Susie O’Brien: Jack Black’s decision to cancel tour over silly remark is ridiculous

Jack Black’s ridiculous decision to cancel Tenacious D’s Australian tour over a silly off-the-cuff remark is proof a heartfelt apology no longer puts things right.

These days, offence is all too often the first impulse.

Humour, satire and irreverence are no longer a defence.

And a heartfelt apology no longer puts things right.

Three days ago, Tenacious D band members Jack Black and Kyle Gass were celebrating their Spicy Meat Ball Tour by lounging on a daybed together in Sydney.

“Happy Birthday KG!!” Black wrote on Instagram.

Hours later the tour was abruptly cancelled, with Black deciding that “all creative plans are on hold”.

The reason for the sudden about-face was a silly, off-the-cuff remark by Gass.

A silly off-the-cuff remark from Kyle Gass saw bandmate Jack Black call of Tenacious D’s Australian tour. Photo: Getty Images

Black asked him on stage on Sunday night what he wanted for his birthday and he replied: “Don’t miss Trump next time”.

Black, who has built his entire career on being the funky, offbeat irreverent rocker dude, felt so offended and outraged by the comment that he subsequently walked out on Gass, his fans and the entire tour.

Black posted on social media that he “would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form”.

Forty years of friendship and three decades of rocking together all ended over five stupid words.

It’s ridiculous and sad. Does anyone really think Gass wants Trump dead or that his onstage quip was a serious meditation on the aspiring presidential candidate’s assassination attempt?

Surely not.

It’s not as if Gass deliberately stirred up outrage, like comedian Kathy Griffin who was fired by CNN after holding a photo of a fake bloodied Trump head.

Even Gass was quick to correct the record and immediately apologised: “The line I improvised Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence in any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened (the shooting) was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of Judgement.”

Surely that should be the end of it.

Gass was quick to correct the record and apologise for his remarks about Trump. Picture: AFP

But no.

Black no doubt has felt the power and ire of the Trump supporters, who immediately mobilised against him.

He has been inundated with hate messages from Trump supporters, who seem incapable of understanding that Black, too, found the comment offensive.

“Do you endorse the assassination attempt?” asked brooklynbo227 on Jack Black’s Instagram page.

“You endorse murder?” said nocode1017. Others were more thoughtful, but no less strident: “I am no fan of Trump. But after tonight I am no longer a fan of yours either,” said zfluther.

The so-called cancel culture, often thought to be a contagion solely infecting those on the left, is clearly influencing those on the right as well.

There’s a decided hypocrisy at play here, given Trump supporters have repeatedly condoned violence in support of their president. ABC News in the United States has identified at least 54 criminal cases where Trump was invoked in direct connection with violent acts, threats of violence or allegations of assault. Even Trump himself called white nationalists who killed an opposition protester “very fine people” and has repeatedly invoked a narrative of violence to attack Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020.

Kathy Griffin was fired from CNN after holding a photo of a fake bloodied Trump head. Picture: Tyler Shields

And yet even the Trump supporters’ ire doesn’t fully explain Black’s outrage.

To put it into perspective, Tenacious D is a mock rock band whose hit songs include Kickapoo, Saxaboom, Rock Your Socks and F*ck Her Gently. They sing about farting, sexual deviancy and drug use, and fill their concert stages with inflatable Satans and giant dragons.

Black is also highly political and is an outspoken supporter of Joe Biden, recently endorsing him at a Los Angeles event.

“When democracy is at stake, Jack Black answers the call,” he said during a speech, while wearing a pair of American flag overalls.

He’s also been highly disparaging of a generation of Republican leaders, including George W Bush, insinuating he was a “retard” in one interview in 2003.

Politically correct he certainly is not.

The outrage and fallout over Gass’ comments is expected to continue for months to come. Photo: Getty Images

Someone of Black’s stature, who has made a career of being outrageous and overstated, should be able to absorb the comment from Gass and move on.

It’s almost certain that the outrage and fallout will continue for months to come.

One of the first to speak out was X owner Elon Musk, who called the line “evil”.

Many others, including Trump running mate JD Vance and Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd have joined in.

It’s reminiscent of the controversy that met the Dixie Chicks after lead singer Natalie Maines said onstage that she was “ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas” in relation to the Iraq war.

She issued not one but two formal apologies, but the comment led to the band being black-listed for several years.

At this point I feel most for the disappointed Tenacious D fans, many of whom are out of pocket after the sudden cancellation of the rest of the Australian tour.

But I feel even sadder about the lowly status of free speech in our democracy.

Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist