NFT: This (thread) is (about) Spinal Tap.

So many great things about the film that's 35 years old now.

The video I linked is a 22-minute interview by Harry Smith with the geniuses behind the classic.

Everyone seems to have a favorite Beetle. Who's your favorite member of Spinal Tap?

Michael McKean (as David St. Hubbins)?
Christopher Guest (as Nigel Tufnel)?
Harry Shearer (as Derek Smalls)?

Some truly great tidbits - some I'd heard, some not - in this interview (which includes Rob Reiner), including their favorite moments, what made them laugh while making it, the struggle they had trying to sell it to studios ("Maybe you should wink? In the first 30 seconds of the film?" Shearer says, "No, I don't think we'll do that."

Also, that the film was pretty much ALL improvised after they'd made a 20-minute version (that nobody seemed to get ... at all).

And one subtle thing that McKean references as one of his favorite things about the entire project: That someone (he can't remember who did it), at some point, put an umlaut over the N in Spinal.

Happy Friday, all.
May 1 interview. - ( New Window )