The 11 Best Nigel Tufnel Quotes from the Movie Spinal Tap

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, today is 11-11-11, or November 11, 2011. In honor of all things eleven, we’ve posted the classic “These go to 11” scene from the 1984 heavy-metal mockumentary Spinal Tap. In the scene, guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) debates amplification with director Rob Reiner. If you haven’t seen it yet, just watch. It’s amazeballs. There are plenty of great Nigel Tufnel quotes in the film.

And staying with the Spinal Tap theme, we’ve included our favorite Nigel Tufnel quotes with links to their Spinal Tap scenes on YouTube. This date, 11-11-11, only happens once a century, so make the most of it. Be sure to tweet “11-11-11” to all your friends, share this blog post and watch some Spinal Tap clips. Until next century…

The 11 Best Nigel Tufnel Quotes from the Movie Spinal Tap:

1. On the band’s special amps: “These go to 11.”
2. On the band’s special amps: “Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it?“
3. No one will ever be sure exactly how drummer Stumpy Joe died: “You can’t really dust for vomit.”
4. Why do so few girls attend Spinal Tap shows? “Really, they’re quite fearful, that’s my theory. They see us on stage with tight trousers. We’ve got, you know, armadillos in our trousers.”
5. His favorite foods: “I love tuna. Those little cans you’ve got here — tuna fish. No bones!“
6. Defending the band’s design for the “Smell the Glove” album cover: “What’s wrong with being sexy?“
7. On the druids, as Nigel introduces “Stonehenge:” “No one knows who they were, or what they were doing … .”
8. Explaining a new piano composition: “I’m really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it’s kind of in-between. It’s like a Mach piece, really.“
9. Defending the final version of the “Smell the Glove” album cover: “It’s like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none — none more black.“
10. Would Nigel be happy as a salesman instead of a rock star? “I don’t know. What are the hours?“
11. After explaining his influences and the haunting effect of songs played in D-minor, Nigel gives us the name of his piano composition: “This piece is called, ‘Lick My Love Pump.’“

Want More Spinal Tap?!

Want more Spinal Tap? Check out our article featuring great Spinal Tap quotes from other characters in the film.