Spinal Tap A to Zed

Fame, Duke: Lead singer of Duke Fame and the Fame Throwers, a band that once opened for Spinal Tap but did not impress the boys. David: "We had to apologize for him with our set. It’s all hype." After a chance meeting with Tap in the lobby of a Memphis hotel before Fame’s sold-out show to support his 1982 album "Ow" and hit single "Cancer Dance" (b/w "I’m Your Puppet"), Fame was assessed by the band as a "wanker" and "total no-talent sod." The encounter was captured on film by Marty DiBergi for "This is Spinal Tap." Discussion of cover of Duke’s album, which featured a photo of the singer tied to a table and surrounded by naked women holding bull whips, prompted protests from Tap to Ian. The manager took pains to explain that the album was not offensive because Fame was depicted as the victim. Nigel: "He did a twist on it!," which prompted the classic exchange between David and Derek that there’s "such a fine line between stupid and...clever." See also Ladd, Terry.