The reunion of Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls as their fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues – after a total of 41 years – is no mean feat.
And while the news of the beloved band’s return to the silver screen has set the internet abuzz, the trailer also revealed that the rock (and comedy) spectacle will also include some of the genre’s heavy hitters: namely, Paul McCartney and Elton John.
“When I first met Sting, he told me that he watched it all the time on the bus and tour bus, and a lot of bands do that,” director Rob Reiner tells Rolling Stone‘s Brian Hiatt, when reflecting on the decades-long legacy of the first movie.
“And he said, ‘I’ve seen it over and over again – every time I watch it, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I thought it was a perfect description for people who are in that world.’”
As for how he managed to convince McCartney to join the circus, it seems like there wasn’t much coaxing involved.
“I reached out to Paul McCartney, I reached out to Elton John, and they immediately said, ‘Yes.’ It wasn’t like they hesitated,” he reveals. “And even Garth Brooks, who I ran into at one of these conferences. He said, ‘What are you doing these days?’
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“And I said, ‘Well, we’re talking about possibly doing a sequel, 41 years later.’ And he said, ‘Oh, really, God, I’d love to do something in that.’ And I thought, ‘Wow, there’s a guy, you know, he’s a country star, but he had seen it many times.’”
Hiatt is quick to point out that McCartney and John’s roles are far from just 30-second cameos. In fact, they have extended scenes – with Reiner teasing that one scene was inspired by a real-life encounter with the Beatles bassist.
“The interesting thing about the Paul scene is that it’s based on something that actually happened,” he hints.
“There’s a rehearsal complex in the Valley where there’s a bunch of rehearsal halls and stages for bands to get ready for their shows, and Spinal Tap was getting ready for one of its shows. Paul McCartney was in another room rehearsing, and he happened to walk in one day when Spinal Tap was rehearsing, and he says, ‘Play us a song, fellas.’ And I think they did Start Me Up.”
As for what guitar aficionados can expect from the Spinal Tap sequel, it’s safe to say that it’s shaping up to be a total guitar extravaganza, with axes ranging from St. Vincent’s Music Man to Joe Satriani’s Ibanez JS-3 featured in the trailer.
