This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

When lead singer David St. Hubbins deadpanned, "There's such a fine line between stupid and clever" I knew I was hooked. With the pitfalls and brief moments of success experienced by the band, there perhaps isn't a better quote to sum up the brilliance that is the rockumentary This is Spinal Tap.

The fictional metal group Spinal Tap was first brought to the big screen by fictional director Marty DeBergi (Rob Reiner) in 1984's This is Spinal Tap. I first saw it back in 2002, and at the time didn't have much of an idea what a mockumentary (fake documentary) really was. Shows like The Office and Reno911 now have the format down to a science, and even Christopher Guest, who plays one of the members of Spinal Tap, went on to star in and direct popular fake-docs like 2000's Best in Show and 2006's For Your Consideration.

It's without question that part of my love for This is Spinal Tap comes from its historical context - how it was one of the first mainstream attempts at the mock-genre, how it fused comedy with profound themes about identity and misogyny in rock/metal culture, and how along with mocking and playing into the stereotypes of rockstars, actually managed to create a successful/memorable group (outside of the movie Spinal Tap actually toured briefly).

I remember back in 2003 I wrote an essay about the film for a documentary studies class, commenting on Tap's handling of themes like sexuality, masculinity, and pop culture in general. My paper may have just been an excuse to watch the movie over and over again to call it research, but there is a message. Spinal Tap's charm and some of the most insightful moments come from the groups social commentary about their own position (raising questions like are rockstars really supposed to be role models?). These messages are delivered in an often blunt and precarious manner leading to laugh after laugh (as the group shows, a life of excess often makes it difficult to stay grounded enough for anyone to take you seriously).

Complications for the group revolve around their failing US tour, a racy new album cover, a Yoko-esque girlfriend, problems in management, and a series of mishaps on stage. It's an homage to rock history and the struggles that have plagued hundreds of groups. As a fan of almost all music, I found it easy to get sucked into this realistic world inhabited by characters desperate to fulfill their unrealistic expectations.

The boys of Tap are generally quite content in their bubble, but the realities of the world outside the tour bus seem to overwhelm them as every problem is merely a symptom of a much larger and ongoing conflict. They just want to live 'the dream', but little hiccups (which continue to snowball into bigger ones) keep interrupting. The documentary format allows for some great improvisation and banter, and although it's staged it comes across as relatively honest and revealing. You may not respect the group, but you do come to feel for them.

In yet another set back, the manager declares, "They're not going to release the album, because they've decided the cover is sexist" to which bandmate Nigel replies, "What's wrong with being sexy?".

The layers of the film are fun to explore. The history of the group is well established from their flower-child start in the sixties to their later transition into metal in the late seventies and early eighties. With brief interviews about their various albums and transitions, their lust for the stereotypical rock'n roll lifestyle ultimately comes into question and addresses how important the music really is.

Throughout this back story a recurring joke continues to pop-up about the band's past drummers, who only ever last a few years because of completely random and haphazard deaths. In an interview with DeBergi, Nigel recalls the passing of one drummer and quips, "You can't dust for vomit".



And who can forget the ever popular, "but this goes to eleven, it's one louder" from the hilarious interview scene between Nigel and DeBergi. Delievered with the confidence (or rather ignorance) of a rockstar, the scene in which DeBergi gets a demo of some of the bands equipment only reaffirms that nothing is ever easy to explain when it comes to sex, drugs, and rock'n roll.

If you have a love of music, or really, just a love of comedy it seems hard to go wrong with Tap. For all that the film did in paving the way for the mock-doc genre, for it's comment on rock culture, for it's own strong contributions to music (the soundtrack is also full of original and brilliant material), and for the wit and ignorant charm delivered by the boys of the group, This is Spinal Tap is undoubtedly in my rock, and movie hall of fame.

If you happen to pick up the DVD be sure to listen to the commentary track where the boys explain (in character) how DeBergi edited the film to make them look bad. It's like a brand new movie to hear them comment on the experience of being filmed.

"But enough of my yack'n, let's boogie!"

The Smalls: Filmmaking Site

It's my pleasure to introduce a site that I've taken quite a liking to in the last few weeks, The Smalls. With original narrative short films uploaded from a variety of users, relevant filmmaking content and tips, and links to other film opportunities, this is a site that I've found very easy to explore and use as a resource for my own independent filmmaking.

As someone who has tried to make the most of what the internet has provided for independent filmmakers, more recently I've been scoping out sites that (unlike YouTube) are focused entirely on narrative/creatively produced content. Finding a forum or forums to showcase your work is paramount to getting your name and work out there, and I've found myself shifting attention to smaller venues that potentially offer more targeted views. While many of these sites aren't the biggest or most popular, the people who use and view them are exactly the kind of people that you'd want giving you feedback on your films. For that, sites like The Smalls can be a valuable creative gauge to hold your work up against and challenge you to push yourself further.

I have yet to upload anything here because I've been too busy exploring others work (and just haven't got around to it yet), but I can see myself using sites like this as motivation to create a more ambitious and refined short film in the near future. I've been saying it for a while now that I'd like to see myself put energy into single project for a longer period of time to produce something on a more professional and somewhat larger scale than what I've done so far.

The Smalls is a site that was forwarded to me by a good friend so I can't take credit for the find, but you can expect me to be highlighting sites like this more regularily in the coming months. I hope to use this site to highlight my own projects very soon, and in the meantime I'll continue enjoying what others are up to - check it out for yourself!

Travel Map Page

As an extension of the Travel category in my video portfolio at editingluke.com, I recently created a brand new map page where by clicking on the stars you can watch an associated edit with that location.

I actually created a DVD several years ago with this layout, which actually kicked off my focus on cutting together brand new postcard edits. With the flexibility of my new site, I thought this would be another great interactive way of getting people to check out my projects.

Edits range from Vegas to Alaska to Mount Rushmore to Ottawa and Disneyland. This new addition also comes on the verge of my long awaited Indio Outio edits to debut - more on that soon. For now, click on over to the Editing Luke portfolio and check out the Travel section by following the portfolio link. A view of every page on the new site can also be seen simply by clicking the 'Site Overview' tab on the homepage.

Happy Travels!