Spinal Tap Analysis
Spinal Tap
Spinal Tap is an satirical Rob Reiner film starring actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer.
On March 2, 1984, marks the release of one of history’s most acclaimed documentaries , “rockumentaries,” This Is Spinal Tap, which told the story of one of England’s most powerful, exuberant and punctual fake rock bands: Spinal Tap.
Spinal Tap is a improv comedy with a documentary style. The group unwittingly made an enormous contribution to the folklore of popular music.
Stereo Review’s Steve Simels spoke for many when he called This is Spinal Tap “possibly the funniest movie ever made about rock-and-roll.”
In 2002, Spinal Tap was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry because it is a film that is considered “culturally, …show more content…
historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress.
The difference a documentary and a mockumentary?
*A mockumentary is a fake documentary.
*It is a fictional film with documentary film elements.
*Most often a mockumentary exaggerates real life.
*It pretends to mimic real life situations.
*It purposely film's reaction shots, interviews and embarrassing conversations that normally would be left on the on editing cutting floor.
*It is a film genre that pokes fun at real life.
Spinal Tap kick-started the mockumentary genre in 1984.
Before Spinal Tap
In 1978, Rob Reiner, son of comedy titan Carl Reiner (director of The Jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and The Man With Two Brains) put together a special titled The TV Show, which attempted to spoof a day's network scheduling on one hour-long programme. One of the satiric targets was a programme called The Midnight Special, an American Top of the Pops-styled show presented by legendary DJ Wolfman Jack.
Christopher Guest wrote for The TV Show, along with his old friend Michael McKean and together they cooked up the idea of "a pea-brained English rock band." Reiner, Guest, McKean and the show's producer, Harry Shearer wrote a song, a typically overwrought combination of retarded lyrics and masturbatory guitar solos called Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare and performed it on the show, complete with poodle perm wigs and skin hugging spandex. They settled on Spinal Tap for the name, eventually becoming Spinal Tap.
The real story behind Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap one of the funniest movies ever made, is about a lot of things, but one of them is the way the real story is not in the questions or in the answers, but at the edge of the frame. There are two stories told in the film: the story of what the rock band Spinal Tap thinks, hopes, believes or fears are happening, and the story of what is really happening. The reason we feel such affection for its members is because they are so touching in their innocence and optimism. Intoxicated by the sheer fun of being rock stars, they perform long after their sell-by date, to smaller and smaller audiences, for less and less money, still seeking the roar of the crowd.
The Many faces of Spinal Tap
The film traces the stages of its career, from early imitation-Beatle days to a psychedelic period to the unfortunate present. Their American tour reveals them to be approaching their final stylistic incarnation, which involves screamingly loud solos, tight spandex pants and the use of a giant horned skull on stage.
Best friends David St. Hubbins (played by Michael McKean) and Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) of Great Britain joined forces in 1964 after seeing their similar musical tastes, forming the Originals. After finding out that there has been already a group of that title, they would go through a series of name changes until finally becoming the Thamesmen. They released two minor hit singles, "Gimme Some Money" and "Cups and Cakes," songs that established them as a unique and noticeable band.
Tour after tour the United Kingdom band seemed to change its name until they settled on Spinal Tap when they hired keyboardist Denny Upham. Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) replaces Denny Upham when left to form the group Pudding People.
A brief history of Spinal Tap
This film follows the band's disastrous attempts to promote its 1982 album Smell The Glove with a US tour. It chronicles the many set malfunctions, unattended signings of their new album called entirely and ultimately to an amusement park where they are reduced to performing an improvised jazz-fusion set. But against all the odds, Smell The Glove is a huge hit in Japan, and the film ends with a triumphant performance at a sold-out Japanese gig.
The band grants DiBergi’s cameras unparalleled access into their tight-knit universe: backstage, in hotel suites and in upscale diners. All while candidly reminiscing on their remarkable evolution from ‘60s beat combo the Thamesmen, through the psychedelic era, and even touching on the traumatizing, occasionally mysterious, deaths of talented drummers like Peter “James” Bond and Eric “Stumpy Joe” Childs.
Memorable Lines
Spinal Tap has lines that are entrenched into popular culture.
"He died in a bizarre gardening accident."
"These go to 11."
"There's a fine line between stupid and clever."
"Shit sandwich."
"Money talks and bullshit walks."
“Their appeal is becoming more selective.”
Inspiration behind Spinal Tap
Legend has it that the initial creative spark for This is Spinal Tap was generated from a serendipitous moment at the Chateau Marmont in 1974, when Christopher Guest overheard the following dialogue between the bass guitaristist for a rock band and his manager: Manager: All right, well, we’ll take our instruments up to the room.
Bassist: Don’t know where my bass is.
Manager: I beg your pardon.
