Spinal Tap, 30 years ago

I AM HAVING a hard time believing the movie "This Is Spinal Tap" is 30 years old.

I can't remember the last movie I went to, but I sure remember going to see Spinal Tap when it came out. It was in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was during my one and only year at Calvin College. It was an awful year in many ways, but hey- at least I got to see a great movie.

I think we went to an old theater in East Town. The theater is now an A. Bowling Alley, B. Torn down, C. Church, or D. All of the above.

I remember laughing hysterically and getting much of the humor. I'm not sure if many people did. I was really diving into music at the time and I read and watched everything I could when it came to the movie. The more we saw it, the more we caught the humor, and Spinal Tap never gets old.

This movie was meant as a spoof and nothing more, but the fact is, many musicians cry instead of laugh when they see it because it's so true. And the movie proved prophetic in many ways.

I will watch it again and again and again, and I laugh just as loud or find something funny I missed the previous million viewings.

Some day, I'll get an amp that goes to 11.