This Is Spinal Gore
Well, Al Gore has done the improbable. He has reunited a completely fictional band for his Save the Earth concert series (we could say something here about his completely fictional cause, but we'll be nice). Anyway, he convinced the actors who played the parts of the fictional British band Spinal Tap to get back together for one last chance at turning the amps up to "11".
The group, comprising of guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), rose to cult stardom following the 1984 “mockumentary” This is Spinal Tap.
The film, which catalogued an aging British band’s desperate comeback tour of America, provided a generation of students with catch phrases such as “none more black” and “smell the glove.”
Scenes from the film - including one in which Tufnel patiently explains to an interviewer that the band’s amplifiers can be turned up to eleven for that “extra push over the cliff” - are regarded by many comedians as among the funniest ever written.
Although the film fared badly in cinemas - many audience members thought it was a badly-made genuine documentary - it became a cult hit after its release on video.
The film also spawned a conventional career of sorts for the band, with occasional concert performances and an album.
Nothing, however, has been heard of the three-piece since their 1992 record Break Like the Wind. As part of their Live Earth contribution, Spinal Tap have reportedly recorded a 15 minute “consciousness raising” film looking at climate change, which features them driving around in their 4×4s and leaving all the lights on in their mansions. (Ed Note: My Heavens, they are actually channeling Al Gore!)
The short film, directed by This is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner, will show the world what the rockers have been up to over the past 15 years.
Tufnel has been raising miniature horses to race but cannot find jockeys small enough to ride them. St. Hubbins is a hip-hop producer who also owns a colonic clinic. Smalls is in rehab for internet addiction.
We, of course, have to point out that the last American tour, as detailed in the film, didn't exactly go as planned. There was a problem with the set. Specifically, the size of the set. But they haven't seen anything yet.
Foto Phun, Humor, Junk Science, Left Wing | Gaius Thursday, 26 April , 2007
By Bleepless, Friday, 27 April , 2007 @ 6:50 pm
Dethklok is better, anyway.