It's funny to hear you say that "Dazed and Confused" didn't get much notice when it emerged, because it was only a few years later that "That '70s Show" came out and took over the world. I wonder where they got the idea for that show?

Right! (Laughs.) Well, no one copyrights a decade.

Talk about Jack Black a bit. He's got some serious gifts.

Oh my God, he's incredibly gifted. And he just keeps coming at you with more ideas. He was the greatest to work with because he has all the tools. Not only is he a good musician with a great voice, but he's an actor who came up in theater and a gifted comedian too. He just has so much ability. He was always going, "Give me one more take. Let me work on this some more." He never gave up on trying anything; he's the opposite of lazy, and he's hardest on himself. I would walk over to him in between takes and he would already be getting on himself. "I put a little too much mustard on that one. I'll get it right." Between him, Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman and Mike White, there were scenes where I was just going, "Wow, I'm blessed to work with such comedic talent."

Were you and Jack each familiar with the other's work?

Yeah. You don't talk about it much, but I found out later that he had seen "Slacker" way back when, which was cool. But I was a big fan of his, both as an actor and musician. Like everyone, I'm a Tenacious D fan, so I was really looking forward to working with him. I thought it would be fun to rock 'n' roll together. I mean, a lot of our first meetings were spent talking about music. Even now, after we've wrapped, we're still turning each other on to stuff. He was always laying CDs on me, people I hadn't heard too much about, and vice versa.

Since we're talking about music, how did Jim O'Rourke, who's now a member of Sonic Youth, get involved with you and this film?

He's amazing. I think my music supervisor, Randy Poster, just called him up. I'm a big Sonic Youth fan, always have been, and Jim is such a smart producer and a really cool guy. The kids respected him, and he taught them how to be rockers, you know? How to carry themselves. He'd come up with fun bits that they could rehearse. He was great; Craig Wedren, who wrote some songs and scores, was great; George Drakoulias, the music producer, was great. We were blessed. But Jim was wonderful; he was even giving some of the kids help on how to sing off-key for the audition scenes, because, as much as I love music, I'm not technically that helpful. He's multitalented.

Every day you're going, "Gosh, we're getting paid to do this?" When people say that it must have been hard to make this movie, I just go, "Uh, no." Being an offshore oil worker, that was hard. But this? The hours are long and everything is built to be supportive and help you do the best that you can, but it's not hard. Mowing yards is hard; hanging out with Jack Black and a bunch of kids and putting the camera in the right place is not.

I read an interview recently where Jack talked about how "Shallow Hal" had brought him an uncomfortable amount of fame. Did you two ever get a chance to talk about negotiating that tightrope between mainstream acceptance and the desire to retain some independence from it?

That's sort of an actor dilemma that's not really a problem for someone behind the camera like myself. But yeah, you get recognized by people going, "Hey I loved 'Shallow Hal.'" And I'm not sure Jack would say that's his best film, but you'd have to ask him. You've got to get used to that if you're going to put yourself out there. But Jack's an incredibly gracious person; he's really a sweet guy that way. So I don't think it screwed him up, but -- this goes for the industry -- people have a tendency to put you in boxes. "OK, you're good at this. You're good at that. You can't do that and you shouldn't do this." We all want to limit others, tell them what they can and can't do. But I think Jack can do anything. I wouldn't want to put any limits on what he can do. He'll probably take it slow and follow his own instincts. He's got amazing range, especially with anything comedic.

How about you? Your films don't seem to respect limits in any way.

I hope so. I mean, that's what I'm trying do, although not consciously. If you're working within a genre, you want to kick ass within it, and maybe create some of your own genres along the way. I've got all kinds of things I want to do, but you are stuck with your own interests and personality, so I'm not itching to make a certain film. There are certain kinds of films that I don't think I'd be totally fulfilled by, but comedies have always spoken to me.

And this one has some great lines. I dig Jack Black's incredulous response when he finds out that his kids have never heard of Led Zeppelin.

"Don't tell me you've never gotten the Led out." (Laughs.) I love when adults in their 30s or 40s watch that and laugh, while their kids don't get it at all. I love those moments.

See, it's not just for the kids, parents!

No, no, no! I've always pitched this film at Dewey's level. To me, I wasn't making a kids movie. I was making a movie that has kids in it, that kids would like, I hope. But he doesn't treat them like kids; he treats them like peers, so I thought that should be the tone all the way through. We're not making some condescending kid movie; it's more about suspended adolescence! (Laughs.) That was the tone.

Which seems to be a more constructive way of bridging the gap between the generations.

Yeah, because it's fun for kids to be treated as older people. Your worst memories of childhood always involve someone treating you like a little kid, not giving you any respect, you know? That happens early; by fifth grade, you're certainly dealing with it. Someone's telling you what to do all the time. And you're your own person by that age; I know, because I have a 10-year-old daughter. At that age, you're a complex psychology in full bloom.

Did you see any of that maturation in action as these kids grappled with working together musically as a group?

Yeah. They were already pretty cohesive and got along really well, but it was fun to see them become a band. It didn't take long. Kids are so adaptable. It was just fun to see them have such a good time. And they really took it in. I could sit and talk to them about their characters and I don't think they ever felt that I was pushing them too much. I was never making it all about pleasing me or anything; it was all about them doing their thing, being cool and having a good time. They weren't thinking that I was the guy that they were working for. You know, "the Director." I was just trying to be like an older brother or an uncle. I never had to ride them hard; they were always good.

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