Summary

• This Is Spinal Tap is one of the best mockumentary movies ever made with hilarious quotes that still hold up today.
• The cast members, who are also writers, contribute to the movie's memorable quotes through their improvisation skills.
• The movie satirizes rock documentaries, pretentious musicians, and record label meddling with pitch-perfect humor.

The many hilarious This is Spinal Tap (1984) quotes help the movie maintain its status as one of the best mockumentary movies ever made. It is also one of the first real mockumentaries, setting the stage for co-writer Christopher Guest’s later directorial work, including Waiting For Guffman (1996) and Best in Show (2000). The movie’s satire of rock documentaries, pretentious musicians, and record label meddling was so pitch-perfect that U2’s The Edge said that when he first watched it, “I didn’t laugh, I wept” (via GQ).

This is Spinal Tap has four listed writers, and three of them are the cast members themselves. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer are all part of the fictional Spinal Tap band, and many of the best This is Spinal Tap quotes come from their improvisation skills. The other writer is Rob Reiner, the beloved mockumentary director, allowing the group the freedom to throw out many lines to bring out a laugh. It eventually resulted in a movie that remains memorable to this very day for its outlandish quotes.

This Is Spinal Tap is available to stream on AMC+

10 "He Died In A Bizarre Gardening Accident..."

David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean)

One of the most memorable running gags in This is Spinal Tap is that the titular band has lost an inordinate number of drummers. It’s based on a supposed phenomenon in rock bands where the drummers are always the first to die. When the band members are interviewed in the mockumentary and asked what happened to their first drummer, David St. Hubbins says, “He died in a bizarre gardening accident...” and Nigel Tufnel adds, “Authorities said best leave it unsolved.”

One of the most memorable running gags in This is Spinal Tap is that the titular band has lost an inordinate number of drummers.

It sets up an interesting mystery surrounding the strange circumstances of the drummer’s death. However, what makes this one of the best Spinal Tap quotes is that it is just left at that without further explanation. With the two saying the authorities asked it to remain unsolved, they choose not to go on and mention it again. Yes, the band loses more drummers, but what happened to their first drummer, is just a ridiculous, unsolved mystery, which is often how things go for this band in the movie.

9 "Well, This Piece Is Called 'Lick My Love Pump.'"

Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest)

This Spinal Tap quote is a hilarious punchline which comes after the end of a great build-up, made all the funnier by Nigel trying to sound as pretentious and knowledgeable as possible (and failing miserably). Nigel is tinkering around, writing a new track, and he explains, very ostentatiously:

"Yeah, well, it’s part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy that I’m doing in D...minor, which I always find is really the saddest of all keys, really. I don’t know why. It makes people weep instantly to play... You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like – I’m really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it’s sort of in between those, really. It’s like a Mach piece, really."

This setup allows both director Marty Di Bergi and the audience watching the movie to believe this will be the big massive release that will help Spinal Tap release something important. However, when he’s asked for the title of the song, Nigel says, “Well, this piece is called ‘Lick My Love Pump.’” Even when the band members try to sound important and push their creativity and credibility, it still ends up as low-brow songs, and the band will forever be a punchline in the heavy metal genre.

8 "As Long As There’s Sex And Drugs, I Can Do Without The Rock ‘N’ Roll."

Mick Shrimpton (Ric Parnell)

“Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” is the ethos of a lot of rockers, like drummer Mick Shrimpton in This is Spinal Tap. This leads to a deleted scene in the movie's credits when Marty is talking to Mick while he is in a bathtub. Marty had asked about dying earlier in the movie, but here, he also asks Mick, “What would you do if you couldn’t play music anymore?” Mick tells him, “I used to say, ‘Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.’ As long as there’s sex and drugs, I can do without the rock ‘n’ roll.”

Rock ‘n’ roll is a personal passion for every rock star, but at a certain point, it sometimes becomes a way to fund sex and drugs. The band spent the entire movie explaining what they feel a sense of self-importance and self-worth. However, since the drummers are never really a big part of Spinal Tap, and often die early in life, it makes sense that one of the best Spinal Tap quotes would be a drummer who feels rock and roll is the least important part of his lifestyle as a rock star.

7 "That’s...That’s Just Nitpicking, Isn’t It?"

Nigel Tufnel (Chris Guest)

Rob Reiner plays Marty DiBergi, the director of the documentary within the mockumentary. In one of his interviews with Nigel Tufnel, he says:

“Let’s talk about your reviews a little bit. Regarding Intravenous Di Milo: ‘This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth rate of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of r******d sexuality and bad poetry.’”

What was humorous about this scathing review wasn't so much the review itself, but how Nigel reacts to it. Nigel responds to this intensely negative review, which laid into the band’s musical ability as a whole, by simply saying, “That’s...that’s just nitpicking, isn’t it?” Throughout the entire movie, Spinal Tap shows they are incapable of seeing their own flaws. Even when someone points it out, they are still oblivious to the entire concept that they are nowhere near as good or important as they believe they are.

6 "Whether Or Not He Knows The Difference Between Feet And Inches Is Not My Problem."

