History of Spinal Tap: The concept for Spinal Tap - a satire of a fading British heavy metal band - was first aired in a late 70s' television sketch. Christopher Guest, formerly of parody troupe National Lampoon, played the part of lead guitarist Nigel Tufnell, while Harry Shearer (bassist Derek Smalls) and actor Michael McKean (vocalist David St. Hubbins) had performed with the Credibility Gap. Their initial sketch also featured Loudon Wainwright III and drummer Russ Kunkel, but these true-life musicians dropped out of the project on its transformation to full-length film. This Is Spinal Tap, released in 1984, was not a cinematic success, but it has since become highly popular through the medium of video. Its portrayal of a doomed US tour is ruthless, exposing incompetence, megalomania and sheer madness, but in a manner combining humour with affection. However, rather than incurring the wrath of the rock fraternity, the film has been lauded by musicians, many of whom, unfathomably, claim inspiration for individual scenes. The contemporary UK comedy team, the Comic Strip, used elements of Spinal Tap's theme in their second film, More Bad News. Spinal Tap reunited as a 'real' group and undertook an extensive tour in 1992 to promote Break Like The Wind, which featured guest appearances by Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins and Slash ( Guns N'Roses). At this stage it seems Spinal Tap's jokes at metal's expense are too deep rooted in truth to ever wear thin.