BBC Radio 2 has commissioned radio documentary Back From The Dead – The Return Of Spinal Tap. Respected rockumentarian Peter Curran joins the three iconic and influential band members in the studio for a playback of tracks from their new long-awaited album, Back From The Dead, 25 years after the release of the seminal rockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap.Peter said: "When I heard that legendary rock outfit Spinal Tap had reformed again, I leapt at the chance to make this documentary for Radio 2. And having done it, I can promise you more than a sniff of these visionaries in Spandex."
In the hour-long documentary broadcast on Saturday 20 June, Peter travels to Washington DC, Baltimore and a rehab facility in the Deep South to visit each of the band members – David St Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls – to catch up as they prepare to reform once again. He finds out what they've been up to since their brief appearance at London's Live Earth concert in July 2007 where they performed their song, Warmer Than Hell.
Lewis Carnie, Head of Programmes for Radio 2 and 6 Music, said: "There are key moments in cultural history and the reformation of Spinal Tap will be one of them. I'm delighted that Radio 2 has scored such a huge exclusive and I know fans will turn their volumes up to eleven to enjoy this rockumentary."
Nigel Tufnel said: "Who's this for? Radio 2? Mmm yes, I quite like them."
David St Hubbins has been managing hip-hop artists such as Milton Hynes: Big Fat Black Guy, working part-time at a sports department of a school and grew a beard to write the self-help book Be Your Own Me.
Nigel Tufnel is currently breeding miniature horses that he wants to race but needs to find jockeys that are 26-inches tall which is making it very difficult. He also invented the folding wine glass but so far it has failed commercially.
Derek Smalls has been in rehab for addiction to the internet. He has also been working on a 45-minute version of Jazz Odyssey which appears on the new album in three sections. He spent years trying to grow and develop a black carnation, but is now marketing Derek's Big Bottom Burgers made from "100% beef product".
The band members give frank and honest interviews about why they decided to get back together to tour and record new material:
David: "We weren't even speaking to each other, then someone made us an offer and we thought 'well, a good a time to sell-out is when you've got a buyer'."
They talk about the highs and the lows of their lives over the last few years –
Derek: "I had a bad divorce but I've heard recently that she ate the Koi carp and is now living in the Lamborghini."
We also hear from other contributors and the effect and influence Spinal Tap have had on their music, including Jarvis Cocker: "A lot of people rightly concentrate on Tap's music but for me the lyrics of Big Bottom really opened my eyes because when I began touring myself, well... I came across a lot of big bottoms."
The band have yet to announce their new drummer.
Back From The Dead – The Return Of Spinal Tap will be transmitted on Saturday 20 June 2009 at 10.00pm on Radio 2.
The Tap have also launched an offical YouTube page, which you can view by clicking here!
