Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Spinal Tap

Artist:Spinal Tap

Song:(Listen To The) Flower People

Album:This Is Spinal Tap

Of course the funny thing about Spinal Tap is they probably have fans who think they're a real band. Like Neil Innes & Eric Idle's The Rutles, the 1984 film This Is Spinal Tap is a spoof of the music business that's taken on a life of it's own over the years. The idea for the film was hatched by comic actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest & Harry Shearer. All three played their own instruments and sang in the film. The film was a film within a film about this heavy metal band called Spinal Tap. Rob Reiner directed This Is Spinal Tap and also played the director in the film. Most of the dialogue in the film was adlibbed by the actors. The whole point was to make fun of the pretentions of the music business. The film wasn't a big hit when it was released but has gained a cult following on video. The soundtrack album was a different story. The album was released with a plain black cover as a gag but it wasn't an effective gag and some fans thought the band was real. (Listen To The) Flower People is a spoof of late 60s Flower Power nonsense and in particular is a dig at the 1967 Scott McKenzie hit San Francisco. McKean sings lead. Of course one of the gags of the film was Spinal Tap drummers dying in bizarre ways. The drummer on the album is actually Ric Parnell of the group Atomic Rooster. McKean, Guest & Shearer have reunited Spinal Tap over the years and Mick Fleetwood played drums for them once while wearing a fire suit. They even released a 1992 album called Break With The Wind. Christopher Guest has built a successful career out of similar mockumentaries. But the film This Is Spinal Tap is a classic and this video for (Listen To The) Flower People is very funny.