This Is Spinal Tap: Cast Breaks Down Fan-Favorite Scenes (Flashback)

The cast of 'This Is Spinal Tap' chatted with ET about the 1984 mockumentary's fan-favorite scenes, from airport security discovering Derek Smalls' cucumber to Nigel Tufnel's 'Mach' opera. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and director Rob Reiner recalled the parody movie's origin story.

[@genogeno6643]

I love how the band can turn on American accents and are able to pose as actors for this interview. Pure Genius

[@rationalmuscle]

That was damn funny

[@danielc1978]

@@rationalmuscle because it's true.....

[@mebeasensei]

But I couldn't take Nigel seriously, especially when he was serious.

[@Tony-zp8xn]

@@robertconahan187 🧐 Looks like you didn't get the same memo as the rest of us.

[@jennycraigadventures3314]

@@robertconahan187umm….ya think?

[@dougshankle7946]

When Nigel used the actual violin instead of the violin bow (an obvious Jimmy Page reference) on the guitar and then tuned the violin I absolutely LOST IT. Genius!!!

[@random__joe]

The 1st time i watched this I ate some shrooms and I was laughing so hard I was crying pretty much from start to finish. Nigels's solo is the stuff of legends

[@seancollins3106]

watching him tune the violin is one of the low key funniest parts of the movie!

[@deadshot4245]

funniest member of the group by far love nigels energy anytime i wanna poke fun i try and grab that same energy

[@rdhorsey9081]

I hope it wasn't hard to clean up.

[@DrDeuteron]

@@random__joe my 1st shroom movie was Apocalypse Now! 60' screen, ...This is the End, my only friend.

[@JGNM-mp9cs]

"The authorities said, 'best leave it unsolved, really'"....hahahaha

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Well, you can't dust for vomit. Technically about a different part but it seemed prudent all the same. The bizarre gardening accident of their first drummer was best left unsolved but their second drummer choked of vomit of undetermined origin.

[@derricklarsen2919]

I dont think its funny you making fun of the tragic death of their drummer .

[@joeb2487]

​@@derricklarsen2919 Plenty more where he came from

[@derricklarsen2919]

@@joeb2487 your the guy who was making fun of my mule you better apologize 😡

[@KeizerHedorah]

lol

[@Narwal88]

Watch it several times. Then watch it with the cast 'in character' doing the commentary. It will elevate the film 100 times. Simply, one of the funniest and greatest comedies ever.

[@random22026]

GREAT suggestion! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@DoubleSupercool]

I am genuinely surprised they are sitting there so calmly with that backstabber, Marty DeBirgi, after he did them so wrong.

[@Skummeh2]

Don't forget to watch all of the deleted scenes. They are almost as long as the actual movie.

[@cato451]

The greatest mockumentary ever made.

[@napoearth]

It was the first successful one. All that came after are trying to ride it's coat tails.

[@howardscarr9518]

The Rutles: "All You Need is Cash" comes close. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXbaqoasnMuqgqc

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

@@napoearth Is it the first one ever? Or just the first successful one?

[@napoearth]

@PaulTheSkeptic probably both. it's the first I'd ever heard of. I'm 56, maybe there were some before. I don't know.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

@@napoearth Hm. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of something but hell, I don't know.

[@demonicsweaters]

Michael McKean is a damn genius. The variety, quality of work and range this guy has is truly off the charts. Why he is not considered the world's greatest actor is beyond me.

[@alexkx8599]

Squeaky!

[@samdustinchris]

A lot of chicanery in show business

[@goratgo1970]

And is a great satellite technician in Used Cars

[@misterschubert3242]

​@@goratgo1970 he even built and installed a pacemaker in another man's chest...!

[@santosmadrigal3702]

My favorite line... OMG ... Now that I look back , that's one of my favorite movies .

[@pup1008]

As a 🇬🇧 they nailed that accent. Like the rest of the movie, near perfection! 👍

[@jimdaw65]

Indeed. It's a specific Estuary accent, not generic "stage-school" English.

[@pup1008]

@@jimdaw65 Yep, in fact that is my exact accent! I thought they were English for years! 😁

[@jimdaw65]

@@pup1008 There's only one giveaway moment, when Derek Smalls, talking about Nigel and David being fire and ice, says he's half-way between the two, warm "wat-her", not wawter or wa'ah.

