Latest news with #ChristopherGuest
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Sir Elton John joins fictional rock band Spinal Tap for new version of their classic song Stonehenge
Sir Elton John has joined fictional rock band Spinal Tap for a new version of their classic song Stonehenge. Released on Thursday (31.07.25), as the first single from the band's forthcoming album The End Continues and its accompanying film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the new recording and video features Elton, 78, performing much of the lead vocals as he rises from beneath the stage at a piano. The original Stonehenge appeared on Spinal Tap's debut album This Is Spinal Tap, released in 1984 alongside the cult mockumentary film directed by Rob Reiner. Starring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer as the fictional heavy metal band members David St. Hubbins (played by McKean, 77), Nigel Tufnel (Guest, 77) and Derek Smalls (Shearer, 81), it famously included a gag where the band orders a massive Stonehenge replica that arrives at an absurdly small size. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues sees the band reunite for a final concert, with Martin 'Marty' Di Bergi (Reiner, 78) once again directing the documentary. The album going with the movie is set for release on 12 September alongside the film's theatrical debut, and features other collaborations with Sir Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. In an interview with Empire magazine, the band members reflected on their decades-long fictional partnership. Nigel Tufnel said: 'We've had arguments over the years and then made up... arguments, make up, arguments, make up. But there's no secret, because there's no solution for an old friendship.' David St. Hubbins added: 'I think that the more we can leave our egos at the door, the better. But it's not easy. I carry my ego everywhere, but having a big ego is like having a big dog. You can't expect other people to feed it for you.' The new project continues the satirical exploration of rock culture that has made Spinal Tap a lasting icon of comedy and music parody. This Is Spinal Tap, released in 1984, was hailed as a groundbreaking mockumentary that satirised the excesses of rock bands. Created by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, it pioneered the comedy-music genre and influenced countless filmmakers and comedians, becoming a cult classic and a lasting cultural touchstone in music and comedy.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues' Trailer Sees the Lads Reunite for One Last Gig
They're back! The first official trailer for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues has dropped, and we see the lads from the legendary British rock band reunite for one last gig. In the clip, we see filmmaker Marty DiBergi catch people up with what's happened to Spinal Tap since his first film, This Is Spinal Tap. We then see the central Tap trio of Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) all looking their age and leading rather sedentary lives, in stark comparison to their past lives as stadium rock gods. The trailer then shows us efforts by the band to reunite for one last hurrah, including their efforts to recruit a drummer suicidal enough to play the gig, their merchandising efforts and whether one (or two) of them dying on stage would help boost publicity for the gig and cement their legacy. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Sets Season 2 Premiere, Casts Fan-Favorite Roles for Season 3 From 'South Park' to George Lucas' First Comic-Con: Inside the Most Anticipated Panels Rob Reiner Teases Paul McCartney, Elton John Cameos in 'Spinal Tap II' The trailer was revealed during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where Spinal Tap II director Rob Reiner sat down with Paul Feig for a wide-ranging discussion about the beloved first film and the upcoming sequel. Spinal Tap II sees the core cast of Guest, McKean, Shearer and Reiner as DiBergi return. The cast also includes Fran Drescher returning as Bobbi Flekman and Paul Shaffer back as the incompetent record exec Artie Fufkin. The sequel sees Paul McCartney, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Questlove, Trisha Yearwood, Chad Smith and Lars Ulrich make cameos as themselves. Spinal II: The End Continues is released in theaters on Sept. 12. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spinal Tap defined a real genre with a fake band
'It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.' If movies have a mantra, this bit of philosophizing by Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) is as good as any. Along with Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and joined by a rotating band of musical collaborators that includes many drummers who suffered from calamitous outcomes, the members of Spinal Tap redefined the ridiculousness of rock 'n' roll while devoting themselves to reality. Considered by many to be the 11th greatest film ever made, Rob Reiner's This Is Spinal Tap began its cinematic tour on March 2, 1984 and, like a bad case of tinnitus, has continued to resonate until it heads back into theaters July 5, and into the Criterion Collection later this year, ahead of its sequel. Culled from over 100 hours of mostly improvised footage, the film spoofs the hard rock genre by following this trio of gormless Brits as they attempt to conquer the U.S. on a tour, only to eventually find themselves playing as a warm-up act for a puppet show. Four decades later, the film's precise satire has lost none of its sting. At once preposterous and completely in keeping with the excesses of the rock star lifestyle, it's one of those rare parodies that ends up more truthful than their subjects. Given the vagaries of negotiating music rights clearances, gaining