But what could be the very best Spinal Tap in this year of Spinal Tap is A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap. Because unlike a long belated sequel, which could possibly disappoint, or a long belated new album, which could possibly also disappoint, or reissues of albums you've already heard and movies you've already seen, this is something quite different. It's the story of the movie you've already seen and the albums you've already heard told for the first time by the people who made them, though mostly one people: director/writer Rob Reiner (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are quoted extensively though).
The big question is, can Rob Reiner write a book? The answer is: boy, can he! This is a very thoroughly, entertainingly, totally enlighteningly written book. Not only do we learn all about the origins of the finest mock rockumentary ever made, but we learn about the origins of all the guys involved in making it. Reiner has basically written a making of account of his first film as well as a quartet of biographies of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and himself! Not only do we learn that McKean and Guest were pretty serious musicians who were writing sincere folk-rock songs long before they were writing things like "Working on a Sex Farm...Getting out my pitchfork/Poking your hay" but we also learn that Loudon Wainwright was an original Tap member, that the band almost included Paul Stanley and John Densmore (both absolutely hilarious in their own rights despite their best efforts to not be), and that Reiner co-wrote the first fart joke ever to appear on television! Plus, he refers to himself as "Meathead" several times!
If that's not worth the price of admission alone, we also get commentaries on all of the songs that appear in This Is Spinal Tap, including complete lyrics, and reactions to This Is Spinal Tap from real rock stars such as Slash, some guys from Toto, Aimee Mann, two Talking Heads, and either Don Henley or Glenn Frye (whichever one is still alive).
Amazingly, Reiner and company accomplish all of this in a mere 195 pages, leaving the remaining 65 pages free for "David St. Hubbins", "Derek Smalls", "Nigel Tufnel", and "Marty DiBergi" to indulge in an "in-character" "oral history" of "Spinal Tap." A good deal of Spinal Tap's humor comes from the delivery and accents of the players, which gets lost in a print oral history, so you may want to wait for the audio book to really enjoy that extra bit. The guys also have a tendency to repeat jokes they'd already made in the movie. It still made me chuckle a couple of times, but it's that 195 pages of non-oral history that keeps A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever well on the right side of that line (the clever side) and off the wrong side (the stupid one).
Great book!