[@pup1008]

@@jimdaw65 I know what you mean. It was peculiar that they picked that exact accent up, as you say it's not even strict Cockney or general London? The only thing I can think of is that had been analysing the way *Mick Jagger* talks as he is or was bang on "Estuary" &, in fact, born only about a mile from actually being in it!

[@jimdaw65]

@@pup1008 Maybe Black Sabbath brummie would have been indecipherable to an American audience 🙂 I'm the founder, and so far only, member of the Dick Van Dyke Defence League. He was paid to do a U.S.-friendly version of cockney. If he'd done authentic cockney he'd have been thrown off the set due to the cost of subtitles for American viewers in the 1960s..

[@mikeidafapoa6416]

"No we're not going to do f*cking Stonehenge!" Greatest line in movie history.

[@jimdaw65]

Stone'enge 🙂

[@slackthompson9231]

I think that the problem may have been, that there was a Stonehenge monument on the stage that was in danger of being crushed by a dwarf.

[@jimdaw65]

@@slackthompson9231 No-one knows who they were, or what they were doing.

[@chadjohnson-authormusician8072]

"I really think you're just making too big a thing of it!" (off camera and quiet): "Making a big thing of it would've been a good idea."

[@Justin_Leone]

The line is actually "No, we're not gonna fucking do Stone'enge!"

[@JesusChrist-qc2xc]

I saw SP in SF in the 90’s. Derek Smalls had a double neck bass, both necks were 4 string and tuned the same. Comic genius.

[@josephasghar]

I’m laughing so hard at this 😂

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Lol. I'm a musician and I never noticed that. That's funny. It's just a big old showy backache. Doublenecks are heavy. They might be good for a song or two but you wouldn't want to do a whole show with one. Or a whole tour.

[@karmicselling4252]

Ahead of his time. Good musical instrument redundancy. Covers him perfectly if he breaks a string or one of them goes out of tune. 😃

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

@@karmicselling4252 Doublenecks sure are heavy. Most touring musician prefer to have a backup. Plus, bass strings break very rarely. Like, VERY rarely.

[@GhastlyCretin]

Lmfao 🤣

[@francesgrigsby7400]

'Genius' is an understatement. A bucket list movie for sure... but give yourself enough time to watch it at least several times to catch all the things. No Joke.

[@100hooker]

I saw this for the first time in the early 80s My oldest brother sat down and got up within 20 minutes and said, this is stupid. I showed it to my middle brother and he got 100%. Actually caught “Not a big college town” the first time. Saw them live on the Break Like The Wind tour at Universal Amphitheater. Had the best time. 😊

[@mplsmark222]

The first four or five times I watched this film was on vhs and dvd. Then I got a chance to see it at a screening on the big screen. I noticed a number of things that were not so apparent on video. The sequel is in production as of March 2024, I can’t wait to see what the guys have come up with. Though I would not be surprised if there is a bit of sadness at the end.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Yeah it's definitely a movie that benefits from multiple viewings.

[@GhastlyCretin]

​@@mplsmark222 I just hope Rob Reiner doesn't turn it into a political thing. Since the 80s he's become unbearable.

[@MajorSeventh]

@@mplsmark222 Christopher Guest's films tend to have bittersweet endings, it's true. The sequel apparently will have cameos by Elton John, Garth Brooks and Dirk McQuickly.

[@robbiespence6504]

When is Peter Jackson going to edit the other 48 hours of film that ended up on the cutting room floor and make "Get Back Spinal Tap"?

[@karmicselling4252]

He will do that once he has finished editing the 96 hours of film that ended up on the cutting room floor after making "Let's Be The Rutles Naturally".

[@lw1391]

First he's got to edit the footage for that puppet show they opened up for

[@CthulhuForCocoaPuffs]

As a musician myself, this and Blues Brothers are two movies I like to watch again every so often. After watching this I feel like I'm due to watch the movie again soon.

