Spinal Tap A to Zed

Nigel sings StonehengeStonehenge: Classic rock spectacle perfected by Spinal Tap before their 1982 tour brought it down a notch; the Nigel tune first appeared on the disastrous 1975 concept album, "The Sun Never Sweats" and was rereleased on the 1984 soundtrack album. Written by Nigel after a bad dish of Indian food got him a seat "on the porcelain bus" and gave him strange dreams. (GP) (During a 1992 interview, Nigel described the song as "an anthem to my Druidic ancestors.") Stonehenge is a group of standing stones on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Archaeologists believe the monument either served some sort of religious function or was used as an astronomical instrument. In an example of life imitating art, Cullen Murphy notes in his book "Just Curious" that there has been talk of constructing a replica near the real Stonehenge because crowds are threatening the site. Murphy suggests it be called "Foamhenge" but doubts it will ever be built. "A synthetic Stonehenge," he writes, "might last forever and would be plagued by few of the maintenance problems that have beset the original monument. More important, it would be certain to baffle future generations. Scholars five thousand years from now would have to ask themselves not only 'What was it for?' but also 'Why are there two?' " (CT4) That bit of trivia aside, Tap would later accuse Black Sabbath of stealing its Stonehenge stage show idea. (IST) During the filming of "This is Spinal Tap," the band discusses bringing Stonehenge back to revitalize its stage presence. (If you listen closely during "This is Spinal Tap," you can hear a fan yell "Do Stonehenge!" during the Chapel Hill concert.) The idea proves to be a disaster-largely because of Nigel's confused state-and is quickly abandoned after just one performance in Austin. Years later, the band mulled over performing at Stonehenge itself. Derek: "Tap at 'henge would obviously be a dream gig. But there are security concerns. I don't know if you know this here in the US, but it's not a quiet, placid place, especially around the solstice. There have been disruptions, hippies go there to do their ceremonies and all sorts of things; druids, pseudo-druids, and neo-druids frequent the place. It gets a bit snarky there, but it's always been something we've wanted to do." (SH) See Code; Deutsch, Polly; Horns; Indian Food; Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

The Origins of Stonehenge

Photo of an Actual Miniature Stonehenge
From the book Roadside America

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