As a music journalist of a certain age, people often ask about my favorite interview. And there is no doubt about what it is: the three decades old Spinal crane Interview that follows below.
We will assume that everyone who clicks on this article knows that “This is Spinal Tap” is the biggest rock ‘n’ Roll movie of all time, that its long-awaited sequel “The End continues” just released on Friday, and, in a speaking statement about the group’s great influence, has performances from Paul McCartney, Elton John (as well as to and others. Gart, metal, more. (Click here To read ours Fresh interview with the groupPublished Friday.)
But back when I worked on a now completed music publication called CMJ, I had a long -lasting request with Spinal Tap’s real manager at that time (not Ian Faith but rather the beautiful Harriet Sternberg) to interview the band. One day in January 1991, she and the three main band members – David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) – gathered to meet the latest release of the film’s Soundtrack album on CD, which the bandmen obviously had not been informed.
Despite his word, at the end of that meeting, Sterberg CMJ, the receptionist said: “Jem, it is David and Nigel and someone or another on line 7,” and without advance announcement, I was suddenly on the phone with the members of Spinal Tap (in full character and accents) which gave what was their first interview in five years.
Read on as the band members – of whom two mocked their interviewer’s first name – discuss their inheritance, their opportunities for a reunion, their solo careers, Smalls’ work with Christian Metal Bands, Tufnel’s Stint in the Swiss Army, their unreleased version of Suzanne Vegas A Capella Classic “Tom’s Diner” and more.
So what has the band done in recent years?
David St. Hubbins: Well, we have all kinds of our separate roads, you know. I have become a real type of house husband lately, lived very happily in San Gabriel -Valley. Jeanin (his girlfriend in the movie) and i finally tied legally –
Congratulations!
St. Hubbins: Thanks so much! And I have handled and produced some demonstrations for local hard rock groups, you know, young children. It’s amazing: they keep coming, you can’t stop them, they’re like fucking termites or something! It has been very gratifying to know that they are familiar with our history, what we mean and all this. And the other two have done different things in the meantime – it is only when we threaten to be a complete rumor that we decide to actually do something. We thought it was between complete ambiguity and actually to do something with our life-lite 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 precautionary story. I believe in that sense, it has value. Children today look at us and say, “Oh god! We try to avoid it!” It’s nice, really nice, very grating.
Do you have three plans to meet again?
St. Hubbins: We discuss different investments, you know, but of course we are very busy with solo projects – UM, yes – and so it will only have to train itself. But it’s fantastic – we meet and we start to harmonize. We made a wonderful version of the “Tom’s diner” song the other day, just kind of song in harmony. You know, (Hums “and Daah-The” Melody of Suzanne Veganan – It sounded really good! It was on the phone, we were not, in person. But it had a nice one, who, lilt for it, and it reminded us of what we got in the music industry for: huge hit record. As we have still had! So we’ll see, is what I say. I have to run – I will 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!
Small: (Snorts Dissolation) Really. Well Derek is my real name, so there you go. ‘Ang on … (to St. Hubbins) See you, David! This is the first time we have been in the same room in about five years, I think. We met just this, UH, DC or whatever it is.
Do you mean CD?
Small: What is it? CD? The electricity is different in this country, I can’t figure it out. The excitement is different!
Have you heard it?
SmallNo! I mean I heard it the first time, but it’s all digital today. I’m sure it sounds better than ever – which is not so good! I remember how it sounded at that time, and it does not represent how we would sound now if we played now, which we are not. So how we would sound now would be very quiet.
It has been very quiet. What are your feelings on a reunion?
Small: Well, I mean, David, you know, to be sincere, have not had an easy time on it. I have in a way been blessed to be more directly involved in the music industry over the years because I have done some work with – I do not know if you cover this area in the business – a very important Christian Rock band called Lambood. And we have done some really interesting things.
I don’t know if you know about the whole “Christian Headbanger Ball” thing that is going on, it’s really pretty exciting. There is a series of them up and down the west coast in North America and all over Canada, where they are very susceptible to Christian heavy rock – as they should be! So for me it is a little less like a … what do you call them? Life (conservation)? The things you throw out of the boat?
But as I say, this is the first time we have been in a room together in five years, and you never know what can happen. You don’t want to say “never” … or “forever” or “always.” There are many words that you do not want to say, really. You don’t want to say “Ninny” …
Has your own material put on a Christian bent?
Small: Well, basically I joined the group because their original bass player backslide (in moral sense), but since then I have tried some things, just basically take some of the old things I used to write about the devil and change a few words.
