Rock Legends And Blue Paint: Blue Man Group Crashes ‘Spinal Tap II’

There’s a splash of blue hitting the drums (and the big screen)!

Blue Man Group has an exciting cameo in the highly anticipated sequel, “Spinal Tap II.”  The iconic trio brings their signature energy to the big screen in a fun, unexpected appearance that fans are sure to love.

Longtime Blue Man, Matt Ramsey, had time to chat with The Blast exclusively to share his experience on the set of the film.

"This Is Spinal Tap" is getting a long-awaited sequel, and fans are more than ready.

The 1984 hit documentary's sequel will center around the band reuniting for one last performance at the real Stonehenge. Fans know that's a nod to the original film's "Stonehenge" scene.

The same satirical humor and musical antics that made the first film a cult classic that fans love will also be present in the new film. A recent post on Blue Man Group's Instagram page shares the news.

"What comes after 11? We’re about to find out. Forty-one years after the comedy classic 'This is Spinal Tap,' 'SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES' reunites director Rob Reiner with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer as they reprise their iconic roles as the legendary heavy metal band Spinal Tap in this long-awaited sequel," the caption explains. "Featuring Elton John, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Questlove, Blue Man Group, and more. Coming to theaters and IMAX this September!"

Ramsey, who's been a Blue Man for 25 years, was excited to be part of the movie sequel. While he wasn't in on the original conversations discussing the opportunity, he said the group was approached in an effort to fill in parts of the story that revolve around drummers since the "drummers are always dying."

Ramsey said that Blue Man Group was the perfect fit for this cameo because of the elements of ad-libbing and improv that the group and the movie is known for.

"This was a perfect pairing of two entities that thrive off of that environment, so it was really perfect," Ramsey told The Blast exclusively. "With this crew, I had heard that they often leave the cameras running and just kind of ad-lib and go with the flow. And that's exactly what happened."

Ramsey continued to explain that after they filmed the scene they had rehearsed, he left the room in character and heard that they were still going. He hadn't heard Rob Reiner say "cut" and were still ad-libbing, talking about the performance.

"So I entered the room again. I entered the scene again, even though that wasn't planned," he said. "And I just started ad-libbing with them, kind of playing around in the middle of what they were doing. I don't know if that's going to be seen [in the film].

We'll just have to wait and see when the movie comes out if that improv scene made it into the final cut.

With the Blue Man character being nonverbal, it might be a wonder how that would translate on film. Ramsey said he's also pondered that thought.

"How would this character translate on film? How will it carry a narrative? So this is just a little scene [in 'Spinal Tap II'] and I don't know how much Blue Man will be in," he shared with The Blast. "It was a pretty well-defined scene with a performance that was kind of cut and dry. So I think it's going to translate pretty well with this instance because it's not like I had to carry too much of a narrative for the scene to work."

The ad-libbed scene where Ramsey returns to the set in character was more of just "playing around."

"I was grabbing stuff off the set. I was giving them gifts from the things that I was finding," he continued. "I was just kind of playing around, so in this particular instance, I think it will and I hope it will translate very well."

Ramsey shared that while he's made multiple television show appearances during his time as a Blue Man, filming a scene in "Spinal Tap II" was the first on the big screen for him.

"I've made appearances on TV shows before as a Blue Man, both live shows like talk shows, and on several narrative, serial shows," he said. "This is the first time I've done something in film."

But he said that it's all "similar" because so much of the Blue Man character is "reading the environment and being present and being creative and collaborative with whomever is in the room."

Earlier this year, Blue Man Group celebrated their 25th anniversary. Since their early days, they've been well known for donning blue paint from head to toe, playing some drums, and making people laugh without ever uttering a word.

The group is based out of Las Vegas and has nightly shows at the Luxor Hotel & Casino. They have performed globally and maintain resident shows in Las Vegas and Orlando currently.

"I want people to know that Blue Man Group is designed to connect with people live in a room in a shared experience," Ramsey said. "There's nothing that replaces a live experience with Blue Man Group, so we hope people take away [from the film cameo] that it will drive their curiosity to go see a show in person."

For more information on Blue Man Group, visit their website.