Paul McCartney describes Spinal Tap song as ‘literature’ in first sequel trailer

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney can be heard comparing a Spinal Tap song to “literature” in the first trailer for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.

The clip also features Sir Elton John performing Stonehenge with the fictional band at their reunion concert in the film, on a piano that rises from underneath the stage.

Speaking in the trailer, Sir Paul says: “Pink Torpedo, that’s literature, really.”

The film is a follow-up to This Is Spinal Tap (1984), and follows David St Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) as they reunite after a 15-year hiatus.

In the trailer, introduced by Marty DiBergi (played by real life director Rob Reiner), the band’s members are seen to have launched their own cryptocurrency and worked in a shop during their time apart.

Their reunion is revealed to take place in New Orleans as a replacement for “an evening with Stormy Daniels” which was cancelled at the venue, while a scene showing them going through merchandise for the show sees the band looking at branded Tap Water.

The band are later asked whether one of them would be willing to die during the concert, with one of the members replying: “Would you settle for a coma?”

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues will be released in cinemas in the UK on September 12.

The original film followed the band from their beginnings as the skiffle group, The Originals, through to their time as a 1960s R&B group called The Thamesmen who had a hit with Gimme Some Money, before eventually becoming Spinal Tap, which begins as a psychedelic band before moving into heavy metal.

As Spinal Tap, the film follows the group as they release the album Smell The Glove, which retailers refuse to sell due to its sexist cover, and plan a large-scale, Druid-themed glam rock show, but a replica of Stonehenge which was supposed to be 18ft high, ends up being 18 inches after they get the measurements wrong.

The name Spinal Tap has become a derogatory term to describe real bands who overindulge in rock cliches, while the film also gave birth to the phrase “turn it up to 11” after guitarist Nigel’s amps were shown to have volume switches that go to 11 rather than 10 in the original movie.