I have no insight into the original question, but of course I had to come in here and comment on this supremely funny movie.
I once read an interview with Glen Burtnik, bass player for Styx. He swears that Spinal Tap is a real documentary, too much of it is dead on for it to be anything other than the unvarnished truth.
He loves that movie so much that if you’re lucky enough to catch one of his guitar picks in concert you’ll see it has instead of his name like everyone else’s, Derek. Back when he was playing lead guitar, it said Nigel.
Interestingly, a lot of REAL heavy metal bands, the kind being mocked, loved that movie
In fact, back in 1985, when many musicians were trying to raise money for African famine relief, Ronnie James Dio (of Rainbow and Black Sabbath) put together a project called (no koke!) “Hearing Aid,” which featured contributions from many of the leading heavy metal bands- and Dio invited Michael McKean and Harry Shearer to be part of it.
Acording to McKean, practically all the real metal stars were delighted to meet him. He claims that virtually all of them related to the scene in which the band is wandering around the arena, desperately trying to find the stage (apparently, that kind of thing happens in real life pretty regularly!), and most had comical stories of stage pyrotechnics or props that didn’t work as they were supposed to.
The second one “Live at Trapnell Hall” really rules. I remember an interview with Scott Ian (Anthrax) sayng how he was impressed with how well the guys could play. After watching the secong video I was really amazed with Christopher Guest and his guitar abilities. As mentioned it has a few other funny parts as well.
I read something recently about how Ozzy Osbourne had no idea the movie was a joke the first time he saw it. he thought it was just a documentary about a real band. (If it was anybody but Ozzy, this would not be believable) He specifically mentioned the scene where they get lost looking for the stage and said that was something that had happened to him many times.
NO WE’RE NOT GONNA FUCKING PLAY STONEHENGE TOMORROW
As to the Jeanine thing I don’t really have a clue. I always just assumed she looked like that so she could be told she looked like a Australians nightmare
Have any of you seen them in concert? They played in San Francisco about 8 or 9 years ago and I went with a few friends. During Stonehenge, an enormous megalith attempts to come down onto the stage but only makes it about a third of the way down.
Michael McKean storms off the side of the stage and Rob Reiner is there. Reiner tells him “It’s just too big.” and McKean retorts
“It’s not too big, the stage is to f*cking small!”
My favorite is near the beginning. In the first interview after they begin the tour, each member of the band has a floozie sitting on his lap and a cold sore on his lip. I almost died laughing.
Everyone in the band, of course, loves the movie beyond words. We’ve played the airbase gig, the Disneyland gig, had the “I’m just trying to help” comments and questions (Did you use Dubly?). What surprised me was that my wife (an art professor) finally saw the movie and was absolutely in tears she was laughing so hard.
As far as the OP’s question: One mark of great art is that many people with different viewpoints can find meaning in it. If you want to find Audrey Williams references in it, it doens’t matter if that was the original intent of the artists or not. Revel in it!
Well, I’ve never seen This is Spinal Tap (hangs head in shame), but I have seen a Powerpuff Girls episode called Meet the Beat-Alls, in which Moko Jono wears an all-white cowgirl outfit. Oddly enough, the guy who transcribed the episode didn’t bring up the style of the clothing, just the color, so I can’t tell if it was a John and Yoko reference, or a really subtle nod to “Spinal Tap.”
Another one of my favorite scenes is the one where Nigel is having a problem in the dressing room with his baloney sandwiches “…but if you keep folding it…” If you look closely at the catering table you vcan see a pile of Oreo cookies with the cream slurped out. The movie is full of stuff like that.
My dad took us to see this when I was in junior high school and I loved it! Then, later, I was fortunate to see the first and second spinal tap tours. During the first concert, Les Claypool was the guest bass player during big bottom. I think it was the encore, and all four band members including Les Claypool were playing bass. Haha.
Welcome to the rebirth of the Spinal Tap Thread, Mk II.
That said, Yeah, this movie was such a perfect mockery of a heavy metal bands and the music industry. I like that the guys were competent musicians. Making the poor taste of the band the main joke was funnier. And, of course, the bubble of utter self-denial in which they lived. Especially when it got popped on occasion (“Yeah, they’re in the ‘Where Are They Now’ file.”) And yes, the commentary track and opening menu voice over on the DVD are awesome as well. (“It’s a pastel black”)
I had the fun of loaning the DVD to a friend at the gym who had never heard of ST and the next day we laughed long and hard at it. He finally understood all the references to “Cranking it to 11” that people used.
Nigel isn’t just stupid. He’s pompous in his stupidity, boldly pontificating on any subject. Some of the deleted scenes expand on this. Can’t believe he’s married to Jamie Leigh Curtis.
Since it is bumped, one episode of Murdoch Mysteries, about a murder in the first elevator in Toronto (they are set at around 1900) was called “It Goes to Eleven.”
