As a music journalist of a certain age, people often ask about my all-time favorite interview. And there’s no question what it is: the three-decade-old Spinal Tap interview that follows below.
We’re going to assume that anyone clicking on this article knows that “This Is Spinal Tap” is the greatest rock ‘n’ roll film of all time, that its long-awaited sequel “The End Continues” was just released Friday, and, in a telling statement of the group’s vast influence, features appearances from Paul McCartney, Elton John (who even performs “Stonehenge” with the group), Garth Brooks, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and more.
But back when I was working at a now-defunct music publication called CMJ, I had a longstanding request with Spinal Tap’s real-life manager at the time (not Ian Faith but rather the lovely Harriet Sternberg) to interview the band. One day in January of 1991, she and the three principal bandmembers — David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) — had gathered to meet about the recent release of the film’s soundtrack album on CD, which the bandmembers apparently had not been informed about.
True to her word, at the end of that meeting, Sternberg called CMJ, the receptionist said, “Jem, it’s David and Nigel and somebody or other on line 7,” and with no advance notice whatsoever, I was suddenly on the phone with the members of Spinal Tap (in full character and accents) giving what was their first interview in five years.
Read on as the band members — two of whom mocked their interviewer’s first name — discuss their legacy, their prospects for a reunion, their solo careers, Smalls’ work with Christian metal bands, Tufnel’s stint in the Swiss Army, their unreleased version of Suzanne Vega’s a capella classic “Tom’s Diner,” and more.
So what has the band been doing for the past few years?
David St. Hubbins: Well, we’ve all sort of gone our separate ways, y’know. I’ve become a real sort of house husband lately, been living very happily in the San Gabriel Valley. Jeanine [his girlfriend in the film] and I finally tied the knot legally —
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Congratulations!
St. Hubbins: Thanks very much! And I’ve been managing and producing some demos for local hard rock groups, y’know, young kids. It’s amazing: they keep coming, you can’t stop them, they’re like fucking termites or something! It’s been very gratifying to know that they’re familiar with our history, what we mean and all that. And the other two have been doing various things in the meantime — it’s only when we threaten to become a complete rumor that we decide to actually do something. We figured it was between complete obscurity and actually doing something with our lives — a bit of a toss-up, in other words!
Do you see Tap’s influence in bands today?
St. Hubbins: Well, I think the story of Spinal Tap, rather than being an influence, should serve to be a cautionary tale. I think in that sense, it’s got value. Kids today look at us and say, “Oh God! We’ll try to avoid that!” It’s nice, really nice, very gra’ifying.
Do the three of you have plans to get back together?
St. Hubbins: We are discussing various ventures, y’know, but of course we’re terribly busy with solo projects — um, yes — and so it’s just gonna have to work itself out. But it’s great — we get together and we start harmonizing. We did a wonderful version of that “Tom’s Diner” song the other day, just sort of singing in unison. Y’know, [hums “Da-da daah-da” melody of Suzanne Vega song] — it sounded really great! It was on the phone, we weren’t, like, there in person. But it had a nice, like, lilt to it, and it reminded us of what we got in the music business for: enormous hit records. Which we still have yet to have! So we’ll see, is what I’m sayin’. I’ve gotta run — I’m gonna give you to Derek Smalls, our bass player.
Derek Smalls: Is Jem your real name, or did you change it from Jim?
It’s my real name, I swear!
Smalls: [Snorts disbelievingly] Really. Well Derek’s my real name, so there y’ go. ‘Ang on… [to St. Hubbins] see ya, David! It’s the first time we’ve been in the same room in about five years, I think. We just met about this, uh, DC or whatever it is.
You mean CD?
Smalls: What is it? CD? The electricity’s different in this country, I can’t figure it out. The voltage is different!
Have you heard it?
Smalls: No! I mean I heard it the first time, but it’s all digital these days. I’m sure it sounds better than ever — which is not very good! I remember what it sounded like at the time, and it doesn’t represent what we would sound like now if we were playing now, which we’re not. So what we would sound like now would be very quiet.
Well, it’s been awfully quiet. What are your feelings on a reunion?
Smalls: Well, I mean, David, y’know, to be frank, has not had an easy time of it. I’ve been blessed, in a way, to be more directly involved with the music business over the years because I’ve done some work with — I don’t know if you cover this area of the business — a very important Christian rock band called LambsBlood. And we’ve done some really interesting stuff.
I don’t know if you know about the whole “Christian Headbanger Ball” thing that goes on, it’s really quite exciting. There’s a series of ’em up and down the West Coast of North America, and across Canada, where they’re very receptive to Christian heavy rock — as well they should be! So, to me, it’s a little bit less like a… what do you call ’em? Life [preservers]? Those things you throw out from the boat?
But as I say, it’s the first time the three of us have been in a room together in five years, and you never know what could happen. You don’t wanna say “never” … or “forever,” or “always.” There’s a lotta words you don’t wanna say, really. You don’t wanna say “ninny”…
Has your own material taken on a Christian bent?
Smalls: Well, basically I joined the group because their original bass player backslid [in a moral sense], but since then I’ve tried my hand at a few things, just basically taking some of the old stuff I used to write about the devil and changing a couple of words.
