episode: "The Concerts"
2006 The Jake Effect Ceissner Recurring
2007 The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show Himself Episode: "Break Up"
2011 FCU: Fact Checkers Unit Himself Episode: "Excessive Gass "
2012 Femme Fatales Willoughby Flagler Episode: "Gun Twisted"
2013 2 Broke Girls Buzz Episode: "And the Extra Work"
Ghost Ghirls Hawk Olsen Episode: "Spirits of '76: Part 1 & 2"
2014 The Birthday Boys John Allison Episode: "Freshy's"
2015 Drunk History Fred Eaton Episode: "Los Angeles"
2018 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Dario Moretti Episode: "Jake & Amy"
Tenacious D in Post-Apocalypto KG
2018–2019 Speechless Carl 2 episodes
2022 Hacks Axel Episode "The Click"

Music videos

Year Video Role Label
1999 Learn to Fly (Foo Fighters) Flight attendant Roswell Records
2001 Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (Good Charlotte) Lawyer Epic Records
2017 Already Dead (I Prevail) Internet troll Fearless Records

References

  1. ↑ "Grammy Awards 2015: The Complete Winners List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Kyle Gass AKA Kyle Richard Gass". NNDB. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Production History - The Actors' Gang". The Actors' Gang. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ Eric (May 30, 2019). "7up Gold Commercial Featuring Kyle Gass From Tenacious D (1988)". That Eric Alper. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Kyle Gass – Actor, producer". Variety. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Episode 15 November 2006 of Late Night with Conan O'Brien". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
  7. ↑ Rees, Jasper (August 29, 2006). "Dude, where's my guitar?". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Podcast of interview with Kyle Gass". The Adam Carolla Show. 97.1 FreeFM. May 13, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  9. ↑ Kyle Gass, Penelope, retrieved December 24, 2020
  10. ↑ LMNR (August 19, 2021). "KYLE GASS MUST SAVE THE WORLD TOUR 2021 | Live Music News & Review". livemusicnewsandreview.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Guitarings - YouTube". YouTube.
  12. ↑ "Kyle and Kevin "Did We Do It?"". Bleav Podcast Network. January 15, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Kyle Gass". IMDb. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
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