Bassist: I don’t know where the bass is.
Manager: Where is it?
Bassist: I think it’s at the airport.
Manager: You have to get back there, don’t you?
Bassist: I don’t know, do I?
Manager: I think you better.
Bassist: Where’s my bass?
Manager: It’s at the airport.
Biggest Laugh
In the first half, the biggest laugh comes from when Guitarist Nigel Tufnel tries to explain to documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi that his amplifier goes to 11, where most amplifiers only go up to ten.
Marty DiBergi realizes he's dealing with a matter of guitar theology, not logic. Nigel has a few ideas, but they are clearly defined and defiantly defended. DiBergi, a rational filmmaker, is helpless in the face of Nigel's rapture.
This how Spinal Tap became the loudest band in England.
The biggest laugh in the second half of the film is assembled lovingly, over time, out of many small elements. It involves an assignment to set designer Polly Deutsch (Anjelica Huston) to build a replica of one of the elements of Stonehenge, which will descend onto the stage during a big production number. Bad communication causes an error in scale.
Curse of the drumsticks
The drummer is the frequent object of sacrifice, whose death is represented in a cartoonishly painful manner.
The band's "success" came to a halt when John "Stumpy" Pepys died in a bizarre gardening accident in 1969.
Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs in 1974 choked to death on an unknown offender's vomit that same year, and was replaced with Peter James Bond for the 1975 release The Sun Never Sweats.
After signing with Polymer, drummer Peter James Bond spontaneously combusted on-stage in 1976.
Bonds successor, Mick Shrimpton, also died the same way in 1983.
In 1983, Drummer Joe “Mamma” Bessemer avoids the curse of the drumsticks by going into hiding after many of the group’s props were reported stolen. To this day, he is nowhere to be found.
Examples of Fiction VS
Reality
The scene where Nigel complains about the food backstage before a concert.
Footage of the band manager trying to interest the band in record promotions and to motivate them during many show cancelations came upon deaf ears.
There are parallels between the fictional group in this movie and real rock groups. Spinal Tap is lead by two "creative geniuses," guitarist Nigel Tufnall and singer David St. Huppins. Their black album cover was used for a Metallica album. Like the Beatles, the band are seriously affected by the female partner of one of the group's members.
It made Tom Waits and the Edge cry. Tom Waits once said that when he watched the film for the first time, he cried because of its realism.
The Edge shared a similar sentiment in 2005, when U2 was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: “It's so hard to keep things fresh, and not to become a parody of yourself,” the legendary guitarist told the crowd of onlookers. “And if you've ever seen that movie Spinal Tap, you will know how easy it is to parody what we all do. The first time I ever saw it, I didn't laugh. I wept. I wept because I recognized so much and so many of those scenes.”
A film was released about the Canadian band Anvil, which bears striking parallels to Spinal Tap but this is a real band! You must see this 2008 documentary to believe it: Anvil, The Story of Anvil.
Reaction of Spinal Tap
The film was released in March 1984. The critics love-bombed it and so did the public. Eventually, word of mouth meant the film was a modest financial success, but it wasn't until the VHS release that its cult started to balloon.
When This Is Spinal Tap was released, people truly thought it was a documentary about a real band. People would even come up to director Rob Reiner, telling him that he made a great documentary, but should have filmed a better-known band. But make no mistake, while Spinal Tap is a tragic failure of a band, this film is top quality humor
In 2011, Time Out London named Spinal Tap the Best Comedy of All Time, noting that “It’s sublimely funny and sharp—a comedy built for the long haul which matures with each viewing.”
Entertainment Weekly, Empire, The New York Times, and the American Film Institute have all singled the film out in similar lists.
Other facts about Spinal Tap
Ad lib or not?
Rob Reiner and the three main actors are credited as the writers of the movie, based on the fact that much of the dialogue was ad libbed by them.
Many Cameos Appearances
Fran Drescher as Bobby Flekman
Paul Shaffer as Artie Fufkin
Fred Willard as Lt. Hookstratten
Status of bronze
Intravenus de Milo, which was the group's seventh record and released in 1974, is still known to be the first album to ever reach the status of bronze, which a band can only attain if one million copies of an album are returned.
32 Years in the making
In the years since, all of them have been proud of Spinal Tap. The three often bring the wigs and spandex out again for the odd gig, advert and mini film. Guest, who was made a Baron in 1996, due to the death of his British father, Anthony Haden-Guest, virtually reshot This is Spinal Tap as a faux folk mockumentary in 2003's A Mighty Wind, alongside Shearer and McKean.
The members of this fake band is happy to do live concerts, but they will never revisit the media of film again. Spinal Tap is a fine example of doing it once and getting it right. No need for spin-offs, remakes or sequels. What does that tell you about the integrity of the creators of Spinal Tap?
