Talk:Spinal Tap (band)

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Current drummer and former members

Scott "Skippy" Scuffleton was the drummer at the last Tap gig (in Wembley arena) but the article says "Fate Unknown". I'd change it myself, but it'll just get changed back by someone like it always does :(

Additionally, Spinal Top are known to get on guests during Big Bottom / their shows generally, and at the Glastonbury festival these guests were Jarvis Cocker and Jamie Cullum... both of whom have been added to the "Former Members" section. We should split this out into some kind of "Celebrities to have played live with Tap" section, because those two aren't really former members and it might be nice to get list of guest musicians going. If we're going down that road, TAP had Keith Emerson, Justin Hawkins and Andy Scott at the Wembley gig! I may go and change this one myself actually... but watch how quickly it gets put back...

82.36.210.84 (talk) 18:27, 4 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh what a shocker, somebody's undone my changes. Jarvis Cocker (a live guest they had on ONCE) is now listed alongside all the canonical fictional tap drummers. Good work whoever changed that ;) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.36.210.84 (talk) 21:03, 4 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Album Covers

Someone needs to add the albums covers for the fake albums. Some are really funny such as Shark Sandwich. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.85.244.48 (talk • contribs) .

Yeah, seems like a good idea. They show them at certain points in the film, so I guess their use should fall under { {film-screenshot}}. I'll try and get some screengrabs later today. --Doug (talk) 14:28, 15 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Uploaded 3: Image:RockAndRollCreation.jpg, Image:SharkSandwich and Image:IntravenusdeMilo.jpg. If someone could integrate these into the article I would be very grateful. Thanks! --Doug (talk) 14:52, 15 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I just put the pictures into the article, enjoy. --Doug (talk) 21:57, 16 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

At one point it says that the cover to the relgious album is "Rock and Roll Creation," but im pretty sure that album was called "The Gospel According to Spinal Tap."

^That was the working title. They explain it in the movie

Spun off from This is Spinal Tap

In theory, separating the details about the expanded universe of the mostly fictional band from the film in which they appeared should help with the organization of both articles. 69.3.70.58 05:03, 14 October 2005 (UTC).[reply]

Agreed. Good idea. --Someoneinmyheadbutit'snotme 22:19, 15 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]

At one point it says that the cover to the relgious album is "Rock and Roll Creation," but im pretty sure that album was called "The Gospel According to Spinal Tap."

Typography

The page I linked to this one from has every appearance of the band name written, somehow (i don't know how in the world the letters ended up in a computer font) with the dotless "i" and the umlauted "n" - shouldn't this page follow that fashion also?

It can be shown with unicode as Spin̈al Tap... We should put it in with Template:Wrongtitle, but I believe the fear is that many browsers do not support that character. --DDG 17:02, 3 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

MS Explorer won't show it so I removed the character.--72.237.107.17 (talk) 18:48, 28 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I believe that the n should have an umlaut over it. 128.151.71.18 13:40, 24 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I second that motion. --Meesheek 23:53, 28 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Redirect

Is there a reason Spinal Tap redirects to the disambig page? --badlydrawnjeff (WP:MEMES?) 18:28, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No good one, that I can see… In fact, I think this article should be moved back to Spinal Tap. Wiki Wikardo 16:39, 9 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

merge

there isn't much here in the first place, and this was merely a fictional band appearing in a single film. it would be easy to add a section in This is Spinal Tap on the actual band info. Joeyramoney 06:37, 29 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Although the film presented a fictional band, they went on to do proper tours and have 2 proper albums for sure and possibly more. Spinal Tap played 4 or 5 nights at The Royal Albert hall in the early 90s... at first I thought that they obviously neded to be merged... but I don't think so now... perhaps the MOVIE page shoould have the fictional names (DAVID/NIGEL/DEREK) and the band page should have the real names (Christopher Guest/Harry Shearer/Michael McKean). These guys REALLY play on the albums. There are 2 different DVDs and 2 different CDs at least... I think they should remain seperate. The film IS still a huge cult hit. --TheLedHead 03:59, 19 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The article in theory is an excellent idea; there is far more to Spinal Tap than simply the movie. But the article is poorly worded and the layout is terrible. I think some cleanup, not a merger, is in order. 24.224.143.211 21:54, 19 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with the chap at 24.224.143.211! Let's give it a go! Harry Shearer does half the voices on the simpsons... Christopher Guest is married to Jamie Lee Curtis... and all three of them are Saturday Night Live alumni... The spinoff/mockumentary films such as BEST IN SHOW are worth a mention too.. --TheLedHead 23:36, 19 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Imitated sound

