FILMFACTS
TRIVIA
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Does for rock and roll what 'The Sound Of Music' did for hillsTotally Trivia
Film facts for the 1984 Comedy movie starring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner
Tony Hendra, Fran Drescher, June Chadwick, Bruno Kirby, Ed Begley Jr., Dana Carvey, Jean Cromie, Chazz Dominguez, Shari Hall, David Kaff, Danny Kortchmar, Patrick Macnee, Patrick Maher, R.J. Parnell, Julie Payne, Kimberly Stringer Update Cast
We believe the following trivia is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.
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It was stated on VH1's infamous mini-series "I Love The 80s" that Spinal Tap was based in part on legendary 80s metal group Iron Maiden. The only proof I've comes across so far is that Iron Maiden did a song called "Flight Of Icarus" for the 1983 album "Piece Of Mind", and in the "Heavy Metal Memories" commercial featured on the MGM DVD, Tap supposedly did a song called "The Incredible Flight Of Icarus P. Anybody".Thanks to Vasso
The song ''big bottom'' that appeared in the movie ''This is spinal tap'' is taken from Ian GIllan's song ''Puget sound'' of the album ''Ms Universe'' realesed in 1979!!I've heard that the band was inspired by Saxon, but isn't the guitar player so identical to Randy Rhoads (Quiet riot, Ozzy Osbourne???) ...and the bass player fiqure a copy of the Motorhead's Lemmy??
Thanks to Sian
"The Sure Thing" was Rob Reiner's second feature. If you look on the wall in Gib's room, you can see a reference to Reiner's first feature, a poster for "This is Spinal Tap". The Princess Bride: During the opening scenes of the movie, a grandfather (Peter Falk) begins reading the Princess Bride story to his sick grandson (Fred Savage) in the boy's bedroom. You will catch a glimpse of the boy's baseball cap hanging near his bed. This cap was placed there by the movie's director, Rob Reiner, to fulfill a request by Mark Knopfler, who composed the music for the movie. Knopfler, former frontman for Dire Straits, agreed to write and perform the music for the movie, if Reiner would place somewhere in the movie a cap he had worn in the movie "Spinal Tap".Rewind Archive
There is a deleted subplot in the movie which explains the cold sores on the band members' lips: the band takes on an opening act for the tour and the lead singer, a slutty girl, sleeps with each bandmember, giving each one herpes in turn.Thanks to Yaz Jung
June Chadwick (referred to as the bands 'Yoko Ono' in the review) was later to appear in a re-occuring role on the 80's Sci-fi Television series 'V', as the scheming and power-hungry 'Lydia' who opposed Jane Badlers character 'Diana'.Rewind Archive
The lurid cover art for Spinal Tap's "Smell the Glove" was inspired by the misogynistic artwork on Whitesnake's 1978 album "Lovehunter".Rewind Archive
Nigel Tufnel's name is a joke on Eric Clapton, derived from "dull name" and "location in London". Eric became Nigel, and "Clapton Pond" became "Tufnell Park": Nigel Tufnel.Rewind Archive
After the film opened, several people approached director Rob Reiner telling him that they loved the film, but he should have chosen a more well known band to do a documentary on.Thanks to Scott Hume
During an interview with Rob Reiner early in the movie, one of the band members (I believe it is David St. Hubbins / Christopher Guest) talks about a gig that they were playing on the Isle of Lucy. The joke is if you say "Isle of Lucy" fast enough, it sounds like "I Love Lucy."Rewind Archive
Nigel rubbing a violin against his guitar during his solo is a parody of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who used a violin bow to play his guitar during many concert performances.Thanks to Vasso
During the rehearsal of the ''Gimme some money'' song they actualy stutter the lines, just like The Who did with their song ''My generation'' because they wanted to sound like teenagers under the effect of drugs!Also, at various parts of the movie the bass guitar (and the electric guitar at one moment) appear with silver strips, reffering to Eddie Van Halen's kramer guitars!
