Advertisement

Tenacious D’s ‘Time Warp’ Remake Asks Voters Not to ‘Step to the Right’ as Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete, Susan Sarandon Step In (Watch)

The famous red lips haven’t turned blue in the newly adapted “Rocky Horror Picture Show” imagery because they’ve spent too much time on the slab. The color scheme is emblematic of Tenacious D’s goal in doing an all-star remake of “The Time Warp” that has a “Rock-y the Vote” message — specifically, to vote blue or, as the revised lyrics have it, make “a jump to the left and not a step to the right.”

Beyond incorporating clips from the original 1975 movie musical, Jack Black and Kyle Gass enlisted a couple of key Democratic politicos for the new music video — former presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg — as well as a range of celebrities including George Takei, Phoebe Bridgers, Jamie Lee Curtis and King Princess.

The most notable cameo may be that of Susan Sarandon, who, of course, starred in the original film, although she was a mere onlooker to the original “Time Warp” dance number. Sarandon may be the one star in the video who deeply polarizes those who have already “jumped to the left,” as she has drawn Democratic fire for speaking out against several of the party’s presidential contenders over the years — although the actress did recently endorse voting for Joe Biden as “a vote against fascism” and “the lesser of two evils.”

Others putting in instructive spoken-word appearances in the video, in lieu of Charles Gray, include Sarah Silverman, John Waters, Karen O, Reggie Watts, Ezra Miller, Ilana Glazer, John Heilemann, Eric Andre, Peaches and Michael Peña.

The singing parts are left to Black, switching between a Riff Raff-style bald cap and wig and unflattering Frank N. Furter corset, and Gass, adopting a blonde bob to do the Little Nell part (sans tap dancing).

A limited-edition vinyl single is being sold through the Tenacious D webstore. The duo had planned to tour this year to promote a progressive political agenda but, like all touring acts, was forced to cancel.

More from Variety

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.