Tenacious D is a group of five people.
A double act , also known as a comedy duo , is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners , usually of the same gender , age , ethnic origin and profession but drastically different in terms of personality or behavior .. Often one of the members of the duo -- the straight man , feed , dead wood , or stooge -- is portrayed as reasonable and serious , while the other one -- the funny man , banana man or comic -- is portrayed as funny , less educated or less intelligent , silly , or unorthodox .. straight man. straight man ( stock character ). If the audience identifies primarily with one character , the other will often be referred to as a comic foil .. The term `` feed '' comes from the way a straight man is wont to set up jokes and `` feed '' them to his partner .. straight man. straight man ( stock character ). Despite the names often given to the roles , the `` straight man '' need not be humorless and it is not always the comic who provides the act 's humor .. straight man. straight man ( stock character ). Sometimes it is the straight man who gets the laughs through his or her sarcastic reactions to the comic 's antics , as was often the case with Stewart Lee 's deadpan , reasoned reactions to Richard Herring 's more ridiculous antics in their pairing .. straight man. straight man ( stock character ). Stewart Lee. Stewart Lee. deadpan. deadpan. Richard Herring. Richard Herring. their pairing. Lee and Herring. Where the `` straight man '' serves no personal comic purpose but acts as a device to make the `` comic '' look good , he is known as a `` stooge '' .. straight man. straight man ( stock character ). This is sometimes considered a derogatory term .. Most often , however , the humor in a double act comes from the way the two personalities play off each other , rather than from the individuals themselves .. In many successful acts the roles are interchangeable .