So we can look forward to things like “Christmas without –
Small: “Christmas without devil”? (Laughs) No, I mean, not things that have actually come out under the spine, eh, roo … roob …
Heading?
Small: Heading, yes. Or some brick, for that matter. But Lammblood lost its record agreement. The gospel’s hard rock record is even more cut than the real one, it turns out, strangely enough. It is a very hidden secret for that part of the business. It seems all sweet and light and good and blessings and stuff, but it becomes very meaningful and down.
Well, I hope Lambood gets a new deal.
Small: Well, you know, I do too. They are good guys, their hearts are in the right place … (quiet) They are not the biggest players in the world.
Did it cause any problems?
Small: I’m not the biggest player in the world either, so I fit right in!
If the crane is reformed, I think the legend would grow larger than ever.
Small: Well, it’s fun that you should say that – even if I don’t laugh – because when we’ve heard of DC – EH, CD – it starts to seem as if the success that has avoided us over the years can dangle just within, or close, our grip again, and the question is, should we address it this time? Is it worth making another attempt? You see all these other old -fashioned bands and they get up and dot with their pots, and you wonder, you look like talk if you do, and if so, can you get good money to look like talk?
Um … I’m sorry, I can’t think of a question!
Small: Do you want me to just answer a question as if you had asked it, and you can think of a question later?
Yes!
Small: Okay: It has been a long time, but I have all the confidence that it will work best. And then you can only ask all the questions you like it.
David called the band’s history a “precautionary” – do you think spinal taps legend stands up to more than that?
Small: Well, it stands up to, uh, great review, there is no doubt about it. I think there are the right turns that we have done, and the wrong turns, and if we could ever have told one from the other, we may have been in better shape than we are now.
But you know, here is what I think: we all live, right?
How about –
I mean, don’t count on the drummers. So it counts for something, you know – we could sell much more records and been dead! But who should say this is worse? Who should say?
What?
Small: Who’s going to say?
Who should say what?
Small: Who should say it’s worse?
Oh. That’s true.
Small: I’m not saying. I’m just saying, “Who’s going to say?” But Lemme gives you to Nigel, because he really wants to talk.
Nigel Tufnel: Haloo?
Hi, Nigel? This is Jem, I’m honored to talk to you.
Tufnel: Is your name wot? You have a cartoon program, right? (“Jem and the Holograms”)
No, it’s another jem. I was only interested in knowing about the band’s status now that your album has been re -published on CD.
Tufnel: Yes, it is brand new news for us shock is just worn. I haven’t seen it, I haven’t heard it. It should be quite interesting. I guess I have to get one of the new players they put them in. “Because it doesn’t work on a normal machine, I’ve found. You just hear a scratching sound.
Did you try to play it?
Tufnel: Well, not the one we have done, of course, because I haven’t seen it yet. But someone gave me a Harry Belafonte -CD, and I just thought, it’s shiny and small, but don’t hold it against it, do you know? So I put it on the old disc machine and … nothing. Strange.
So really, that means it is to shoot about 300 pounds to get a machine so I can play and hear how it sounds. So it’s kind of good and bad news.
What have you been doing in recent years?
Tufnel: (Dreamy) Well yes, it’s been a pretty kind of idyllic period for me. I was written by the Swiss army a bit. It was completely an accident, in fact I made a day’s walk up the Alps. And before I knew it, I was with them, and everything I really have to show because it’s a ‘Swiss army knives that they give you when you go in. It was all a braid work; It was like a typo, really.
So how long were you in the Swiss Army?
Tufnel: Oh, it really only lasted about three months. And since then I have done a number of retreats. I have done experiments with sonic vibrations and various things to increase the sound strength of my new amplifier, which Marshall released. It’s going up to 20 now, it’s a brand new one. And I try to work with something that will even go more – 21 or even 22, maybe. But one step at a time, as my dear Ol ‘dad always used to say.
Are you still writing?
Tufnel: Ooooh, yes! When you are a composer you can not just put a sock in your mouth and stop it! I will wake up a kind of sweating in the middle of the night still and note a few words and a couple of chords. It just keeps going on.
If you three were to meet again, which direction do you think the music would take?
Tufnel: Well, humanistic, first. And then after that, loud. These are really the most important things. You know the famous quote: “He doesn’t sing to the sound of another drummer”? We don’t. It is difficult to know where we would go, except that it would be forward together at the same time. And I always strive up high.
But we haven’t really been … speaking over the past five years. It is only in the last ten minutes that we have been in the same room. So you are a type of the first to get the hope for it, so to speak.
Did the split cause any crime between you?
Tufnel: No, no. My wife didn’t matter in it at all.