Thanks to Jim
Harry Shearer has a thing for disc jockeys.... He is Handsome Dan in Wayne's World 2.Rewind Archive
In the first diner interview scene, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) is wearing a t-shirt from "Norman's Rare Guitars", which provided many of the guitars used in the production.Thanks to Joshua Gear
On the DVD notes, they list the drummers. There are 6 I believe. Besides, you would have to leave out the keyboard player and the bassist from the shot of "Gimme Some Money."Thanks to John Edward Kilduff
The credits state that the band Spinal Tap is fictional, and add "And there's no Easter Bunny, either!"Rewind Archive
McKean, Guest and Shearer totally stay in character whenever they act as Spinal Tap. Examples include cameos for their characters on "The Simpsons", an appearance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, and appearing in an interview with Metallica, saying that their "Black Album" ripped off "Smell The Glove's cover (quite odd, considering they wanted the original woman and glove cover in the movie). On the MGM DVD, they recorded commentary in character.Rewind Archive
A cameo guide: Julie Payne, Dana Carvey and Billy Crystal as mime waitpeople; Zane Buzby as a Rolling Stone reporter; Paul Benedict as Tucker Brown, the hotel guest clerk; Paul Shaffer as Artie Fufkin, the A&R man; Anjelica Huston as Polly Deutsch; Fred Willard as Lt. Hookstratten; In uncredited roles, Brinke Stevens as a girlfriend and Marcia Strassman as a flower girl.Rewind Archive
McKean, Shearer and Guest recreated their Spinal Tap roles for a series of pizza roll commercials overseas. These can be seen on the MGM DVD.Thanks to Jaysen Carrington
While being a member of Spinal Tap, Harry Shearer also does the voices of Mr. Burns, Smithers, Ned Flanders, and 14 other voices on the Simpsons animated show.Thanks to Bad Horsey
The first time the band heard the record reviews was when the scene was shot - the reactions are genuine, and Michael McKean and Christopher Guest are visibly seen to be barely holding in their laughter.Thanks to Staff Sergeant Erik Guidot
The singer the band encounters in the Holiday Inn, who is named 'Duke Fame' and is managed by Howard Hessman is played by Paul Shortino, who sang for the 80's LA hair band Rough Cutt.Thanks to Electric_pea
Baron Christopher Guest who plays Nigel Tufnel in Spinal tap is married to Halloween/True lies actress: Jamie Lee Curtis (she inherited the title, Lady Haden-Guest in 1986 and they have been married for over 25 yrs).Thanks to Chris
According to the BBC 1 documentary When Rock Ruled the World, Spinal Tap were actually based on UK heavy metal group Saxon and not Iron Maiden as is sometimes suggested, this is backed up by several of the films stars.Thanks to Joan
The tall thin drummer that is on the tour being filmed is Ric Parnell, a real musician and professional drummer who played with the influential British band, Atomic Rooster. He was the only professional musician in the band and became famous for beating the drums with his head. Ric's father is Jack Parnell the Jazz drummer who was musical director for the Muppet show which was filmed in England.Rewind Archive
Christopher Guest enjoyed the mockumentary concept so much that he continued to use it in his own movies, directing such comic gems as "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," and "A Mighty Wind." Shearer, McKean, and Begley are among Guest's talented group of improvisational actors who have appeared in these movies.Thanks to Brad Randall
Shearer, Guest, and McKean have been performing together as "The Folksmen," a folk music trio, since at least November of 1984, when they were a featured musical guest on Saturday Night Live. (McKean was the guest host that night, and Shearer and Guest were regular SNL cast members.) As the Folksmen, the three became an opening act on the (real) Spinal Tap tour, where they were routinely booed off the stage by hard-rocking audience members who didn't realize the three were also part of the band. The Folksmen went on to appear as one of three folk acts "reunited" in Guest's third mockumentary "A Mighty Wind," released in 2003.Bogus Trivia
There's often fake stuff floating round, y'know? -Like the 'ghost boy' that can allegedly be seen in "Three Men And A Baby".
The following trivia for "This Is Spinal Tap" is apparently bogus. If you disagree or have additional info, please update us.The Stonehenge incident is a swipe at Black Sabbath, who had a three-times normal size Stonehenge replica made for a US tour. It didn't fit the stages they were using. They tried to give it away to the US druids, but the druids only wanted real-life-sized, not oversized. Somewhere in the US, there is a shipping container with a set of oversized Stonehenge megaliths...
Thanks to Cad Delworth who wrote in with: "There's a common misconception that the 'too small Stonehenge' disaster is a parody of Black Sabbath's oversized Stonehenge sets from the Born Again tour. This is impossible, the Stonehenge Spinal Tap scene existed as early as 1982 when the film existed as a 20-minute short, and Black Sabbath didn't begin using their Stonehenge sets until 1983."
Thanks to Cad Delworth who wrote in with: "There's a common misconception that the 'too small Stonehenge' disaster is a parody of Black Sabbath's oversized Stonehenge sets from the Born Again tour. This is impossible, the Stonehenge Spinal Tap scene existed as early as 1982 when the film existed as a 20-minute short, and Black Sabbath didn't begin using their Stonehenge sets until 1983."
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