A FINE LINE BETWEEN STUPID AND CLEVER

From the acclaimed actor and director comes the first behind-the-scenes look at the making of legendary mockumentary THIS IS SPINAL TAP, with the collaboration of the film's key players including actors, producers, screenwriters, designers, and more.

For the first time since the film's 1984 release, This is Spinal Tap's director, writer, and star Rob Reiner will, along with his costars and co-writers Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, finally tell in full the behind-the-scenes story of the legendary mockumentary credited as the pioneer of the genre. From the most famous improvised lines to the composition of songs about Stonehenge and big bottoms, no topic is off limits in this rollicking, detailed deep-dive into the film's writing, production, release, and long-term legacy. Featuring never-before-seen photographs, collaboration from Reiner's co-stars and co-writers, and hilarious stories of the film's mayhem, The Making of This is Spinal Tap will have readers -- young and old, fans or non-fans alike -- feeling like they are in the writer's room crafting and filming one of the greatest movie comedies ever made. 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, 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 "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. Rob Reiner, a two-time Emmy winning actor for his role in the landmark television series, All In The Family, has become an 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. As a dedicated political activist, he passed a tobacco tax initiative in California to fund early childhood development and chaired the state commission to oversee its implementation. In 2008, he helped form The American Foundation For Equal Rights which paved the way for marriage equality nationwide. Known to millions for his voices on The Simpsons, Harry Shearer is an actor, author, director, musician, broadcaster, humorist, and voiceover-artist. 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. TV includes 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.