Book Review: A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap By Rob Reiner with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer (Gallery Books)

By: Jesse Striewski

Just when you thought you couldn’t get enough of Spinal Tap, director Rob Reiner puts into words the story of how perhaps the most referenced band of all time came to fruition, with the help of key players Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer for A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap.

From each member’s early beginnings within the entertainment world, to how they each eventually came together in the ’70s and created the ultimate rockumentary with 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap (and all the false starts that occurred prior to it).

It also helps fill in all of the gaps between the original movie and its recent sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, including brief reunions and one-offs, and other pop culture appearances over the years (yes, their ’90s cameo on The Simpsons included, too).

But that’s not all; finish A Fine Line Between Stupid and Cleaver and flip it over and you’ve got Smell This Book, a fictional Q&A on the band’s history from each of their alter egos. Not as strong as the other side of the book, but entertaining in its own right.

I had to laugh when I had my own “Spinal Tap” – esque moments while building this very article and the initial photo I uploaded for it was smaller than an eighteen inch Stonehenge (if you know, you know!), not to mention the typo originally found in this very article’s title! Without a doubt, the legacy created by these four guys will continue to endure through the ages/until we’re all “Rockin’ in the Urn” like a Derek Smalls original.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Film Review: Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (Sony Pictures Releasing/Stage 6 Films/Bleecker Street)

By: Jesse Striewski

Typically when asked what my “favorite movie of all time” is, I struggle to give a definitive answer. But in the field of comedy films, for decades now my mind has almost instantly always gone to 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, the rock mockumentary featuring the fictional band of the same name. So as soon as I heard the news about Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, I knew I would be there on opening night (or more accurately, an early IMAX screening of it on September 10).

The film itself follows the core of Spinal Tap, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael Mckean), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) reuniting after a fifteen year gap for a comeback concert in New Orleans, all while being filmed again by Director Marty Di Bergi (Rob Reiner).

Inner band turmoil and the search for that ever elusive drummer all ensue, and there’s appearances by the likes of Paul McCartney and Elton John (among others). But the jokes unfortunately don’t always go to “11” this time around, despite how hard they may try to (although the pay off in the end is rather satisfying).

Flyer for the previously-mentioned early showing of Spinal Tap II the author attended on 9-10-25, although the Q&A advertised here was nowhere to be found, only a brief introduction from Director Rob Reiner prior to the film was present.

Can I recommend Spinal Tap II? Of course. But if you’re not as big of a fan of the first film as myself, you might find yourself lacking interest in the proceedings here. But still, we live in a world where Spinal Tap (the band) are still around to give us at the very least one more round; that alone can’t be all that bad.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Retrospective: 40 Years since ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ Turned it Up to Eleven By Jesse Striewski

I’ve never been one for the standard “What’s your favorite movie/band/album/etc…” question as I’ve always found it near-impossible to answer. However, certain titles will almost always instantly pop up when pried, and in the case of films, 1984’s This is Spinal Tap usually is my go-to answer as far as personal favorites go (without a doubt at least in the comedy genre, if not overall).

Originally released on March 2, 1984, there’s simply something comforting about the movie and its characters that will almost always make me stop if it’s playing somewhere. I can’t really recall the first time I ever watched it in full, but I definitely remember many a times watching it; sometimes with friends while sharing drinks and laughs, other times alone in the middle of the night while simply battling insomnia. Either way, the ‘Tap have just always been there for me, one way or another.

Set up as a documentary (or “mockumentary,” if you will) with actual director Rob Reiner portraying a filmmaker chronicling the fictitious band Spinal Tap’s storied history within the film itself, it’s so realistic it almost feels real as he interviews David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and the numerous drummers that came and passed throughout the years (one of many running gags).

Copy of This is Spinal Tap on DVD and the band’s 1992 album Break Like the Wind on CD from the author’s personal collection.

From getting lost on the way to the stage, to Stonehenge and amps that “go to eleven,” there’s no shortage of genius classic moments and quotable lines that can be found. Even the companion soundtrack, with such masterpieces as “Big Bottom” (with lines like “Talk about mud flaps, my gal’s got ’em!”), “Hell Hole,” and “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight,” are all brilliant in their own ways.

The lasting impact of the film cannot be understated. From McKean and Shearer appearing as their respective characters St. Hubbins and Smalls on the charity group Hear ‘n Aid’s 1986 single “Stars,” to the band appearing on a 1992 episode of The Simpsons (not a far stretch considering both McKean and Shearer had each already done voice work on the show prior). The “band” themselves have also since occasionally performed live and even released the albums Break Like the Wind (1992) and Back From the Dead (2009).

Plans of a sequel were first announced in 2022, with reports that filming had started (with Reiner and the core cast members all attached) early this year. Whether or not the new film will be a worthy follow up or not still remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure there’s no denying the legacy the film – and Spinal Tap themselves – have created. Turn it up to eleven, and enjoy.