In an unusual breach of my own protocol this week, I'm focusing on my chosen film for the week before I talk about the album I've chosen. This will make more sense as it goes along.
I've been seriously geeking out most of the year. A sequel to one of the funniest films of all time was released yesterday. I still haven't seen it because, unfortunately, I have to work for a living--no spoilers, please. It's been 41 years since the original film was released, which I think is a record for the length of time between a film and its immediate sequel. (For those who keep track of such arcane minutiae, I'm pretty sure the prior record was 36 years which was held by both Top Gun and Beetlejuice). In anticipation of this new movie, there has been a tremendous amount of interest in the first film including a new 4K remaster which was released in theaters a couple of months ago. A special Criterion edition of the film will also be released in 4K and blu-ray this week. Pretty impressive for a film that didn't really generate a lot of buzz at the box office in 1984.
Actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer created the film's main characters (Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls respectively) in 1978 for a TV special that Rob Reiner put together that was "a satire of everything on television." One portion of it was a parody of late-night music programs like "The Midnight Special"--in fact, Reiner did one hell of a Wolfman Jack impression in the clip I saw online. The band Spinal Tap was officially introduced to the world... and elsewhere. Over the years, they felt like there was more they could do with the characters and in the early 1980s they decided to make a movie of "England's loudest band" on tour.
The film works on so many weird levels. Firstly, it's a parody of the documentary format, what's become known since as the "mockumentary." (Wow! My spellcheck actually recognizes the word "mockumentary"!) To make it seem more "authentic," the dialogue in the film is entirely improvised. Guest, McKean, Shearer, and Reiner--who also directed and played filmmaker Marty DiBergi--would write an outline for each scene and then let the actors (mostly themselves) make it up as they went along. Christopher Guest would continue using the mockumentary format in many of his subsequent films such as Waiting For Guffman (1996) and Best in Show (2000), and it continues to be used for many television productions like "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation."
"I met Sting for the first time. He said, 'I've seen this picture 50 times and every time I look at it, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.'"
--Rob Reiner
Secondly, it's also a parody of rock musicians on the road. Many of the now classic scenes in the film--from getting lost trying to find the stage to dressing room temper tantrums regarding cold cuts--hit a little close to home for some actual rock stars. The late Ozzy Osbourne once told Conan O'Brien, "I was the only person in the audience that wasn't laughing, because it really was like a documentary to me... When they got lost going to the stage--that happened."
Because of these factors, no one knew quite what to make of it when it was originally released in 1984. Rob Reiner--who was making his directorial debut with this film--cut a trailer for it that actually has more to do with cheese than rock music (I've included it below--you'll even see the actors in it). As such, like I said, it wasn't very successful upon its initial release. But with the advent of home video, it became a cult classic. When it was released on DVD in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they included a treasure trove of extra features--trailers, music videos, vintage interviews, deleted scenes that are almost as long as the film itself, and a commentary by Spinal Tap that makes it feel like you're watching an entirely different movie. In 2000, the American Film Institue (AFI) ranked it at #29 on their list of the 100 Funniest American Movies of All Time.
The film co-stars the late, great Tony Hendra as long-suffering manager Ian Faith, David Kaff as keyboardist Viv Savage, and R.J. Parnell as (current) drummer Mick Shrimpton. There are also plenty of wonderful cameos from the likes of Ed Begley Jr., Bruno Kirby, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Patrick Macnee, Anjelica Huston, Paul Shaffer, Paul Benedict, Howard Hesseman, Fred Willard, and, as of this writing, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. (It was announced just today that she will be succeeded by Sean Astin.) But, as Marty DiBergi said, "Hey--enough of my yakkin'. Whaddya say? Let's boogie!" From 1984, direct from Hell, please enjoy the only movie that truly goes up to 11, This Is Spinal Tap.
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that there's a fine line between stupid and clever.
Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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