Unreleased Spinal Tap interview

Marty DeBergi (MDB) interviewing Nigel Tufnel (NT), lead guitarist of Spinal Tap.

MDB So, do you have any ideas for new music?

NT Yes we do actually.

MDB Such as?

NT Well, as you know, we in Tap are huge fans of Bob Dylan...

MDB Really?

NT Yes, he is a wonderful musician. Anyway we have decided to do a cover of one of his songs.

MDB Which one is that?

NT "Rocking on Heaven's Door"

MDB Uhh.. don't..

NT (singing) "Rock, rock rocking on Heaven's Door" I think that's a great song.

MDB But don't you...

NT Although I have to say that I find the title quite ironic.

MDB Why is that?

NT Well when Dylan... Bob Dylan... Bob, as I call him, sings it, he sings it as though he is like some sort of folk singer.

MDB Well I..

NT I mean the music is folk music so I...

MDB You do realise that Bob Dylan used to be a folk singer?

NT No I didn't. Did he really?

MDB In fact one of the great events of Rock history is when he went went electric.

NT What do you mean?

MDB Well, when he started using electric guitars instead of acoustic ones.

NT Ohhhh.

MDB And you also know that the song you're referring to isn't called "Rocking on Heaven's Door"?

NT Isn't it?

MDB It's "Knocking on Heaven's Door", Knocking, not Rocking.

NT Oh.

MDB So bec..

NT But hold on that doesn't make sense.

MDB Why is that?

NT Well, why would he be singing about, you, know, doing the 4 legged monster in front of heaven?

MDB What do...

NT I mean you'd think maybe Saint Peter would be a bit put off by these two people, you know, knocking on each other.

MDB Well...

NT I mean we don't even know if... people... still do that sort of thing, you know, after they've died.

MDB I don't think...

NT So.. No. It's Rocking. "Rocking on Heaven's Door". I think you're wrong there.

MDB What sort of like a Rock concert in heaven?

NT Well that's what I thought when I heard the song like when I heard the first time on the radio.

MDB You like Bob Dylan?

NT I do, his music is very good. And he really helped us out about ten years ago.

MDB Bob Dylan helped Spinal Tap?

NT Oh yes he did.

MDB I've never heard this before. Can you tell me the story?

NT Well we were we touring, ummm, oh I can't remember, some part of the Midwest.

MDB Okay

NT And we found out that Bob was playing in the same stadium as us except it was like, the night before.

MDB Okay

NT Or... maybe it was the night after. I can't really remember. So I went up to his Hotel Room.

MDB You were staying in the same Hotel?

NT No we were in a different one. Ours was blue.

MDB Okay.

NT So I knocked on the door and I asked the man standing there to say hello to Bob for me.

MDB So the person you spoke to wasn't Bob?

NT No he was some lackey. He had like a beard and frizzy hair or something.

MDB And what happened then?

NT Well the lackey came back and told us that Bob had a message for us.

MDB What was the message?

NT The message was "Go forth and multiply"

(Pause)

MDB Right and so...

NT But of course, as you know, Bob can be very cryptic in what he says. And we didn't know what he was saying to us.

MDB You worked it out?

NT Well eventually yes. I mean "Go" means, you know, go, do something...

MDB Yeah.

NT And "Forth" means, you know, the four of us...

MDB Okay

NT And "Multiply"...

MDB Wait. There were four of you in the band at that time?

NT Well yeah.

MDB There was, who, you, David, Derek...?

NT No, Derek was taking a break that year. There was...

(pause. Counting in head)

NT Well there was actually five of us in the band at that point.

MDB Right

NT But I'm sure, you know, Bob may have been confused as to how many members were in Spinal Tap.

MDB So he said...

NT Well "Go Forth and Multiply"

MDB Right

NT "Go" - do something.

MDB Okay.

NT "Forth" - that is, the band, Spinal Tap.

MDB Yeah

NT "And Multiply" means to make more albums.

MDB So, when Bob Dylan said "Go Forth and Multiply', you interpreted that to mean...

NT "Spinal Tap should make more albums"

MDB And did you actually speak to him directly?

NT No it was through his lackeys, his messengers that he said this to us.

MDB Have you met him since then?

NT No.

MDB Have you ever met him face to face at all?

NT Well no. But he was a real encouragement to all four of us at the time.

MDB Five

NT Well (laughs) yeah five.

MDB Do you think that, maybe, Dylan was trying to say something else to you?

NT Well no because, what else would he try to say to us?

MDB You don't think he was being mean or insulting?

NT No. No. Of course not. I mean everyone knows he is the nicest person around.

MDB Yeah.

NT I mean, you know that lackey who spoke to us?

MDB The man who Bob Dylan used to send the message to you?

NT Yes. That man. Well Bob Dylan has been using that man on the front cover of his albums.

MDB Really?

NT Yes. The other day I was in that record store, you know the one where that strange fellow wanted us to kick his bottom?

MDB Yeah.

NT Well I picked up Bob's latest album, and, you know what, that Lackey's face was on the cover again.

MDB Right.

NT I mean, Bob Dylan is such a humble man to put someone else's face and likeness on his albums.

MDB Have you ever seen a photo of Bob Dylan?

NT No of course not. No one has.