‘This Is Spinal Tap is one of my favourite films of all time. It’s sharply written, and acted with a deathly seriousness which is all the more effective given that it satirises the excesses and absurdities of rock music. I can’t remember anything else which had quite such a profound effect on my formative years: me and my friends would often bark quotes from the film at each other, mostly at inappropriate moments – “Hello Cleveland!” we would shout when entering the hallowed quarters of the Ipswich branch of Weigh and Save.
‘And its influence on film and TV comedy was considerable, too. Directed by Rob Reiner and released in 1984, This is Spinal Tap was an early adopter of the mockumentary format which has been a considerable influence on film and TV comedy ever since (pedants would argue that Neil Innes’s Beatles spoof The Rutles got there first, but this had nothing like the same reach). Without Reiner’s film, we would never have had Modern Family, Summer Heights High, or, most famously, The Office, nor the subsequent films created by the original film’s star and co-writer Christopher Guest which include the sublime Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.
‘And yet despite the brilliance of the original, I can’t say that I am thrilled by the prospect of a sequel. Reiner has just announced that The Return of Spinal Tap will start in February and that there will be a roster of guest stars, including Paul McCartney and Elton John. This strikes fear in my heart. The original did feature cameos, but they were from prodigious comic talents such as Billy Crystal and Dana Carvey who brought their own comedy circuit peculiarities to the film. A-list rock royalty can’t hope to offer the same sort of creative excellence.
‘It’s very rare that celebrity names bring very much to big films. Look at Absolutely Fabulous, the terrifically sophisticated sitcom about the fashion industry which ran into serious trouble when the big-screen version attracted such weighty figures as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Ozwald Boateng. The strength of the original, the idea that Patsy and Edina were successful but in a very contained and silly world, was eroded when they were suddenly thrust on a vast and soulless international stage. The use of McCartney and Elton – and no doubt there will be others, suggests a sort of smugness, an idea that everyone is in on the joke – such decisions almost always kill the humour.
‘But there is also a more fundamental problem with this sequel – and that is the landscape on which it arrives. Certainly, it feels as if the mockumentary format is starting to feel passe. It used to work because the idea of being on camera was such a rarity, afforded to only a privileged few. We used to be able to believe that a paper merchant from Slough would act like a complete idiot in front of the camera because he was naive about the way the TV industry operated. Now everyone is so much savvier: any Tom, Dick or Harry can feign emotion on a reality TV show, or if they are particularly smart can woo Gen Z-ers on YouTube. Nowadays, the idea that someone can appear on camera without any sense of guile or self-awareness feels unlikely.’
I don’t wanna click on The Telegraph crap but this is a joke right? Nothing is beyond parody. Take The Telegraph, it’s a parody in itself.
Let me guess, the manager has to get the band back together for one final tour. One is a spiritual guru, one is an artist and one has a mundane job they take really seriously. Lots of jokes about social media. End.
This article is just, “I have no idea what this movie will actually be about but I hate it.”
Well, it could be fun but it could also really be bad. It will be a tough one to pull off, that said these folks are pretty smart. I think they will skewer all the negative reasons right off the top, like admit them freeing them up.
Ben Lawrence – get a life, dude. Who are you to tell people what art they can make? You live a parasitic existence, making a living writing about other people’s work instead of doing anything yourself.
The plot will probably focus heavy on a final cash grab reunion tour and selling out. It has potential if it is that self-aware.
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***Ben Lawrence writes in The Telegraph:***
‘This Is Spinal Tap is one of my favourite films of all time. It’s sharply written, and acted with a deathly seriousness which is all the more effective given that it satirises the excesses and absurdities of rock music. I can’t remember anything else which had quite such a profound effect on my formative years: me and my friends would often bark quotes from the film at each other, mostly at inappropriate moments – “Hello Cleveland!” we would shout when entering the hallowed quarters of the Ipswich branch of Weigh and Save.
‘And its influence on film and TV comedy was considerable, too. Directed by Rob Reiner and released in 1984, This is Spinal Tap was an early adopter of the mockumentary format which has been a considerable influence on film and TV comedy ever since (pedants would argue that Neil Innes’s Beatles spoof The Rutles got there first, but this had nothing like the same reach). Without Reiner’s film, we would never have had Modern Family, Summer Heights High, or, most famously, The Office, nor the subsequent films created by the original film’s star and co-writer Christopher Guest which include the sublime Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.
‘And yet despite the brilliance of the original, I can’t say that I am thrilled by the prospect of a sequel. Reiner has just announced that The Return of Spinal Tap will start in February and that there will be a roster of guest stars, including Paul McCartney and Elton John. This strikes fear in my heart. The original did feature cameos, but they were from prodigious comic talents such as Billy Crystal and Dana Carvey who brought their own comedy circuit peculiarities to the film. A-list rock royalty can’t hope to offer the same sort of creative excellence.
‘It’s very rare that celebrity names bring very much to big films. Look at Absolutely Fabulous, the terrifically sophisticated sitcom about the fashion industry which ran into serious trouble when the big-screen version attracted such weighty figures as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Ozwald Boateng. The strength of the original, the idea that Patsy and Edina were successful but in a very contained and silly world, was eroded when they were suddenly thrust on a vast and soulless international stage. The use of McCartney and Elton – and no doubt there will be others, suggests a sort of smugness, an idea that everyone is in on the joke – such decisions almost always kill the humour.
‘But there is also a more fundamental problem with this sequel – and that is the landscape on which it arrives. Certainly, it feels as if the mockumentary format is starting to feel passe. It used to work because the idea of being on camera was such a rarity, afforded to only a privileged few. We used to be able to believe that a paper merchant from Slough would act like a complete idiot in front of the camera because he was naive about the way the TV industry operated. Now everyone is so much savvier: any Tom, Dick or Harry can feign emotion on a reality TV show, or if they are particularly smart can woo Gen Z-ers on YouTube. Nowadays, the idea that someone can appear on camera without any sense of guile or self-awareness feels unlikely.’
**Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2023/11/29/the-spinal-tap-sequel-is-a-bad-idea-rob-reiner/**
I don’t wanna click on The Telegraph crap but this is a joke right? Nothing is beyond parody. Take The Telegraph, it’s a parody in itself.
Let me guess, the manager has to get the band back together for one final tour. One is a spiritual guru, one is an artist and one has a mundane job they take really seriously. Lots of jokes about social media. End.
This article is just, “I have no idea what this movie will actually be about but I hate it.”
Well, it could be fun but it could also really be bad. It will be a tough one to pull off, that said these folks are pretty smart. I think they will skewer all the negative reasons right off the top, like admit them freeing them up.
Ben Lawrence – get a life, dude. Who are you to tell people what art they can make? You live a parasitic existence, making a living writing about other people’s work instead of doing anything yourself.
The plot will probably focus heavy on a final cash grab reunion tour and selling out. It has potential if it is that self-aware.
Was rock beyond parody in 1984?