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March 28, 2024, 12:25:50 PM

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This Is Spinal Tap - 35 Years Old

Started by DrGreggles, April 14, 2019, 12:25:07 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

kalowski

Nigel:  You like this?
Marty:  It's very nice ...it looks like Halloween...
Nigel:  This is exact... my exact inner structure, done in a T-shirt exactly, medically accurate, see.
Marty:  So, in other words, if we were to take all your flesh and blood and every....
Nigel:  ..take them off...
Marty:  ...and you'd see..exact...
Nigel:  This is what you'd see...
Marty:  It wouldn't be green, though?
Nigel:  It *is* green! You know, see, see how your blood looks blue?
Marty:  Yeah, well, that's just the vein, I mean the color of the vein, the blood is actually red..
Nigel:  Oh, mabye it's not green...anyway, this is what I sleep in sometimes.

kalowski

Marty:  You play to predominantly, uh predominantly a white audience, you feel your music is racist in any way?
David:  no!
Nigel:  No, no, of course not....
David:  We pro...we say, we say "love your brother", we don't say it, really, but..
Nigel:  We don't literally say it.
David:  No, we don't say it ...at all.
Nigel:  No, we don't literally mean it, but we're not racists.
David:  No, we don't believe it either, but...that message shuould be clear anyway.
Nigel:  We're anything but racists.

McChesney Duntz

One takeaway from this film - something I already sort of knew from his work in various National Lampoon audio projects in the early seventies, but was confirmed here - is that Christopher Guest is a fucking genius at the slight, bewildered pause. "And the answer is...well, none. None - more black." "...well, you would, though, if it were playing." Etc. Etc. You could measure them with a damn micrometer - they are always just as long as they need to be to be hysterically funny.

Is this the place where I boast that my very first ever concert was Tap, in a small club in Boston (where they played despite it not being a big college town), in late '84? I guess it may well be...

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: mrfridge on April 17, 2019, 06:50:49 PM
That's it!

"What are the hours?"

Perfect.

Also, "freelance selling" as a description of what a salesman does.

neveragain

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on April 17, 2019, 04:06:31 AM
This Is Spinal Tap is perfect. The only other faultlessly brilliant and hilarious comedy films in the entire history of cinema are Life Of Brian, Holy Grail, Duck Soup, Woody Allen's Love & Death and pretty much the entire pre-Fox canon of Laurel and Hardy.

It is without peer (apart from those other films I just mentioned).

I would add some early Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker works to that. Airplane!, The Naked Gun or Hot Shots: Part Deux.

QDRPHNC

Quote from: neveragain on April 17, 2019, 11:21:04 PM
I would add some early Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker works to that. Airplane!, The Naked Gun or Hot Shots: Part Deux.

Yes, yes, no.

neveragain

I can only speak personally but it's always been a favourite.

Ambient Sheep

Quote from: Tony Tony Tony on April 15, 2019, 09:37:29 PMIn order to keep on topic(ish) can I point out that the volume control on the BBC iPlayer goes up to eleven in what is surely homage to Tap?

As has been said, it is deliberate.  It gets officially mentioned in a 2014 BBC blog article here (four paragraphs from the end), although it seems it was like that right from the beginning.

QDRPHNC

Quote from: neveragain on April 17, 2019, 11:39:21 PM
I can only speak personally but it's always been a favourite.

You should have said, I'm just as God made me, sir.

neveragain


St_Eddie

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on April 18, 2019, 02:56:47 AM
As has been said, it is deliberate.  It gets officially mentioned in a 2014 BBC blog article here (four paragraphs from the end), although it seems it was like that right from the beginning.

Making a reference to the volume going up to 11 is shit for cunts.  It's like Alan Partridge fans who endlessly parrot "Jurassic Park!" and "DDAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!".  Fuck off and stop casually riding on the coattails of people far more talented than you are, by way of making the most obvious reference possible, Bastards Bitches Corporation.

kalowski

Quote from: St_Eddie on April 18, 2019, 03:26:34 PM
Making a reference to the volume going up to 11 is shit for cunts.  It's like Alan Partridge fans who endlessly parrot "Jurassic Park!" and "DDAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!".  Fuck off and stop casually riding on the coattails of people far more talented than you are, by way of making the most obvious reference possible, Bastards Bitches Corporation.
Yes, there's such a fine line between stupid and clever.

QDRPHNC

Quote from: St_Eddie on April 18, 2019, 03:26:34 PM
Making a reference to the volume going up to 11 is shit for cunts.  It's like Alan Partridge fans who endlessly parrot "Jurassic Park!" and "DDAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!".  Fuck off and stop casually riding on the coattails of people far more talented than you are, by way of making the most obvious reference possible, Bastards Bitches Corporation.

I really think you're just making much too big a thing out of it.

Quote from: St_Eddie on April 18, 2019, 03:26:34 PM
Making a reference to the volume going up to 11 is shit for cunts.  It's like Alan Partridge fans who endlessly parrot "Jurassic Park!" and "DDAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!".  Fuck off and stop casually riding on the coattails of people far more talented than you are, by way of making the most obvious reference possible, Bastards Bitches Corporation.