For example, "Gimme Some Money" is similar to the Beatles' "Money (That's What I Want)" (and its appearance in This is Spinal Tap is a parody of the Beatles' famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show) and "Big Bottom" is similar to Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls."

I think that "Gimme Some Money" is more similar to "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker. While I don't care to dispute the second comparison, it's an insult to Queen. - Calmypal (T) 19:32, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Either way, it's original reserach and specualtion and needs to be removed. Candy 19:21, 10 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Remake Of Gimme Some Money

I just heard this remake in a television commercial and it's not the original. Who recorded the remake? PolarisSLBM 17:53, 10 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's common for commercials to use soundalike versions recorded by studio musicians to avoid paying artist royalties.GuySperanza (talk) 03:38, 14 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a genuine Tap expert out there?

All the talk and discussion centres around maybe's perhap's and guess work. I have just seen the 1984 movie, so I figured the best way to see if something really existed was if it was for sale............Amazon will sell you Bitch School, Break Like the Wind, The Majesty of Rock, This is Spinal tap, Return of Spinal Tap. Some of these are still available on cassette and vinyl! Sulker 09:03, 11 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Redirect

I've redirected Spinal Tap here, rather than the disambiguation page. There's already an "other uses" tag at the top of this article in case someone is looking for the lumbar puncture. I did this because I think someone who types "Spinal Tap" (capitalized) would be looking for the band. I left "Spinal tap" and "spinal tap" as they are, pointing to the disambiguation page. --Bongwarrior 08:04, 15 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Somebody Needs to Get a Clue

'This article or section may fail to make a clear distinction between fact and fiction.'

There's actually a point there. This was a fictional band, but then they did do actual albums, tours, and TV appearances. When referring to the band, it's important to note fictional events as opposed to real-life situations. They have a certain life of their own beyond what's in the movie.GuySperanza (talk) 03:41, 14 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

St. Hubbins

It's been a long time since I saw the movie, so is the name David "Saint" Hubbins? If so, there should be no full stop/period - ie: St and not St. as this would make the name David "Street" Hubbins. Thanks, Lion King 18:45, 16 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This must be a British/American difference. In the States, "saint" is always abbreviated with a period/full stop. Anyway, this one is definitely David St. Hubbins.18.241.7.241 20:20, 2 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Still "fictional?"

With actual albums out and the Tap "reforming" again this year, can we still call them "fictional?" Madeeha2 12:45, July 06 2007 (UTC)

Well, the article does say "mostly fictitious", which I think is a pretty fair assessment. --Bongwarrior 07:34, 6 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Of course they are still fictional! Fictional names. Fictional history. Fictional accents. Fictional hairstyles. Fictional nationalities. The fact the actors continue to play the same characters in new performances (even if in a new medium) does not make them into real people! When a character from one TV show, like, say, Ali G, makes a live appearance as "himself", it is still just an actor playing that same character, and still all fictional, just in a new medium/venue. Format 08:13, 6 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

True enough, but they play their own instruments and write their own songs, which does blur the line. When they play a concert, they aren't "acting" like they're playing. From a reality standpoint, they are more analogous to The Monkees, who sort of "morphed" into a real band as time went on. --Bongwarrior 02:27, 10 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Monkees is a good analogy. The only real difference between the two is that The Monkees really tried to become a serious and accepted band. Spinal Tap don't take themselves seriously. I actually think bands like Slipknot blur the line too because all of the members of that band are (or at least orignally were) known by pseudonyms. The whole band was a fascade, which bears little difference to ST. The only difference is that there's a fictional lore and history behind Spinal Tap. --linca ^linca 09:20, 10 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The band itself was invented as a work of fiction. Things can't change from fiction into non-fiction. The name of the band and the grouping of members is a fictional invention. The fact that those particular members are in there together, is itself the fiction. They always really played as part of the fiction. Live performances now are continuing the original fiction. Format 22:45, 20 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

