Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap. Guitar World Magazine Nov. 2025 Issue.

Music by Witch of November 

PJ Pat dives into the latest Guitar World article on the release of 'Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.' PJ Pat shares his personal connection to rock legends Ozzy Osborne and Spinal Tap, and explores the impact and legacy of the cult classic 'This is Spinal Tap.' Featuring hilarious excerpts from Nigel Tufnel's interview, including anecdotes about Marshall amps, rock 'n' roll faux pas, and new developments, this episode promises a mix of nostalgia and excitement for fans old and new. Tune in to catch PJ Pat's insights and anticipation for the new movie, complete with amps that go to infinity.

00:27 Welcome to the It's 1 Louder Podcast
01:04 Remembering Ozzy Osbourne
01:37 Diving into Spinal Tap
03:37 The Impact of 'This is Spinal Tap'
04:49 Infinite Jest: Spinal Tap's New Movie
06:35 Interview Highlights with Nigel Tufnell
17:43 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Transcript

Hey Rock fan. Thank you so much for joining the Its one Louder podcast. My name is PJ Pat and on this podcast I read and comment on magazine articles in Guitar World. Guitarist or just in general rock magazines about all the rock stars and guitar legends that we love, and I just had my 2 cents to it.

I'm a musician myself. I've been playing in bands in and outta bands since high school, and I just kind of give you a musician perspective or a guy who's just a passionate rock fan. What I think. So today's no different. We're gonna dive into a guitar world. Magazine article that I'm really excited about, uh, guitar War recently released.

I think it's the lead issue with Ozzy Osborne. Rest in peace, Ozzy Rest in Peace on the cover. And that's still kind of raw for me. Ozzy's death. Obviously it was a huge impact, not just in the rock community, but me personally. No more tears. What a classic. I probably listened to that album hundreds and hundreds of times, i'm gonna at some point comment on that, but let's just put that aside from now and just. Give rock and roll thanks to Ozzy for all he is done and for the music that he's left us that will live on and on forever. What I want to get to is this article that I saw in that magazine about Spinal Tap. As you know, the Spinal Tap movie, the second Spinal tap movie is out now in theaters, and I'm super excited.

I can't wait to go see it. I'm hoping to go see it this weekend, if not next weekend, but obviously this took me back to the original. This is Spinal Tab Classic. All you rock fans, you know exactly what I'm talking about, and I know you've seen it a couple of times. I mean, this podcast was named from one of that famous scene of the Marshall Amplifier scene where Nigel was explaining that you know, his Marshall lamp goes to 11 one louder.

Oh man, that scene marked me so much. I was cracking up so bad when I first saw that and you know, at the time I was actually getting into rock music and I don't think I was quite yet playing guitar, but that. Definitely got me super interested and riled up about rock and exploring what an amp was and what a guitar was.

I was still a little too young to start playing guitar as you know, seriously as I when I started in high school, what a cult classic, believe it or not, when that movie, well, maybe you should believe it because, I mean, I think only people who are in bands or musicians or rock fans can really relate to that kind of movie.

But when it first came out, it didn't do so well. It's picked the momentum as soon as it got into a VHS and video, and that's when it really started to become popular and now is. Part of rock History and a cult classic, believe it or not, that movie, this is Spinal Tap. It was, mainly improvised. All the actors, obviously they had a script, but the script was more of a guide.

I think more than 90% of the dialogue is just the actors kind of riffing away and you can clearly tell in that amplifier scene. I think that's why it's so amazing is 'cause it shows that it's so spontaneous, you know what they're saying and they're just kind of riffing off each other, which makes it so funny.

This is Spinal Tap. Define, I think the word mockumentary. I think it was the earliest of its genre in terms of mockumentary. When it came out there, there probably was some confusion amongst a lot of people, whether this was a real band or not. Which was, I mean, amazing. I think it definitely forged away to shows like The Office.

Or Best in Show, that movie. And, uh, maybe even Anvil, you know, anvil another great documentary, but they were a real band as opposed to, this is Spinal Tap. They were just actors. Playing roles in a band, playing, being musicians. And, um, but one thing about these actors, I believe they actually play their own instruments, so that's really cool.

I'm pretty sure, not, you know, I'm almost guaranteeing not all of them knew how to play instruments, so they probably had to learn it. And I believe they actually went on tour as Spinal Tap the actors shortly after the movie came out to kind of promote the movie, which is really cool.

Anyways, super excited to see this second movie. I can't wait. I think it's gone some decent reviews, but I saw this article that I wanted to bring to you called Infinite Jest in Guitar World, and it is by Joe Baso and, uh, released November, 2025 Guitar World page 32. I am not gonna go through the whole article just in case you wanna check out yourself, but let's dive 

into it. This is the reason, but let's dive into it. Let's just see what this is about. Obviously I'm a huge fan. I need my damn podcast off that famous scene. So let's go. Ready? Here we go.

All right. The article is called Infinite Jest. Like it or not, UK Rock Legends Spinal Tap are back in a new movie, a new Outlook and custom martial lamps that go to Infinity. Yes. Actually, speaking of that, when that scene became. Part of pop culture or rock pop culture, I should say. Marshall actually manufactured amps that went to 11.