'What day did the BBC design iPlayer, and couldn't they have rested on that day too?'

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: St_Eddie on April 18, 2019, 03:26:34 PM
Making a reference to the volume going up to 11 is shit for cunts.  It's like Alan Partridge fans who endlessly parrot "Jurassic Park!" and "DDAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!".  Fuck off and stop casually riding on the coattails of people far more talented than you are, by way of making the most obvious reference possible, Bastards Bitches Corporation.

It's a tiny little subtle reference to something well-known on a site which allows people to watch television and listen to the radio.

Tony Tony Tony

Quote from: St_Eddie on April 18, 2019, 03:26:34 PM
Making a reference to the volume going up to 11 is shit for cunts.  It's like Alan Partridge fans who endlessly parrot "Jurassic Park!" and "DDAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!".  Fuck off and stop casually riding on the coattails of people far more talented than you are, by way of making the most obvious reference possible, Bastards Bitches Corporation.

Goodnes Eddie, you must be related to Mr Mulligan of Roehampton.

Personally, I for one, would gladly sell my house etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lzS8yW8INA

choie

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on April 17, 2019, 04:06:31 AM
This Is Spinal Tap is perfect. The only other faultlessly brilliant and hilarious comedy films in the entire history of cinema are Life Of Brian, Holy Grail, Duck Soup, Woody Allen's Love & Death and pretty much the entire pre-Fox canon of Laurel and Hardy.

It is without peer (apart from those other films I just mentioned).

Tap is definitely top on my list, though I would add Young Frankenstein and (unpopular opinion probably) Tootsie as well. In fact I'd also include A Mighty Wind. 

I remember renting the videotape when it came out--the first tape I'd ever rented by myself, in fact. Quite exciting for me as a teen. I had no idea I'd love it as much as I did, even though I knew nothing whatsoever about rock documentaries that were being sent up. The film is just that good.

kalowski

Quote from: momatt on April 15, 2019, 04:40:08 PM
This reminds me of one of my favourite things about the film.  When asked about it in some documentary, people like Ozzie Osbourne and Jimmy Page were saying how they didn't think it was funny at all when they watched it.  Simply because they had already experienced everything in the film and even more outlandish things.
They just assumed it was a normal documentary.
I've always assumed that this was just an urban myth. After all, Steed from The Avengers was in it.

shh

Even the mangled cod Britishisms are memorable, 'whatever fuck she is'.

dallasman

QuoteNigel Tufnel : You can't fucking concentrate because your fucking wife! Simple as that, alright? It's your fucking wife!

David St. Hubbins : She's not my wife.

Nigel Tufnel : Well whatever FUCK she is, alright? You can't concentrate!

I totally believed they were British when I first saw it, and I still think their accents are better than most (I am a foreigner, though). Famous Trivia Alert: Guest is part English, and fourth in line to the Royal Dutch of Dukes.

"Isle Of Lucy" was probably the joke that took me the longest to get, on account of not being familiar with the TV show. And it never having occured to me that it could be I Love Man or I Love Wight. Now that it has, I can smell diesel fumes and GoT dollars.

Just went to IMDB to get the wife bit right. I realized days ago that I got "summer camp for pale young boys" wrong in my previous post, and for that, I feel rotten. They have lots of good bits on IMDB, though (sorry for any duplicates, but I'm just as God made me):

QuoteMarty DiBergi : "This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry."

Nigel Tufnel : That's just nitpicking, isn't it?

I think DiBergi's line is both funny and believable there, but it's Guest again with the punchline.

Quote from: McChesney Duntz on April 17, 2019, 07:26:15 PM
One takeaway from this film - something I already sort of knew from his work in various National Lampoon audio projects in the early seventies, but was confirmed here - is that Christopher Guest is a fucking genius at the slight, bewildered pause. "And the answer is...well, none. None - more black." "...well, you would, though, if it were playing." Etc. Etc. You could measure them with a damn micrometer - they are always just as long as they need to be to be hysterically funny.

Made me think of this:

QuoteNigel Tufnel : [about the back-stage buffet]  Look, this. This miniture bread, it like... I've been working with this now for about half an hour and i can't figure out... let's say I wanted a bite, right. You got this...

Ian Faith : You'd like bigger bread?

Nigel Tufnel : Exactly. I don't under stand how...

Ian Faith : [gestures to the meat]  You could just fold this... though.

Nigel Tufnel : [folding the bread]  Well, no... then it's half the size...

Ian Faith : No, not the bread.

[folding the meat]

Ian Faith : You could fold the meat...

Nigel Tufnel : [still folding the bread]  Yeah, but then it breaks up. It breaks apart like this...

Ian Faith : [putting the folded meat onto the miniture bread]  No, no, no... you put it on the bread like this; see?

