Penelope Spheeris and Spinal Tap?
Penelope Spheeris is a director who among other things directed both Decline of western civilization films, the first Wayne's World and a documentary on Ozzfest that I have never seen. In her commentary track on Wayne's World she said that in the early 1980's she was offered the chance to direct "This is Spinal Tap", but turned it down because she didn't think the film could be done and be respectful to the music scene and she didn't want to make fun of the music in that way. Now my first thought is how does she think Wayne's World and DOWC 2 are respectful to music? I think both make more of a mockery of the music that Spinal Tap. The question I wanted to ask was how would "This is Spinal Tap" have been different if she had directed it instead of Rob Reiner?
From hearing speak and from watching her films, I think she could have made Spinal Tap and it been funny, but I am not sure she sees the sense in doing subtle humor and I think this may have been lost if she had done "This is Spinal tap".
From hearing speak and from watching her films, I think she could have made Spinal Tap and it been funny, but I am not sure she sees the sense in doing subtle humor and I think this may have been lost if she had done "This is Spinal tap".
posted by Metal Mark at
10:36 AM
6 Comments:
Oh and this raps up Rock Movies week. It has been a slow week in the blogosphere. Maybe people are squeezing in last minute vacations. I may do another Rock Movies Week next year. I have still yet to give "This is Spinal Tap" a review because I just assumed everyone knew how good it was. Yet I may review it for the next Rock Movies week. I may also review The song remains the same and I would have to find a way to view Detroit Rock City and Rock and roll high school if I want to review those. I may also consider giving The Doors movie another viewing. I actually despised this film the time I saw it at the theater, but I am no Oliver Stone fan.
Agreed. Wayne's World is anything but subtle! It's still a funny movie, though.
I liked This is Spinal Tap,but I didn't see it until a few years ago, after it had been hyped to all hell. I remember thinking, "ok, this is funny but what's the big deal?" I think all the build-up destroyed some of the experience for me.
Maybe it's because I'm 20 years older than you and more jaded, but I didn't see DOWC as mocking in any way; unless you consider showing the soft underbelly of the business as mockery.
I don't think it would have been as good. Rob Reiner has an ear for comedy, where as Spheeris seems to be only a documentary maker. I'm sure that the laughs in Waynes World were due to the presence of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey who invented those characters.
While watching Spinal Tap, I never felt as if the director or cast is making fun of metal. It seems like they love the music and are showing us the funny side of being in a rock band. How many metal bands have commented on Spinal Tap by saying it could be about them?
From an interviewer's point of view, I can say that what Penelope did was simply trigger the right responses in Decline 2 because she knew her subject and she knew what she was getting into. I think she brought out the natural tendencies of her guest for what was going on at the time. I can tell you right now I've interviewed maybe a couple of the guys in that film, but overall you're not going to get the same respones today as back then. In the eighties they were all trapped in the environment and products of the same environment, which Penelope adeptly exploited, if you will.
I think only Kevin Dubrow has been so explicit in one my of interviews, as far as the eighties rockers go. He told me a hilarious story about banging a groupie in between takes on a video shoot and stuff like that. But most of these guys are married with families and get resentful if you ask for some "dirt" that they would've deliciously served up back in the day.
As far as Spinal Tap goes, I think Penelope would've made a hair more over-the-top if you use Fast Times at Ridgement High as a gauge. Reiner definitely went for the subtle approach, but I'm sure many of you have the special edition of Spinal Tap on DVD with that hour of lost footage? I honestly fell asleep on it and chuckled a few times maybe. The final cut of the movie was just and it's why the film is immortal.
I have The Doors movie and remember seeing it 3 times in the theater with different people. Overall I think Stone simply went after a certain aspect of Jim Morrison to make it more Hollywood-ized but there's still something utterly fascinating about the movie as a whole, particularly the way Val Kilmer did a lot of the actual singing in the movie. He nailed the look and the voice and that's the reason to watch the film. I know that the one character that "married" Jim in that blood ritual went after Stone and wouldn't leave him along until he apologized, which is outlined on my DVD copy surprisingly enough.
and boy did I screw up with the Fast Times reference...I'm thinking of Amy Heckerling, duh....
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