Some call it an homage. Some say, ‘If you’re going to steal, steal from the best.’ Yet, for the director of This is Spinal Tap and its long-awaited sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, it’s just flat-out stealing.
Marti DiBergi, who, it must be said, still bears a striking resemblance to acclaimed director Rob Reiner, has very little patience for the so-called ‘high compliment’ of mimicry. In the long years since the original film’s release in 1984, DiBergi has hardly been heard from, while his style has blown up, changing the way filmmakers approach the esteemed format of the documentary. However, many who have “stole” his style are now feeling the sharp end of his tongue.
“I just feel they stole it. They just stole it. Stole it outright. Whether it’s ‘The Office’, ‘Parks and Rec ‘, ‘Abbott Elementary’, or ‘Modern Family’, they use this stuff, and I never get credit. I never get any credit…”
With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues coming to theaters, DiBergi is finally back, catching up with the beloved band still comprised of David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls. The three core members of ‘Tap’ haven’t toured or performed together in some time, despite releasing albums since 1984 and multiple performances. Conflicts between members have made a reunion unlikely, a subject explored in the new film.
Rage Against…’The Office’
DiBergi has had to sit over the years and watch as his style led to massively successful and long-running documentaries. If it weren’t for DiBergi and This is Spinal Tap, it’s hard to imagine how many seasons of a documentary about a family, an elementary school, a parks and recreation department, or an office that sells paper would get. Audiences fell in love with each of those stories, but so much of how they were crafted is owed to the genius of DiBergi’s investigation into the life of the titular band back in the early 1980s, which was also re-released earlier this year. What has DiBergi done since? He told us:
“I haven’t worked. This is the first time I’ve had a decent job since the first film. Meanwhile, these people are making tons of money, and I’m sitting here, you know, doing nothing.”
Making documentaries wasn’t always DiBergi’s dream. He had his sights set on traditional studio movies, but an unfortunate sequel response led to a cratering career.
“I wasn’t setting out to change the world with documentary filmmaking. I was hoping to have a more traditional Hollywood career, get a job with a studio film. I got this one job; I did the sequel to Kramer vs Kramer… it was Kramer vs Kramer vs Godzilla and it didn’t do nearly as well as I thought it would. It put me in the toilet. I couldn’t get arrested. Well, I did get arrested, but it was for something else.”
DiBergi’s sadness over another promising Hollywood career derailed by a combination of being ahead of his time and being slapped with poor box office results early is palpable. Yet in this town, second chances do happen. Even if it does take decades. DiBergi is excited to continue the story of the band he helped bring to the big screen with a proposed multi-part series:
“I’d have many parts devoted to David (St. Hubbins), to Nigel (Tufnel), and to Derek (Smalls), and I would get into the history of where they came from, their parents, their relationships… and their scandals.”
As for his advice to aspiring filmmakers, “Don’t do what I did. Find another line of work.”
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is in theaters Friday, September 12.
