Legendary heavy metal pioneers Spinal Tap [ tickets ] are set to make yet another milestone comeback with a new song, "Back from the Dead," and the re-release of the classic rockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap" (MGM).

The song is being distributed on the group's network website, Tapster.com, and the movie returns to theaters on Sept. 8, with a special edition DVD/VHS out on September 12th. The DVD features audio commentary from the group, an interview with director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner), and over an hour of rare footage and outtakes.

LiveDaily correspondent Don Zulaica caught up with Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) to talk about the documentary, the new song, Tapster.com and Mick Fleetwood's brave foray into the group's death-prone drummer's position.

LiveDaily: It's obvious you weren't happy with Marty DiBergi's depiction of the group in the documentary.

Derek Smalls: It was a sincere attempt at a hatchet job, and it succeeded, yes.

Like the Cleveland footage where he filmed you having trouble finding the stage?

Oh, definitely. We've reached the stage dozens of times without incident. I mean, do you show a baby not being thrown down a well? Where's all that footage?

It basically was the start of the Dirty Laundry Movement, you might say, where: "We're not going to be fans of this band so much, just trying to collect all the lint from all the navels." You know?

And as long as people have navels, there will be lint.

Since the original documentary, Mr. DiBergi obviously hasn't enjoyed the same success you have.

Look at where Marty is today, and look at where we are today. We're on the verge of another comeback--who knows how many we've had now. And what's Marty doing? He's doing one of those "reality" shows in Belgium where people are locked in a house for a month and are forced to speak Flemish. So you be the judge.

And actually, you give your fans that opportunity. The DVD has the added feature of your commentary.

There's a soundtrack that allows us, alongside the soundtrack of the film, to say, "Here's what really happened." So you get what's supposed to be his [DiBergi's] view of reality, and then you get our real reality. And you get to be the judge and the jury and the bailiff and the ... constable.

It allows the viewer to really see what you're all about.

What we are is an onion of a band. And the DVD release allows you to peel more layers off the onion and see that there's a bigger onion underneath. I mean, usually when you peel the onion, it's a smaller onion. The secret with Tap is, when you peel the onion, there's a bigger onion waiting for you.

Talk a little about your new song, "Back from the Dead."

"Back from the Dead." Yes. Well, I lyricized it, and David [St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap frontman] musicized it. The tune is a song about domination, as most of our music is, and it's about domination of the Reaper. We come back from the dead, and dominate death ... beat death at its own game ... which is death. Hence, the name.

Death is a recurring theme in the Tap's body of work.

We've written and sung a lot about hell and death, but we did it from the outside. Now this is from the inside coming back out. It's about the experience of the flower being reborn, springtime ... but is it springtime in hell? Question mark, question mark.

And in a bold move, you've actually decided to distribute the song for free on the Internet at Tapster.com.

Yeah, we are literally letting this slip through our fingers. It's not happening behind our backs, we're deliberately blowing it. We're ripping ourselves off, and I think that's what our public has come to expect of us.

On a recent episode of VH-1's "The List," you performed with a new drummer, Mick Fleetwood. What does he give to the group?

Oh, he adds a professionalism, timeliness ... excessive height ... amelioration ...

Considering his commitment to Fleetwood Mac, one would think accepting the drum chair for Spinal Tap would be quite risky--all of the unfortunate deaths.

I heard that Mick purchased two million pounds worth of insurance. He's no fool. He wins out either way.

But really, when you stop to think about it, we've been around for more than a quarter century. We've only lost 11 or 12 drummers. That's less than one every other year.