“This is Spinal Tap” wasn’t the first movie mockumentary, but it was so well done — so sharp, so funny and so well-made — that it led to everything that followed, from movies like “Best in Show” and “Waiting for Guffman” to TV shows like “The Office” and “Parks & Recreation.”
The story of an aging, fading, failing hard rock band was so authentic-feeling that people actually wondered why director Rob Reiner chose such an obscure band to make his documentary about, instead of, say, the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. But Spinal Tap, with its combination of singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) and a succession of drummers was the perfect band to focus on because, being fictional, they could embody every idiotic thing a rock band ever supposedly did: getting lost backstage, performing next to a pint-sized Stonehenge, getting second-billed to a puppet show — you name it.
The perfect combination of a smart premise and brilliant improvisation, “This is Spinal Tap” has become a comedy classic since its 1984 release. With cameos from everyone from Paul Shaffer to Fred Willard (RIP) to Reiner himself as director Marty DiBergi and an endless succession of quotable lines (that have been endlessly quoted by a generation of fans), it’s generally regarded as one of the best comedies of the 1980s — and beyond.
This week, on the long-awaited return episode of Out of Theaters, Billy and Will invite special returning guest Jim Lenahan to analyze the unique appeal of “This is Spinal Tap.” As the co-host of the music podcast Rockin’ the Suburbs, and occasional musician himself, Jim helps take the discussion to eleven.
