Classic film series at State Theatre showcases rock band mockumentary
This is Spinal Tap,” a mockumentary of ’80s rock bands and their way of life, will be coming to the State Theatre June 15 as part of their Classic Movie Series.
The point of the film is to satirize the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands and the way rock documentaries of the day perceived them as gods.
The 1984 film was created by Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean after they were given $10,000 to write a script.
The IMDb website said a 20-minute version of their vision for the film was created to better demonstrate the improvisation they had in mind for the spoof film, and after it was given the green light, several scenes from that demo made it to the final movie.
Directed by Reiner and starring himself, Guest, McKean and Shearer, the film follows the fictional British heavy metal band “Spinal Tap.”
In the film, Reiner plays filmmaker Marty Di Bergi who follows the rock group on their 1982 United States concert tour to promote their new album “Smell the Glove.”
The band is made up of childhood friends David St. Hubbins (McKean, “Clue” and “Better Call Saul”) and Nigel Tufnel (Guest, “Best in Show” and “Waiting for Guffman”) on vocals and guitar, bassist Derek Smalls (Shearer, “The Truman Show” and “A Mighty Wind”). keyboardist Viv Savage (David Kaff, “Black Dog”) and drummer Mick Shrimpton (R. J. Parnell, “Saving for the Day” and “The Devil’s Due at Midnight”).
They find early success as the Thamesmen with their single “Gimme Some Money,” before changing their name and achieving a minor hit with “Listen to the Flower People.”
They then transition to heavy metal and over time several of their previous drummers died in strange circumstances, including spontaneous human combustion, a bizarre gardening accident and choking on someone else’s vomit.
As part of the movie’s trivia on IMDb.com, several rock stars at the time commented on what an uncannily accurate spoof of the rock and heavy metal world this film was.
“Ozzy Osbourne said that when he first watched the film, he was the only person who wasn’t laughing because he thought it was a real documentary,” stated the website.
U2 guitarist, The Edge said, “I didn’t laugh, I wept. It was so close to the truth.”
Marillion had five drummers in the space of a year between their first two albums, which their guitarist Steve Rothery later admitted was like the movie.
The film currently holds a 95 percent “certified fresh” rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, with its critical consensus being “Smartly directed, brilliantly acted and packed with endlessly quotable moments, “This Is Spinal Tap” is an all-time comedy classic.
The film is rated R.
The Classic Movie Series will continue with “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (July 20) and “Million Dollar Mermaid” (Aug. 10). Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students.