So we can look forward to things like “Christmas Without —
Smalls: “Christmas With No Devil”? [Laughs] No, I mean, not stuff that has actually come out under the Spinal Tap, uh, roo… roob…
Rubric?
Smalls: Rubric, yeah. Or any brick, for that matter. But LambsBlood lost their record contract. The gospel hard rock record business is even more cut-throat than the real one, it turns out, oddly enough. That’s a very hidden secret of that part of the business. It seems all sweetness and light and good and blessings and stuff, but it gets very mean and down.
Well, I hope LambsBlood gets another deal.
Smalls: Well, y’know, I do too. They’re good lads, their hearts are in the right place… [quietly] they’re not the greatest players in the world.
Did that cause any problems?
Smalls: I’m not the greatest player in the world either, so I fit right in!
If Tap reformed I think the legend would grow greater than ever.
Smalls: Well, it’s funny you should say that — although I’m not laughing — because as we’ve heard about the DC — uh, CD — it begins to seem as if the success that’s eluded us over the years might be dangling right within, or near, our grasp again, and the question is, Should we grasp it this time? Is it worth makin’ one more try? You see all these other old-fart bands and they get up and prance around with their pot bellies, and you wonder, Do you look like prats if you do that, and if so, can you get paid good money to look like prats?
Um… I’m sorry, I can’t think of a question!
Smalls: Do you want me to just, like, answer a question as if you’d asked it, and you can think of a question later?
Yes!
Smalls: Okay: It’s been a long time, but I have every confidence that it will work out for the best. And then you can just put any question you like to that.
David called the band’s history a “cautionary tale” — do you think Spinal Tap’s legend stands up to more than that?
Smalls: Well, it stands up to, uh, great gobs of scrutiny, there’s no doubt about that. I think that there are right turns we’ve made, and wrong turns, and if at any point we could have told one from the other, we might have been in better shape than we are now.
But y’know, here’s what I think: We’re all alive, right?
What about —
I mean, not countin’ the drummers. So that counts for something, y’know — we coulda sold a lot more records and been dead! But who’s to say that this is worse? Who’s to say?
What?
Smalls: Who’s to say?
Who’s to say what?
Smalls: Who’s to say that it’s worse?
Oh. That’s true.
Smalls: I’m not saying. I’m just saying, “Who’s to say?” But lemme give you to Nigel, ‘cos he really wants to talk.
Nigel Tufnel: Hallooo?
Hello, Nigel? This is Jem, I’m honored to be speaking with you.
Tufnel: Is your name wot? You’ve got a cartoon program, right? [“Jem and the Holograms”]
No, that’s a different Jem. I was just interested to know about the status of the band now that your album has been reissued on CD.
Tufnel: Yeah, that’s brand-new news for us — the shock is just sort of wearing off. I’ve not seen it, I’ve not heard it. It should be quite interesting. I suppose I’ll have to get one of those new players that they put them in. ‘Cos it doesn’t work on a normal machine, I’ve found. You just hear a scratching noise.
You tried to play it?
Tufnel: Well, not the one that we’ve done, of course, ‘cos I haven’t seen it yet. But someone gave me a Harry Belafonte CD, and I just thought, Well, it’s shiny and small, but don’t hold that against it, y’know? So I put it on the old record machine and… nothing. Strange.
So really, wot it means is shelling out about 300 quid to get a machine so I can play and hear what it sounds like. So it’s sort of good and bad news.
What have you been doing for the last few years?
Tufnel: [Dreamily] Well yes, it’s been a rather sort of idyllic period for me. I was conscripted by the Swiss Army for a bit. It was totally an accident, actually, I was doing a day’s walk up in the Alps. And before I knew it, I was in with them, and all I really have to show for it is one a’ them Swiss Army knives that they give you when you go in. It was all a buncha paperwork; it was like a typo, really.
So how long were you in the Swiss Army?
Tufnel: Oh, that really only lasted about three months. And since then I’ve been doing a number of retreats. I’ve been doing experiments with sonic vibrations and various things to increase loudness for my new amplifier, which Marshall released. It goes up to 20 now, it’s a brand new one. And I’m trying to work on something that will even go more — 21 or even 22, perhaps. But one step at a time, as my dear ol’ Dad always used to say.
Are you still writing?
Tufnel: Ooooh, yeah! When you’re a composer you can’t just put a sock in your mouth and stop it! I’ll wake up sort of sweating in the middle of the night still, and jot down a few words and a couple of chords. It just keeps goin’, on and on.
If the three of you were to get back together, what direction do you think the music would take?
Tufnel: Well, humanistic, first. And then after that, loud. Really, those are the main things. You know that famous quote: “He doesn’t sing to the sound of another drummer”? Well, we don’t. It’s hard to know where we would go, really, except it would be forward, together, at the same time. And I always strive loud.
But we’ve not really been… talking in the last five years. It’s just in the last ten minutes, in fact, that we’ve been in the same room. So you’re sort of the first one that’s getting the jump on it, so to speak.
Did the split cause any acrimony between you?
Tufnel: No, no. My wife played no part in it at all.
From Variety US