David Ivor St. Hubbins is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

in the

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 c ...

film ''

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, M ...

'' (1984). In the film, he is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the mock rock band Spinal Tap. David is played by actor

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...

, who

improvised Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

the role through the whole film. McKean writes in his introduction to ''This Is Spinal Tap: The Official Guide'', "When I am called upon to generate copy about the mostly fictional entity called Spinal Tap, I usually do so in the mostly fictional character of David St. Hubbins." St. Hubbins's name was inspired by

Derek St. Holmes Derek St. Holmes (born February 24, 1953) is an American rock musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitar player for Ted Nugent's early solo career. After splitting from Nugent in 1978, St. Holmes worked with various artists, mo ...

, who is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...

Character biography

St. Hubbins, whose namesake is the "Patron Saint of Quality Footwear", was born August 13, 1947, in Squatney, London, England. He grew up in Squatney in

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

#45. Fellow Spinal Tap band member

Nigel Tufnel Nigel Tufnel is a fictional character in the 1984 mockumentary film ''This Is Spinal Tap''. In the film, he is the lead guitarist of the rock band Spinal Tap. He was played by actor Christopher Guest. Character biography Nigel Tufnel was born in ...

lived next door in flat #47. They did not know each other at first. At age 7 and 8, the new friends Nigel and David began their musical adventure together. David says: "We left school and started playing

Tube station The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Und ...

skiffle Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United State ...

. It was like the filings feel about a magnet. We were the filings, Spinal Tap became the magnet". They have recorded the first song they wrote together in 1955: " (Cry) All the Way Home". After his first divorce, St. Hubbins was married to his long-time girlfriend, Jeanine Pettibone (

June Chadwick June Chadwick (born 30 November 1951, Warwickshire) is an English film and television actress. Her best-known television roles are as Lydia in the science fiction TV series '' V: The Series'', and as Lt. Joanna Parisi on the third season of the s ...

). They moved to

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...

, where they opened two "boutiquerias". David credits Jeanine, and her love of

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...

, with getting his cosmically challenged life back in order. In an interview with David and Jeanine, David said, "Before I met Jeanine my life was cosmically a shambles. I was using bits and pieces of whatever eastern philosophy would drift through my transom". His relationship with Jeanine caused some turbulence in the band, especially when she became the band's manager toward the end of the tour documented in ''This Is Spinal Tap''. They were divorced in early 2000 and remained on friendly terms. According to the movie, David has a son named Misha. The fictional character of David St. Hubbins took part in the non-fictional musical advocacy group

Hear 'n Aid Hear 'n Aid was a charity record recorded by a large ensemble of 40 heavy metal musicians and released in 1986. The project was organized by Ronnie James Dio, Jimmy Bain, and Vivian Campbell, all from the band Dio. Proceeds from the album wer ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:St. Hubbins, David Fictional people from London Fictional rock musicians Spinal Tap (band) members Fictional guitarists Film characters introduced in 1984 Male characters in film Comedy film characters