Part Animal... Part Machine

"I'm not ashamed I can't function in society like I'm supposed to." - Paul Westerberg

Mock Metal Group Spinal Tap to Reunite
By JAKE COYLE
The Associated Press
Wednesday, April 25, 2007; 8:25 AM

NEW YORK -- Spinal Tap is back, and this time the band wants to help save the world from global warming.

The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap," will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7.

The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Rob Reiner, who both directed "This is Spinal Tap" and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be in attendance.

A new 15-minute film directed by Reiner on the band's reunion will also play at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Wednesday. The slate for the opening gala, to be hosted by Al Gore, was previously announced, excepting the Reiner short.

The festival is to open with a showing of several global warming-themed short films produced by the SOS (Save Our Selves) campaign. SOS is also putting on the Live Earth concerts, to be held across seven continents.

Reiner spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday to explain the reunion of Spinal Tap _ a band always known more as a parody of rock `n roll excess than environmental awareness.

"They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming," said Reiner, whose other films include "When Harry Met Sally" and "Stand By Me." "Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing _ that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler."

Spinal Tap has reunited several times since the film, but hasn't for a number of years. For the band _ whose last album was 1992's "Break like the Wind" _ the occasion warranted a new single: "Warmer Than Hell."

Reiner provided a sneak peak at the lyrics: "The devil went to Devon, it felt like the fourth degree/ He said, `Is it hot in here, or is it only me?'"

The director said the new short film explains what the band has been doing with their lives lately. Nigel has been raising miniature horses to race, but can't find jockeys small enough to ride them; David is now a hip-hop producer who also runs a colonic clinic; and Derek is in rehab for addiction to the Internet.

Reiner, 60, has for over 20 years worked with the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental action organization. Though the Spinal Tap reunion will be a lot of laughs, he hopes the SOS short films program and the Live Earth concerts have a substantial effect.

"What I think is going to be nice about this whole effort is there will be marching orders for people," said Reiner. "Not only from a personal standpoint of what individuals can do in their lives, but a macro perspective with respect to the public sector and government."

___

On the Net:

http://www.liveearth.org/

http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/
Published Wednesday, April 25, 2007 9:20 PM by gonzo
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Comments

# re: Mock Metal Group Spinal Tap to Reunite@ Thursday, April 26, 2007 12:31 PM

This is the show I've waited my whole life to see... and now I can't see it, I guess.  WANKERS!!

by O

# re: Mock Metal Group Spinal Tap to Reunite@ Sunday, July 08, 2007 5:56 PM

...well being a native of the music scene here in the twin cities i've seen alot over the years. metal comes and goes and cover bands still exist, tribute bands still seem to do well in a city that has more metal (or had at one time) then most. i grew up in red wing, moved to st. paul back in the mid 80's. so i'm pretty familar with names like impaler, powermad and bands like the regime. i used to hang out at ryans corner and have seen almost everyone who's ever played there... locals and nationals. imitation is the best form of flatery, but in certain cases it makes those who "immitate" others look just plain simple minded and cheesy... case in form my review of a band i used to hold much respect for at one time. they are called necromis. now before anyone get's the panties in a bunch this is just my opinion and my observation from my time living and following the twin cities music scene. so before you get all mad just understand we all have a right to our opinions. now this band plays a form of what you'd call "death metal" and it's not bad, just nothing that stands out of all the "other" death metal out there... so what do they go and do? here's my gripe about "stealing" or "borrowing" ideas from others... they decide they are gonna get all scary on our asses... black eye make-up and a scary skull on a stick and flying v guitars... funny thing is they "STOLE" those ideas from other people in the scene. most notably 2 bands come to mind... both a band called beph (bernard edwards project homicide) and a band called "kronk". what pisses me off so much about this is they have the nerve to steal from the past... thinking no one has noticed where these original ideas came from and by the way the connection is clear "necromis" used to be "sub-level" and sub-level featured an ex-member of the "BEPH" and the drummer in this band used to be the drummer for "KRONK". now me being a metal-head who has a distaste for copy-cats and posers alike i find it to be "poserish" for this necromis to go a rip off ideas from bands and musicians who were either in or part of the metal scene. whether it was 10 years ago or a week ago makes them look weak that they cannot find an image and idea not stolen from their own local scene??? as if we are too dumb to know where these ideas came from. i can't say i know any of these bands or people personally but i do see the theft of anothers ideas and image. not to mention necromis is tied to these other bands through the family tree of local twin cities metal. when i looked at necromis myspace page i swore i was looking at bernard edwards project homicide for a minute... then i realized, hey wait a minute these guys play here all the time what the hell are they trying to pull? after a little research i picked up a copy of the debut beph cd... and low and behold a past member of necromis (sub-level) was in bernard edwards project homicide... mr. eric christiansen. then, i also ask around and people tell me the drummer was in a band called kronk. and so i went to get that cd, and low and behold the drummer was in kronk. so now i'm pissed that this necromis has stolen ideas, hey guys THE FLYING V shtick was already done by bernard edwards project homicide like 10 years ago... duh... and they are not even "real" flying v's they are lame b.c. rich copies or whatever. now i have a copy of an issue of jack koshics magazine from the millwaukee metalfest and in one of the ads is a album ad from bernard edwards project homicide holding a chrome skull on a steel thing... so now necromis has a skull on a stick and by the way the lead singer in kronk is the skull design... necromis are a bunch of rip off posers. if you look and have both cd's from kronk and the beph you will see where necromis has stolen all the "new image" ideas from and as a note... necromis should be more worried about the "generic" mediocre music they spew forth because it is nothing to speak of and anyone can be a "cookie monster" without ever learning to actually write quality songs and a singer who can actually sing. ohhh, let's put on eye make-up and be all scary looking and call ourselves scary names like north and south and use pentagrams and act all tough... never mind the fact the music just does not cut it. similar to another band who have a really scary image but music that sucks and is as generic as it gets called willow wisp. even they are better and they are from california. these necromis guys can't decide if they want to be a gang or monsters. whatever. some advice to necromis would be to concentrate on the music and leave the scary monsters for the movies. mediocre music at best that does not stand out from the already over-saturated market of death metal... sounds like everything else already out there except bands like cradle of filth and the like do it much better. i've lost all respect for them. it's too bad they have to resort to this. necromis have posed out.

by nick trust