backstage access, or simply filming at a given venue, the history of popular music is often being written on film by those with a vested interest in maintaining the illusions of stardom. What makes Spinal Tap so brilliant is that it became an avatar for all those stories about performing artists that couldn't be told without resulting in career suicide. This only works if there's deep plausibility in the construction of the satire, a sense of reality opposing the highly polished portraits that bands are often treated to. This unvarnished comedy is buttressed by a band that can actually play, and songs written by the cast that rival almost anything from their targeted era. One need only look to the poorly animated black blob blocking the cocaine booger in Neil Young's nostril in The Last Waltz, or the members of Led Zeppelin solemnly riding boats and horses in The Song Remains The Same between carefully restaged 'live' performances, to see how even the most celebrated music films have always had a tenuous connection to the truth of the music and lifestyle. Meanwhile, some projects that dared to get too close to the actual debauchery of the lives of these musicians saw their projects shelved, the most famous case being Robert Frank's salacious Cocksucker Blues. Much of Spinal Tap's brilliance is found in its use of the tools of direct cinema documentary filmmaking, drawing its form from masters such D.A. Pennebaker and the Maysle Brothers. Their films (Dont Look Back, Gimme Shelter) helped define rock canon, while Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer, along with an all-star cast of improvising comedians, helped see beyond it. By turning the tools of truthtelling upon themselves, the film laid the groundwork for generations of other mock-docs that took a similar tact. Spinal Tap's shooting script supposedly consisted of only a few locations and circumstances and little in the way of dialogue, allowing for the performers to inhabit their characters with deep verisimilitude. It's in this context that Reiner's filmmaker alter-ego Marty Di Bergi arrives. Festooned in a 'USS Ooral Sea' cap that provides one of the film's more subtly salacious jokes, Marty conducts a series of sit-down interviews with the musical trio as they reflect upon their career as they are about to set off on tour. Cinematographer Peter Smokler captured the proceedings with a documentarian's eye, his sweeping handheld aesthetic mirroring Pennebaker's lensing. Smolker, having worked on another celebrated film that skated on the border of truth and fiction, Peter Watkins' Punishment Park, captures the improvisations with the clarity of a seasoned documentarian, presenting the vérité nature of the conversations as truthfully as any non-fiction film. The same level of verisimilitude that Reiner and Smokler used in the filmmaking process was brought to the music. The central trio played their own instruments, and reshoots were done to ensure that the fingering of each guitar note was accurately portrayed. Like the songs of Tom Lehrer from a generation before, there's an astonishing balance between the profound and the silly in just about every note played, while standing as actual works of art themselves. Songs such as 'Stonehenge,' 'Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight,' or 'Hell Hole' are the equal, if not the better, of the Uriah Heep/Black Sabbath/Iron Maiden era of rock bombast that the band's aesthetic echoes. While the backstory of the band was fictional, that's really McKean, Shearer, and Guest tilling away during the sonic visit to 'Sex Farm,' making the border between real and fake band all the murkier. Spinal Tap floods this murkiness with jokes, balancing broad and subtle humor. While the jokes oscillate between the obvious and the cerebral, the sense of realism injects them with the natural absurdity of real-life situations, making their effect far deeper than more straightforward comedies meant to simply mine laughs. While 'mime is money' is an instantly quotable line, as is the immortal dialogue about dialing amps 'up to 11' or the licking of love pumps, some more atmospheric jokes are far easier to miss as they quickly go by. When their Boston show is cancelled, the band's manager Ian Faith (Tony Hendra, channeling everyone from Brian Epstein to Peter Grant) tells the band that they 'shouldn't worry about it, it's not a big college town.' It doesn't feel like a joke, more a funny throwaway that simply adds to the texture. Similarly, while 'Big Bottom' is the stuff of poetry, non-musicians may miss that this bottom-heavy track has each front-of-stage instrumentalist playing bass guitar, with Smalls donning the even more preposterous double-necked bass for no discernible reason other than it's awesome. Driving the point home even further, the band invited 18 additional bass players to join them on stage at their 2007 Live Earth concert, which surely produced a rumble that would have registered on local seismometers. The playful use of graphic design also makes the world of Spinal Tap that much more believable. There are lurid covers for the band's fake albums, as well as a poster on the way to the greenroom where the 'p' in 'Tap' has been omitted because the designer clearly ran out of room (poor planning being a running gag throughout the film). Even the gratuitous use of the umlaut above the n in 'Spin̈al Tap' takes a dig at Blue Öyster Cult. The most memorable image, though, comes after their label rep (Fran Drescher) describes the rejected artwork for Smell the Glove: a cover photo of 'a greased naked woman on all fours with a dog collar around her neck, and a leash, and a man's arm extended out up to here, holding onto the leash, and pushing a black glove in her face to sniff it.' Instead, Spinal Tap is forced to go with a