This Is Spinal Tap | 7 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know

Turn your amps to 11! Or in this case, maybe just 7 because that’s how many Things we’ve got for you about your favorite fake metal band, Spinal Tap. The Rob Reiner, mockumentary inventing all timer has been influencing comedy on the big screen and TV since the rockers first got lost backstage in 1984. Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls and a revolving door of combustible drummers left their mark on music as well, so without further ado, here are 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Spinal Tap… probably.

From just who actually owns the Spinal Tap IP and why the band made seemingly random appearances for years, to who could actually make the stacked cast of veteran improvisers laugh, the production of This Is Spinal Tap was a rush job in the end. Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean continued to refine the art form of the mockumentary but everything from The Office and Parks and Rec, to metal comedies like Tenacious D and even The Foo Fighters Studio 666, one thing everybody knows is Spinal Tap is one of the best of all time.

This episode was written and edited by Tom Jorgensen.

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[GeorgeVazquez]

Really should have been 11 things you didn't know.

[iainjames]

The in-character DVD commentary is arguably funnier than the movie. Netflix needs to start putting commentaries as audio options!

[JFra]

"He died, he choked on vomit.

But it wasn't his vomit.

Really don't know who's vomit it was."

Oh man I loved that movie.

[darinfoat]

When I was in high school I loaned my VHS copy of This Is Spinal Tap (recorded off of HBO) to my sister, telling her how hilarious it was. She called me a couple of days later and told me I must have given her the wrong tape. This one had a documentary about some rock band on it.

[kirbymarchbarcena]

Despite being a first-time director at that time. Rob Reiner really knows what he was doing

[jamesmmcgill]

Wait, my brother didn't tell me that he was a Spinal Tap member. GODDAMN CHUCK!

[jozef]

Give the drummer a sequel docu. He'll be around for a long time. I can feel it.

[Dasvidanyaful]

I love when they were chatting to Metallica on the Metallica Documentary at Freddies concert and they say "Where did you get the idea for a totally black album Mr Metallica representative"

[ourcorrectopinions]

Cinematographer Smokler NOT getting the humour probably made the filming even more realistic, and in turn, much funnier.

[DarkDennis]

Real Spinal Tap fans from the 1970s know that Smell the Glove was a slap in the face of their earlier work.

[AskAScreenwriter]

How could you have a Spinal Tap list video that DOESN"T go up to 11 ?!?!?!

[jasonblalock]

I wanna see a Spinal Tap reunion concert that starts when them all getting pushed out in wheelchairs, and by the end, they're all dead in ridiculous ways. ROCK AND

[jriver]

Fun fact: while shank hall exists in Milwaukee today, it didn't when the movie came out. From what I'm told the current shank hall got its name from the movie.

[themexis]

Most blokes when they write a list, they'll be going to 7.
But when you're on 7 and you need that extra push, where can you go?

[hugovallarta]

So many quirks the movie leaves you with. I have never been able to cross my arms unselfconsciously again in my life

[grievouserror]

My friends and I saw this in the theater and the soundtrack was the first vinyl album I ever bought. We LOVED it and I still do.

[jsullivan]

Christopher Guest's laugh during "Shit Sandwich" was genuine. The actors didn't know that was even coming so he nearly lost it when the line was delivered. Too good!

[CaesiusX]

*#8 ─ Remember the Rutles.¹*

_"Selling the mockumentary to audiences before that was a thing was tough"_

··•✺•··

¹ ─ aka _"All You Need Is Cash"_ from 1978. Though it started as a mid-70s sketch by Eric Idle and Neil Innes, it became a beloved television film. _Spinal Tap's_ experiences mirror that of _The Rutles_ in a number of ways (q.v., releasing music and actually touring for decades).

[scottmelville]

Listen, we'd love to stand around and chat, but we've gotta sit in the lobby and wait for the limo. RIP Howard.

[jliller]

You really couldn't come up with four more things so that this would go to 11?