Jack Black is no stranger to blockbusters. Having done so many different movies, he is not only a great actor, but also a wonderful comedian and musician. Although music is not something many would correlate him with, time and again he proves that talent is not something he is short of. From playing The Super Mario Bros. Movie to Jumanji, range has been on top of Black’s priorities.
To make sure his movies are the best, he never steps away from taking a leap of faith. This strategy has helped him in achieving the unachievable. That also happens to include getting Led Zeppelin to agree for featuring a song in one of his most iconic movies. However, that did not come easy.
Jack Black Fought Tooth and Nail For Led Zeppelin
School of Rock featured a lot of songs from some of the biggest artists. Director Richard Linklater and Jack Black made a lot of efforts into ensuring that their film was nothing short of a masterpiece. One obstacle that they faced was to get Led Zeppelin’s song. Being one of the most iconic bands, there was no doubt both Black and Linklater were eager to get them to agree. However, it took a lot more convincing than they had first expected.
“I said, ‘Alright,’ and we did that, and I used the audience as my backup; I had them to chant with me, just basically groveling to Zeppelin, the gods of rock, to let us use their song or else our movie was just going to explode into pieces.”
Nowadays Led Zeppelin’s songs are just as famous as they were earlier, especially since Immigrant Song featured in both Thor: Ragnarok and School of Rock. Black knew that in order to have them accept the offer, a grand gesture had to be made. So he did exactly that.
Black gathered an entire crowd of over a thousand extras while he performed with them, the moment was supposed to feature Zeppelin’s songs and with it, an entire fanbase cheering for Black’s performance. To appeal to the band, the actor made all the people present there request Led Zeppelin use their music. Although it was a long shot, he was not ready to give up just yet. The director had given Black the responsibility and so he was ready to do whatever it takes.
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Led Zeppelin Previously Rejected Richard Linklater
School of Rock wasn’t the first movie in which Richard Linklater tried getting Led Zeppelin’s songs for. For Dazed and Confused the director tried to make the band agree to use the song of the same name for the opening sequence. However, they ultimately rejected the idea. Jack Black’s attempt to have the band agree happened to be a success.
“It’s group decisions. There are two Capricorns and one Leo. We have to go through the whole thing together. When there’s something uncomfortable, unpleasant, or overtly just not the right place for our music to be, we say no.”
Led Zeppelin even went on to talk about their zodiac and how the difference in their astrological signs made all the difference in the world about whether or not they were comfortable with the usage of a song. The video that the actor made with all the extras managed to touch the band members’ hearts and they eventually said yes because the trust they had in the actor.
Source: Rock Celebrities