[@shable1436]

It's always better to watch it with your friends, or band mates especially

[@DJ_Hadez]

Brit here. I will add Withnail and I to those two. Don't know if it's well known stateside or if the humour translates, but a big cult favourite over here. 'Are you the farmer?' 'Stop saying that, Withnail. Of course he's the f*cking farmer'

[@touchofdumb]

A whole lot of talent on that couch.

[@mplsmark222]

As time as passed, this movie has become legendary. I doubt these guys ever thought their project would have such an impact on film making and music. Genius is often not realized in the moment, but time is proved just how ground breaking This is Spinal Tap is. I can’t wait to see the sequel.

[@benebluesman]

"Goes to 11" is always a good laugh and a meme that permeates guitar gear culture.

[@gustinian]

Fact: The BBC's online streaming service iPlayer has always had a volume control that goes to 11. That's one louder.

[@NoxiousRob]

On IMDb it's the only movie that is rated out of 11

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Marshal made amps that go to 11 because of this. Limited runs.

[@tosborne8062]

As far as I can remember those older heads were rated 1-10 or had a 1 - 10 -15 scale I on the potentiometer's, could be wrong on the Marshalls. Knob face changes year to year ( not a Marshall expert but love to hear them. (just can't afford 'em)

[@tosborne8062]

if you find a 11 face machine that would be amazing let all know plz and thnx!

[@petervad]

absolute gold. They created a masterpiece!

[@boataxe4605]

The fact that they are actually good musicians is what made it great. If it was just actors miming,it just wouldn’t have been as good.

[@johnhelms8226]

One of my favorite movies of all time. This was a parody of heavy metal music, but every metal head, including me, absolutely loves it!

[@danielc1978]

I cannot look at Deep Purple's album covers from the '70's w/o thinking, "That's so Spinal Tap..." (I don't think that's a compliment....)

[@jungfeller]

Rob Halford mentions it at least half a dozen times in his autobiography, he loves it

[@DangRenBo]

The real irony is that metalheads in the 80s (and I was one) unironically enjoyed a soundtrack which parodied the genre we lived for.

[@mplsmark222]

@@johnhelms8226 I would hope anyone that was in a band in that era would not take themselves too seriously to not enjoy the absurdity of this movie. After all, they are all just entertainers. Not that they don’t work hard at it at or take their performances seriously, but at the end of the day, it’s entertainment. I think Alice Cooper has demonstrated he can do his shocking act, and still be a normal, upstanding guy.

[@RTVLD]

This video is 10:14 minutes long ........ Why doesn't it go to 11......?

[@saraloking5993]

This should be the top comment! 😂

[@ftroop8462]

This goes to 10:14.

[@Wishpool]

As a rocker chick, this is one of my favorite movies of all time! They nailed it! 🤘 🎸

[@TheLochs]

U Rokk!

[@stephentresca3536]

Best left unsolved 😂

[@TheGoodChap]

Yea authorities love having unsolved cases in their books 😂 especially when it's an extremely bizarre incident

[@CMustaine-ky5hv]

This is one of my favorite movies!They nailed it with everything in music industry

[@pup1008]

*Derek Smalls* smoking a pipe was sheer genius! 😂

[@Palindromeater]

I always wondered if they got that from bassman Duck Dunn from the Blues Brothers movie, which came a few years before

[@StevenAMckayAuthor]

It's from Jethro Tull, they got the Derek Small name from Tull as well​@Palindromeater

[@lukewarmwater5320]

I love how laid back and sweet these guys seem in real life but so ruthlessly funny in the film...

[@ogelsmogel]

Not only is the movie a true classic, but the albums they put out are really good too!

[@AdrianaLaCerva126]

Genius,pure genius.

[@greghoyt4061]

This movie was hilarious the first time I watched it at 16, and it became 10x funnier while actually being in a band. They nailed it, they really did.

[@aaronhill9018]

The beautiful piano piece at the beginning that Nigel was playing. So what’s it called? Nigel. “ Lick my love pump “. 😂😂😂😂

[@simonmcglary]

When so many bands refer to the film for events that happened to them, you have it right!

[@jasonsmith9845]

In high school in 1986 I joined my first band and that band and every other band I've ever been in has joked and laughed about our amps going to 11 and don't touch that guitar and Are we gonna play Stonehenge? etc. How amazing that these comedians / musicians have been able to make a living doing both!

