This Is Spinal Tap - 35 Years Old

[a duncandisorderly]

our fond tribute to the flick, besides quoting it endlessly, was this album. the device on the front is a vortexion 4/15M, a four-channel audio mixer of the type once used by joe meek & others, & I've had this one since my later father stopped using it for his home-produced BBC radio shows in the 70s. we made our first album on it, & I've kept it in the studio since, though decoratively these days. the knobs are calibrated with 30 degree marks numbered from 0 to 11. I'm wondering if this, or something similar, led to tufnel's line.
the tracks on this album all reference the flick too- 'enormodome', 'no bones' & so forth.

[kidsick5000]

Is there a real band that matches the Tap path.
Started skiffle, turned heavy metal.
Closest I can think of is Status Quo

[famethrowa]

Is there a real band that matches the Tap path.
Started skiffle, turned heavy metal.
Closest I can think of is Status Quo

I'm thinking of Ronnie J Dio, who sang doo-wop from the late 50's and got heavier as the 70's approached. Difference is that he got more successful as time went on....

[DrGreggles]

Closest I can think of is Status Quo

Flower People is definitely very Matchstick Men.

[Bobtoo]

Is there a real band that matches the Tap path.
Started skiffle, turned heavy metal.
Closest I can think of is Status Quo

I don't know about bands but quite a few individuals have followed a similar path.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF0FyV-Y-y8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TC5trebync

[a duncandisorderly]

all of this, but especially the bit in 'rainbow trout', which is hopefully where this link will take you straight to it:

https://youtu.be/UMGmbJb4yUA?t=3620

[a duncandisorderly]

longer version, but poorer quality, sadly. if you've ever been in a band, this will be familiar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tzNQ9Avr4k

[McChesney Duntz]

Nobody's posted this yet?! (I never realized how perfect "GSM" is for Elvis C.'s voice.)

https://youtu.be/oBruHggi1bY

[kalowski]

That reminded me how funny the line "You know where you stand in a hell hole" is.

[famethrowa]

Another favourite of mine is the Cleveland janitor saying "you authorised, ain't ya?". I hope he adlibbed all that cause it's brilliant. Plus we haven't got time for a jog

[kalowski]

Another favourite of mine is the Cleveland janitor saying "you authorised, ain't ya?". I hope he adlibbed all that cause it's brilliant. Plus we haven't got time for a jog

The whole scene!

Janitor: You're authorized.  You're musicians aren't you?
David:   We've got guitars yeah

[McChesney Duntz]

Plus we haven't got time for a jog

"John," as in toilet.

[thraxx]

Another favourite of mine is the Cleveland janitor saying "you authorised, ain't ya?". I hope he adlibbed all that cause it's brilliant. Plus we haven't got time for a jog

I had a moment almost exactly like that in one of my bands when we got lost backstage at the Clapham Grand, except we called each other on our mobile phones to get directions onto the stage.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

"John," as in toilet.

No, it's 'jog'. That's the joke, David is taking the janitor literally when he suggests they take a little jog. They don't have time for exercise, that's a mad idea, they need to find the stage.

[DrGreggles]

Yep, it's definitely "jog".

[McChesney Duntz]

Hmm, you may be right there, it does sound like "jog."

[St_Eddie]

Definitely, unequivocally "jog", without a shadow of a doubt.  This is the dialogue from that scene (which I've just watched and transcribed)...

HANDYMAN: "You go right straight through this door here, down the hall, turn right and then there's a little jog there..."

DAVID: "Jog?"

HANDYMAN [CONTINUING]: "...about 30 feet.  Jog to the left."

DAVID: "A jog?"

DEREK [SHAKING HIS HEAD]: "We don't have time for that."

[a duncandisorderly]

http://www.awesomefilm.com/script/thisisspinaltap.txt

[Ferris]

Love this film, another one that really impacted my sense of humour when I was young. Used to play some Tap songs as warmups in the shit punk band I was in when a teenager. Big Bottom to test the bass levels, Tonight We're Gonna Rock Ya for my guitar levels, etc etc.