Believe it or not, that's how much of an impact that movie had. And I believe Marshall actually for this movie made amps that goes to infinity, I think. So anyways let's read on it and see if that's true or not in a stupendously rare interview, legendary spinal tap guitarist, Nigel Tufnell, ruminates about birds, gear cheese, blind, Bubba cheeks, and so much more.

In a 1992 Guitar World feature that celebrated the release of Spinal Taps reunion album, break like the Wind, it was reported that lead guitarist Nigel Tufnell, had been at some point during the band's hiatus, mysteriously conscripted into the Swiss army. It's a claim that IL's speaking via Zoom from his home in the UK now shoots down as totally bogus.

It is just not true. He says, all right, okay. I'm not gonna do the British accent. I apologize for that. someone said that, and it's not a very good joke as well, but that's a separate matter quote, unquote, tough. No is happy. Well, that might be stretching things a bit.

To set the record straight regarding other persistent tall tales in Canards surrounding him and the pioneering heavy metal band he co-founded in 1966 with singer guitarist David St. Hubbins and bassist Derrick Smalls. There's a matter of guitar strings. For years it's been thought.

That Teal started out playing strings made of Cat Gut. No, he says, Charlie, I think you've been put off a bit, either by yourself or someone who works for you. You've got some wrong information there. Cat Gut was used on early classical instruments, and then they went to nylon strings.

I always played steel string guitars. From the very beginning. I played a sovereign harmony. Then I got my first Gibson, and then I got fenders, and whatever the answer to your question would be, no.

What is true is that for the past 15 years has been living a quiet life in northern England with his longtime partner, Moira. We're just on a border of Scotland. He says, I've got a cheese shop there, and we work together. He continues to play music, mostly with locals and a nearby pub, and he does some recording at home, but it's not for the public to hear really.

He says, well, it could happen as just so happens it's not, it's just for me, when asked if the pub sells any of his cheeses, he's quick to stress that pubs are not really known for their cheese Now are they? If you know what a pub is, it's mostly people drinking cider or port or some sort of ale or lager.

After years of Career Setbacks, spinal Tap achieved sudden Worldwide fame following the release of Marty Diverges, warts and all. 1984 documentary. This is Spinal Tap.

Yet the film success left the band feeling somewhat dismayed, seeing Hubbins told Guitar World that the movie portrayed the group as sort of a second rate. Great big joke while Tufnell griped that he felt betrayed when he saw the finished doc. Decades later, those feelings haven't exactly softened. I think we were bloody angry because it made us seem as if everything we did was rubbish and went wrong in some way. TNE says Marty d Bergey, the director picked these things to show, but there was a lot of stuff he didn't show, like when we didn't get lost or when we weren't having a row.

So we were miffed, as you like to say, in America. Taking into account the band's misgivings about this is Spinal Tap. It's more than a little surprise that he chose to work with the Burgie again for an all new film. Spinal Tap two. The End continues in which a group reunites after 15 years for one final show, according to Tufnell.

We had a long discussion. All of us and Marty made a case that it made sense for us to do this new thing, which is. Us coming together again for a reunion. I haven't seen the lads for 15 years, and besides that, we had a legal obligation to do one more show, asked if he felt that the new film might paint a more accurate portrait of the band.

Teel says, well, I can't say white will or not. There's some things in it that are upsetting emotionally.

You see us getting angry occasionally, but there's some good things as well. I think it balances itself out really, but I don't want to give it away. You'd like people to go and see it in a cinema. All right. So I'm not sure what's going on here. I'm not sure if he's just completely in character and just riffing here, but it's pretty damn funny. Like, I really don't think they're real band. I think they were just actors playing a real band in the movie.

So here he is making it seems like, you know. He was happy with the, documentary in reality, so it's pretty damn funny. Anyways,

Like I said, I'm not gonna read you the full article. I'm gonna pick a couple of questions here, mainly about the new movie 'cause I'm pretty curious about it.

Okay, so first question, what are you hoping the audiences come away with after they see the new film? It's another view, maybe a more honest view of who we are. As we're older people, yes, but not just a catastrophic, there's always a balancing thing. Yes, bad things have happened, but they've happened to every single band that goes out on tour.

There's more good stuff than upsetting stuff. Where are you talking? All right, so the new movie's called Spinal Tap two. The end continues. If the end continues, how is it exactly the end? So Nigel responds. Yeah. Well, you have to work that one out yourself. I can't give you the answer to that. Some of these things you're gonna have to work out on your own, buddy. I know it's not something you normally do, but you're going to have to do some research.

Go to the library in Verona. They've got a lovely little library there, and there's a woman there who will help you. Or there's a public library in Rumson that you might want to. Pop into between that and the other one, you're going to get all these answers to your questions you're asking me, which I don't know.

I had like you to clear up a few more things.

In the past, spinal Tap have turned down some not very sizable sums of money to reform, but a rumor persists that there were also very hefty fees offered for you not to reform. No, again, that's not true. Nigel says, in the old days, we had what you would call a lawsuit against one of our labels. They said at the time, this is 30 years ago, he says.

