David St. Hubbins
Encyclopedia
David Ivor St. Hubbins is a fictional character
who is the lead singer and rhythm guitar
ist of the mock rock band
Spinal Tap
, which was the subject of "rockumentary" film This Is Spinal Tap
(1984
). David is played by actor
Michael McKean
, who improvised the role through the whole film. Michael McKean writes in his introduction to This Is Spinal Tap: The Official Guide, "When I am called upon to generate copy about the mostly fictional entity called Spinal Tap, I usually do so in the mostly fictional character of David St. Hubbins..."
, England
. He grew up in Squatney in flat
#45. Fellow Spinal Tap band member Nigel Tufnel
lived next door in flat #47. They did not know each other at first. At age 7 and 8, the new friends Nigel and David began their musical adventure together. David says: "We left school and started playing Tube station skiffle
. It was like the filings feel about a magnet. We were the filings, Spinal Tap became the magnet". They have recorded the first song they wrote together in 1955
: "(Cry) All the Way Home".
After his first divorce
, St. Hubbins was married to his longtime girlfriend, Jeanine Pettibone (June Chadwick
). They moved to Pomona, California
, where they opened two "boutiquerias". They were divorced in early 2000 and remained on friendly terms. David credits Jeanine, and her love of astrology
, with getting his cosmically challenged life back in order. In an interview with David and Jeanine, David said, "Before I met Jeanine my life was cosmically a shambles. I was using bits and pieces of whatever eastern philosophy would drift through my transom". His relationship with Jeanine caused some turbulence in the band, especially when she became the band's manager
toward the end of the tour documented in This Is Spinal Tap. According to the movie, David has a son named Misha.
He was at times working on a project he was very excited about, an Icelandic
album of Broadway
tunes called Björk, Björk with Lamont Sanford, which has not yet been released.
The fictional character of David St. Hubbins took part in the non-fictional musical advocacy group Hear 'n Aid
.
David St. Hubbins - An update
David has undergone some radical changes in his personal life, but he hasn't let the world of music pass him by.
In early 1998, he and his longtime lady love, designer-astrologist Jeanine Pattibone - St. Hubbins, separated to consider other options. They remain close psychic friends and meet on neutral ground every six weeks to discuss community property. David is also enjoying a long-delayed bout of parenthood, having recently been awarded custody of his adult son by another liaison. Devon McCardle - St. Hubbins.
He continues to scout new talent, lending his expert touch to many burgeoning career. His newest find: Poca-Pola, a Japanese-American pop trio, with whom he is creating songs for a series of educational shorts called "The Math Bath." Says David, "It's not like the dry old lessons we had at school. It swings. And these Asian girls really know their numbers!"
He continues work on his magnum opus, the operatic Beowulf of London. But rock 'n' roll is still the major means of expression for this "Yeoman of the Codpiece."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who is the lead singer and rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist of the mock rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Spinal Tap
Spinal Tap (band)
Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...
, which was the subject of "rockumentary" film This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
(1984
1984 in film
-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
). David is played by actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Michael McKean
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
, who improvised the role through the whole film. Michael McKean writes in his introduction to This Is Spinal Tap: The Official Guide, "When I am called upon to generate copy about the mostly fictional entity called Spinal Tap, I usually do so in the mostly fictional character of David St. Hubbins..."
Character biography
St. Hubbins, whose name is derived from Saint Hubbins, whom David describes as the "Patron Saint of Quality Footwear", was born August 13, 1947, in Squatney, LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He grew up in Squatney in flat
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
#45. Fellow Spinal Tap band member Nigel Tufnel
Nigel Tufnel
Nigel Tufnel was the lead guitarist of the rock band Spinal Tap featured in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap. He was played by actor Christopher Guest.-Character biography:...
lived next door in flat #47. They did not know each other at first. At age 7 and 8, the new friends Nigel and David began their musical adventure together. David says: "We left school and started playing Tube station skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
. It was like the filings feel about a magnet. We were the filings, Spinal Tap became the magnet". They have recorded the first song they wrote together in 1955
1955 in music
-Events:*January 1 – RCA Victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89...
: "(Cry) All the Way Home".
After his first divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, St. Hubbins was married to his longtime girlfriend, Jeanine Pettibone (June Chadwick
June Chadwick
June Chadwick is an English actress. Her most well-known TV roles are as Lydia in the science fiction TV series V: The Series, and as Lt. Joanna Parisi on the third season of the series Riptide....
). They moved to Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, where they opened two "boutiquerias". They were divorced in early 2000 and remained on friendly terms. David credits Jeanine, and her love of astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, with getting his cosmically challenged life back in order. In an interview with David and Jeanine, David said, "Before I met Jeanine my life was cosmically a shambles. I was using bits and pieces of whatever eastern philosophy would drift through my transom". His relationship with Jeanine caused some turbulence in the band, especially when she became the band's manager
Road manager
In music industry, a Road Manager is a person who works with small to mid-sized tours...
toward the end of the tour documented in This Is Spinal Tap. According to the movie, David has a son named Misha.
He was at times working on a project he was very excited about, an Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
album of Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
tunes called Björk, Björk with Lamont Sanford, which has not yet been released.
The fictional character of David St. Hubbins took part in the non-fictional musical advocacy group Hear 'n Aid
Hear 'n Aid
Hear 'n Aid was a one-off project of the heavy metal/hard rock scene of the 1980s to raise money for famine relief in Africa. According to Ronnie James Dio's MySpace profile, the project raised $1 million within a year.- Background :...
.
David St. Hubbins - An update
David has undergone some radical changes in his personal life, but he hasn't let the world of music pass him by.
In early 1998, he and his longtime lady love, designer-astrologist Jeanine Pattibone - St. Hubbins, separated to consider other options. They remain close psychic friends and meet on neutral ground every six weeks to discuss community property. David is also enjoying a long-delayed bout of parenthood, having recently been awarded custody of his adult son by another liaison. Devon McCardle - St. Hubbins.
He continues to scout new talent, lending his expert touch to many burgeoning career. His newest find: Poca-Pola, a Japanese-American pop trio, with whom he is creating songs for a series of educational shorts called "The Math Bath." Says David, "It's not like the dry old lessons we had at school. It swings. And these Asian girls really know their numbers!"
He continues work on his magnum opus, the operatic Beowulf of London. But rock 'n' roll is still the major means of expression for this "Yeoman of the Codpiece."