My memorable lines:
- "I'm just the way god made me, sir"
- After a bad show (mis)attributed to the failure of the support act "Yeah... they were still booing them when we were on"
- Nigel doing a quick stage returning of the violin he was using to play that atonal racket on the other guitar
- the confusion over which band was The Originals vs The New Originals

Has anyone pointed out the Fall's lifting of Tonight We're Gonna Rock Ya for an album track on The Frenz Experiment?

[thraxx]

The band's names have been in my head this morning.

How on earth did they come up with such on the nose British names. They are at the same time completely ridiculous and utterly non descript.

There is something hilarious, even with the likes of Mick Shrimpton. Which I think is funniest, probably then it's a toss up between Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnell.

[gilbertharding]

The band's names have been in my head this morning.

How on earth did they come up with such on the nose British names. They are at the same time completely ridiculous and utterly nondescript.

There is something hilarious, even with the likes of Mick Shrimpton. Which I think is funniest, probably then it's a toss up between Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnell.

Dicky Laine, Denny Upham, Ross MacLochness and Ronny Pudding... could be they cut up Pete Frame's Rock Family Trees 'Small Faces' page.

[bgmnts]

Literally only just got the Isle of Lucy joke.

Incredible.

[Rizla]

The band's names have been in my head this morning.

How on earth did they come up with such on the nose British names. They are at the same time completely ridiculous and utterly non descript.

There is something hilarious, even with the likes of Mick Shrimpton. Which I think is funniest, probably then it's a toss up between Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnell.

Mick Shrimpton shouldn't really be that funny, there was the 60's model Jean Shrimpton. It is, though. Nigel Tufnel is obviously a take-off on Eric Clapton, both being london place names. I remember in an out-of-character interview they opined that names with good hard consonants at either end were always funny, hence Derek. Smalls seems almost too on-the-nose but it works. Viv Savage, well there's all them V's what make it funny, although his real name, David Kaff, sounds like a made-up Tap name too. Terry Ladd, manager of Duke Fame, is my current fave. I only recently realised that's why Ian Faith calls him "Laddie".

[Ferris]

^I like that they had two drummers in the early years with the nickname "stumpy". It's like they were seeking out a direct replacement for the first one which is funny.

One of them was played by Ed Begley Jr I think? Might have made that up

[Rizla]

^I like that they had two drummers in the early years with the nickname "stumpy". It's like they were seeking out a direct replacement for the first one which is funny.

One of them was played by Ed Begley Jr I think? Might have made that up

Yeah, think that was John "Stumpy" Pepys. Wasn't the other one called Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs"?

[fat_abbott]

Going back to the "jog" joke, I never realised the subtlety of the gag until I married a North American and the word jog to them is an abrupt turn, so he is referring to a zig-zag in his directions and Tap being English don't understand. It's funny without the inside knowledge, funny with it.

If everyone knew this I've really whoooshed myself.

Also mark me down for another one for missing Isle of Lucy.

[thraxx]

Literally only just got the Isle of Lucy joke.

Incredible.

I've only just got this joke, literally just now, after killing it round my brain all day, purely on account of seeing your post.

[Ferris]

Going back to the "jog" joke, I never realised the subtlety of the gag until I married a North American and the word jog to them is an abrupt turn, so he is referring to a zig-zag in his directions and Tap being English don't understand. It's funny without the inside knowledge, funny with it.

That might be quite a specific regional use of "jog" - I don't think it's one I've come across.

To google!

[Jerzy Bondov]

The bit with the bread is the funniest scene from any film to me. Any small bit of food in some other food is a 'little guy' in my house. The way he gets a tremor in his voice talking about a little piece of bread. It's just perfect. Really presses my buttons.

[thraxx]

The bit with the bread is the funniest scene from any film to me. Any small bit of food in some other food is a 'little guy' in my house. The way he gets a tremor in his voice talking about a little piece of bread. It's just perfect. Really presses my buttons.

Oh it's wonderful.

"I've been working with this for about half an hour..."

"Everything has to be folded..."

"Look it's no big deal it's a joke."

My favourite line is: "would you be holding this?"