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Viv Savage
Spinal Tap (stylized as Spın̈al Tap, with a dotless letter ''i'' and a metal umlaut over the ''n'') is a fictional English heavy metal band created by American comedians and musicians Michael McKean (as lead singer and co-lead guitarist David St. Hubbins), Christopher Guest (as lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel) and Harry Shearer (as bassist Derek Smalls). They are characterized as "one of England's loudest bands". McKean, Guest and Shearer wrote and performed original songs for the band. The band first appeared on a 1979 ABC television sketch comedy pilot called ''The T.V. Show'', starring Rob Reiner. The sketch, actually a mock promotional video for the song "Rock and Roll Nightmare", was written by Reiner and the band, and included songwriter-performer Loudon Wainwright III on keyboards. Later the band became the fictional subject of the 1984 rockumentary / mockumentary film ''This Is Spinal Tap''. ''This Is Spinal Tap'' was accompanied by a soundtrack album of the same ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derek Smalls
Derek Albion Smalls is a fictional character played by Harry Shearer in the spoof rockumentary '' This Is Spinal Tap''. He is the bassist for mock British heavy metal group Spinal Tap, playing alongside guitarists Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), as well as with a plethora of drummers and keyboardists. Fictional biography Derek grew up in Nilford-on-Null in the West Midlands, England, where his father, Donald "Duff" Smalls, ran a telephone sanitisation business, "Sani-Fone".French, ''This Is Spinal Tap'', p. 255 He joined Spın̈al Tap in 1967 after the departure of bassist Ronnie Pudding. Derek has described bandmates David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel as "distinct types of visionaries ... like fire and ice", saying that he considered his role in the band to be "in the middle of that, kind of like lukewarm water". A pipe-smoker, he has been known to enhance his appearance by placing a foil-wrapped courgette in his trousers, which result ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metal Umlaut
A metal umlaut is a diacritic that is sometimes used gratuitously or decoratively over letters in the names of mainly hard rock or heavy metal bands—for example, those of Blue Öyster Cult, Queensrÿche, Motörhead, the Accüsed, Mötley Crüe and the parody bands Spın̈al Tap, Green Jellÿ and Moxy Früvous. Usage Among English speakers, the use of umlaut marks and other diacritics with a blackletter typeface is a form of foreign branding which has been attributed to a desire for a "gothic horror" feel. The metal umlaut is not generally intended to affect the pronunciation of the band's name, unlike the umlaut in German (where the letters ''u'' and '' ü'' represent distinct vowels) and the Scandinavian languages (where å, ä and a, ö/ø and o are distinct letters). History The first gratuitous use of the umlaut in the name of a hard rock or metal band appears to have been by Blue Öyster Cult in 1970. Blue Öyster Cult's website states it was added by guitarist and keyb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Folksmen
The Folksmen are a fictitious American folk music trio, conceived and performed by actors-comedians-musicians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. Originally created in 1984 for a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch, the Folksmen have subsequently maintained an intermittent public presence for more than twenty-five years. The trio is best known for its depiction in the mockumentary film ''A Mighty Wind'' (2003), but has also made a number of meta-performances on stage and television, often in conjunction with the same creators' fictitious heavy metal band, Spinal Tap. Film, television and concert depictions Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer first appeared as the Folksmen on the November 3, 1984, episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', the fourth episode of season 10. Guest and Shearer had both joined ''SNL'' as cast members that season (though Harry Shearer was previously an ''SNL'' cast member for the 1979-1980 season), while McKean was hosting that ep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Folk Music Revival
The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Bennet, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob Niles, Susan Reed, Paul Robeson, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Cisco Houston had enjoyed a limited general popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. The revival brought forward styles of American folk music that had in earlier times contributed to the development of country and western, blues, jazz, and rock and roll music. Overview Early years The folk revival in New York City was rooted in the resurgent interest in square dancing and folk dancing there in the 1940s as espoused by instructors such as Margot Mayo, which gave musicians such as Pete Seeger popular exposure. The folk revival more generally as a popular and commercial phenomenon begins with the career of The Weavers, formed in November 194 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts. Leading pop and rock artists have headlined, alongside thousands of others appearing on smaller stages and performance areas. Films and albums have been recorded at the festival, and it receives extensive television and newspaper coverage. Glastonbury is attended by around 200,000 people, thus requiring extensive security, transport, water, and electricity-supply infrastructure. While the number of attendees is sometimes swollen by gatecrashers, a record of 300,000 people was set at the 1994 festival, headlined by the Levellers who performed on The Pyramid Stage. Most festival staff are volunteers, helping the festival to raise millions of pounds for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-seat facility is London's second-largest indoor arena after The O2 Arena, and the List of indoor arenas in the United Kingdom, ninth-largest in the United Kingdom. History The Empire Pool (also known as Empire Pool and Sports Arena) was built for the 1934 British Empire Games at Wembley, by Arthur Elvin, and originally housed a swimming pool, as reflected by its name. The pool itself was last used for the 1948 Summer Olympics. Today, the building is used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. It was designed by the engineer Sir Owen Williams (engineer), Owen Williams, without the employment of an architect. Williams built a unique structure, with cantilevers meeting in the middle, thus avoiding the need for internal pillars. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
