The strength of both projects was the fact that no matter how absurd the satire, it remained grounded in reality and relied HEAVILY on viewers being able to connect fictional moments with real-life personalities.
One of my favorite aspects of "This Is Spinal Tap" is the number of musicians who have stepped up to claim their spot as the "inspiration" for various bits.
Don't Look Back
DA Pennebaker's seminal rockumentary of Bob Dylan's UK tour of 1965. One of the declared inspirations for This Is Spinal Tap, the film offers a searingly candid view of the young, supremely confident Dylan on tour. We see him granting an audience to his nervous acolyte Donovan who sings To Sing For You in a nearly embarrassing homage to his idol. Dylan is shown suffering from the everyday niggles of touring, such as singing The Times They Are A-Changin' with an initially dysfunctional mike - it isn't plugged in. The most obvious reference in This Is Spinal Tap is the getting-lost-backstage scene. After the Manchester gig, Dylan and his entourage are seen scurrying around backstage desperately trying to find their way out, and Dylan enquires urgently: "Where's the door?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/sep/22/film.film
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