Spinal Tap is an satirical Rob Reiner film starring actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer.
On March 2, 1984, marks the release of one of history’s most acclaimed documentaries , “rockumentaries,” This Is Spinal Tap, which told the story of one of England’s most powerful, exuberant and punctual fake rock bands: Spinal Tap.
Spinal Tap is a improv comedy with a documentary style. The group unwittingly made an enormous contribution to the folklore of popular music.
Stereo Review’s Steve Simels spoke for many when he called This is Spinal Tap “possibly the funniest movie ever made about rock-and-roll.”
In 2002, Spinal Tap was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry because it is a film that is considered “culturally, …show more content…
historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress.
The difference a documentary and a mockumentary?
*A mockumentary is a fake documentary.
*It is a fictional film with documentary film elements.
*Most often a mockumentary exaggerates real life.
*It pretends to mimic real life situations.
*It purposely film's reaction shots, interviews and embarrassing conversations that normally would be left on the on editing cutting floor.
*It is a film genre that pokes fun at real life.
Spinal Tap kick-started the mockumentary genre in 1984.
Before Spinal Tap
In 1978, Rob Reiner, son of comedy titan Carl Reiner (director of The Jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and The Man With Two Brains) put together a special titled The TV Show, which attempted to spoof a day's network scheduling on one hour-long programme. One of the satiric targets was a programme called The Midnight Special, an American Top of the Pops-styled show presented by legendary DJ Wolfman Jack.
Christopher Guest wrote for The TV Show, along with his old friend Michael McKean and together they cooked up the idea of "a pea-brained English rock band." Reiner, Guest, McKean and the show's producer, Harry Shearer wrote a song, a typically overwrought combination of retarded lyrics and masturbatory guitar solos called Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare and performed it on the show, complete with poodle perm wigs and skin hugging spandex. They settled on Spinal Tap for the name, eventually becoming Spinal Tap.
The real story behind Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap one of the funniest movies ever made, is about a lot of things, but one of them is the way the real story is not in the questions or in the answers, but at the edge of the frame. There are two stories told in the film: the story of what the rock band Spinal Tap thinks, hopes, believes or fears are happening, and the story of what is really happening. The reason we feel such affection for its members is because they are so touching in their innocence and optimism. Intoxicated by the sheer fun of being rock stars, they perform long after their sell-by date, to smaller and smaller audiences, for less and less money, still seeking the roar of the crowd.
The Many faces of Spinal Tap
The film traces the stages of its career, from early imitation-Beatle days to a psychedelic period to the unfortunate present. Their American tour reveals them to be approaching their final stylistic incarnation, which involves screamingly loud solos, tight spandex pants and the use of a giant horned skull on stage.
Best friends David St. Hubbins (played by Michael McKean) and Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) of Great Britain joined forces in 1964 after seeing their similar musical tastes, forming the Originals. After finding out that there has been already a group of that title, they would go through a series of name changes until finally becoming the Thamesmen. They released two minor hit singles, "Gimme Some Money" and "Cups and Cakes," songs that established them as a unique and noticeable band.
Tour after tour the United Kingdom band seemed to change its name until they settled on Spinal Tap when they hired keyboardist Denny Upham. Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) replaces Denny Upham when left to form the group Pudding People.
A brief history of Spinal Tap
This film follows the band's disastrous attempts to promote its 1982 album Smell The Glove with a US tour. It chronicles the many set malfunctions, unattended signings of their new album called entirely and ultimately to an amusement park where they are reduced to performing an improvised jazz-fusion set. But against all the odds, Smell The Glove is a huge hit in Japan, and the film ends with a triumphant performance at a sold-out Japanese gig.
The band grants DiBergi’s cameras unparalleled access into their tight-knit universe: backstage, in hotel suites and in upscale diners. All while candidly reminiscing on their remarkable evolution from ‘60s beat combo the Thamesmen, through the psychedelic era, and even touching on the traumatizing, occasionally mysterious, deaths of talented drummers like Peter “James” Bond and Eric “Stumpy Joe” Childs.
Memorable Lines
Spinal Tap has lines that are entrenched into popular culture.
"He died in a bizarre gardening accident."
"These go to 11."
"There's a fine line between stupid and clever."
"Shit sandwich."
"Money talks and bullshit walks."
“Their appeal is becoming more selective.”
Inspiration behind Spinal Tap
Legend has it that the initial creative spark for This is Spinal Tap was generated from a serendipitous moment at the Chateau Marmont in 1974, when Christopher Guest overheard the following dialogue between the bass guitaristist for a rock band and his manager: Manager: All right, well, we’ll take our instruments up to the room.
Bassist: Don’t know where my bass is.
Manager: I beg your pardon.
Bassist: I don’t know where the bass is.
