A Fine Line between Stupid and Clever

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER For the first time, director Rob Reiner and co-creators Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer provide the full behind-the-scenes story of the making of the groundbreaking mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap and its upcoming sequel. Since its original release in 1984, This Is Spinal Tap has evolved from a beloved cult film into a cinematic landmark: an all-time comedy classic that pioneered an entire genre: the mockumentary. Now, director Rob Reiner and his co-writers and co-stars, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, tell the complete story of the movie and its fictitious band - how they met, how Spinal Tap came to be, and how their low-budget indie film took on a life of its own. Years after the movie first came out, the Library of Congress selected This Is Spinal Tap for inclusion in the National Film Registry and Tap went on to play the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, and to over 100,000 fans at Glastonbury.  Reiner, Guest, McKean and Shearer provide the backstories to the movie's famous lines - among them 'Hello, Cleveland!,' 'None more black,' 'You can't dust for vomit' and 'These go to eleven' - and to such Tap anthems as 'Big Bottom' and 'Stonehenge'. Featuring never-before-seen photographs, band memorabilia and personal reminiscences of their enduring creative partnership, A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever will delight Tap-heads of all ages - just as the long-awaited Spinal Tap sequel is hitting theatres.  BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever also comes with a bonus memoir by Reiner's directorial alter ego, Marty DiBergi, in which he interviews Tap band members Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls about their musical journey and their drummers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to the rock gods.

Rob Reiner, a two-time Emmy-winning actor for his role in the landmark television series, All in the Family, was the 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. He also directed the Emmy-nominated documentary Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, and the sequel to This Is Spinal Tap. As a dedicated political activist, he spearheaded a tobacco tax initiative in California to fund early childhood development and chaired the state commission to oversee its implementation. In 2008, he cofounded The American Foundation for Equal Rights, which paved the way for marriage equality nationwide.