This is Spinal Tap remains as crucial as ever, and not just because the band is currently embarking on a reunion tour in theaters across the world. Rob Reiner’s iconic mockumentary charts the ups, downs, and absolute disasters of fictional ’80s heavy metal band Spinal Tap, but its true genius lies in appealing to those who wouldn’t know Vince Neil from Neil Peart.

By poking fun at the life on the road, however, Reiner doesn’t just ape the Sєx, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll era of ’80s excess, he holds a mirror up to every musician who has ever started or played in a rock band at any level.

The jokes below are timeless – known, loved, and laughed at by several generations. For musicians, however, they hit a little too close to home, and the full meaning can only be understood when it feels like This is Spinal Tap is mocking you and your long-haired buddies directly.

The Guitarist’s Need To “Cut Through”

Nigel Tufnel proudly declaring that his guitar amplifiers go to 11 instead of the usual 10 is perhaps the most iconic quote from This is Spinal Tap. The scene perfectly encapsulates the “bigger is better” atтιтude that made ’80s rock ever-so-slightly ridiculous, and Nigel’s blind defiance of logic makes the scene hilarious even to viewers who have never clapped eyes on a Marshall stack.

Guitarists, however, would be forgiven for feeling like the gag is a personal attack.

In a band dynamic, whether in practice or at a gig, volume is a constant battle. The drummer’s natural loudness means they rarely struggle to be heard, while the bᴀss player accepted their place at the back of the mix when they chose their instrument in the first place. Lead singers have no trouble making themselves known, which leaves only the guitarist pushing for more aural real estate.

Relying solely on their amplifier to be heard, almost every guitarist on Earth will, at some point, have worried about whether their flash solos and masterful riffs were “cutting through” the rest of the band. Many of those guitarists might have also sneaked over to their amp and nudged the volume up one or two levels, hoping the other members wouldn’t notice.

This is Spinal Tap‘s “amps to 11” scene plays upon every single guitarist’s volume insecurities, and that ever-nagging feeling that the dial could always go a tiny bit higher.

The Bᴀss Player’s “Lukewarm Water” Role

Unless you’re Flea or Steve Harris, it’s very rare for the bᴀss player to drive a band’s sonic direction. With fewer strings, less opportunity to show off, and catchphrases like “you notice when it’s not there,” bᴀss players have endured decades of jokes at their expense.

This is Spinal Tap continues that tradition with Derek Smalls’ most famous quote. During an interview scene, the bᴀssist acknowledges his two bandmates as “visionaries,” before describing his own role as “lukewarm water.“

It’s a feeling that many a bᴀss player will be all too familiar with. As the guitarist lights up their fretboard with another gratuitous solo, and the vocalist excitedly turns the mic toward the crowd as if they didn’t pay to hear someone else sing, the person holding the bᴀss often gets unfairly overlooked. “Lukewarm water” is a rather accurate way to sum up that common inter-band tension.

This is Spinal Tap tries to make amends by giving Derek his own song – the bᴀss-tastic “Big Bottom.” Alas, the sheer silliness of this Queen-inspired number only serves to highlight why bᴀss traditionally has a subtler place in any rock band setup.

It’s Always The Drummer…

A running joke throughout This is Spinal Tap sees the band struggle to hold down a permanent drummer thanks to a series of increasingly strange mishaps. While few real-life bands would have lost their drummer to a bizarre gardening accident or spontaneous combustion, the problem of having a revolving door of tub-thumpers will be one many bands can relate to.

Drummers have the most equipment to lug from gig to gig, their gear takes up the most space in the van, they need more time setting up onstage, and the band can’t function without them. Replacing a drummer is, therefore, really quite inconvenient, and the fates have conspired to make sure the drum stool tends to be the hardest position to keep locked down for many bands.

This strange phenomenon is visible throughout music history. Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Kiss, My Chemical Romance – the list of bands who have experienced fluctuating drummers goes on and on.

The One Band Member Who Likes Classical Music

Hang out with a rock band for any length of time, and conversation will inevitably turn to each member’s respective influences. At least one of said members will likely cite the greats of classical music as key influences upon their playing style.

Over the years, plenty of musicians have successfully blended classical music with heavy metal. Randy Rhoads did it for Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Bellamy does it in Muse, and the entire genre of symphonic metal is incredibly popular across Europe. For most rock musicians, however, purporting to draw inspiration from classical compositions feels totally at odds with the songs they play every night onstage.

Enter This is Spinal Tap‘s Nigel Tufnel. The “Lick my Love Pump” scene finds the guitarist discussing his classical influences, then delicately performing a beautiful composition of his own. In an abrupt shift of gears, he then names the piece “Lick my Love Pump” and returns focus to the realm of heavy metal.

Just as the “amps to 11” scene speaks to volume-hungry guitarists, the “Lick my Love Pump” joke is for every rock musician who ever claimed to be influenced by Bach or Mozart – genuinely or just to sound cultured – then walked onstage and strummed one overdrive-soaked power chord after another.

Trying Something Ambitious Onstage & Failing Spectacularly

Every level of rock band, from awkward high-school beginners to icons selling out stadiums, wants to look cool onstage. Inevitably, that leads to behind-the-scenes conversations about things like synchronized headbanging, props, and audience participation. Nine times out of ten, these ideas end up being a lot better in concept than execution, with the end result turning out more laughable than laudable.

Whether it’s getting a lock of hair stuck in the bᴀss player’s headstock while attempting a windmill, or demanding the crowd perform a wall of death and being met with utter indifference, every musician has found themselves feeling stupid in the name of bringing some pizzazz to their stage show.

Still, This is Spinal Tap proves how much worse things could be. The painful “Stonehenge” gag sees the band joined by an 18-inch (rather than the planned 18-foot) model of Stonehenge during their song of the same name. The mix-up is hilarious, but only musicians will be able to relate to the mixture of embarrᴀssment, confusion, and “what the hell do we do now?” written all over the band’s faces.