Eiland's Online English Materials

image of This is Spinal Tap DVD
courtesy of ME

Film as Literature Resources

This is Spinal Tap

This is Spinal Tap
1984 – Dir. Rob Reiner
Writing Credits:

  • Christopher Guest
  • Michael McKean
  • Harry Shearer
  • Rob Reiner
    • "American Cultural History: 1980-1989" Kingwood College Library website. (August 31, 2007)
      Website about the 80’s. Has links to many different subjects.
    • "Biography for Michael McKean" Internet Movie Database. (August 15, 2007)
      Has some bio information on McKean.
    • "Christopher Guest" Newsmakers Issue 2. Gale Group, 2004. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007. (August 15, 2007)
      Biography. Includes childhood, career, writing, and This is Spinal Tap.
    • Ebert, Roger. " "This is Spinal Tap". Chicago Sun-Times, March 1, 1985. (July 26, 2006)
      Review of the movie. Includes some plot and discussion of how the film’s message is given to the audience.
    • ____________. "This is Spinal Tap (1984)" Chicago Sun-Times, January 21, 2001. (July 26, 2006)
      Later review of the movie. Includes his belief that two different stories are being told in this movie, why we like the characters, "Nigel’s crush on David", the subtle way Rob Reiner tells the audience different things, and the reason for the film’s appeal. Review, character, how the message is presented
    • "Harry (Julius) Shearer" Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2007. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007. (August 15, 2007)
      Biography. Mostly career, with some info on This is Spinal Tap.
    • Lawson, Sandy. "Christopher Guest". Biography. Allmusic.com (July 26, 2006)
      Discussion of Guest’s career, including This is Spinal Tap. Has a couple of sentences on his making of mockumentaries.
    • "Rob Reiner" Authors and Artists for Young Adults Vol. 13. Gale Research, 1994. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale, 2007. (August 15, 2007)
      Biography. Includes childhood, relationship with his father, career, etc. Also contains a few paragraphs on This is Spinal Ta.
    • Roscoe, Jane And Craig Hight. "This is Spinal Tap." Faking It: Mock-documentary and the Subversion of Factuality. Manchester University Press (2001). (July 26, 2006)
      Part of the book Faking It … Short, but says some important things about the film’s message and its influence.
    • "Spinal Tap" Contemporary Musicians, Volume 8. Gale Research, 1992. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007. (August 15, 2007) "Biography" of the band.
    • "Teaching Sources: Definition, Tendencies, Exercises" (July 27, 2006)
      Goes with the book Faking It: Mock-documentary and the Subversion of Factuality This site gives a definition, a table with the major tendencies seen in the mock-documentary, and suggestions for the teacher.
    • "This is Spinal Tap" Movie Review Query Engine. (July 27, 2006)
      Site contains links to 67 reviews of the movie.
    • "This is Spinal Tap" Rottentomatoes.com (July 26, 2006)
      This site has links to a bunch of reviews of Spinal Tap.
    • Weber, Barry. "Spinal Tap" Biography. Allmusic.com (July 26, 2006)
      Biography of the fake band.

    Compiled by Beverly Butler


    © T. T. Eiland, January 1998
    Last modified: Feb 14, 2008