Rob Reiner Tells All About ‘Spinal Tap’ and the 2025 Sequel: ‘No Matter How Old You Are, If You Still Enjoy It, Do It’

The story of how you got this movie made is a bit of a legend in Hollywood. What happened?

Harry [Shearer] and I had this idea to do a rock ’n’ roll tour — to make a movie from the band’s point of view. A company called Marble Arch gave me $60,000 to write a screenplay. We sat down to try to write it, and we couldn’t convey in screenplay form what this was going to be. Because it’s supposed to be, you know, documentary. You couldn’t write it that way.

I added another $25,000 of my own money, and the guys chipped in, and we made 20 minutes of backstage, interview and concert footage. I took it to the guy at Marble Arch and he said, “I hate this.” We had a can of 16 millimeter film, and we went from studio to studio with this can under our arms. And eventually we were able to get it made. It took four years, and it was pretty tough.

‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984)

Courtesy Fathom Entertainment

Did you have any idea it would become this massive hit? Even the 2025 rerelease is a top 10 hit. How did that happen?

We had no idea! I mean, we made this little film, and it didn’t do very well. Then it came out on videotape, then DVD, and it got played over and over, and it became this cult classic. And then people started quoting it. It got put in the Library of Congress and in the National Film Registry. We got approached by rock stars all the time saying it’s a staple on their tour bus. The quote “This one goes to 11” is now in the Oxford English Dictionary, meaning something in excess. It’s part of the lexicon. I was blown away.

The dialogue in the film is improvised. But what about the music? Does the band Spinal Tap really know how to play?

Yes. Every single note of the music is them playing their instruments, recording, doing everything. They are all musicians. They can play. You know, if you strip away the lyrics, it’s pretty decent heavy metal music. The funny part is the lyrics. It’s kind of like the line “There’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.” Which is my favorite line in the movie, actually.

Yes! That line describes the music itself. So why rerelease the movie after all of these years, in theaters?

We wanted to remind people about it, first of all. And if you go to the theater and watch it, you’ll see me as me at the beginning introducing it. And then, after the film is over, I come out as Marty DiBergi, my character, and I tease Spinal Tap II. And I show a little clip of Spinal Tap II.

The original film’s most famous line has to be “These go to 11.” How did that come about?

Yeah, well, that’s classic Spinal Tap. My favorite thing about that is Nigel [Spinal Tap’s lead guitarist] had this whole thing about his amp going to 11, and it’s one louder. I say to him, “I don’t understand. Why don’t you make 10 a little louder?” And it just goes up to 10. And he didn’t know what to say. You look at the film, and he’s just standing there. Then he finally says, “These go to 11.” It’s all improvised. You know? The whole film is improvised.

In the new movie, the band reunites for one final show, with surprise characters, notably Paul McCartney, 83, and Elton John, 78. Is the new movie meant to say anything specific about reinvention?

It basically says: No matter how old you are, if you can still do it and still enjoy doing it, then do it.

I asked Paul McCartney about this. I said, “There’s you, Mick Jagger, Elton John, and you still like to perform. What is it about you guys? Is it that you just love the music? And you love performing?” And he says, “Yeah. And the drugs.” [That’s a joke line in the new movie.]

The point is, these guys just love doing it. If they’re given an opportunity, they’ll get in front of an audience and play.