THIS IS SPINAL TAP – The Official Companion (2000, Bloomsbury, London)

You have the soundtrack.  You have the DVD (maybe even the Criterion edition).  You have the breakfast cereal.  What else do you need?  The Official Companion book, that’s what!

We begin with a “Prepilogue” by Michael McKean, who plays David St. Hubbins, offering some background on how Spinal Tap came to be, in the real world.  From a 1979 TV appearance, to a 1982 demo film (not a script, like most movies, but a demo film!) to the 1984 finished masterpiece, McKean sums up the history and his gratitude from the start.

Next up is one of the funniest and most essential chapters.  “Tap’istory” is a fictional timeline of Spinal Tap, from Derek Smalls’ birth in 1941, to a 2000 appearance with Mick Fleetwood on drums, and a remixed and remastered version of the film.  This section is fascinating as it has release years for all of Spinal Tap’s fictional albums, including Brainhammer, Nerve Damage, and Blood to Let.

I found this book in the screenplay section of the book store, but Spinal Tap didn’t have a screenplay like most movies do.  Instead of a screenplay, the bulk of the book is made up of a cool transcription of the film.  This is done to extreme accuracy, to the point of transcribing Nigel’s final line, “wh-wh-what are the hours?” exactly as you read it here.  If you ever wanted to quote This Is Spinal Tap as a hobby, this is how you do it to perfection.  At the conclusion of the film transcription are several deleted scenes, such as David St. Hubbins meeting up with his now-punk rocker son.

Then we get to the lyrics, for basically every Tap song, including obscurities like the then-unreleased “Celtic Blues”, and stuff I’ve never heard like “Just Spell My Name”.  Following this is an incredibly detailed glossary of everything Tap related you can imagine, including Rob Reiner, Steve Lukather, lukewarm water, and Walter Becker (who scribed the liner notes to Break Like The Wind, also included here).

For those Spinal Tap fans unable to read, the book also includes some full colour photo pages, with behind the scenes shots and rare promotional photos.

For any seasoned fan of Spinal Tap, this is an obvious augmentation to your collection.  Tap into your local bookstore today and ask for a copy.

5/5 stars