Slayer Pete meets ‘Rocky Horror’ in a ‘Time Warp’ cameo to get out the vote
The video for Tenacious D’s “Time Warp†cover.
One of these things is not like the other: the comedy-rock duo Tenacious D, the throwback camp of “Rocky Horror Picture Show†and … Pete Buttigieg?
On Monday, Tenacious D — made up of actors Jack Black (“Jumanji: The Next Levelâ€) and Kyle Gass (“Brooklyn Nine-Nineâ€) — released a cover of the song “Time Warp†from the 1975 cult classic film “Rocky Horror Picture Show.â€
One week out from the presidential election, though, this version leaned into the “jump to the left†for Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., also known as “Slayer Pete,†stood out like a mild-mannered thumb in a lineup of politician and celebrity cameos in Tenacious D’s music video.
“BUTTIGIEG WITH THE BEST LINE READING OF 2020,†actor John Ross Bowie (“Speechlessâ€) commented on Instagram.
“It’s just a jump to the left,†Buttigieg enunciated with care, Biden-Harris sign prominently placed, complexion glowing.
“He always looks so nice, Pete Buttigieg,†wrote The Times’ Mary McNamara of the politician’s recent campaigning for Biden. “Handsome in that white, Midwestern, college yearbook way, with a smile that seems bucktoothed but isn’t and those perfectly, and apparently naturally, arched eyebrows.â€
One can’t help but wonder if the carefully composed Harvard grad is a “Rocky Horror†virgin.
Slayer Pete’s turn in the ring light followed appearances by indie darling Phoebe Bridgers in a skeleton onesie and irreverent comedian Sarah Silverman poking her head from stage left.
They shared the same line — as did all the stars in the video. “It’s just a jump to the left,†echoed actress Jamie Lee Curtis, “Broad City’s†Ilana Glazer and comedian Eric Andre.
Original “Rocky Horror†star Susan Sarandon also made a cameo. As did Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who, like Buttigieg, has endorsed Biden’s candidacy.
The Tenacious D members had initially announced that they would be touring throughout the fall in swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio to help voter turnout in the Nov. 3 election.
“Called ‘The Purple Nurple Tour — Twisting Hard to the LEFT,’ in honor of the band’s own inclinations towards progressive politics and a blue agenda, the run was sadly cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic in the U.S.,†said a press release from the band.
“Still — JB [Jack Black] and KG [Kyle Gass] knew that with great rock comes great responsibility, and were determined to find a way to help get the vote out this fall.â€
With viral interviews on Fox News and other outlets, Joe Biden’s Democratic primary rival Pete Buttigieg becomes his presidential campaign’s sharpest surrogate.
That alternative method, it turns out, included Jack Black in full hair and makeup as the Transylvanian handyman Riff Raff character.
“What they landed on is better than anyone could have dreamed: a raucous, pitch-perfect cover of the Halloween classic ‘Time Warp’ from the legendary camp hit ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show,’†the statement said. “Except, for The D, there’s a particular message in putting their hands on their hips — the importance of jumping to the left, and NOT stepping to the right, when it comes to rocking the vote on November 3rd.â€
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