[@user-ll2yj3hy4c]

Guest's resemblance to Jeff Beck is amazing.

[@Nghilifa]

He asked Jeff Beck for "permission" to use his mannerisms as inspiration for Nigel Tufnel.

[@shable1436]

​@@Nghilifaand why not some of the stones😂

[@keithjohnston5936]

Because he wanted to emulate Jeff Beck.

[@jimnewl]

I always thought Beck was legitimately a moron because of Guest's portrayal lol.

[@tcvt64]

In the interview, he reminds me of Paul Simon.

[@thirstresponder4569]

"What are the hours?" Classic ending.

[@peternoble3691]

Yup, perfection 🤌

[@tractorgt]

Right up there with Jaws and Empire strikes back in the great films of all time. 👍

[@kevinknox7282]

There are so many funny asides. “We had to apologise for him (Duke Fame) with our set. They were still booing him when we were on.” 😂

[@rockturtleneck]

This really makes me want to go back and watch the film for the eight millionth time. I believe the sequel begins shooting this month. Can't wait for that either.

[@ogelsmogel]

Sequel? Are you serious?

[@rockturtleneck]

@@ogelsmogel Yes, I believe it was actually supposed to be done last year but the writer's strike got in the way. Plenty of ripe material for a bunch of over-the-hill rock stars!

[@ogelsmogel]

@@rockturtleneck Wow. I didn't know. I hope they got something good planned out..

[@markvigil8667]

check out the work print version, it's longer than the original movie, and with a lot of never before seen parts

[@allisonday893]

I had no idea a sequel was coming!!

[@HustonSingletary]

"I specifically said... Spinal Tap AND puppet show"!!

[@brian-ld4vd]

A brilliant film the best thing Rob Reiner ever did.

[@Woozlewuzzleable]

The Princess Bride is great too.

[@DavidOakesMusic]

@@Woozlewuzzleable I love best in Show and A Mighty Wind too.

[@brianmiller1077]

@@DavidOakesMusic Those are Christopher Guest led movies. Reiner isn't in them

[@brianmiller1077]

Stand by Me and Misery are also excellent.

[@Woozlewuzzleable]

@@brianmiller1077 Oh yeah, great modern classics. I didn't know he did Misery.

[@shedjammer87]

The line about one of the drummers choking on somebody else's vomit cracked me up!!

[@327JohnnySS]

You can't dust vomit 😂

[@clemmteetonball11]

Christopher Guest is the most British sounding man in the universe - 5th Baron Haden-Guest of Sailing (in the County of Essex).

[@squatch545]

People watching this old interview might be interested to know that Rob Reiner has been working on a Spinal Tap sequel for the past 6 months. He is almost finished principle photography. No title, or release date yet. But it is definitely happening, and will probably be released late this year or early next year.

[@cherylcouch-thomas8250]

Sadly, Fred Willard won't have a part.

[@E-d1d3]

​@@cherylcouch-thomas8250did they give him a mohawk or shave him bald? ...

[@geneevans7885]

Ozzy back in the day said this movie wasn’t funny. He said everything in that movie is true.

[@madmuso5]

The piano scene: Thats a beautiful song, whats it called? - lick my love pump. 😂😂😂😂

[@glenbowley8114]

lickmylovepump ;)👍 🎼🎹

[@madmuso5]

@@glenbowley8114 you're right! Edit on its way. Thanks

[@heyzeushoards1405]

Not only comedic geniuses but musical geniuses. This is still my favorite comedy after all these years.

[@feetsofwonder]

I was talking to my bass player before a big gig . I said " I'm stuffing for this one". He said " Yeah, both sides"

[@nathandavidzipf]

Still the funniest movie I've ever seen

[@thesubstitute]

One of the first movies on VHS that I bought as a kid with my own money. The commentaries, out of character on the Criterion release, and in-character on the special edition are great. Also the even better extra feature is the cut of all the footage they didn't use in the original. It's like a bonus TiST movie!

[@marklechman2225]

Christopher Guest is an unreal character actor. The dude literally becomes the person he is portraying. Unreal.

