This is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary film that follows the fictional British heavy metal band, Spinal Tap. Preserved in the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant", the film satirizes the behavior and music of hard rock/metal bands and the portrayal of rock stars as gods. The band consists of childhood friends "David St. Hubbins" and "Nigel Tufnel" joined by bassist "Derek Smalls", keyboardist "Viv Savage", and a series of drummers who all perished in increasingly odd circumstances. The film follows Spinal Tap on a 1982 American tour to promote its new album. Throughout the tour, the band gains lower and lower ticket sales, moves to smaller and smaller venues, and grows more and more tense due to St. Hubbins' manipulative girlfriend.
Most of the film is ad libbed, following the band's antics as they move through the tour. Each joke, however ridiculous it seems in the context of the movie, pokes fun at a real life band. The plain black cover of the band's new album mocks The Beatles' "White Album". The comically small Stonehenge props used at one of their venues mirror the comically large ones both Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath used on tour. Spinal Tap's constant name changes reflected artistic decisions of bands like The Band. Their hippie, flower power past reflects that of real bands like Status Quo.
As ridiculous as it seems, This is Spinal Tap was so accurate a portrayal of the hard rock world that Eddie Van Halen was supposedly unable to understand the humor in it; many other musicians and fans felt the same. Spinal Tap is often credited with making rock self aware. Although modern musicians do fall into the old traps (Jay Z releasing an almost solid black album, Justin Bieber claiming to retire from music, The Strokes' racy album cover featuring a leather glove getting vetoed, Lady Gaga stepping out of an egg pod, etc.), most of the characteristics of bands Spinal Tap mocked dissipated. Bands became afraid of seeming too much like the fictional band, and musicians that didn't understand the film before got in on the joke before it was too late. Most amp companies still sell special knobs that turn to 11.
This movie is so funny. Also interesting point about how musicians became wary of seeming as ridiculous as the band from the movie. There are definitely still musicians today who sometimes take themselves too seriously, but now it seems natural to make fun of popular artists, possibly in part thanks to this movie?
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