Spinal Tap could return next year

Spoof rock band Spinal Tap could roll back into action next year, says co-creator and co-star Christopher Guest.

He played guitarist Nigel Tufnel in 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap, which is remembered for reflecting rock’n’roll life in an eerily accurate manner, with scenes including a tiny replica of Stonehenge, the band getting lost on the way to a stage and amps that go up to 11.

Together with Michael McKean as frontman David St Hubbins and Harry Shearer as bassist Derek Smalls, their last outing was a tour in 2009 which saw them appearing at Glastonbury.

Guest tells The Guardian: “We played the Pyramid Stage – it was a fantastic show. There were 130,000 people there or something.

“Since the film 30 years ago we’ve gone on tour, playing Wembley, the Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall. It’s weird but great – the fiction became real.”

Asked if there’s any chance of a reunion soon, he says: “We get asked to do shows on a regular basis. But what I will say is that we’re in the midst of talking about something for next year.”

Guest is launching new sitcom Family Tree, which stars McKean, who once again plays an Englishman – although he struggled to get the accent back.

“It took him a little time,” Guest says. “Michael’s an incredibly gifted actor but he doesn’t know anything about football, so I had to explain the sport to him because his character is a big Tottenham fan.”

-Classic Rock