So many great musicians were born on February 5, 1948. Nigel Tufnel, lead guitar/vocals for Spinal Tap (please forgive the dotted “i” and lack of an umlaut – crappy keyboard) and Alan Barrows, guitar/banjo/mandolin for The Folksmen, are one of them.
As it turns out, both of these musicians from groundbreaking groups in two different genres, inhabit the same body; that of The Right Honourable 5th Baron Christopher Haden-Guest, who not coincidentally was born the same day in NYC.
Dad was a British diplomat at the UN and mum an American former VP of casting at CBS. Christopher, a dual citizen of both countries, grew up in both Sailing, County of Essex, and NYC. Guest is hugely and broadly talented. He graduated from The High School of Music & Art in NYC, and then studied classical music (clarinet) at the Stockbridge School in Interlaken, MA. He also studied acting at NYU's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 1971. Since then, Guest has acted on television (including SNL, 1984), in movies (including “The Princess Bride”), and on radio (National Lampoon), has appeared as a musician in both of his alter egos, toured with Spinal Tap in 2009, and has acted in, written, produced and/or directed award-winning movies, including “This Is Spinal Tap”, “A Mighty Wind”, “Best In Show”, and “Waiting for Guffman”. Christopher became the 5th Baron Haden-Guest when dad died in 1996, because his older half brother was a bastard (literally – he was born prior to the marriage and, thus, was disqualified from inheriting the title). The icing on the cake is that this lucky S.O.B. sleeps with his wife, Jamie Lee Curtis, who he married in 1984 – that’s Lord and Lady Haden-Guest to you, peasants!
But, this drivel is not what brought you here, is it? Nigel Tufnel is rock and roll click bait, pure and simple. Spinal Tap is the world’s loudest band. Proof? No one else has amplifiers that go to “11” – so there! Nigel can thrash with the best of them, whether he’s playing with a horseshoe, a violin, or simultaneously playing a second guitar with his foot. You have to love it when Nigel stops to tune the violin, and later in his iconic solo plays the back of the guitar neck – making him a complete guitar player (Groan!)
Conspiracy theorists have had a field day speculating that Spinal Tap actually descended from the now-irrelevant folk trio, The Folksmen. It must be admitted that they bear an uncanny resemblance to actors Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. But, there’s no confusing the music, is there?
Happy Birthday Nigel, or Alan, or Lord Guest, or whoever you are! Give her Ladyship a little kiss from us, eh?
