"In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people...the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing." - Nigel
During the commercial breaks of the Florida/Alabama game (which was a disappointment unfortunately, not because I was rooting for Tim "I Just Wanna Thank Jesus Christ, My Lord and Savior" Tebow, but because I was hoping for an all-time classic type game) I was flipping over to Palladium, a channel that often catches my eye as I'm sifting through the guide. It's a music channel mostly showing concert footage--mostly of bands I couldn't care less about--but today, luckily enough, they were dusting off on of my old favorites: This Is Spinal Tap.
Now 25 years old, it doesn't hold up completely, but there are still some absolutely priceless comedic moments, some pretty dramatic scenes, and a bevy of pitch-perfect metal parody songs. Christopher Guest is probably the film-maker I enjoy the most and while I prefer A Mighty Wind and Waiting for Guffman, I always take the chance to see where it all began.
The songs, for me, are probably the best part of Spinal Tap, not only in the outrageous lyrics, but in the way they are performed. Each of the main three musicians (played by Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean) does all their playing and singing and their personas are so believable in capturing the ridiculousness of 80s rock/metal. I could do without Rob Reiner's interviews (the format works just as well in the later films without the questions being asked on screen) but even then I give them a pass as the characters do have some great interactions with him (Nigel's "Lick My Love-Pump" comes to mind).
I'd rank Spinal Tap above For Your Consideration (which lacked the charm of its predecessors and had the most depressing ending) and Best in Show (which I still like, but doesn't make me laugh as much because I think that dog show enthusiasts aren't that far away from their parodies on screen), but below Guffman and Mighty Wind.
Guffman really captures a wonderful, true slice of Americana. These days, I can't see an effeminate drama or choir teacher and not be reminded of Guest's hilarious Corky St. Clair.* It really gets to the heart of small town folks who have lost their perspective on the importance of what their doing (a small, terrible play). It's a rather short film, but, like most of Guest's pictures, is endlessly rewatchable.
* Which reminds me of my quest to end the war against double negatives. Sometimes, they are useful and convey a distinctly different point if "corrected". Maybe not in this case. Nevertheless, deal with it. More on this later.
A Mighty Wind is my pick of the litter, as it takes what I like about Spinal Tap (the amazing music) into a larger (more characters) and more modern (it was released in this decade) setting. Folk music also is probably a better genre to spoof, as 80s metal spoofs itself, especially looking back on it decades later. It also, if you look for it, tells a touching dramatic story about these musicians getting one last chance to relive their old lives and feel the rush of performing again. It's a tremendous film.
So, to all you who love The Office and other such offspring of Guest's work, know that while he didn't invent the mockumentary, he made it work as far as I'm concerned. And for me, I'll take it as a reminder that I need to see the documentary about Anvil, which I've heard often referred to as the real Spinal Tap.
"Can I raise a practical question at this point? Are we gonna do "Stonehenge" tomorrow?" - Derek
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