David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) were childhood friends in the early 1960's who had a rock band called "The Originals", which they changed to "The New Originals" and then to "The Thamesmen". They had a hit record "Gimme Some Money".
During the psychedelic craze they changed the name again to "Spinal Tap" and had another hit, "Listen To The Flower People". Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) joined as bass player to compliment Nigel on lead guitar, David on vocals and lead guitar, and Viv Savage (David Kaff) on keyboards. They had a number of drummers who died under strange circumstances. One died of spontaneous human combustion and another choked on vomit, although it was somebody else's vomit.
Marty: "Now, during the Flower People period, who was your drummer?"
David: "Stumpy's replacement, Peter James Bond. He also died in mysterious circumstances. We were playing a, uh..."
Nigel: "...Festival."
David: "Jazz blues festival. Where was that?"
Nigel: "Blues jazz, really."
Derek: "Blues jazz festival. Misnamed."
Nigel: "It was in the Isle of, uh..."
David: "Isle of Lucy. The Isle of Lucy jazz and blues festival."
Nigel: "And, uh, it was tragic, really. He exploded on stage."
Derek: "Just like that."
David: "He just went up."
Nigel: "He just was like a flash of green light... And that was it. Nothing was left."
David: "Look at his face."
Nigel: "Well, there was..."
David: "It's true, this really did happen."
Nigel: "It's true. There was a little green globule on his drum seat."
David: "Like a stain, really."
Nigel: "It was more of a stain than a globule, actually."
David: "You know, several, you know, dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It's just not really widely reported."
Spinal Tap switched to heavy metal when psychedelia became passe and were "England's loudest band". The movie chronicles their tour of the US in the fall of 1982 to promote their latest album, "Smell The Glove". Some stores will not sell the album because of its sexist cover and many concert appearances are cancelled due to low ticket sales. Polymer Records releases the album with an all black cover without consulting the band. Drummer Mick Shrimpton (P. J. Parnell) says, "As long as there's, you know, sex and drugs, I can do without the rock and roll."
Nigel Tufnel is clearly a funny Jeff Beck impersonator. He plays an original neo-classical composition, then reveals the title: "Lick My Love Pump". The volume knob on his guitar amp goes to 11. In concert his showmanship includes playing the guitar with his feet and also with a violin instead of a plectrum.
Manager Ian Faith (Tony Hendra) quits and is replaced by David's silly girlfriend Jeanine Pettibone (June Chadwick) who manages the group with astrological interpretations. The band plays at an air force base where Nigel quits. But the show must go on, and the remaining members play at an amusement park where they are the warm up act for a puppet show. They decide to end Spinal Tap, but Nigel returns and informs them that "Sex Farm" is a big hit in Japan. Ian Faith returns as manager. The film ends with Spinal Tap performing in Japan with a new drummer, Joe "Mama" Besser (Fred Asparagus).
(last lines)
Nigel: (on what he would do if he couldn't be a rock star) "Well, I suppose I could, uh, work in a shop of some kind, or... or do, uh, freelance, uh, selling of some sort of, uh, product. You know..."
Marty: "A salesman?"
Nigel: "A salesman, like maybe in a, uh, haberdasher, or maybe like a, uh, um... a chapeau shop or something. You know, like, "Would you... what size do you wear, sir?" And then you answer me."
Marty: "Uh... seven and a quarter."
Nigel: "I think we have that. See, something like that I could do."
Marty: "Yeah... you think you'd be happy doing something like..."
Nigel: "No, we're all out. Do you wear black? See, that sort of thing I think I could probably... muster up."
Marty: "Do you think you'd be happy doing that?"
Nigel: "Well, I don't know. Wh-wh... what're the hours?"
THIS IS SPINAL TAP is a hilarious satire and parody of rock documentaries. Director Rob Reiner plays Marty DiBergi, the deadpan interviewer for the psuedo-documentary. The American actors play their own musical instruments and are convincing in their British tongue-in-cheek performances. Songs are quite funny, and the movie is the funniest ever made about the crazy world of rock and roll.
However, this mockumentary has had a continuing destructive effect on rock. We can never see rock bands the same way after seeing SPINAL TAP. Although rock music died at the end of the 1970's, it is a billion dollar industry, and the record companies continue to flog the proverbial dead horse with derivative, boring, but lucrative "product".
And unfortunately, the movie is very true to life. Many rock bands have commented on this. "Kiss" members say they had an identical problem getting very lost in passageways to the stage. George Lynch of "Dokken" says, "That's us! How'd they make a movie about us?" Virtuoso guitarist Eddie Van Halen says, "Everything in that movie had happened to me."
Much of the movie was ad libbed and dozens of hours of film were shot before it was edited down to 82 minutes. A 4 1/2 hour bootleg version exists and is traded among fans and collectors. A "spinal tap" is a painful medical procedure to collect cerebrospinal fluid. In 2003 SPINAL TAP was voted the top cult movie of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Songs performed in the movie are: "(Tonight I'm Gonna) Rock Ya Tonite", "Gimme Some Money", "Big Bottom", "All The Way Home", "Hell Hole", "Cups And Cakes", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Listen To The Flower People", "Rock And Roll Creation", "Heavy Duty", "Stonehenge", "Sex Farm", and "Jazz Odyssey". The soundtrack is actually the actors playing the music.
Others in the cast include: Bruno Kirby (Tommy Pischedda), Ed Begley Jr. (John Pepys), Danny Kortchmar (Ronnie Pudding), Fran Drescher (Bobby Flekman), Patrick Macnee (Sir Denis Eton-Hogg), Sandy Helberg (Angelo DiMentibelio), Billy Crystal (Morty), Paul Benedict (Tucker Brown), Anne Churchill (Reba), Howard Hesseman (Terry Ladd), Paul Shortino (Duke Fame), Russ Kunkel (Eric Childs), Victory Tischler-Blue (Cindy), Joyce Hyser (Belinda), Paul Shaffer (Artie Fufkin), Anjelica Huston (Polly Deutsch), and Robert Bauer (Moke). The script and music were written by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Rob Reiner. Rob Reiner directed.
THE RETURN OF SPINAL TAP (1992) mostly features the band in a 1992 live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. There is also backstage footage and interviews with band members for a reunion tour to promote their latest album, "Break Like The Wind". This sequel lacks originality, is not as fresh, and not as good. It has the same basic cast with appearances by Bob Geldof, Graham Nash, Kenny Rogers, Martin Short, Robin Williams, and Jeff Beck. The film is actually a TV special that aired December 31, 1992 as, "A Spinal Tap Reunion: The 25th Anniversary London Sell-Out". It appeals mostly to Spinal Tap fans who watch the 4 1/2 hour bootleg version of the original and still can't get enough.
