Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the hotly anticipated sequel to the beloved 1984 rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, is scheduled to premiere on September 12. As previously reported, the upcoming film features cameos by some huge music stars, among them Paul McCartney and Elton John.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Rob Reiner shared some fun details about the scenes featuring McCartney and John.
The entire film was shot without a script, so all the lines were improvised. Reiner, who once again portrays fictional director Marty DiBergi in the new movie, told EW that both rock legends did a fabulous job playing themselves.
“Paul McCartney is really funny. I mean, really funny,” Rob said. “And Elton was spot on. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, and either you can do it or you can’t do it. But these guys are used to being asked questions. They’ve been asked a million questions over their careers by reporters, and so they were totally comfortable, and you’ll see what they say. It is good.”
More About McCartney’s Scene in Spinal Tap II
Reiner also pointed out that McCartney’s cameo was inspired by a real-life encounter with Spinal Tap actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer.
In case you didn’t know, after This Is Spinal Tap came out, McKean, Guest, and Shearer recorded a couple of albums and occasionally toured as Spinal Tap.
Reiner recalled that at one point, the actor/musicians were rehearsing in Los Angeles for a Spinal Tap tour while the Beatles legend was in another studio in the same facility preparing for his own trek, and McCartney decided to drop in on them.
“He came in and said, ‘Hey fellas, sing us a song,’” Reiner explained. “And they wound up singing the worst version of [The Rolling Stones’] ‘Start Me Up’ that ever lived. But the point is, we took that from reality. That’s something that actually happened.”
In the new film, Paul visits Spinal Tap as their working on a song for a planned new album.
“McCartney comes, he listens, and then he gives a suggestion of what to do, how to fix it,” Reiner revealed. “And then they get into singing together. … And then that [recording] is in the album.”
More About Spinal Tap II
The Entertainment Weekly article also debuted a still photo from Spinal Tap II showing Elton on stage with the band.
As previously reveled, the upcoming movie follows Spinal Tap as they reunite after a 15-year hiatus to play one final concert.
Other music stars featured in Spinal Tap II include Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Questlove, and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
