Show Notes
“That’s the majesty of rock / The mystery of roll / The darning of the sock / The scoring of the goal / The farmer takes a wife / The barber takes a pole / We’re in this together…and ever.” These lyrics ring as true today as they did back in 1992, when Spinal Tap penned them for their song “The Majesty of Rock,” from the classic album Break Like the Wind. Centering around the core trio of frontman David St. Hubbins, lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, and bassist Derek Smalls, Spinal Tap have exerted a significant amount of musical force since the early ’60s, when St. Hubbins and Tufnel first linked up as young rockers in the rough-and-tumble London neighborhood of Squatney. After trying on a few different styles and names—including The Originals, then the New Originals, then the Thamesmen—the group eventually settled into their now very-well-worn position as the elder statesmen of rock.
But now, after a long, peaceful silence, Spinal Tap is back with a new film, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, in theaters on September 12. With noted filmmaker Marty DiBergi returning to the director’s chair, the movie follows the band as they prepare for a triumphant reunion concert, offering an intimate view of the Tap working through festering interpersonal conflicts, rehearsing material and potential new drummers, and dealing with interruptions from the likes of Paul McCartney and Elton John. As with all things Tap, there’s more: on September 16, the Criterion Collection will release a new special edition of the 1984 classic This Is Spinal Tap. Film Comment Editor Clinton Krute spoke with St. Hubbins, Tufnel, Smalls, and DiBergi about the new movie, which the band hasn’t seen yet, and the old one, which they hate. They also discussed their long careers in music and film, the influence of cinema on their chosen art of music (including formative encounters with “good violent Westerns” like Run of the Arrow and sci-fi fare like The Tingler), and much more.
More from The Film Comment Podcast
On this week's episode, Film Comment Editors Devika Girish and Clinton Krute invited FC Contributing Editor Inney Prakash and Assistant Editor Michael Blair to debate three new films that are currently gracing the marquees of multiplexes and stirring up discourse: Bassam Tariq's Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (2:30); Alejandro González Iñárritu's Digger (16:35); and Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's You Can See Everything (27:12). Subscribe to Film Comment today to explore our Fall 2026 digital issue, the entirety of our archive dating back to 1962, and much more.
As the 64th New York Film Festival drew to a close last week, it was once again time for Film Comment’s Festival Report, our annual live overview of the NYFF that was. Critics Bilge Ebiri and Molly Haskell joined Film Comment Editors Clinton Krute and Devika Girish for a spirited wrap-up analysis of the highlights and lowlights from this year's lineup. The panel discussed and debated Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, Chris Rock's Misty Green, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's You Can See Everything, Valeska Grisebach's The Dreamed Adventure, Luca Guadagnino's Artificial, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor's NAZA, Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s 9 Temples to Heaven, and many more selections. The Questions: Favorite performance? (2:35) Favorite moment? (18:36) A movie that you can’t shake, for good or bad? (29:30) A hidden or underrated gem (47:03)
Several films—both old and new—across this year’s NYFF lineup push the boundaries of depictions of sensuality and desire on screen, posing provocative questions for the current cinema landscape, where sex has become a divisive subject. Last Tuesday at the festival, filmmaker and scholar Ayanna Dozier and Film Comment Contributing Editor Melissa Anderson joined Film Comment Editors Devika Girish and Clinton Krute to explore films like Nitrate Kisses, The Devils, The Drift, The Unknown, and others to discuss what thrills and terrifies us about sexuality on screen. Subscribe to Film Comment to explore our brand-new Fall 2026 digital issue, the entirety of our archive dating back to 1962, and much more.
For the last two weeks, we've handed over The Film Comment Podcast to the participants of the 2026 Film at Lincoln Center Critics Academy—an annual program for up-and-coming critics held during the New York Film Festival, led by Film Comment editors.
This week and next, we're handing over The Film Comment Podcast to the participants of the 2026 Film at Lincoln Center Critics Academy—an annual program for up-and-coming critics held during the New York Film Festival, led by Film Comment editors.