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This
Is Spinal Tap
Rated R
Available on DVD and VHS
Test-screening
audiences didn't laugh at This Is Spinal Tap; they
wanted to know why filmmaker Marty DiBergi
didn't choose to profile a better band, like Led Zepplin.
No one seemed to notice that DiBergi was actually All
in the Family's resident meathead, Rob Reiner.
Billy
Crystal, Fran Drescher, Howard Hesseman, Anjelica Huston
and Bruno Kirby all make cameo appearances in This Is
Spinal Tap.
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Spinal Tap is a phenomenon unto itself. There's never been
another group like Britain's self-proclaimed world's loudest
band, and for good reason--it doesn't exist. Or does it?
The re-release of This Is Spinal Tap on DVD furthers
the legend of the band whose drummers have all died under
strange circumstances and which has 17 albums to its credit--16
of which are literally impossible to find (if you do find
a vinyl copy of Shark Sandwich, you've got money
in the bank).
Released with very little fanfare in 1984, director Rob
Reiner's totally deadpan "rockumentary" has grown in stature
from a quirky little satire to rock-star status. When a
band like Metallica releases an album with an all-black
cover, an obvious nod to the film, you know Spinal Tap has
hit the big time. Not so bad for a group invented
as a washed-up metal act.
For those unfamiliar with the film, This Is Spinal Tap
documents a heavy metal band's return to North America in
support of its latest album, Smell the Glove. Living
the legacy of one-hit wonders, Spinal Tap members play out
the last of their fame on a comeback/farewell tour amid
a haze of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
The magic of Spinal Tap lies in the details. Stars
Christopher Guest and Michael McKean actually play guitars
and wrote real songs for the movie. The band puts an umlaut
over the n in its name, and members stuff their spandex
pants with vegetables. So perfectly satirized was the rock-and-roll
fantasy that, during its initial release, the film actually
fooled unsuspecting viewers into thinking Spinal Tap was
a real group.
The true gems of This Is Spinal Tap on DVD are the
added features, including theatrical trailers, television
commercials, music videos, product endorsements and deleted
scenes. Reiner simply let the cameras roll for the largely
improvised film, resulting in hours of unused footage. Judging
from the deleted scenes--of which there's more than an hour
of footage--a great deal of high-quality material was left
out. Interestingly enough, most of the sex and drugs were
removed, as well as subplots involving herpes, David St.
Hubbins' son and the attempt to replace Nigel Tufnel after
he quits the group.
Spinal Tap does not end with the credits. In 1992,
the band released the album Break Like the Wind and
mounted a comeback tour. It even appeared on VH1's
Behind the Music--a show that owes a great deal to
Tap's original "rockumentary" format--further blurring
the line between satire and reality. In true Spinal Tap
fashion, the group continues to milk its fame for media
attention just as any has-been, country-fair-circuit band
would. But instead of scraping up a few more bucks for detox,
Spinal Tap is out for more laughs.
Still, the question remains: If this is art influencing
life, which in turn influences art, is this pure satire
or a real band?
Neither. This is Spinal Tap.
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