Harry Shearer's alter ego Derek Smalls really did release a solo album that includes the version of Hell Toupee with a backing orchestra. It can be found on Spotify and elsewhere.
Despite becoming a box office success, cult classic and a long-term home video and merchandise earner, the creators of Spinal Tap (1984), Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, earned almost nothing from the film for decades due to a poor rights deal with rights holders Vivendi and its subsidiaries. In the years following the film's 1984 release, they reportedly received just $98 in music royalties and $81 in merchandising revenue. A lengthy legal battle over profits and ownership began in 2016 and concluded with a settlement in 2020, finally allowing the creators to regain control of the rights and paving the way for the sequel nearly 40 years later.
David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) wears a t-shirt from Shank Hall in Milwaukee, WI. Shank Hall was a fictitious rock venue that the band played at in the original film (where Jeanine arrives, as do the black albums, and Derek gets trapped in the pod). Music promoter Peter Jest booked the Tap at the UW-Milwaukee Union Ballroom on July 11, 1984. He promised the band if he ever opened a club in Milwaukee it would be named Shank Hall. He did so in 1989 and it is still open.
John Michael Higgins' character wears a jumpsuit with ballet slippers, a nod to famous fitness guru Jack Lalaine.