Amid all the talk about the “cancel culture” in America, there is one special form of it – the outrage that arises when a pop or comedy performer says something untoward.

I should put the word “outrage” in quotes, however, because what we’re really talking about is what Jon Stewart calls the “right-wing faux outrage machine”, led of course by Fox News and the country’s toxic talk radio network.

After a low-brow, even callous crack by a member of a comedy rock duo Tenacious D in Sydney last weekend, we might be able to have a ringside seat as it unfolds in real time in the coming days.

Kyle Gass and Jack Black of Tenacious D on stage in 2022.Credit: AP

In the pair’s second show at the Sydney Convention Centre on Sunday night, Kyle Gass – one half of Tenacious D, the other half being actor Jack Black – was presented with a birthday cake and asked to make a wish. “Don’t miss Trump next time,” quipped Gass. It was a clear reference to the attempted assassination of the former president that same day. The audience responded with loud cheers and laughter.

In the aftermath, both Black and Gass apologised, profusely and without reservations. Black, in particular, specifically said he was “blindsided” by the remark and that the band’s activities would be put on hold. More on that in a minute.

Now, jokes about assassination attempts are risky, especially in the United States. Given the country’s experience with political shootings in the 1960s, such talk, even........

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