Spinal Tap: Smell The Glove

Spinal Tap: Smell The Glove

The single greatest and most influential disc that doesn't even exist. I guess it really is the movie that the memories are attached to, but Smell the Glove is essential to the 'plot' of 'This Is Spinal Tap.' Much like Led Zeppelin IV, there is very little I can say about 'This Is Spinal Tap' that hasn't been said before. So all I can do is share with you how Spinal Tap has fit into my life.

I first heard about Spinal Tap in 1984 on MTV. I didn't really grasp the concept because at first they (being MTV) seemed to be treating Tap as if they were a real band and there was a real tour and this was a 'real' movie. This may not be totally accurate because I was 13 at the time and may not be remembering things correctly. As most people know, This Is Spinal Tap bombed at the box office, but became an underground sensation due to cable tv and video rentals. It eventually spawned a series of pseudo-sequels in the form of other fake documentaries done on subjects ranking from dog shows, folk music, and amateur theater.

I first saw This Is Spinal Tap in 1988 or 1989 with my friend Aaron. I don't remember whose idea it was to get it, but whoever suggested it was a genius. So that means it was probably him. I remember loving the movie from the get go, even when it seemed to make no sense at all. The next time this movie came up when when I went to go see Joe Satriani for the first in 1990. I went with my friend Aaron and my former guitar teacher Chris. It was one of the things we all had in common, we had all seen This Is Spinal Tap and could recite the ridiculous dialoge off the top of our heads. I also watched this movie a couple times when I lived with my parents and they did not understand it.

Once I was at Ball State and starting really forging lifelong friendships, Spinal Tap mania totally exploded. All of my good friends, fellow musicians, loved Spinal Tap. Watching, reciting, eating, breathing and living all things Spinal Tap was considered a normal part of college life. How any of us become productive members of society is beyond my comprehension at age 40. I remember getting a genuine piece of Marshall promo material with Christopher Guest dressed up as Nigel pimping the Marshall JCM 900 amps, which had a gain knob that went to 20. It had the caption "Now it goes 20. That's 11 louder innit?" I ended up giving this poster to my good friend Joe. I hope he still has it, and has explained its significance to his many offspring.

The next time Spinal Tap came up significantly was in 2004 once directly, and once indirectly. It came up directly because my mother asked me about it. This blew my mind. I asked her why the sudden interest in Tap? It turns out a critic on NPR said some thing good things about it on the radio and this piqued her interest. We watched it and she liked it. The question now is why did she like it in 2004 but not 15 years before? Spinal Tap really was 20 years ahead of its time. By the mid 1990s the media was saturated with celebrities  and washed out celebrities spouting off ill informed and asinine opinions about any subject you wanted to know, and if you think about it that's what 2/3rds of Spinal Tap is: washed out rockers spouting mindless opinions. Spinal Tap came up indirectly in 2004 when my then girlfriend came to visit me with the stack of pseudo-sequels to Spinal Tap. That was a clear sign that my days as a bachelor were numbered.