This Is Spinal Tap (album)
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (or simply ''Spinal Tap'') is the soundtrack to the film '' This Is Spinal Tap'', released in 1984. It was re-released in 2000 with lyrics and two versions of "Christmas with the Devil" as bonus tracks. The cover art is identical to that of the fictional album '' Smell the Glove'' featured in the film. Track listing Other appearances "Gimme Some Money" was featured in the 1991 comedy film ''Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead''. The song "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" is featured in the video game ''Guitar Hero II''. When played as the encore song at the end of the career mode's second tier, the in-game band's drummer spontaneously combusts upon the song's completion, a direct reference to '' This Is Spinal Tap''. Its riff is borrowed in the song "Athlete Cured" from the 1988 album by The Fall, ''The Frenz Experiment''. Seattle grunge band Soundgarden covered the song "Big Bottom" several times at their early live shows, documented on their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
This Is Spinal Tap
''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as members of the fictional British heavy metal music, heavy metal band Spinal Tap (band), Spinal Tap, one of England's "loudest bands", with Reiner as Martin "Marty" Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker who follows them on their American tour. The film satire (film and television), satirizes the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands and the Hagiography, hagiographic tendencies of Rockumentary, rock documentaries such as ''The Song Remains the Same (film), The Song Remains the Same'' (1976) and ''The Last Waltz'' (1978), and follows the similar ''All You Need Is Cash'' (1978) by the Rutles. Most of its dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed. ''This Is Spinal Tap'' was released to criti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mockumentary
A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictional setting, or to parody the documentary form itself. While mockumentaries are usually comedic, pseudo-documentaries are their dramatic equivalents. However, pseudo-documentary should not be confused with docudrama, a fictional genre in which dramatic techniques are combined with documentary elements to depict real events. Also, docudrama is different from docufiction, a genre in which documentaries are contaminated with fictional elements. Mockumentaries are often presented as historical documentaries, with B roll and talking heads discussing past events, or as '' cinéma vérité'' pieces following people as they go through various events. Examples emerged during the 1950s when archival film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rockumentary
A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The earliest known concert film is the 1948 picture ''Concert Magic''. This concert features virtuoso violinist Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999) at the Charlie Chaplin Studios in 1947. Together with various artists he performed classical and romantic works of famous composers such as Beethoven, Wieniawski, Bach, Paganini and others. The earliest known jazz concert film is the 1959 film ''Jazz on a Summer's Day''. The film was recorded during the fifth annual Newport Jazz Festival. The earliest known rock concert film was the T.A.M.I. Show, which featured acts such as The Beach Boys, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and the Rolling Stones. One of popular music's most ground-breaking concert films is '' Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii'' (1972), directed by Ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimming Song", "Motel Blues", "The Man Who Couldn't Cry", "Dead Skunk", and "Lullaby". In 2007, he collaborated with musician Joe Henry to create the soundtrack for Judd Apatow's film ''Knocked Up''. In addition to music, he has acted in small roles in at least eighteen television programs and feature films, including three episodes in the third season of the series ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H''. Reflecting upon his career in 1999, he stated, "You could characterize the catalog as somewhat checkered, although I prefer to think of it as a tapestry." In 2017, Wainwright released his autobiography, ''Liner Notes: On Parents & Children, Exes & Excess, Death & Decay, and a Few of My Other Favorite Things''. He is the brother of singer Sloan Wainwr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rob Reiner
Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performance that earned him two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Comedy Series, Primetime Emmy Awards. As a director, Reiner was recognized by the Directors Guild of America Awards with nominations for the coming of age drama ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'' (1986), the romantic comedy ''When Harry Met Sally...'' (1989), and the military courtroom drama ''A Few Good Men'' (1992), the last of which also earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture. He has also received four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Reiner's other major directorial film credits include the heavy metal mockumentary ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984), the romantic comedy fantasy adventure ''The Princess Bride (fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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