Nigel Tufnel : [folding the miniture sandwich]  But if you keep folding it, then it keeps breaking...

Ian Faith : Why would you keep folding it?

Nigel Tufnel : ...and then everything has to be folded... and then you have

[holds up miniture sandwich]

Nigel Tufnel : ... this. And I don't want this. I want large bread, so I can put this...

[puts meat between two pieces of miniature bread]

Nigel Tufnel : ... so then it's like this. But this doesn't work, because then it's all...

Ian Faith : Because it hangs out like that?

Nigel Tufnel : Look! would you be holding this?

Ian Faith : No. I wouldn't want to eat...

Nigel Tufnel : No! Alright, A. Exhibit, exhibit A.

[throws down miniture sandwich]

Nigel Tufnel : And now we move onto this...

[picks up an olive]

Nigel Tufnel : Look, look; who's in here? No one.

[picks up an olive stuffed with pimento]

Nigel Tufnel : And in here, there's a little guy, look! So, it's a complete catastrophe!

Ian Faith : Alright, Nigel, Nigel... calm down...

Nigel Tufnel : Look... no, it's no big deal, It's a joke... it's really... it's a joke.

Ian Faith : I'm sorry, it's just some prat at university, you know? I really... I don't want it to affect your performance.

Nigel Tufnel : It's not going to affect my performance, don't worry about that. I just hate it... it really, it does disturb me, but i'll rise above it; I'm a professional.

That quote went to eleven!

Quote from: McChesney Duntz on April 17, 2019, 07:26:15 PM
Is this the place where I boast that my very first ever concert was Tap, in a small club in Boston (where they played despite it not being a big college town), in late '84? I guess it may well be...

That is a truly great boast, sir! Worthy of Page 1, if you don't mind me saying so, sir!

-------------------

Love all of the Duke Fame scene, but this YouTube clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22kzdL1hxeU
... cuts off the climax:
QuoteDavid St. Hubbins: Fuckin' wanker.

Nigel Tufnel: What a wanker.

David St. Hubbins: What a wanker.

Derek Smalls: Total no talent sod.

Nigel Tufnel: He's got this much talent.

But there's also this poor quality bootleg work print version of the full UNCUT scene, including the check-in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juRLXEf4IyE

Twed

I love that bread bit. He's sabotaging himself on purpose with the folding so he doesn't have to abandon his original point. He's also on the verge of a breakdown about it all. Reminds me of Rik on the train to University Challenge.

neveragain

Yes, I also love the bread bit.

And DiBergi's mention of a club called The Electric Banana.

McChesney Duntz

Quote from: neveragain on April 19, 2019, 10:26:05 PM
... DiBergi's mention of a club called The Electric Banana.

A real venue, believe it or not, though one not in existence at the time DiBergi claims it was...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Electric_Banana

(Also, apparently a nom de rocque for the Pretty Things at one point or another...)

Sin Agog

Aw, I always thought it was a Donovan reference.

McChesney Duntz


St_Eddie

Quote from: St_Eddie on April 18, 2019, 03:26:34 PM
Making a reference to the volume going up to 11 is shit for cunts.  It's like Alan Partridge fans who endlessly parrot "Jurassic Park!" and "DDAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!".  Fuck off and stop casually riding on the coattails of people far more talented than you are, by way of making the most obvious reference possible, Bastards Bitches Corporation.

Hungover and only vaguely recall posting this.

They say when you're drunk, you unleash your inner most thoughts.  They're not wrong.

Quote from: dallasman on April 19, 2019, 10:04:57 PM
I totally believed they were British when I first saw it, and I still think their accents are better than most (I am a foreigner, though).

No, no.  You're perfectly correct.  Their accents are on point.

(I enjoyed your post by the way)

Elderly Sumo Prophecy

In Better Call Saul they should have got Chuck to do his Spinal Tap voice. I don't know how they could squeeze a reason into the plot though.

kalowski

Quote from: Elderly Sumo Prophecy on April 20, 2019, 04:58:23 PM
In Better Call Saul they should have got Chuck to do his Spinal Tap voice. I don't know how they could squeeze a reason into the plot though.
Ideally, the line "using bits and pieces of whatever Eastern philosophies happened to drift through my transom"

pupshaw

Back from the Dead interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waFM6KvSz70

They've got a kind of Partridge thing going where they can play these characters for their entire real-life lives.

Rizla

I think that the reason the Stonehenge sequence is one of the funniest scenes in comedy history is not because of the dwarfs or the small stones or any of that, it's the fact that, mid-tour and in the doldrums, they've decided to put the song back in the set despite it representing an earlier phase of their career, when they were all proggy and a bit hippyish, rather than the NWOBHM direction they've gone in with STG. Almost to their surprise, everyone, band and audience, are absolutely loving it (the second verse that isn't in the film is great - "tis a magic place, where the moon doth rise with a devil's face") and it's actually quite sad when all goes tits up. I dunno what I'm trying to say here really, except I love this film to bits, it is, as many have said, perfect in every way.