As Hellfest kicks off today, focus on the cult parody documentary “Spinal Tap”, a must-have for metal and rock fans in general.
The Hellfest Festival, a great meeting place for lovers of extreme music, begins today. The perfect opportunity to talk about Spinal Tap, a cult parody documentary that every fan of metal (and rock in general) absolutely must have seen at least once in their life.
Released in theaters in 1984, the hilarious Spinal Tap immerses the viewer in the daily life of a fictional heavy metal band. Directed by Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally, Stand by Me), the feature film notably takes as references cult rock bands of the 80s and 90s like AC/DC or Led Zeppelin.
Spinal Tap, a true declaration of love to the world of rock, is rich in many cult moments. Let us mention in particular the scene where the group gets lost in the maze of backstage before going on stage, that of the amplifier which goes up to 11 (!) or even this sequence which sees the musicians discovering the cover of their album, totally black. A cover, that is to say the influence of the film, which will inspire Metallica downright for its Black Album !
Treated with care and respect for the music and the universe it parodies, Spinal Tap is worn by real, experienced musicians. For the sake of realism, they improvised many scenes. And after the release of the film, the fictitious group, which composed the soundtrack themselves, will engage in a real tour!
The prospect of a rock parody left more than one perplexed. In a bid to win over investors, director Rob Reiner, along with screenwriters Christopher Guest and Michael McKean and actor Harry Shearer, were given $10,000 to write and shoot a twenty-minute film that would lay the groundwork for the future. Spinal Tap. Some scenes from this convincing “demo” were kept for the final version of the documentary.
If you’re a rock fan and you haven’t seen Spinal Tap yet, don’t hesitate for a second, this movie is made for you! And good news: a sequel is currently in the works for a theatrical release in 2024, four decades after Rob Reiner’s classic. Rock’n’roll never dies!
The ITW cinema-rock’n’roll of Phillipe Maneuver with, inevitably, Spinal Tap: