This is NOT your father’s Spinal Tap
Local jam band tackles the greatest rock band, ever

By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu
Photo courtesy of Polytoxic
How much more Tap could they be? From Left, Polytoxic is: Tori Taper, C.R. Gruver, Chad Johnson

   And it’s not “This is Spinal Tap,” Rob Reiner’s 1984 cult classic mockumentary about “the world’s loudest band.” But the April Fool’s Day production of    “This is NOT Spinal Tap,” by local jam band Polytoxic, had all the spoof and spirit of the original, with a full replica of musical sets, authentic costume designs and amps that went “one louder.”
   Produced by Nobody in Particular Presents, “This is NOT Spinal Tap” was a wickedly funny multi-media experience that used clever set design, movie clips and props to turn the Gothic Theater into a virtual mega-stadium of mock rock ‘n’ roll.
   “ We worked our butts off getting all the sets in place and getting the sound just right,” Polytoxic drummer and lead singer Chad “Chadzilla” Johnson said. “We had a lot of people helping us that were just so happy to be part of (the show).”
   Polytoxic is made up of Johnson, with Tori Taper on guitar and C.R. Gruver on bass. Winners of Westword’s 2006 Best Local Concert Award, Polytoxic has always tried to break the jam band mold.
   “ We wanted to change people’s view’s of jam bands,” Johnson said.
   They’ve done just that. Before taking on the Spinal Tap project, Polytoxic put out 11 cover albums in just one year. Some of the covers included Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, The Police’s Fiyo on the Bayou, U2’s Joshua Tree, Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, James Brown’s In the Jungle Groove and    The Band’s The Last Waltz.
   “ Last year, we had done all these very pivotal albums that marked a period of our lives,” Johnson said. “But then we decided we wanted to do some soundtracks. The first soundtrack we all agreed on was Spinal Tap.”
   Polytoxic paid tribute to “A Mighty Wind,” another movie featuring Tap actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, taking on the role of    The Folksmen as the opening band. A folk group from Guest’s mockumentary The Folksmen opened the set with their classic “Never Did No Wanderin.’”    After pseudo-folk covers of some more contemporary songs, The Folksmen ended the opening set with the classic diner tribute “Old Joe’s Place.”
   As the “Folksmen” headed backstage for a costume change, a movie screen dropped down behind the stage and played clips from the original movie, including Reiner’s monologue introducing Spinal Tap.
   With Taper as Nigel Tufnel, Gruver as David St. Hubbins, Ted Tilton as Derek Smalls and Johnson as the drummer, the Tap impostors stormed the stage in full leather glory, complete with armadillo-stuffed trousers.
   As they stood under a massive horned skull, the Tap impostors asked Denver fans the inevitably heavy question: “Are you ready to rock?”
   As they segued into their opening classic “Tonight We’re Gonna Rock You Tonight,” it was clear Denver fans were, indeed, ready to rock.
   But, as true fans know, Spinal Tap was not always Spinal Tap. True to movie form, Polytoxic donned the Beatle-esque costumes of their original band, The    Thamesmen, to perform the early classics “Gimme Some Money” and “Cups and Cakes.” It was here that the production showed their versatility, using the upper corner balcony as a stage akin to an early performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The second set also served as the setting for Elvis’ grave, where    “Tap” did a rocking tribute rendition of the King’s “Heartbreak Hotel.”
   While peppering the screen with quotable scenes such as Derek Smalls’ cucumber in the pants and Tufnel’s dilemma over the small, un-foldable dressing room bread, the live show jumped between the two sets as Polytoxic covered such Spinal Tap chestnuts as “Big Bottom,” “Hell Hole,” “Listen to Me (The    Flower People)” and “Stonehenge.”
   The highlight of the show was “Stonehenge,” done prior to intermission and with pure precision, including an 18-inch Stonehenge replica and two little men dressed as Leprechauns.
   During intermission, the Leprechauns entertained fans with a rousing game of quarters.
   No re-enactment of Spinal Tap would be complete without the certain demise of the band’s drummer. During Polytoxic’s closing cover of “Heavy Duty,” drummers repeatedly “exploded.” Starting with Mick Shrimpton, Polytoxic’s Johnson played doomed drummers Peter “James” Bond and Eric “Stumpy” Pete, before appearing as himself to finish the song.
   Recreating a classic is no easy task, and as they say in Spinal Tap, “It’s a fine line between clever and stupid.” The Polytoxic production was definitely on the clever side of the line.
   On a scale of one to 10, when the smoke had settled, “This is NOT Spinal Tap” went all the way to 11.