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Question Of The Week: What's Your Spinal Tap Moment?

Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist for the entirely fake band Spinal Tap, in the band's 1983 mockumentary.
The Kobal Collection
Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist for the entirely fake band Spinal Tap, in the band's 1983 mockumentary.

I once went to a show where the lead singer stripped naked on stage and tried to set his pubic hair on fire. Tragically, his lighter wouldn't work. Try to picture him standing there, completely naked, sadly flicking the lighter over and over and only getting sparks. Finally, one of the three or four people actually in attendance reached up to the stage and handed him theirs. The singer thumbed the lighter, his hair went up in one almost instant poof and the stench of burnt hair filled the club.

At another show by the same band, the lead singer dove off the stage. But instead of catching him for some epic crowd surfing, everyone stepped out of the way. He landed on the concrete club floor like an old medicine ball, with a dull thud.

I should note that I love this band dearly, and as funny as these stories are, you had to feel for these guys. I mean, god help them, nothing ever seems to go right for this band.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the required-viewing classic mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, so it's got us thinking of the real-life Spinal Tap fiascos we've witnessed. These are the moments when everything goes comically wrong for a band.

Think back to the shows you've been to. Were there any moments where everything fell apart or flopped? We don't need to know the band's name, but tell us about your own Spinal Tap moments in the comments section. If you've got a good one, we might share it on the show.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.
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