What is a real band, Format? If it's an entity that performs songs on a stage, as the most simple definition would imply... -Toptomcat 06:52, 15 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

A real band is one not invented within the script of a fictional comedy movie. Are you really saying that Spinal Tap are a non-fictitious band? A fictional character who is a TV presenter, who then appears as that character presenting something on television, is still fictional. The fact that the actors use their real-life skills in bringing the band to life ("they are really playing") does not make it a non-fiction band. When Steve McQueen plays a fictional character driving a car, while utilising Steve McQueen's real-life driving skills, that does not make his character become non-fictitious. Claims the band are "mostly fictious" need a credible external reference. Format 08:51, 15 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

So nothing that originates in a work of fiction can ever become real? I think the boundary is a lot fuzzier than you think. See The Monkees, as already mentioned, and the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. The philosophical movement of Objectivism began as the fictional philosophy of characters in novels written by Ayn Rand. Jules Verne's novels had air war, submarines, and space travel before any of those existed in reality. Functional reproductions of fictional Bat'leth have been created by Star Trek fans. 'Real' and 'fictional' are not binary; there are degrees of both. 'Mostly fictitious' describes Spinal Tap to a tee. -Toptomcat 03:13, 16 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I gave up on this argument but will respond now. "Inventions", like that of the submarine, are not "fiction". You are describing a few concepts that had no physical instance, that later were built or created physically. Reproductions of a Star Trek model does not mean the original concept of what the model is based on is no longer fiction. Bat'leth will always be fiction. (The props department presumably build one for initial filming?) The members of the Spinal Tap band are fictional, they simply are not real people. The band and its history were made up in a film script. Their records and the people that made them, and even the record label, never existed. Are The Folksmen "mostly fictitious" too? Format (talk) 08:29, 10 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Fact vs Fiction Discography

"Christmas with the Devil" was/is a real 45 rpm single. I remember getting, holding in my greedy paws, and playing, it on campus radio in the mid-eighties. Pretty good Christmas novelty song. On the B-side was a scratch-mix version - exactly the same as the A-side but prefixed with a few seconds of a needle plowing a new path through vinyl. 207.34.103.3 22:17, 9 July 2007 (UTC)stumpy[reply]

Pop?

Why is Spinal Tap pop or pop/rock? --91.97.45.110 11:40, 20 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If I recall correctly, that's from the "flower power" era part of the film, where they play a pop song called "Listen to the Flower People." --Shrapnelwolf 04:17, 10 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Another 'up to 11' reference for trivia?

The Guitar Hero forum ScoreHero.com has the shop slogan "turn it up to 11 with official ScoreHero merchandise!" is this worth adding to the trivia section? [Lucothefish, 10 August 2007 16.10]

Can Typing "Spinal Tap" somehow direct here?

Every time I attempt to do so, I am greeted with Lumbar Puncture, which includes a grotesque picture of a person receiving a "spinal tap," which I don't wish to see. Thanks. 72.241.105.214 (talk) 01:38, 13 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

"Spinal Tap" (capitalized) does redirect here, but "Spinal tap" (uncapitalized) directs to the medical procedure, with the reasoning that people who capitalize are probably looking for the band, while people who don't are probably looking for Lumbar puncture. It seemed to be the best compromise to direct people to the desired article. And yes, that picture is pretty foul. --Bongwarrior (talk) 01:53, 13 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Alan White is not a 'guitarist' - he's a drummer61.64.195.188 (talk) 18:30, 15 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's not as bad as it looks. All the orange is the iodine they used to disinfect the area. The part that's actually painful really just looks like a needle in the skin. 171.71.36.248 (talk) 22:35, 2 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes RockDoc

I just saw the RockDoc on VH1 Classic about the band Yes. There were so many moments where all I could think of was Spinal Tap. There's a scene where the guitarist(?) is sitting at a piano demonstrating how he worked out this classical sounding piano piece. Also, one of the final songs played reminded me of Stonehenge and of the violin guitar solo. It appears to be footage from the 70s. If anyone else has seen this, do you think it's worth mentioning? 69.208.89.16 (talk) 21:04, 1 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes! I saw that too and was immediately reminded of Tap. It was definitely old enough for them to have seen it. I'm just not sure if there are direct similarities. If someone could find the film, I think it would be worth looking at. --Kmann108 (talk) 04:27, 21 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

cleanup needed.

