Jack Black said the 1970s rock bands Journey and Styx were his early introduction to the genre, comparing them to “Sesame Street” for their formative role. The article argues that this early exposure helped shape the enthusiasm for rock that later became central to his work in Tenacious D and films such as School of Rock.

Black recalled visiting a record shop intending to buy a new Journey album, only for an employee to recommend Ozzy Osbourne’s 1980 debut solo record, Blizzard of Ozz, instead. He described that recommendation as the point at which “it all started”; the album, recorded after Osbourne left Black Sabbath and featuring guitarist Randy Rhoads, went on to sell more than five million copies in the United States.