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Everyone has his or her favorite Spinal Tap moment: Derek Smalls getting stuck in the plastic pod, David St. Hubbins belting out “Big Bottoms,” or, perhaps, any one of the different explanations describing how each of the band’s drummers expired.
Of course, just about every scene mocks some actually event or fact from the long, interesting history of rock’n’roll music. Your job in this stumper is to name what and who is being mocked in what I think just might be my favorite scene in the whole movie.
It involves guitarist, Nigel Tufnel and a violin. Check out the photo below and tell us:
Question #1: Who is Nigel mocking?
Question #2: What should Nigel be holding instead of a violin?
Question #3: What song would the answer to Question #1 be playing in this case, for real?
And hey, if you don’t know the answer, we’re always happy to hear your favorite scene, too!
Didn’t Jimmy Page use a violin bow to play sometimes? I have no idea what song it would be.
posted by Bill T. on 10-16-2006 at 9:53 am
Oh, and the best line of the movie:
“D minor. The saddest of all keys.”
He then goes on to play a beautiful piece titled “Lick My Love Pump”.
posted by Bill T. on 10-16-2006 at 9:57 am
OK…here’s a shot…
1.Jimmy Page
2.A violin bow
3.Dazed & Confused (However, it could be argued that Jimmy Page could have embellished almost any song in the Zeppelin songbook employing the aid of a violin bow…or even a theremin…check out the recent “How the West was Won” CD set or DVD)
posted by Rox DeFuko on 10-16-2006 at 10:00 am
He’s making fun of Jimmy Page the guitarist for Led Zeppelin, who used a bow during several conert performances. I have no idea about the song, but I am going to guess Stairway to Heaven.
“Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It’s just not really widely reported.”
posted by Abby on 10-16-2006 at 10:02 am
Kasmir is the song.
Right?
posted by greg on 10-16-2006 at 10:16 am
Jimmy Page
Bow
Dazed and Confused
posted by Josey on 10-16-2006 at 10:35 am
Nigel Tufnel: You can’t really dust for vomit.
posted by garman on 10-16-2006 at 11:04 am
Rox and Josey both got it! Rox first, of course. The only song Page really used the bow on was “Dazed and Confused” — especially in the movie The Song Remains the Same, which is the scene Nigel is mocking.
Of course Nigel isn’t content just mocking Jimmy Page, he also has a guitar he kicks with his foot there on the stage (possibly a reference to Keith Emerson kicking his keyboards).
One of the best moments in this scene is when Nigel stops his solo to adjust the tuning peg on THE VIOLIN!!
posted by David on 10-16-2006 at 11:30 am
My favorite part of that scene is the tuning of the violin. Just perfect. :)
Jeff
posted by Jeff Coleman on 10-16-2006 at 12:30 pm
It’s Jimmy Page that he’s mocking. It would be more accurate with a violin bow. And there is no studio recording that contains Jimmy using a bow but he does perform with it live on the song “Dazed and Confused.”
posted by Eric on 10-16-2006 at 2:10 pm
Favorite part is when he adjusts the tuning on the violin just a hair. And when he uses his cheezy sneakers to adjust something (forget what)
posted by Mark on 10-16-2006 at 2:12 pm
My favorite scene is the one where Nigel Tufnel is showing Marty DiBergi his guitar collection, including the one that’s never been played (movie quotes from IMDB):
Nigel Tufnel: Look… still has the old tag on, never even played it.
Marty DiBergi: [points his finger] You’ve never played…?
Nigel Tufnel: Don’t touch it!
Marty DiBergi: We’ll I wasn’t going to touch it, I was just pointing at it.
Nigel Tufnel: Well… don’t point! It can’t be played.
Marty DiBergi: Don’t point, okay. Can I look at it?
Nigel Tufnel: No. no. That’s it, you’ve seen enough of that one.
And then right after that, we find out about the amp that goes to 11 instead of 10.
posted by Jeff Chadwell on 10-16-2006 at 2:32 pm
“but… it goes to 11!” is the best part of the movie. when I get an amp (probably some time in the next 6 months) I’ll be relabling the volume knobs to go up to 11.
posted by moonablaze on 10-16-2006 at 9:20 pm
jimmy page is right. violin bow is also correct. the answer you are looking for is dazed and confused, mainly because they played that at almost every live show. in the light or in the evening or how many more times could be correct, but they are not popularly known for their incorporation of said instrumentation.
lol
posted by steelyphil on 2-24-2008 at 9:53 pm