Their Amp Still Goes up to 11 It Was the Movie That Made a Spoof Heavy Metal Band Real — And, 25 Years On, Spinal Tap Is Back on the Road

14 生活時尚 S T Y L E WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES Their amp still goes up to 11 It was the movie that made a spoof heavy metal band real — and, 25 years on, Spinal Tap is back on the road. Alexis Petridis talks to the heroes of the greatest rock satire in cinema history BY AleXis Petridis THE GUARDIAN, LONDON ashville’s Ryman Auditorium the latter for the first time, in costume has fair claim to have seen it as Spinal Tap. And there’s a new album all. Elvis played here, as did to promote, Back From the Dead, which Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and largely consists of re-recordings of songs NPatsy Cline. Hank Williams was fired after from the film’s original soundtrack. As turning up drunk one too many times. Shearer notes, “The length of Spinal In 1968, the Byrds got a frosty reception Tap’s fictional career in the movie is now from the crowd who sat in the venue’s eclipsed by the length of Spinal Tap’s wooden pews, as much for the length of career as a fake band. That’s a little: their hair as for their music. And yet even huh? What?” that seems less improbable than what’s Indeed, the ongoing career of Spinal happening on the stage tonight: three Tap seems to baffle its participants as sixtysomething actors are performing a much as it would an impartial observer. selection of songs from a film 25 years old “I don’t think we’ve ever known what the to a response verging on mild hysteria. hell’s going on when we do Tap shows,” Presumably for the first time in the Guest says. “It’s possible the audience Ryman’s history, the phrase, “This song are effectively getting to see more of is called Big Bottom!” rings around the the movie when we play. You know, auditorium. The resulting cheer nearly they know the songs, so anything we do takes the roof off. onstage, whether we’re meaning to or Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and not, is an extension of the film. Other Michael McKean are midway through than that, I wouldn’t understand what’s a North American tour celebrating the going on.” silver anniversary of the release of This Is The question of why they’ve chosen to Spinal Tap and its unchallenged position re-record the songs from the film for the as the greatest rock satire in cinema new album is equally confusing. McKean history: the tale of a gormless, deluded explains that the music in the film was but ultimately endearing British heavy supposed to sound like Spinal Tap metal band and the indignities heaped playing live, but these versions, complete on them as they tour America. It is a film with “strings and horns,” are meant to that has caused Tom Waits to cry (“I’d sound like the actual records Spinal Tap like to hear that,” Shearer chuckles) and is supposed to have released in the 1970s innumerable hard rockers to claim it was and 1980s: “This recording is more how based on them, at first indignantly — a those records would sound if they had band called Foghat angrily alleged Guest, really existed,” he says. If that sounds nit- Shearer and McKean had bugged their picking, then at least it fits with the trio’s tour bus to gather material — and then, infamous attention to detail: the intricate as time went on, with increasing pride. history of Spinal Tap they wrote before The only person apparently immune Members of Spinal Tap Christopher Guest, left, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, right, are shown in this publicity photo released in March. The trio are currently performing music from their Spinal Tap days as filming began, “with biographies of all to its charms is Liam Gallagher, who, well as from subsequent film collaborations like the folk-music spoof A Mighty Wind in a 30-city tour of North American. PHOTO: REUTERS 37 people who’d played in the band;” his brother related with relish, stormed the string of gigs they played around out of a Tap live show in protest at the Laverne and Shirley — but their efforts was also, how shall we say, not sober 50cm rather than 5m tall; the beautiful who’ve joined them onstage: Metallica, Los Angeles at the same time, to ensure jokes, having apparently believed Spinal also provided them with a crash course most of the time. He would keep going piano piece called Lick My Love Pump. Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour, Cher, Elvis their joke band was sufficiently authentic Tap was a real band, the film a serious in the kind of anticlimax that became on about health food, how good it was The most famous of the lot, about the Costello, Ry Cooder, the Beastie Boys (“No one in the audience realized it was documentary. “It’s fair enough,” Shearer Spinal Tap’s trademark. for you, and the whole time he’s …” He guitar amplifier that goes up to 11, and Jeff Beck, the latter apparently unper- a gag,” says Shearer); the fact that every says. “I was under the impression for In the mid-1960s, McKean had joined mimes frantic drug taking. “It didn’t seem has been added to the Oxford English turbed by his striking physical resem- time they write a new Spinal Tap song some time that Oasis was a real band.” the Left Banke, a “baroque pop” band funny at the time,” he adds, darkly. Dictionary. St Hubbins’ desperate cry of, blance to Tufnel. In 1992, they released a — there are nine on Back From the Dead If nothing else, Gallagher’s reaction whose combustible relationship was not A year previously, Guest had been “Hope you like our new direction!” might “new” Spinal Tap album, Break Like the — they feel impelled first to come up highlights This Is Spinal Tap’s unerring helped by the fact that their hits were staying at Los Angeles’s Chateau as well have been, so often is it invoked Wind — the cue for much bathos of the with a suitable back story to explain its accuracy and attention to detail. When agonized paeans of unrequited love Marmont hotel when he had overheard a when a band bullishly refuses to play its life-imitating-art variety. Their parodi- existence. “It gets very arcane,” Guest the film was released, Guest says, British written by the keyboard player about the jetlagged British rocker and his manager hits onstage. cally sexist video for the single Bitch admits, “but that’s what’s great about interviewers at first refused to believe the lead singer’s girlfriend — on their biggest holding an interminable, agonizing Furthermore, you might expect School was banned by MTV for being too this, the specificity.” trio were American, so convincingly had hit, Walk Away Renee, he neglected even conversation about whether the former those responsible to have left Spinal sexist. When it became apparent that the But there seems to be another, more they nailed Spinal Tap’s English accents to change her name. McKean joined after had left his bass guitar in the airport. Tap behind long ago. It’s not as if they album wasn’t going to be a chart-topping prosaic reason. “We wanted the songs (a situation possibly further confused by the original lineup had split up, just in The character of Nigel Tufnel was born, haven’t other things to do. McKean is an hit, McKean says their label withdrew to sound better,” Guest says, “and we’ve the fact that Guest is the US-born son of time to be groomed for stardom — “We lucklessly trudging around the US with acclaimed Broadway actor. Guest has financial support midway through the accomplished that, I think.” a British peer: his full title is Christopher got bought clothes, instruments, had our his childhood friend and vocalist David St created semi-improvised films — Waiting subsequent tour: if Spinal Tap didn’t actu- There’s something hugely appealing Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest). photo taken trying to look like the Beatles Hubbins (McKean) and bass player Derek for Guffman, Best in Show, For Your ally end up playing second on the bill to about the idea of Guest and co entering Furthermore, all are accomplished musi- in Central Park.” Before he’d played a Smalls (Shearer). All three co-created Consideration — that have made him a puppet show, as happened in the film, the studio, concerned that they hadn’t cians. Before Spinal Tap, Shearer had note, the band had split up again: “I kind the film, which was largely improvised one of the world’s most respected they still found themselves reduced to done Spinal Tap’s oeuvre justice, focused on comedy and acting, working of grabbed my clothes and instruments, (though directed by Rob Reiner). comedy writers and directors. Shearer is staying in “the kind of hotel rooms where determined finally to give Sex Farm the with Jack Benny as a child, then on Sat- and sneaked out the back door.” In theory, the gag should have worn rumored to earn US$400,000 per episode you stood by the liquor cabinet and real- treatment it richly deserves. urday Night Live and in The Credibility A decade later, McKean and Guest thin over the last quarter century. The providing the voices of Mr Burns, Ned ized the floor was really wet and some- It also makes an improbable sugges- Gap, a radio comedy troupe also featur- performed together in a band whose kind of music Spinal Tap satirized Flanders and others on The Simpsons, thing really bad had happened there.” tion about Spinal Tap’s continued appeal: ing McKean.

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