“It's Such a Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever.”

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By: Michael Drukarsh - In 1984, a documentary portraying the life of a rock band hit theaters across North America. It was such a raw and unfiltered look at the day to day struggles of an aging band trying to find their place in the brutal touring world of rock and roll that other artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and even Bono from U2 found the movie disturbing and far too relatable. 

The directorial debut of actor Rob Reiner, famous for his role as Mike ”Meatball” Stivic on All in Family, This is Spinal Tap became the blueprint for mockumentaries, bringing to life Spinal Tap as it prepares for its U.S. tour in support of newly released album Smell the Glove. The band, composed of primary members David St. Hubbins (Micheal McKean) on guitar and lead vocals, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) on guitar and backing vocals, and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) on bass along with Mick Shrimpton (R.J. Parnelll) one of the many ill fated drummers and Viv Savage (David Kaff) on keyboard, muddle their way through the U.S., coming face to face with the reality of life on the road. Decreasing attendance, failed props, including one of the most famous movie scenes in history with a Stonehenge monument in danger of being crushed by a dwarf, and being upstaged by a puppet show, This is Spinal Tap is a brilliantly hilarious peak behind the curtains of a touring band. 

Now, 41 years later, a sequel to the infamous This is Spinal Tap is set to be released in September. But, is it too late? Is the preverbal hand out of the glove? 

There is no doubt that actors McKean, Guest and Shearer, can pull off the characters. As the main members of Spinal Tap, all three are, in real life, incredibly talented musicians and song writers. So much so in fact that they were able to take a fictitious band and create a real life career going out on several tours and releasing three albums, 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap, 1992’s Break Like the Wind, and 2009’s Back From the Dead, all of which could rival any “real” band’s song catalogue. And that, I am worried, is the problem. 

In 1984, no one was in on the joke. Watching guitarist Tufnel try to explain to Marty Di Berg (Reiner’s filmmaker character) why his amps go to 11 because it is one louder than 10, or seeing the band wander around backstage in Cleveland trying to find the stage felt very real. But now that we’re all in on the joke, will the new movie, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, hold the same mystic, the same wonder as its predecessor? The movie is being promoted as touting special appearances by superstars such as Paul McCartney and Elton John, with a video of John joining the band on stage to perform “Stonehenge” (SPOILER ALERT: they get the monument right in this one). As awesome as that may be, it is also troublesome. After all, the original was able to stand on its own without the need to push special cameos, even though you can spot some pretty impressive actors playing different roles throughout the film. 

Spinal Tap, the band, is incredible. The musicianship, the lyrics, the presentation is brilliant and the original movie became a cult classic because of its tongue-in-cheek presentation that blurred the lines between reality and satire. I have no doubt that the music and acting in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will hold up to the original. What I’m worried about is whether the joke will fall flat. Like David Hubbins says, “It's such a fine line between stupid and clever.”

Release Date: September 12, 2025

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