This article needs cleanup that it mixes real life appearances and canon appearance together. SYSS Mouse (talk) 19:28, 3 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Fictional details vs Real World details

A few times I've tried to change the infobox details to reflect the real-world "band" (played by US actors, founded in 1982) instead of the fictional band (English musicians, founded in 1964) and each time it's been changed back. I've just had to revert it again, but if anyone wants to discuss it here, there are details on wp policy at Wikipedia: WAF regarding writing in a real-world perspective. Kaid100 (talk) 14:02, 6 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The TV Show

The lead states: "They first appeared in a 1978 ABC comedy special, The TV Show." This is not discussed anywhere else in the article. I searched around some websites and found very little to indicate that the band appeared in The TV Show, although the actors portraying the band did appear. This either needs some sourcing, or it should be removed. Ward3001 (talk) 04:32, 29 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not only that, the opening contains self-contradictory years for this event:

Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner.

The band first appeared in a 1978 ABC comedy special, The TV Show.

Or was the special in 1978 followed by a series in 1979? It still needs clarified to say which is the debut even if that is the case. Jock123 (talk) 19:04, 29 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Drummers

I don't know if I would ever be able to prove it but they had a sit-in drummer at one show at the Universal Ampitheatre in 1992. Apparently shortly before the show the drummer (Ric Shrimpton?) broke his leg and it was announced that Spinal Tap would not be able to play due to the drummer being out of commission. A concert attendee who was a drummer and knew all of Spinal Tap's material ran backstage and somehow conveyed to the band that he could play all their songs and they let him play for that one concert so that the show could go on. This was told to me by a friend who worked at a record store with me who knew the substitute drummer. It sounded like an outrageous story but I believed the guy who was telling me this was sincere. A couple months later when they had the Spinal Tap TV special I saw that Ric's leg was in a cast, or he had crutches or something.

You may not believe this but I think some sort of mention of it should be made here. If you think I'm trying to get some type of glory for making up Spinal Tap stories, well, I'm making this comment anonymously so I'd never be able to get credit for it.

Also, somebody should mention in the main entry that the band is working on new material: http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/61983169 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.164.215.102 (talk) 09:00, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

+"Ric Shrimpton" actually appeared on stage on crutches , with a leg in a cast , and still played. ( I forget the reference appearance...may have been the "Break Like the Wind" Tour. ). I assumed it was a joke relating to Tap drummers and mishaps. Harvey J Satan (talk) 00:16, 4 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Official Myspace

Somebody should add a link to their official MySpace page, since there are currently no official websites listed in this article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.185.87.88 (talk) 04:46, 2 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Whither Goatboy?

Missing from the discography is "Goatboy". Spinal Tap performed it in a commerical - I think it was for Apple Computers - about a year after "Break Like The Wind" was released. Harvey J Satan (talk) 00:19, 4 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Eleven.

Ok people, do we really need to add to this article EVERY time someone on television says "up to 11"? I'm sure these people aren't thinking "oh boy, this will be a great Spinal Tap reference!" every time they say it. It's such a generic statement, I'd be willing to bet anything that Spinal Tap weren't the first to say it. 24.185.87.88 (talk) 23:18, 4 April 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Before you bet, please update Up to eleven. The reference list is really there. --Intentionally unsigned 21:03, 20 April 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.175.18.130 (talk)

This makes no sense

Regarding the 2009 album "Back from the Dead", the following makes no sense whatsoever:

"....as they would have sounded had they really existed and been recorded in a studio."

Can someone clarify this writer's intent? The original songs certainly existed, and were certainly recorded in a studio. Elsquared (talk) 00:50, 29 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]