A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap (Signed Book)

by Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest (Editor), Michael McKean (Editor), Harry Shearer (Editor)

Overview

This signed edition is signed by Rob Reiner.

For the first time, director Rob Reiner and co-creators Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer provide the full behind-the-scenes story of the making of the groundbreaking mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap and its upcoming sequel.

Since its original release in 1984, This Is Spinal Tap has evolved from a beloved cult film into a cinematic landmark: an all-time comedy classic that pioneered an entire genre, the mockumentary. Now, director Rob Reiner and his cowriters and costars, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, tell the complete story of the movie and its fictitious band—how they met, how Spinal Tap came to be, and how their low-budget indie film took on a life of its own. Years after the movie first came out, the Library of Congress selected This Is Spinal Tap for inclusion in the National Film Registry and Tap went on to play The Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, and to over 100,000 fans at the Glastonbury Festival in England.

Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer provide the backstories to the movie’s famous lines—among them “Hello, Cleveland!,” “None more black,” “You can’t dust for vomit,” and “These go to eleven”—and to such Tap anthems as “Big Bottom” and “Stonehenge.” Featuring never-before-seen photographs, band memorabilia, and personal reminiscences of their enduring creative partnership, A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever will delight Tap-heads of all ages—just as the long-awaited Spinal Tap sequel is hitting theaters.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever also comes with a bonus memoir by Reiner’s directorial alter ego, Marty DiBergi, in which he interviews Tap band members Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls about their musical journey and their drummers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to the rock gods.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668099698
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	09/09/2025
Edition description:	Signed Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Rob Reiner, a two-time Emmy winning actor for his role in the landmark television series, All in the Family, is also the acclaimed director of This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, The American President, Ghosts of Mississippi, and The Bucket List. He recently directed the Emmy nominated documentary Albert Brooks: Defending my Life, and the sequel to This Is Spinal Tap. As a dedicated political activist, he spearheaded a tobacco tax initiative in California to fund early childhood development and chaired the state commission to oversee its implementation. In 2008, he cofounded The American Foundation For Equal Rights, which paved the way for marriage equality nationwide.

Christopher Guest is a director, actor, and musician. His films include This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, The Big Picture, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots. For the National Lampoon his albums include Radio Dinner, Gold Turkey, Goodbye Pop, That’s Not Funny That’s Sick, and Lemmings. He has appeared as a cast member on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell and the other Saturday Night Live. He has one Emmy, one Grammy, and one Grand Clio award. He is a recipient of an honorary doctorate from The Berklee College of Music.

Michael McKean has been in the show business a long time. He’s worked on Broadway in Hairspray, The Pajama Game, The Homecoming, Superior Donuts, The Best Man, All the Way, and The Little Foxes. His TV credits are voluminous: Laverne & Shirley, Saturday Night Live, Better Call Saul (Emmy nomination), Good Omens, Breeders, Grace and Frankie, The Diplomat, and many more. Apart from the obvious, his films include Young Doctors in Love, Used Cars, Clue, Light of Day, The Brady Bunch Movie, True Crime, etc. McKean and his wife, the actress Annette O’Toole, shared an Oscar nomination for their song “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow,” from the Christopher Guest film A Mighty Wind. McKean, Guest, and Eugene Levy won a Grammy for the title song. He lives in Los Angeles and New York.

Known to millions for his voices on The Simpsons, Harry Shearer is an actor, author, director, musician, broadcaster, humorist, and voiceover artist. His films include This Is Spinal Tap, The Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, The Fisher King, and The Truman Show and, as a writer and director, The Big Uneasy and Teddy Bears’ Picnic. His TV appearances include The Jack Benny Program, Saturday Night Live, and Nixon’s the One. His long running radio program Le Show recently became part of The Library of Congress archives. He also has a musical, Here Comes J Edgar; a novel, Not Enough Indians, and five albums of satirical songs to his name.