The Members Of Spinal Tap Talk About Their Return After More Than 40 Years

Cinema Blend

Members David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) and filmmaker Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) join us to talk about the return of Spinal Tap in "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues." The band chats about returning to the stage over 40 years after "This is Spinal Tap," their influence on modern megastars like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, and it was like to be embraced by one Beatle (Paul McCartney) and denied by another (Ringo Starr).

Transcript

00:00I'm wondering if you ever reached out to Ringo.

00:03He said, you must be joking.

00:05I've come this far, dot, dot, dot, and that was it.

00:08Well, he's on tour all the time.

00:10That's true.

00:11Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:11He doesn't have to.

00:13A lot has happened since the last time I saw you.

00:17Crypto!

00:18Have you been playing music at all?

00:19I play music.

00:21At a pub.

00:25You auditioned a lot of trepidatious drummers in the film.

00:28It didn't seem that trepidatious.

00:30Oh, is that right?

00:30Well, some of them.

00:31Some of them were a bit shaky.

00:32Yeah, but not as much as you'd think, given...

00:35No, yeah.

00:35Yeah.

00:36Yeah.

00:36It's true.

00:37And I mean, Paul seemed to be a big fan, so...

00:39Yeah, it seemed to be.

00:40But he's his own man, and Ringo's who he is.

00:43Ringo has expressed interest in not being interested.

00:46Yeah, that's true.

00:47When you started doing this with Spinal Tap 41 years ago, documenting them,

00:51did you think at any point that you'd be shooting the likes of Elton John or Paul McCartney?

00:56Well, I didn't know, but I certainly thought that I would be at some point,

01:01because I think that Spinal Tap has been underrated for a long time.

01:06And it's taken many years for the rock world to catch up to how brilliant they are,

01:12and now they're more than happy to play with them.

01:15But I think it's long overdue.

01:18What about Dave Grohl?

01:19Did you ever reach out to...

01:21I think they might have.

01:22I mean, this was not through us.

01:24We had people calling people.

01:27Hope, Faith, who was a de facto manager for this particular...

01:31I don't have a list, but you do, apparently.

01:34Well, you were able to Zoom call with a fair amount of them.

01:38So, you think you might fill the bill?

01:40I don't want to go.

01:41We've only lost 11 or 12?

01:4311.

01:4311 drummers.

01:45Some of them, yeah.

01:46Some of them, yes.

01:47Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:48West Lover.

01:48Some of them, drummers.

01:49And Chad.

01:51Yeah.

01:51Yeah, yeah.

01:52I'm wondering if you've, you know, over the past 41 or so years,

01:55if you've seen Spinal Tap's influence live on in other major live acts,

02:00like Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga.

02:03I think when I see someone really reaching for the limits in any sense

02:07and finding a ceiling they'd like to break through in some way,

02:12I think it's partially inspired.

02:13But people like us, if not...

02:15Yeah, I would say the opposite.

02:16But, yeah, they're doing great stuff.

02:20Well, the opposite is nothing.

02:21But seeing Taylor Swift, I've never met her or seen her live,

02:25but seen on the video, and she's doing these huge shows,

02:29as Beyonce is doing as well.

02:30Big stadium shows.

02:33But I don't see a connection of any kind.

02:35Well, Beyonce particularly seems to me to have picked up the baton of Big Bottom.

02:41Okay.

02:42Well, yeah, maybe...

02:44Think.

02:45Yeah, I think so.

02:46From what I've seen.

02:47Pictures that I've seen.

02:49Spinal Tap was perhaps a major influence.

02:51And I had a girlfriend once in London who had boots.

02:56Pretty high boots, so...

02:58But how would Taylor have known that she had these boots that you coveted?

03:02I'm not saying I know how she would know that.

03:04I'm just saying she had high boots.

03:06I'm not really following...

03:07I'm a bitch on her, to be honest.

03:08Yeah.

03:09Look, you see a lot of bands.

03:12You know, the Rolling Stones.

03:13These people in the 70s, 80s years old.

03:15You've got Paul McCartney.

03:17You've got Oasis back together again.

03:20You know, all these bands.

03:22This is a band that lasts.

03:23A lot of people will say, ah, you know, their time is done.

03:30Never.

03:30They're never done.

03:32And so, this is what I feel very proud about.

03:34This is because I can show that these guys...

03:36And matter of fact, Derek talks specifically in the movie about a song that he wrote called

03:42Rockin' in the Urn.

03:43And all it says is, it doesn't matter.

03:46Even if you're dead, you keep going.

03:49Rockin' Roll is something that it just never dies.

03:53Did you ever interview someone who's got that syndrome where they fall asleep?

03:57Narcolepsy?

03:58Narcolepsy.

03:59I have not, no.

04:00Yeah.

04:01Well, you might...

04:01You might start...

04:02You have narcolepsy?

04:04No, I might develop it at any time.

04:06He's trying to catch it.

04:08I have to be honest, I do feel responsible for that.

04:11That feels a little personal.

04:12No, don't do that, young man.

04:14Okay.

04:15Don't put yourself in the center of the universe.

04:17Were there any moments between the band that didn't make the final cut of this newer documentary?

04:23Anything that was maybe too raunchy or something?

04:25No, I never worry about raunchy.

04:28Because to me, sex sells...

04:31I mean, now, they're older now, so they're all in their 70s.

04:35There's not as much activity as there was when they were young.

04:39But if there's any conflict or sexual activity, I'll put it right in there.

04:47Because to me, that's what makes people interested in seeing the movie.

04:51I got to ask on my way out, you know, because I grew up with you guys, you know, and specifically the lyric,

04:56My Baby Fits Me Like a Flesh Tuxedo, I Love to Sink Her With My Pink Torpedo.

05:02Correct.

05:02Yes.

05:02Had a major poetic influence on me as a musician.

05:06At what age?

05:06I bet you're a Robbie Burns fan, too.

05:08Yeah, sure.

05:09At what age would you say that happened?

05:12Since I was a kid.

05:13I was born in 89, so that was five years after the movie came.

05:17Musician?

05:17What kind of musician?

05:18I'm a percussionist.

05:19I played...

05:19Oh, I thought you said musician.

05:22You knew who Ray Cooper was?

05:24You knew who Ray Cooper was?

05:25Sure.

05:25Yeah, fantastic.

05:26Do you have a percussionist?

05:27He's very good.

05:28Do you have anything with that box that you sit on and play it?

05:31Oh, yeah, the C, I forgot.

05:33Yeah, yeah, yeah.

05:34I've never owned it.

05:35I have one at home.

05:36Yeah?

05:36Yeah.

05:37It's all great.

05:38You could buy it from him.

05:39Well, no, he can't.

05:40I'm using it occasionally.

05:41Using it for what?

05:42Sitting.

05:43You play guitar.

05:44So?

05:45These two are at it again.

05:46Sit on and...

05:47Wibbling about nothing.

05:48Yeah.

05:49I'm in a band that constantly is breaking apart and coming back together.

05:53But the more we retreat into the music, the nicer things become.

05:59Not to be profound or anything, and it would be a first time for me.

06:02Uh-huh.

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