BOOK REVIEW: A FINE LINE BETWEEN STUPID & CLEVER by Rob Reiner
Simon & Schuster Australia, September 2025
Paperback, rrp AU$36.99
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
110% (Eleven-ty percent)
In my recent book ROCKSPLOITATION – Celebrating 69 Hits, Flops & Cult Favourite Rock n’ Roll Movies, I devote a considerable number of pages to This Is Spinal Tap, arguably the funniest rock n’ roll movie ever, arguably the original ‘mockumentary’, arguably far too close to the bone for many actual rock stars to watch without cringing (as Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Sting and many more have all attested to).
I had to base my potted history of Tap on many interviews and articles and TV appearances by co-writer/director Reiner, with co-writers and musicians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer – both in and out of character as (respectively) filmmaker Marty DiBergi, and Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel, David St Hubbins and Derek Smalls.
The line between reality and Tap-ality has been blurred from the very start. When This Is Spinal Tap was released in 1984 much of the marketing played on Spinal Tap being a real band. When I corralled a few friends to go and see one of the very few initial screenings in Perth, Western Australia, I had an inkling it was a parody – but I wasn’t ABSOLUTELY sure. All I knew was the music was heavy and we’d have some laughs – whether than would be at a real band’s expense or not was still uncertain. Such was the glory of the pre-internet world.
After years of legal shenanigans the originators of the band and the film now have the rights to the name again (through some convoluted courtroom back and forth which remains under lock and key – suffice to say that after years of being ripped off, they may not outright own the brand, but they can earn money from it) and have finally made the long-desired sequel, released earlier this year.
So, here, finally, in their own words is the true story of how Spinal Tap the band and This Is Spinal Tap the film, came about. There’s background to all of our favourite sketches, discussions about how the production went, input from not only the major players but other performers, and celebrities pitch in with their own Spinal Tap moments and thoughts.
It’s fascinating and would have been a vital resource for my own archaeological efforts – in fact, I’m very proud that most of my discoveries align with Reiner & Co’s official version of events. The book goes into more detail, of course, and is a joy to read for true obsessives like myself.
As a bonus, once finished you can flip the book over and read an interview with the quartet in character which is as fun as always.
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Category: Book Reviews
