Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960), also known as KG or Kage, is an American actor and a member of the bands Tenacious D and Trainwreck. In Tenacious D (which also features Jack Black), Gass plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals, and also plays the role of Black's comic foil in most of their comedy routines. He is the godfather of Jack Black's son.
Gass was born in Castro Valley, California and raised in Walnut Creek, California with his brothers, Mitchell and Matthew. At the age of 12, Gass began playing an old nylon-stringed guitar that was lying around the house.
Much like his musical career, Gass' acting career also started at a young age. His first gig was for Coca-Cola. Upon graduating from Las Lomas High School in 1978, he went on to attend UCLA. While at UCLA, he met actor Tim Robbins, who recruited him into the Actor's Gang. Gass soon graduated from UCLA in 1986. In 1984, a 16-year-old Jack Black was one of the new recruits in the Actor's Gang, and the two were introduced. According to Gass, he actually did not like Black at first, but the duo eventually settled their differences and soon became good friends. Gass taught Black how to play guitar, and the two soon formed a band, calling it Tenacious D.
Gass was featured in several episodes of the television show Fear of a Punk Planet which has since been released on DVD. He has also made an appearance as a lawyer in the Good Charlotte video for "Lifestyles of the Rich And Famous". Along with Black, Gass made a comedic appearance as a hapless airplane mechanic in the Foo Fighters' 1999 video "Learn to Fly."
Gass appeared in the comedy Elf as a would-be children's author. Gass also made a cameo appearance with Michael Richards in the Seinfeld episode, "The Abstinence". Gass has had small parts in many of Black's films (Shallow Hal, Saving Silverman, The Cable Guy, etc.) He also has been part of most of Kung Fu Records' movies, Kung Fu Films, which includes Fear of a Punk Planet and the Big Sasquatch and Cake Boy who is very buff. He has also appeared in Jacob's Ladder with Tim Robbins. Gass also appeared in Friends as a mugger in season 9.
Gass had a cameo role as a singing karaoke cowboy in the 2007 movie Wild Hogs. He auditioned for a role as a demon in the pilot episode of Reaper, directed by Kevin Smith, but wasn't hired, to Smith's disappointment.
While appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on November 15, 2006, 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. It should be pointed out that 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. On May 13, 2008, Gass was a phone in guest on the Adam Carolla Show. When Adam Corolla asked him "... And did you go to Julliard?" 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 Julliard."He was also in the movie Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, alongside Jack Black
Gass also plays guitar and sings vocals in the band Trainwreck, under the pseudonym Klip Calhoun. The band started playing live in 2005 and recorded a live album in Los Angeles in 2004 with Gass, which was produced by John King of the Dust Brothers. The album was released in December 2004 through Sony Music. Trainwreck has toured America supporting the Reverend Horton Heat and the Supersuckers.
The band are planning to record their first studio album with King and Gass co-producing. They are also negotiating with television networks to record a pilot TV show.
