Breaking the Fourth Wall: When Jack and Kyle walk away in a huff, Ed looks to the audience and explains the five stages a person must go through when confronting death (of a dream).
Open-Mic Host: "Stick around if you don't mind some cream in your jeans." Here they are, Tenacious D.
Five Stages of Grief: According to Captain Ed, the Death of a Dream (specifically dreams of being a Rock Star) come in five stages.
Anger: Jack and Kyle curse out Captain Ed on their way home.
Denial: Jack and Kyle convince themselves that they'll be rock stars any day, measuring themselves for suit-sizes and making their list of diva-demands.
Temp Job: Jack and Kyle briefly take up jobs as Canadian yarn art salespeople.
Acceptance: Jack and Kyle burn all of their merch and Jack destroys his guitar.
If Jesus, Then Aliens: Captain Ed tries dissuading Tenacious D from following through on their dream, calling it a myth like Sasquatch. It is not until Jack and Kyle reach the "Acceptance" stage of their dream's death do they see Sasquatch for real, the two of them immediately breaking out into a song as their dream had spontaneously come back to life.
Intercourse with You: "Kielbasa" is another sexually charged song they sing when going through the "Door-to-Door Rocking" stage. See above.
Jade-Colored Glasses: Having experienced the rock and roll lifestyle for himself, Captain Ed tries to encourage Jack and Kyle to "let the dream die".
Shout-Out: Jack does his own version of the famous "For the Rabbits" part from Of Mice and Men on his guitar.
"The Greatest Song in the World" contains examples of:
Mad Artist: Half of the episode has Jack and Kyle doing "pre-show rituals". Such rituals including banging holes in the ceiling, subjecting themselves to freezing in their fridge and overheating via a steaming kettle, and swallowing an incredibly long string to "purify (their) insides".
Parody Commercial: The episode ends with Jack and Kyle hawking their very own "Rocket Sauce."
Spaghetti Kiss: During the band's "pre-show rituals", Kyle and Jack accidentally do this when they're trying to purify their insides... using the same string.
Wowing Cthulhu: According to "Tribute", Jack and Kyle encountered a demon who threatened to eat their souls if they don't play him "the best song in the world." Not only do they play the song, but they beat him an a wrestling match.
A running gag in the ranchsie (the show and film) is the Open-Mic Host give an over-the-top intro at the band's request. The fact that he reads it with a deadpanned tone is what sells it.
A running gag in the ranchsie (the show and film) is the Open-Mic Host give an over-the-top intro at the band's request. The fact that he reads it with a deadpanned tone is what sells it.