[@ploppill34]

It’s a fine line between clever and stupid

[@Fritha71]

Happy 40th Anniversary to a stone(d) cold classic movie!! 🥂🎸

[@jessjenkins5474]

The Stonehenge part. "Making a big deal about it would've been a good idea" 😂

[@archangelum]

Friends mom took us to "This is Spinal Tap" in downtown Chicago, to the only theater it was showing, Spring 1984. Unforgettable!

[@ken952gtr]

HELLO CLEVELAND!!!!😂

[@jasonsgroovemachine]

What's often been said about all of Christopher Guests works when music is involved is that it works because the people playing the music (Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, etc) all are legitimate fans of the music they're playing in the films and a good majority of the time they write/play all the music themselves.. They're fans of the music, the artists, and this history. That what makes it so good. They aren't faking.

[@good-questions]

All of these guys are amazing. Michael McKean’s voice is incredible. And his transformation, wow.

[@jimnewl]

I can't stand Rob Reiner, but there's no denying that Tap is one of the greatest films of all time.

[@JB-lp9xr]

Let me guess; you don’t like his politics. Get over it dude. Mel Gibson is a right wing lunatic but I am not shy about loving his work as a director and actor. Music and movies are way more fun when you leave the politics at the door.

[@syncopatedpandemonium1648]

Saw them live when they did a tour. They kicked ass and were fukn hilarious at the same time. Great sound. Great musicians.

[@KeizerHedorah]

This movie was/is awesome and it came out at the perfect time.

[@chrislonergan1188]

I'm from the U.K and I was fooled .good job.

[@eezyclsmooth9035]

Damn. I thought I knew EVERYTHING about this group and This Film. Why have I Never seen this wonderful clip before? It was likely NEVER released until Now!

[@nigelcarren]

Proud to be another musician called Nigel. 🇬🇧🏆🇺🇸

[@BonnieBlair-zm4uu]

Michael McKeon is so funny and so good looking 👀 in this interview. I usually think of him as Lenny with his sidekick Squiggy. (Love how autocorrect changes name to Squiggly!) ❤✌️🤩✨💌❣️🇺🇲🇬🇧🎼

[@claudehopper9813]

By far the best rock mock documentary ever made , besides everything else they were good musicians and the song were clever !

[@jsmall10671]

Man, they cut off the piano playing at the best part, when he names his "Mach" song.

[@smelltheglove2038]

Seriously.

[@slydawgg]

Their English accents are superb.

[@simonm7133]

Still one of the funniest movies ever made. The music is brilliant, the staging of the concerts hysterical - Stone'enge! and the characters totally believable. I've met many people in management in the music industry and the late Tony Hendra, who played the manager Ian Faith, absolutely nailed it.

[@RichardVarno]

If you've ever been on the road, you've lived almost every scene in this movie!

[@NealR2000]

There are some movies you can watch multiple times and love them. Goodfellas is one and Spinal Tap is another.

[@paulmcgrath552]

I love the Isle of Lucy concert bit during an interview. It took me a couple of years to decipher that.

[@tubedsurf]

I am not a Brit either. But I saw them at the Isle of Lucie festival when they were at their head banging best before the free form jazz period and the Jack the Ripper phase. Best damn show I ever saw. They were not stinkin’ up the great outdoors as some people calm.

[@danielc1978]

the free form jazz period gets overlooked, unfairly to me...Kiss did the Elder, Def Leppard did their grunge album in the '90's, and U2 did their techno album, but that period of Tap is always dogged; people just want their bands to do the same type of music over and over. Had I been older, I would've been at the front row of that event...(I would not have sat through that stupid puppet show, though!)

[@danielc1978]

"Saucy Jack" is a whole other story, though....

[@Buster_Piles]

You're a naughty one ... Saucy Jack. Such a haughty one ... Saucy Jack. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. 🤧 good days, good days.

[@timsimmons9995]

Genius film, incredible cast, very funny in a tongue in cheek way.

[@DavidFobare]

The Melba toast bit still slays me. Nigel is *such* a child.

[@DebNKY]

They're so young and attractive! Love these guys! ❤

[@MrPasseh]

Thank you. Honestly, this is truly fucking excellent.

