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As we have already learned from the original “Spinal Tap”: everything has to go away at some point. Be it to suffocate from another in a bizarre garden accident. Or to explode on stage. That is why it fits that the long-delayed sequel “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” (from September 12th in the American cinema) works as a very funny elegy for the entire Rock’n’Roll age. With the returning original actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, who deliberately emphasize the frailty of their fictional band while they are preparing for the last concert of TAP.
Rights, money and first ideas
“What David St. Hubbins always said”, McKean explains in the role of his figure, “Is that Rock’n’roll keeps you young – but only if you die young. Otherwise you old people like every other old person.”
The creators of the best music comedy of all time never earned a lot of money. The fact that there is a sequel is only because Shears recently invested part of his “Simpsons” spokesman (he is the voice of Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders) in a legal dispute to get the rights back. “We then sat there and said: ‘Well, what do we do with it now?’, Says Rob Reiner, who again acts as a director and again plays the steady fictional director-interviewer Marty Dibergi. “First we said: ‘Oh, forget it. We don’t do anything.’ And then we started talking. “
The actors and Reiner met every day in Shearer’s house in Santa Monica. “We completely wasted some days,” said McKan. “We talked about the old show business and pre -flooded television … We wasted as much time as we could, as long as there were snacks.” Nevertheless, Reiner began to write down ideas on a whiteboard. “And when we had enough of it, it became clear – ‘Oh yes, there is something in there’,” recalls Shearer.
Reality, guest stars and improvisation
In the decades between the films, Spinal Tap has continued to blur the border to reality, published albums and toured in the roles of their characters. The new film can even use real archive material, such as its live EARTH appearance in 2007 as a flashback. The borders are blurred even further because Paul McCartney and Elton John in the sequel appear themselves – and actually play with the band. Both roles are larger than mere cameos, John is even crucial for the final. (A new version of “Stonehenge” with John on vocals has already been published, the first single for the soundtrack of the film.)
Both John and McCartney were immediately ready for the improvised comedy, with Sir Paul returning to his canvas experience from “A Hard Day’s Night”. For the band members, however, it was far more intimidating to make music with them. “They are so damn good,” says Guest. “They are so smart. There is no feeling that they have to make an effort. It looks completely natural.”
Elton John as a key moment
Guest was particularly impressed by John’s willingness to participate despite health problems. “He was such a good sports man,” he says. “It was crazy. This man has had serious health problems in recent years. He came in limp and I thought: ‘Oh my god, we make this stunt – what if something happens?’ And he was great.
After the 1984 film, Guest himself directed several classics (from “Waiting for Guffman” to “A Mighty Wind”, where the TAP members played other characters). Everything was based on the influential spinal tap structure: improvised dialogues in comedic mockumentaries. But Guest has been retiring for almost a decade. “I have all these other things I do,” he says. “I go hiking, I walk through rivers, I ski, and I play music every day.”
Nigel Tufnel as a cheese dealer
His character Nigel Tufnel has moved away from the music business – he now runs a cheese shop where you can also exchange guitars. The idea came from a fantasy guest when he visited a real shop, the owner of which had the same accent as Tufnel. “I walked through London and went to one of the most famous cheese shops,” recalls Guest. “And a note was hung on the door: Temporary help. I thought: ‘I’m calling Jamie now [Lee Curtis, seine Frau] and tell her that I will do that. I could work here! I could learn that! ‘”
Of course, the new film also gets a new drummer: the tattooed musician Valerie Franco. Previously, some prominent drummer rejected the life -threatening job in short appearances. “We also wanted to see female drummer because that would be interesting for this boys club,” says McKan. “She is the spirit of rock’n’roll. It is what remains.”
New songs and a possible farewell
There is also a new song: “Rockin ‘in the Urn”, which relies on mortality in view of the many allusions. “I thought it was the albernest way to say: ‘We never die’,” said Shearer. “‘We live forever.’ And that as stupid as possible. “
It is unclear whether the film really marks the end of Spinal Tap. A world tour is not planned, but the band indicated a unique concert in a “very historical place” – according to a report, probably at the real Stonehenge. McKean summarizes it like this: “If you only exist half, it is not a big deal to disappear completely.”