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Study Guide
This Is Spinal Tap Friendship
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Friendship
MARTY: How old were you guys when you met?
DAVID: Eight years old. Eight or nine.
NIGEL: You were eight and I was seven.
DAVID: That's right, yeah.
Just a few minutes into the movie, we get this exchange, which tells us two things. One—it tells us exactly how old these two were when they first met. Well, roughly how old they were. There appears to be a discrepancy. But close enough. And two—it gives us some insight into their dynamic. When one of them corrects the other, there's no arguing, no harsh glances. They just go with the flow. They're friends to the end. Or until someone's girlfriend joins the tour.
MARTY: Do you feel that in collaboration with David, that you are afforded the opportunity to express yourself musically the way you would like to?
NIGEL: Well, I think I do, you know, in my solos. My solos are my trademark.
Here's an indication of how close Nigel and David are. David doesn't feel a need to hog the spotlight one hundred percent of the time. He's happy to share it with his best bud, and give him some shirtless, tongue-sticking-out time of his own.
DAVID: But you're not as confused as him are you? I mean it's not your job to be as confused as Nigel is.
Because Nigel and David are best friends, Nigel just lets this needling comment roll right off his back. Or maybe he's so confused he doesn't realize David is taking a jab. Either way, it's all good.
NIGEL: Not really, I mean, you know, they go, we've grown up but really it's not, no, not really. We feel like children much of the time, even when we're playing. We're closer than brothers. Brothers always fight, sort of disagreements, and all that. We really have a relationship that's way, way past that.
All right, so it turns out that this speech is basically just setting us up for the scene where they do fight. Where they do have a disagreement. But even so, Nigel isn't just blowing smoke. He's honestly expressing how he and David genuinely feel about one another. After all, we get the feeling that we're privy to a rare blow-up between them, not a common occurrence. This might even be their first fight ever. But the fact that they come back together in the end only serves to cement the true strength of their friendship. That, or Nigel just really needed the money.
DAVID: Nigel Tufnel, Lead guitar!
With just a few words—delivered to a raging crowd, not even to Nigel himself—David totally and completely forgives his friend for past difficulties. Inviting him back into the band is the ultimate show of clemency. There's no need to say the words "I forgive you," or to hug it out.