Pride, along with envy (jealousy), are two of the seven deadly sins. Unfortunately, the members of Spinal Tap have both in spades. Throw a little gluttony in there, and you'd have the makings of a truly riveting reality television show.
The band's pride takes a huge beating in the film. Cancelled gigs, crummy venues, no autograph seekers, stores pulling their album from the shelves—evidence is everywhere that they're not the gods of rock they think they are. There's both humor and pathos in their self-delusion. The Stonehenge disaster is the ultimate humiliation—an epic fail that makes them look ridiculous rather than powerful and mysterious.
Of course, there's the good kind of pride, too, the kind of realistic pride in a job well done. Despite all the humiliations, the guys take that kind of pride in their body of work. They are okay musicians, and they were pretty successful for a long time, so we'll let them feel good about that. They'll need it.
Questions about Pride
- Who is the most prideful member of the band? How is that pride demonstrated?
- How might the difficulties between Nigel and David have been resolved if they hadn't let pride get in the way?
- In what way is pride responsible for the band not recognizing that they aren't as popular as they once were, and that some serious changes may need to be made in order to keep them afloat?
Chew on This
If it wasn't for their pride, the members of Spinal Tap wouldn't be as good at what they do. It takes a certain level of stubborn arrogance to be a top-notch rocker.
The most obvious display of pride in this movie was Ian's. As soon as his managing abilities are called into question, he throws a hissy fit and quits. Now that's prideful.