Manager: Where is it?
Bassist: I think it’s at the airport.
Manager: You have to get back there, don’t you?
Bassist: I don’t know, do I?
Manager: I think you better.
Bassist: Where’s my bass?
Manager: It’s at the airport.
Biggest Laugh
In the first half, the biggest laugh comes from when Guitarist Nigel Tufnel tries to explain to documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi that his amplifier goes to 11, where most amplifiers only go up to ten.
Marty DiBergi realizes he's dealing with a matter of guitar theology, not logic. Nigel has a few ideas, but they are clearly defined and defiantly defended. DiBergi, a rational filmmaker, is helpless in the face of Nigel's rapture.
This how Spinal Tap became the loudest band in England.
The biggest laugh in the second half of the film is assembled lovingly, over time, out of many small elements. It involves an assignment to set designer Polly Deutsch (Anjelica Huston) to build a replica of one of the elements of Stonehenge, which will descend onto the stage during a big production number. Bad communication causes an error in scale.
Curse of the drumsticks
The drummer is the frequent object of sacrifice, whose death is represented in a cartoonishly painful manner.
The band's "success" came to a halt when John "Stumpy" Pepys died in a bizarre gardening accident in 1969.
Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs in 1974 choked to death on an unknown offender's vomit that same year, and was replaced with Peter James Bond for the 1975 release The Sun Never Sweats.
After signing with Polymer, drummer Peter James Bond spontaneously combusted on-stage in 1976.
Bonds successor, Mick Shrimpton, also died the same way in 1983.
In 1983, Drummer Joe “Mamma” Bessemer avoids the curse of the drumsticks by going into hiding after many of the group’s props were reported stolen. To this day, he is nowhere to be found.
Examples of Fiction VS
Reality
The scene where Nigel complains about the food backstage before a concert.
Footage of the band manager trying to interest the band in record promotions and to motivate them during many show cancelations came upon deaf ears.
There are parallels between the fictional group in this movie and real rock groups. Spinal Tap is lead by two "creative geniuses," guitarist Nigel Tufnall and singer David St. Huppins. Their black album cover was used for a Metallica album. Like the Beatles, the band are seriously affected by the female partner of one of the group's members.
It made Tom Waits and the Edge cry. Tom Waits once said that when he watched the film for the first time, he cried because of its realism.
The Edge shared a similar sentiment in 2005, when U2 was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: “It's so hard to keep things fresh, and not to become a parody of yourself,” the legendary guitarist told the crowd of onlookers. “And if you've ever seen that movie Spinal Tap, you will know how easy it is to parody what we all do. The first time I ever saw it, I didn't laugh. I wept. I wept because I recognized so much and so many of those scenes.”
A film was released about the Canadian band Anvil, which bears striking parallels to Spinal Tap but this is a real band! You must see this 2008 documentary to believe it: Anvil, The Story of Anvil.
Reaction of Spinal Tap
The film was released in March 1984. The critics love-bombed it and so did the public. Eventually, word of mouth meant the film was a modest financial success, but it wasn't until the VHS release that its cult started to balloon.
When This Is Spinal Tap was released, people truly thought it was a documentary about a real band. People would even come up to director Rob Reiner, telling him that he made a great documentary, but should have filmed a better-known band. But make no mistake, while Spinal Tap is a tragic failure of a band, this film is top quality humor
In 2011, Time Out London named Spinal Tap the Best Comedy of All Time, noting that “It’s sublimely funny and sharp—a comedy built for the long haul which matures with each viewing.”
Entertainment Weekly, Empire, The New York Times, and the American Film Institute have all singled the film out in similar lists.
Other facts about Spinal Tap
Ad lib or not?
Rob Reiner and the three main actors are credited as the writers of the movie, based on the fact that much of the dialogue was ad libbed by them.
Many Cameos Appearances
Fran Drescher as Bobby Flekman
Paul Shaffer as Artie Fufkin
Fred Willard as Lt. Hookstratten
Status of bronze
Intravenus de Milo, which was the group's seventh record and released in 1974, is still known to be the first album to ever reach the status of bronze, which a band can only attain if one million copies of an album are returned.
32 Years in the making
In the years since, all of them have been proud of Spinal Tap. The three often bring the wigs and spandex out again for the odd gig, advert and mini film. Guest, who was made a Baron in 1996, due to the death of his British father, Anthony Haden-Guest, virtually reshot This is Spinal Tap as a faux folk mockumentary in 2003's A Mighty Wind, alongside Shearer and McKean.
The members of this fake band is happy to do live concerts, but they will never revisit the media of film again. Spinal Tap is a fine example of doing it once and getting it right. No need for spin-offs, remakes or sequels. What does that tell you about the integrity of the creators of Spinal Tap?