This is Spinal Tap

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Occasionally, I like to break away from music to cover some of my favorite movies, mostly 80's comedies. This time, I get to do both, with Rob Reiner's 1984 rock and roll mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. Director Marti Di Bergi (Reiner) is filming a documentary about his favorite band, British heavy metal group Spinal Tap, who is undergoing a US tour. To say that Spinal Tap--guitarist/vocalist David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean,) guitarist/vocalist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest,) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) is unlucky is putting it mildly. What can go wrong, goes hilariously wrong. They get lost backstage in Cleveland. Their Seattle gig gets rescheduled to an Air Force base. Props are a problem all tour long. In addition to great comedic chemistry between the stars (much of the dialogue was adlibbe,) they also wrote, composed, and performed the music. For this to work, the music had to be good, and it was. Meanwhile, there are laughs aplenty. Look for lots of cameo's, including Billy Crystal, Fred Willard, and Paul Shafer. Kudos to Rob Reiner for making this 80's comedy classic!