Nigel Tufnel was born in Squatney, east London. He was given his first guitar, a sunburst ‘Rhythm King’, by his father at six. His life changed when he met David St Hubbins who lived next door. They began jamming together in a toolshed in David’s garden, influenced by early blues artists like Honkin’ Bubba Fulton, Little Sassy Francis and particularly Big Little Daddy Coleman, a deaf guitar player, and wrote their first song, (Cry) All the Way Home. Before long they had formed the Thamesmen and the rest is history.
Nigel’s hobbies include collecting guitars; particularly noteworthy is his foam-green six-string Fender Bass VI with the price tag still attached, which he has kept in mint condition by not allowing it to be played, touched, looked at, pointed at, or talked about. He also has a Gibson Les Paul 1959 model, whose acoustic properties and carved flame-maple top he praises. He also plays mandolin, piano, and does backing vocals. He is currently writing a classical piece which he feels combines the musical characteristics of both Mozart and Bach (a “Mach piece”) in D minor, which he claims is the ‘saddest of all keys’. The piece is provisionally entitled ‘Lick My Love Pump’. According to Christopher Guest, Nigel has not yet completed the trilogy, and is still working on it.
Nigel has a great love for Gumby, carrying a figurine in his shirt pocket and wearing Gumby shirts frequently. He is also a self-proclaimed ‘fish nut’, liking cod and canned tuna because it has ‘no bones’. Nigel currently sits on the Editorial Board of his preferred in-flight periodical, Car and Driver. His favorite cookies are Oreos, but without the filling. The rider in his contract requires a large plate of Oreo halves without frosting backstage (similar to Van Halen’s request for a bowl of M&M’s without the brown ones.) Onstage Nigel wears glam rock inspired makeup and usually plays a Gibson Les Paul.
Tufnel has stated that if he wasn’t in the music industry he would like to either enter the field of haberdashery or become a surgeon: ‘I like surgery’.
11/11/11: NIGEL TUFFNEL DAY!
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