Spinal Tap A to Zed

Backstage ArrangementsBackstage Arrangements: Before a show at Vandermint Auditorium at the University of North Carolina in 1982, Nigel pulled manager Ian Faith aside to tell him that, after a half hour of effort, he couldn't figure out how to get the meat on the tiny slices of bread without breaking them. Exasperated, Ian insisted that the ordeal not affect Nigel's performance. The guitarist assured Ian it wouldn't. The exchange, captured by DiBergi for his film, was reminiscent of demands made by bands such as VanHalen, which reportedly banned brown M&Ms backstage. Nigel would later blame DiBergi in part for the scene. Nigel: "It was total manipulation. He was trying to confuse me, and it worked." David: "I don't think you were being unreasonable." Nigel: "It showed that I was a professional, and he twisted it." (DV)