"I went into a coma!" Jack Black's spontaneous take on Nickelback's biggest hit single is every bit as entertaining as you're already imagining

Jack Black, Chad Kroeger
(Image credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

There are very few things in life that can't be improved with the addition of Jack Black.

We're not claiming that Black is the answer to all life's problem - that would be insane - but the world is definitely a better place with him in it, as he's proved time and time aqain, whether charming us with films such as School Of Rock and Bernie, channelling his inner Ozzy Osbourne with his killer take on Crazy Train recorded for Black Sabbath's already-legendary Back To The Beginning farewell show, or simply dicking around with his buddy Kyle Gass in Tenacious D.

Black is currently touring the western world on a press junket promoting his latest film, Anaconda, with his good friend, and fellow Hollywood superstar, Paul Rudd, and the 56-year-old Californian has been in typically ebullient and entertaining form. And while we're not entirely sure how selling a movie about a murderous over-sized snake led to Black delivering a spirited if not entirely word perfect version of Nickelback's 2001 global mega-hit How You Remind Me mid-interview, we're very much here for it nonetheless. In fact, we're prepared to bet that it's more entertaining than the actual film.

Part of the joy of Black's performance here is the fact that he's so determined to remember the name of the song - a song that has been streamed more than 1.5 billion times on Spotify alone, incidentally - that he has completely zoned out when the interviewer moves on to ask Rudd a question about Friends, in which he made 17 appearances as Mike Hannigan, future husband of Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow). Black then butts in singing the pre-chorus of How You Remind Me, before scatting various noises in an approximation of Chad Kroeger's vocals, as Rudd looks on like a proud parent and claps along.

"Took me a while dude," Black tells Rudd. "I went into a coma! You were talking by yourself, looking to me for help, and I was like, I can't, I'm trying to remember the Nickelback. I'm so glad, it's such a relief."

"And, I think, amazingly, I got every lyric right," he concludes, staring into the camera and defying anyone to suggest otherwise.

Viewers of the clip on Instagram were united in their praise for Black's performance.

"I want Jack Black to re-record every piece of music that has ever been made," runs one comment, and we see absolutely nothing wrong with that idea.

Watch the clip below.

A post shared by IMDb (@imdb)

A photo posted by on

Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.