Thursday, April 30, 2009

Spinal Tap "Unwigged and Unplugged"!

I had the good fortune to win tickets to see Spinal Tap "Unwigged and Unplugged" last night at the Paramount Theater in Denver. The three great comic actors, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest, performed songs from Spinal Tap, and some of their other films. The also told jokes, showed a variety of funny videos and read from the censor's notes when NBC considered showing "TAP" as a late night film back in the 80's.

If you have never seen the film "This Is Spinal Tap", well, you have pretty much wasted your life. And if you have, you may have laughed your ass off about 20 years later while watching "A Mighty Wind", realizing that The Folksmen in that film were the same guys as Spinal Tap. Christopher Guest made directed that film, along with "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best in Show". Shearer appeared with Guest on Saturday Night Live for one fabulous season back in the early 80's, when Martin Short and Billy Crystal were also in the cast, and is also the voice of many characters on The Simpsons (including both Mr.Burns and Smithers....talk about self love!). McKean is probably best known as Lenny on "Lavern and Shirley", but don't hold that against him.

These guys are amazingly talented. They make great films, write very witty songs, and performed them last night is a variety of witty styles you would not expect. It was 2 hours of witty, intelligent humor and music that seemed to last only 15 minutes.

So, if this tour is coming to your town, check it out. You can find the schedule at their web site here. You can also go to Spinaltap.com and download a free version of "Saucy Jack".

Oh, and Harry Shearer does a radio show every Sunday called "Le Show". It is not available in most of the country, but you can listen to the pod cast at his web site.

So stop wasting time and go "Tap Into America"! Rock 'n Roll!!!

1 comment:

mal, mnn said...

and , new TAP cd/dvd on june 16-

http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2009/05/spinal-tap-is-back-from-the-dead-june-16.html