Steven Tyler Really, Really Hates This Movie – And He’s Not The Only One

“That Movie Bummed Me Out,” Laments Aerosmith Frontman

This Is Spinal Tap never ceases to crack me up. A hilarious glimpse into the lives of fictional British heavy metal band Spinal Tap, the 1984 film birthed no shortage of iconic moments; whether it’s Spinal Tap shouting “Hello, Cleveland! as they struggle to find their way to the stage from their dressing room to guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) explaining to filmmaker Marty Di Bergi (played by director Rob Reiner) why all of his amplifiers go to 11 instead of 10 (“It’s one more louder,”), This Is Spinal Tap endeared itself to everyone, especially those in bands who understand exactly how funny and over the top life in a band can be.

Except for Steven Tyler, that is. In an interview with guitarist Joe Perry, it was revealed that while he found This Is Spinal Tap to be absolutely hilarious, his bandmate did not; the Aerosmith frontman sat in the theater fuming angrily the entire time, finding too much truth in the movie to enjoy it.

“That movie bummed me out, because I thought, ‘How dare they? That’s all real, and they’re mocking it’.”

Steven isn’t the only one who failed to see the humor in it; U2 guitarist The Edge was less than amused after seeing This Is Spinal Tap, reportedly saying “I didn’t laugh, I wept. It was so close to the truth,” indicating that there’s something deeply painful about band life and in art as a whole that most of us will never fully realize.

It’s not all gloom and doom, though: on the other end of the spectrum, there’s Ozzy Osbourne who apparently thought This Is Spinal Tap was a real documentary about a real band. You’re welcome.