Ian Faith (Tony Hendra)

In one of the funniest scenes in This is Spinal Tap, the band's manager, Ian Faith (Tony Hendra) comes back with a sculpture of Stonehenge for the band to use in their show – but it’s only 18 inches tall. The band members were furious since it was supposed to be 18 feet tall. But Ian defends himself:

“Nigel gave me a drawing that said 18 inches. Now, whether or not he knows the difference between feet and inches is not my problem. I do what I’m told.”

Spinal Tap's solution is to get smaller dancers to make the little Stonehenge look bigger. Even though Nigel is completely to blame for the mistake, they blame Ian because Nigel is "always confused" and suggest a co-manager to work with him, so Ian quits. It once again showed how oblivious the band is to their faults, and this Spinal Tap quote shows that those who know better are often blamed for the mistakes and take the fall for the band, who always seemed to come out looking fine in the end.

5 "Hello, Cleveland!"

Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer)

This is what the band members say as they struggle to find their way to the stage from their dressing room in a big Cleveland venue. Since This is Spinal Tap has become a cult classic, several musicians have said the same thing has happened to them. Robert Plant said this happened to Led Zeppelin, where they got lost in Baltimore on the way to the stage. "It took twenty-five minutes to do the hundred yards from our Holiday Inn through the kitchen to the arena" (via Rolling Stone).

The hopeless optimism and energy of the band is infectious, and it is why fans love them no matter what kind of ridiculous situations they end up in.

The best thing about this Spinal Tap quote is that they could have gotten very frustrated, very fast, but they keep in the mood to entertain their fans with the "Hello, Cleveland" quote, even as they are walking around what looks like endless halls and tunnels, trying to find the stage in the arena. The hopeless optimism and energy of the band is infectious, and it is why fans love them no matter what kind of ridiculous situations they end up in.

4 "It’s Like Fire And Ice, Basically. I Feel My Role In The Band Is To Be Somewhere In The Middle Of That, Kind Of Like Lukewarm Water."

Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer)

One of the satirical targets of This is Spinal Tap was the deification of rock bands in the “rockumentaries” of the 1970s. Those movies treated their subjects as though they were gods worthy of being worshipped. Derek Smalls is guilty of this when he talks about his bandmates:

“We’re very lucky in the band in that we have two visionaries, David and Nigel. They’re like poets, like Shelley and Byron. They’re two distinct types of visionaries."

This leads to this Spinal Tap quote about his place in the band. Derek seems self-deprecating here, but he knows his place. He is not one of the main creators, and he knows that he is there for his musical abilities and not so much for his creativity. However, the hilarious part of this quote is how Derek compares his bandmates to Shelley and Byron, without realizing the irony in the fact that the band's songs never once reach the level of classical poets, and in the end, they are just another heavy metal band playing mostly clichéd songs.

3 "Have A Good Time, All The Time."

Viv Savage (David Kaffinetti)

This is Spinal Tap pokes fun at the fact that rock stars say things that they think are deep, intellectual, and insightful, but don’t mean anything. This is a good example. At the end of the movie, as the final credits roll, there are several interview clips with the band members as they answer some questions that didn't make the main part of the mockumentary. One of the questions comes when Marty asks Viv Savage, “Do you have any sort of creed or philosophy that you live by?”

Vic is living the good life, and as this quote shows, that is all he really seeks from his time on Earth anyway.

Viv has a chance to drop some words of wisdom here, but he is nowhere near self-aware enough to understand what drives him and makes him successful. Instead, he tells Marty, “Have a good time, all the time. That’s my philosophy, Marty.” It’s exactly the pseudo-insightful, yet empty statement a guy who spends his days drinking on the road with a heavy metal band might say. Vic is living the good life, and as this quote shows, that is all he really seeks from his time on Earth anyway.

2 "We’ve Got A Bigger Dressing Room Than The Puppets. That’s Refreshing."

David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean)

The members of Spinal Tap are not happy to arrive at a gig and find that their name is second on the marquee after “Puppet Show.” Since David St. Hubbins holds himself and his band — which, like many bands, went by various names before settling on a final one, including the Originals and the New Originals — in pretty high regard, he’s the most annoyed by the marquee bump. Jeanine tries to smooth things over by letting him know that they have a really nice dressing room.

As they head into the gig, David says, “Oh, we’ve got a bigger dressing room than the puppets. That’s refreshing.” His frustration throughout the movie shows how important he finds the dressing rooms, the way they are treated, and what is supplied to them. He knows this is a bad sign, which is proven when they play to an almost empty audience for the show. David just wants the best for his band and Spinal Tap quotes like this show how frustrated he gets when they are disrespected.

1 "These Go To Eleven."

Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest)

Nigel Tufnel is easily the dimmest member of the band, or as David refers to him, he is the most "confused." As Nigel explains to Marty, his amps go up to eleven, whereas most only go up to ten. Marty asks if that means it’s louder, to which Nigel explains, “Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it?" Marty asks why they don't just make "10" louder, which really throws off Nigel. Confused, he just says, “These go to eleven,” signifying that the amp needs to have higher numbers to make it louder.

This is the most famous This is Spinal Tap quote in the entire movie and the one that fans often repeat the most. Bands all over the world who love the movie often added a taped-on 11 to their amps to honor the movie - and the fictional band from the movie. Spinal Tap wanted desperately to be the loudest band in the world, and they figured that they could achieve this by just adding an extra level to their amps, which makes no sense, but that is exactly the charm of the movie and band.