[@mybugmy64bug31]

So many cameos in that movie too. Billy Crystal, Dana Carvery, and Fred willard has me LOL all the time! in all those Christopher Guest movies. he's the perfect addition And oh my word, the green Fender.... subtle statement at the very end of the exchange.... "what about that one?" "No dont touch it. It cant be played ever." "i wasnt touching, i was pointing." "well dont point even" "Can i look at it?" "No. No. You've seen enough of that one." 🤣

[@djmikeyc]

Dana Carvery? are you sure you don't mean Toby Carvery?

[@mybugmy64bug31]

@@djmikeyc i believe its dana carvey that billy crystal is talking to at the dinner party. They are dressed as mimes. Billy says, " cmon do the floppy bird. Mime is money"

[@richards2920]

"What's wrong with being sexy? " 😂

[@LisaGemini]

Bon Scott was well known for putting socks in his pants! 😂😂😂

[@richardjames9091]

its a work of art

[@peternoble3691]

The producer obviously thought the backstage ‘jogging’ joke was a standout. I bet very few will have even caught that joke on the first couple of run throughs 😂

[@stupidas9466]

Funny that you mention that. I've seen the movie dozens of times and it's the first time i can recall hearing that "don't have time for that" line.

[@peternoble3691]

I guess that's part of the reason we keep coming back to it!@@stupidas9466

[@miz_logo_lee]

Legends, all.

[@ENigma-um8zw]

Excited for the new Spinal Tap film!

[@Robin838]

I hope it's in Dubly

[@massapower]

Let's not forget, most of it was improvised 😎

[@bldallas]

Such a classic. Now I want to go watch it for about the 20th time.

[@robnewton3368]

Been in bands of various levels. Tap isn’t a spoof.

[@clivegilmore9598]

The perfect rainy Saturday movie

[@boogieondown5824]

I like their fake American accents in this interview

[@UrbanGarden-rf5op]

It's hard to overestimate Spinal Taps cultural impact. There is even a guitar shop in Stockholm called These Goes To Eleven (TGT11) I also really enjoyed the "follow up" Christopher Guest Mockumentary series. Highly recommended. Pure genius 🤟🏻

[@MrUmandMrEr]

Fingers crossed for the new one…. 🤞

[@HUGHBROWN13]

"Bitch School", one of the greatest songs of all time.

[@revwillyg6450]

You're so fetching when you're down on all fours! Poetry. 😂

[@Cosmo-Kramer]

I rarely think deleted scenes should've made the final cut, but the Zoo scene should've been in, This Is Spinal Tap, it is hilarious!

[@fuzzyjax]

The Jazz Trilogy in A need I say more.

[@dougkeith7339]

I am not performing freeform jazz before a festival audience! (Next scene) The bass player wrote this one!

[@caramanico1]

Every couple of years or so (give or take a couple of months) I get the itch to watch this again, and I STILL pick up on little things for the first time.

[@DayBeforeTomorrow]

If I did my best work over forty years and nothing of note since, I would also latch onto this movie and never let go!

[@misskitty2710]

When my husband and I went to see this masterpiece in the theatre in ‘85, there were two young guys behind us who were totally bummed that it wasn’t about a real group. They were almost as fun as the film.

[@oliverbeard7912]

I'd enjoy it immensely if they stayed in character for every interview. 😊

[@dagoelius]

Spinal Tap getting lost back stage is straight up facts. Some arena's backstage areas truly are rabbit warrens.

[@user-bl6ne3hc6n]

Great news folks, just heard they are in the middle of making another spinal tap, filling as we speak, CANT WAIT,

[@TomBVoxman]

I love Michael Mckean’s boisterous laugh at the end of this!

[@user-du9ko1fj1h]

This movie,is the greatest rock parody,ever! The guys work off of each other wonderfully!

[@rcom9880]

Hope the reboot lives up to the original

[@alexkx8599]

Surely, you are joking?

[@rcom9880]

@@alexkx8599 Right. There's no way!

[@gingerfreak01]

It's a sequel not a reboot.

[@mintoxace5571]

In today’s society it’s very unlikely they’ll be able to get away with anything like what they did in the original.

[@tcvt64]

I wonder how many drummers they've gone through in the last forty years.

[@jonathanross149]

Christopher Guest is actually Sir Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest