Is there anyone who doesn't love This is Spinal Tap?

Spotted the "new" album ... Back from the Dead I believe? ... yesterday. Agreed -- what's the point?

I'm a big Waiting for Guffman fan, so one day (probably 10 years ago) I rented Spinal Tap and found myself largely underwhelmed. I don't remember specifics, but I do remember thinking that heavy metal was already such an obviously ridiculous spectacle that it didn't really need to be parodied. Possibly also, though, I didn't know enough about metal or hard rock to get some of the more subtle jokes, whereas I cracked up in Guffman over not-even-jokes like "now you sing BLAY, leave off the N" because it reminded me of my high-school theater days.

Possibly also, though, I didn't know enough about metal or hard rock to get some of the more subtle jokes

Eh, when I first saw it in 1985 or so, my knowledge of heavy metal/hard rock consisted of Def Leppard, Motley Crue and the general 80s commercial hits out there. Thought it was hilarious then and knowing more about what's being parodied makes it funnier over time.

It's also just an amazingly well-edited movie. Very little drags about it.

yep. wall-to-wall jokes

I watched the three (four?) hour version once. It dragged a bit, but still very hilarious.

jaymc i feel like if you haven't seen it until now you might be already fatigued of the jokes and style that have osmosized into pop culture.

just that style alone, so imitated, seemed like SUCH a comedic breakthru at the time

and by at the time i mean in like 1990 or whenever i discovered it

oh so now YOU discovered it

Canada was wilderness then.

s1ocki, I said I saw it in the late '90s sometime.

the great jokes hit hard, but the last time i saw it i was surprised at how much of it kind of dragged. Nevertheless, it's still a great movie with a lot of memorable and hilarious gags.

If any of you who love this haven't seen "Some Kind of Monster", you really owe it to yourself to see it. You know that movie "Best of Show," the mockumentary about dog show obsessives? I always thought it would be so much funnier and disturbing if it were a real documentary instead of a scripted one. I guess that's how I see "Some Kind of Monster" compared with Spinal Tap.

I liked Some Kind of Monster.

yeah but there's no flashbacks in Some Kind of Monster. Some of the funniest shit in ST has to do with their career over time, the British Invasion hit, their psychedelic period, etc.

Some Kind of Monster is totally great tho agreed

s1ocki, I said I saw it in the late '90s sometime.

― sad-ass Gen Y fantasist (jaymc), Wednesday, July 8, 2009 4:16 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

wait... what year is this?

some kind of monster is a whole different thing because they were a pretty successful band at the time

The Stonehenge thing will never fail to make me lose my shit.

is 'some kind of monster' hilarious?

anyway jaymc even at that point, it's a case of being so ripped off i'm not surprised you didn't find it funny. imo spinal tap is 100x better than anything else guest has ever done.

thing about ST is it just looked and felt so much like an actual doc, whereas guest's movies feel so half-assed in that sense

spinal tap seemed really selfless in its performances, a lot more natural. guest's flicks feel a lot more showoffy and theater troupe-ish or something.

that's cuz one of them is about a theater troupe

thing about ST is it just looked and felt so much like an actual doc

That's definitely no accident: the other key behind-the-scenes decision besides the editing was the choice of cinematographer -- Peter Smokler, who was a camera operator for the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter and the American Family documentary series.

I probably look this scene up every month or so. Just the shots of all the people cracking their necks and stroking their beards in the first minute gets me alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9RGSStvsag

xpost -- (Actually in checking that link he was also the camera operator on the first episode of the US version of The Office, which makes *perfect* sense.)

omar otm

omartm

is 'some kind of monster' hilarious?

― enbba champions (omar little), Wednesday, July 8, 2009 8:22 PM (1 minute ago)

no

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlf5ucFanpY

That's definitely no accident: the other key behind-the-scenes decision besides the editing was the choice of cinematographer -- Peter Smokler, who was a camera operator for the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter and the American Family documentary series.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, July 8, 2009 4:27 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i didn't know that! but it makes soooo much sense

it is really really dull tho xposts

also i found some kind of monster super fascinating but not really... 'hilarious' in the spinal tap sense

i mean defly funny, but i didnt LOL the whole time or anything

after hearing so much about the metallica movie i was expecting to laugh myself silly over what bozos those guys are, but i found myself surprisingly sympathetic toward them! i was happy when they triumphed over the evil therapist.

that makes it sound like an episode of Metalocalypse

It IS an episode of Metalocalypse

that's what i figured, just wondering

its mostly Lars' dad that brings the lolz. the rest of the time it got more of a head-shaking "I can't believe how stupid/deluded these guys are" reaction from me. I mean, that scene with Hetfield speeding down the highway within the first 10 minutes talking about how it makes him feel "free" makes it clear yr dealing with some serious lunkheads.

One time I was with some friends at a bar when Kirk Hammett walked in and one of my drunker/more obnoxious friends pointed him out and said "dude! it's Richie Sambora!" Hammett left in a huff.

after hearing so much about the metallica movie i was expecting to laugh myself silly over what bozos those guys are, but i found myself surprisingly sympathetic toward them! i was happy when they triumphed over the evil therapist.

― scott seward, Wednesday, July 8, 2009 4:33 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

me too!!

yeah i think some kind of monster is a lot about what kind of mood you're in and how you feel towards fuckin tallica bro but ultimately i felt sympathy for them too--they're not intrinsically bad people at all but they've lived this totally weird life that has resulted in tons of baggage and unresolved shit.

also st. anger is terrible but partially redeemed by their utter sincerity when making it (at least as far as what's shown in the movie).

based on the subject matter it's dealing with, i feel like if it were inviting you to laugh at them the whole time it would be pretty reprehensible.

agreed that the therapist is completely loathsome

That therapist's sweater is great.

I saw Tap live in '92. It was really great. Also have the old yellow-orange shirt that the roadies are wearing in the film. I bought it off a guy's back on the street in the late 80s for $5 and the shirt I was wearing. Really really glad I did that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_vRnPTTIZY
^^^how not to write a song

My favorite deleted scene from Spinal Tap -- Nigel on Indonesian music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_LAS16AEvw

i found that part where hetfield goes to his daughter's dance recital kinda touching....like he's really trying

Some Kind of Monster is funny to me. It's also touching and somewhat poignant. But some parts are so ridiculous that it's hard to believe it's not a mockumentary. Perhaps it is more subtle than Spinal Tap in the sense that the 'jokes' aren't always as obvious, but I'd say its no less funny-- and actually, I find myself going back to it now and then, which I never do with Spinal Tap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHdzKdZF2G4

Quite exciting, this computer magic!

Btw on the Cornelius EUS tour video it starts with a montage of tour footage (mostly looking out the window of the bus, etc.) and you can hear audio from when they hear their old song on the radio ("I don't believe it!") and when they visit Elvis's grave ("Well since my baby left me"). Cornelius knows what is up.