Since its release in 1984, the spoof "rockumentary" This Is Spinal Tap has become a cult classic. Its strangely twisted fiction has even crossed over into real life - the actors have gone on tour as Spinal Tap; a club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is named after the film's Shank Bar, and heavy-metal bands cover Tap originals like "Big Bottom" and "Hell Hole."
Now the feature film that inspired these events is on CD-ROM, along with a host of extras. As the QuickTime film plays on screen, you can switch between the original soundtrack and two running commentaries, one by the Spinal Tap actors; the other by director Rob Reiner and various members of the production crew. These are funny people, and their stories offer an entertaining look at how this unique film was created. Fans will finally discover why band members get herpes sores on their lips, why their amps go to 11, and why they have to perform as Spinal Tap at least once every three years.
The disc offers several ways to get to your favorite film moments, including hyperlinked tour maps, snapshots from key scenes, and lists of songs and scenes. Keyword searches ("dust for vomit" or "armadillos in our trousers") take you to the moment each phrase is spoken on film.
A second disc contains scenes that didn't make the final cut - promotional clips, even such minutia as editing-room score cards and script-margin scribbles. Also tossed in are a couple of short films that turn out to be as funny as Spinal Tap - especially the off-the-wall Danish Cheese-Rolling Festival promo.
Watching this intimate view of moviemaking, you feel included in one hell of a fun club. Some of the most amusing segments show how the filmmakers struggled to retain dramatic structure in a largely improvised film. Everyone involved seems to remember the process very rosily - so much so, in fact, that the commentaries sometimes stray into a love fest of mutual back-patting. Just how interesting you find browsing the anecdotal accretions collected here depends on how hooked you are on this particular movie.
Spinal Tap's secret is its delicate balance. It treats the ludicrous spectacle of rock stardom with devastating wit and great affection. It cuts close enough to reality to be the favorite film of many rock stars. For any fan, this disc is a collectors item.
This Is Spinal Tap, Mac: US$34.95. The Voyager Company: +1 (914) 591 5500, (800) 446 2001.
STREET CRED
Graphic MysteryTomorrow's Print News Today
Tapping in Again
Return of the Emperor's Nightingale