Uh, we will pay you not to record, but now you see we've made a new record and there's a new book and a film coming out. We're in a different place. You're in a driver's seat now. Nigel says, no, no, no. I'm not in the driver's seat. Actually, I'm in the back seat. Moyer Mara drives me and she's a very good driver.

She takes me places, but mainly we walk or take our bicycles. Do you use a walking stick now? What would I do with a walking stick? He says, so obviously they're just riffing and having fun here. It's pretty hilarious.

All right. Tell me about when you first met Jamie Hendrix. The story goes that you were at his first London performance at the Scotch of James. Nigel says, no. You see, again, I think you've been thrown off a bit by yourself, first of all, but by something else.

I've never got to meet Hendrick. As a young person learning to play, my main influence was Blind Bubba Cheeks. He was a great bluesman from the Delta. His records were quite rare. They were 70 eights. I had two of them, and I never met anyone else who had them. I'd play them for David St.

Hubbins. He would sit around and try to learn the licks and it was amazing. Blind Bub Cheeks was really the great one of all those people, even more than Robert Johnson or Skip Change, I would say. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani

Nigel says, you are just naming names. You're reading off a list. What's the point? All of those guitarists have said they were somewhat influenced by you, but not by much. Nigel says, yeah, so look, if you listen to a guitar player, you take a little bit from him. He takes something from you. It's called. An organic sort of way of learning.

This happens with any musician. You don't even realize it. You listen to a song, you hear something, the tone, a specific effect, pedal, whatever it is. Then you might copy that. They may copy you, whatever. It's a natural thing that happens. Oh man,

that's cool to see. They're having a blast here on this interview.

In a new film, people like Paul McCartney, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Tricia Yearwood, Chad Smith, and Lars Eurich appear with you. Nigel says, legends all. Yeah. Do you think they're just trying to piggyback on your fame? Nigel says, well, I think no, because you may have noticed that those are very famous people and they've been famous for a long time. 

I think the answer is no. They have their own thing. It was lovely playing with them. It was really a lot of fun for everyone, I think.

How has your guitar playing improved over the years, or do you feel that once you achieve greatness you just stay there? I think that's the wrong term, quote unquote, improve. Nigel says, because players always play, I still play every day. I play differently than I once played and I'm learning. I used to play a lot of fast solo things, but now I'm listening in a different way to a spacious way of playing, which is more long notes.

There's different effects, some backward things going on, and it's different. I wouldn't say I've improved. It's just different.

As we know, your amps go to 11. Are there any recent guitar or geared developments you're excited about? Yes, Nigel says, for instance, Marshall has made for me an amplifier the head, and if you look at the dials, it now goes to infinity. Just think about that for a moment. Think about infinity.

Oh my God. That's literally infinity. There are lots of pedals that people have done in the last years that are quite extraordinary. Companies that make these pedals, which I use, and I do a little work on them. I take them apart and I do a little fooling around with the wires and stuff like that to get the sound.

I'd like. You tinker? I tinker. Yeah. Lots of times I break them because I don't really know how to do that work. I haven't been trained, but it's interesting to open things up and see all the wires and move them about a bit.

What do you think about AMP modeling? No, no. People use it in studios to make records, but I like my amplifiers. Occasionally. I've gone direct when I record at home, there's something about pushing air, as they call it. I've got this great Marshall at home, a studio Al, and it's hard to beat.

How much ear do you like to push? I'll leave that for you to figure out.

Any of your new songs inspired by Moira? I can't share that because it's personal, isn't it? This is the woman that I love, and I'm not going to say to you, this is what's going on because I don't know you well enough. I feel we're getting to know each other.

Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Nigel says, don't be sorry. I like the paintings you have. If you've got a painting and a mirror and it looks like there's a fireplace. It looks like some kind of velvet flocking on the wall. Is this a care home that you're in or is it your own place? It's my own place.

It's comforting and disturbing at the same time. Nigel says,

Will you guys reform again in 15 more years? As they say in the States, do the math. What we would say is, do the maths. When you're studying arithmetic. In the UK they call it maths. But you could play a game in 15 years. People are living longer these days.

Nigel says, yeah, I don't know that many people at the age of a hundred are going out and doing gigs. People are 82 are going out. That's not a hundred, is it? Look, we're all old. We're bloody old. It's weird, isn't it? And that was the last question of the interview. That's a wrap. Wow. I didn't read all the questions, but you can tell that just with their banter going back and forth, they're having a blast. I think Nigel, again, I think he's playing right into the character and just riffing off and having a good time with the interviewer, which is great.

I can't wait to see the movie. If you've seen it, please let me know in the comments. Did you like it? Did you hate it? How would you rate it? A five, a six, a 10, an 11? Let me know. The fact of the matter is regardless, I'm still gonna go see it myself. I gotta see this, uh, Marshall Amp to Infinity.

If the movie's that good, I might have to change the name of the podcast from it's one ladder to it's Infinity. Anyways. There you go. I hope you enjoyed this little snippet of the interview.

I hope you're excited just as I am for this latest movie, and who knows? Let's hope they do one more in 15 years, huh? How about that? Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in the next one.