plain all-black cover, an obvious allusion to the Beatles' White Album. It's this combination of visual and verbal humor—along with cleverly constructed lyrics and moments of almost contemplative normality that are surreal in context, be it the zombie-like shuffle of the dancers at the air base, or the solemn singing at Elvis Presley's grave—that define how seriously the film takes its comedy. There's a complete absence of mugging for the camera or milking a specific joke, revelling instead in what actually comes across as normal for this struggling, out-of-touch band. This truthiness provides the most acerbic satire, one that doesn't need to be underlined, and one that would be part of its lasting legacy. Following Spinal Tap, Guest would take the lead in this genre of improv-heavy mock-docs (Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind) and in turn help firmly establish this genre of comedy. Other films followed Tap's music-themed path more literally. CB4 and Fear Of A Black Hat probed the excesses of hip-hop, the genre that would supplant heavy rock's dominance. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is as carefully constructed and glossy as its musical genre of choice, and the core members of Lonely Island, from 'Lazy Sunday' onwards, owe a debt to their Tap forefathers (and Saturday Night Live predecessors). Then there's Walk Hard, Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow's exquisite take on the award-bait biopic that helped crush the genre for a decade. Poking fun at everyone from Johnny Cash to Jim Morrison, what makes the satire so stinging is the precision of the brilliantly crafted songs. Mostly written by Dan Bern and Mike Viola, they are tracks—like those in Spinal Tap—so lovingly produced that they feel like they were hits from a former era rather than contemporary creations. Spinal Tap came out as MTV was in ascendance, and the big hair and big sound of heavy metal was soon to take on an even more flamboyant image as the decade wore on, building upon the 1970s excesses to the commercial heights of the recording industry. The bands that would follow—R.A.T.T., Poison, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica to name a few—couldn't help but be seen through the vision that the fictional story brought to bear, and artists in particular found deeper truths in its absurdity. Even indie darlings like Kurt Cobain were in on the joke, and Soundgarden would habitually perform Spinal Tap covers with only a small hint of irony. That blurry line would eventually be erased entirely, as Guest, McKean, and Shearer played stadium shows to massive crowds. Their second released record, 1992's Break Like The Wind featured legendary performers like Jeff Beck, Cher, Walter Becker, Joe Satriani, Slash, Nicky Hopkins, Waddy Wachtel, Dweezil Zappa, and Steve Lukather. The further away from the mid-1980s we get, the less Spinal Tap feels like insightful-yet-silly fiction and more like absurd-yet-prescient prediction. Both Metallica and Jay-Z would eventually copy the band's 'Black Album' aesthetic, and amid the brouhaha regarding Sabrina Carpenter's upcoming album cover was speculation that it was paying homage to the band's rejected album cover. Incurring a 'Spinal Tap moment' is shorthand to describe any concert mishap, with entire lists of similar debacles proving how often fact mirrors fiction. When Beyoncé gets trapped in a flying car as part of her stadium show it's impossible not to think of Derek Smalls trying to extricate himself from an errant egg, and when Slash yells out 'Hello Sydney!' in Melbourne, he apologizes for a 'Spinal Tap intro.' The music of Spinal Tap stands comfortably alongside the rockers that it both mocked and celebrated, while its filmmaking craft is the equal of the form-shaping documentaries it was in conversation with—all while asking why one should 'waste good music on a brain.' The separation between high and low art doesn't need to be there; great art is a delicate mix of stupid and clever. It's by navigating this supposed divide that legends are born, stadiums are rocked, audiences are wowed, and genres are changed forever. Like the lyrics they sing immortalizing the petroglyphs of Stonehenge, Spinal Tap's 'legacy remains, hewn into the living rock.' More from A.V. Club Duster's LaToya Morgan and Rachel Hilson on rooting a very '70s story in the here and now Spoiler Space: Jurassic World Rebirth once again makes dinosaurs everyone's problem Netflix is bringing back Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
This Is Spinal Tap sequel trailer features A-list cameos and fans are all saying the same thing
The star-studded trailer for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues officially dropped on Thursday - and has left fans all saying the same thing. The upcoming mockumentary comedy film comes over 40 years since the original cult classic This Is Spinal Tap hit theaters back in 1984. A number of A-list music artists made surprise cameos in the latest teaser for the project, including Elton John and Paul McCartney. Rob Reiner is reprising his role as the director of the 'mockumentary' while Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer will once again play the members of the fictional heavy metal band called Spinal Tap. The trailer kicked off with Reiner introducing himself as his character Marty DiBergi and snippets from the first movie briefly played. It then proceeded to show where the three band members are now - such as working at a cheese shop, playing music at a local pub or promoting cryptocurrency in a commercial. The premise of the sequel follows Spinal Tap as they reunite for one final show in New Orleans after not performing together for 15 years. When one of the members was questioned by Reiner why they chose to have the reunion take place in Louisiana, they simply replied, 'There was a cancelation.' The band is also still on the hunt for a new drummer and when asked what happened to their previous one, a member explained, 'He sneezed himself into oblivion,' with their tour manager wondering, 'Is that medically possible?' Questlove also made a cameo as the band began their search for a drummer but he explained over a video call, 'I don't want to die.' 'We've only lost what, 11 or 12?' one of the band members then nonchalantly pointed out. The trailer also showed the trio rehearsing for the reunion and gave a glimpse of the group on stage in front of a cheering crowd. Elton John was also seen singing at a piano during the concert. The end of the teaser concluded with the tour manager suggesting a way for Spinal Tap to 'secure their legacy.' He continued, 'If during the gig, at least one but ideally no more than two of you, were to die...' John was also seen singing at a piano during a Spinal Tap concert The trailer kicked off with Reiner introducing himself as his character Marty DiBergi and snippets from the first movie briefly played It then proceeded to show where the three band members are now - such as working at a cheese shop, playing music at a local pub or promoting cryptocurrency in a commercial The tour manager was initially met with confused and shocked stares from the band members until one humorously asked, 'Would you settle for a coma?' 'Oh, now that's interesting. That's a great bit of thinking outside the box - or well, the literal box I suppose,' the manager replied. Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is set to be released later this year on September 12, with Rob Reiner also directing the sequel. Other celebrities that are set to make cameos as themselves include Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Chad Smith. Social media users jumped to the comment section of the trailer on YouTube to share their thoughts - with some saying that the sequel looks 'hilarious.' One penned, '"He sneezed himself into oblivion." Already a classic line,' while another said, 'Looks hilarious. Can't wait.' 'Looks funny! I'm on board,' a fan wrote, and one shared, 'This looks excellent.' More shared their opinions over on X as another typed out, 'The original is my favorite comedy, I really hope this lives up to it.' Social media users jumped to the comment section of the trailer on YouTube to share their thoughts - with some saying that the sequel looks 'hilarious' 'This is an unexpected sequel I never knew I needed. Rob Reiner and the gang are back, and I'm all in,' one added. Another shared, 'I may go to the movies to see this movie,' and one joked, 'Are we finally getting answers about the drummer?' Earlier this year in March, it was revealed that a sequel to the 1984 cult classic will be released. A shorter, 30-second teaser had been dropped at the time, and there was a brief reference to the first film when a guitar speaker turned from 11 to infinity. Bleecker Street has gained the rights to the sequel and the new film will also feature cameo appearances from several music icons. Director Rob Reiner said: 'So happy to be working with the folks at Bleecker Street who are passionate about keeping Tap's legacy alive and happy to give Marty DiBergi another shot at relevancy.' While Bleecker Street's CEO Andrew Karpen and president Kent Sanderson said: 'We feel privileged for the opportunity to work with Rob Reiner and the brilliant minds behind the original This Is Spinal Tap and to be part of a film that has resonated with so many.' They described the first movie as a 'cultural touchstone' and added: 'This Is Spinal Tap isn't just a movie – it's a cultural touchstone that pioneered the mockumentary genre and left an indelible mark on both film and music. 'Returning to this world through Spinal Tap II is an extraordinary chance to celebrate its legacy while creating something fresh for both new and devoted audiences.' This Is Spinal Tap has a whopping 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been praised by many. In 2002 it was chosen for preservation by the National Film Registry, as the Library of Congress declared it was 'culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.' Rob Reiner discussed a sequel back in 2022 when he told Deadline that he hadn't decided to move forward with it until they conceived a strong concept. 'The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film and I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, "Why don't you do another one?"' he said. 'For so many years, we said, "Nah."
Extra.ie
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
WATCH: First full trailer for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
The first full trailer has been released for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the sequel to Rob Reiners 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. The film is set for release in cinemas on September 12. Following the same mockumentary style as the original, the sequel reunites the original cast: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, as ageing rockers Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls, now preparing for one final Spinal Tap concert after a 15-year hiatus. Rob Reiner returns as both director and as Martin Marty DiBergi, the filmmaker character who originally documented the band's journey. The latest trailer opens with DiBergi introducing the upcoming film and includes a mix of footage from the first film and new scenes. Cameos in the sequel include Paul McCartney, Elton John and Questlove. The release of the trailer comes two weeks after the death of musician and actor David Kaff, who played Spinal Tap keyboardist Viv Savage. Kaff died earlier this month at the age of 79. You can check out the new trailer below:
