Build Date: Fri May 8 00:30:11 2026 UTC
I am Leonard Nimoy
-- Spock
Spinal Tap weighs in on Napster
2000-08-07 19:50:23
Spinal Tap faced many challenges during their life on the road -- a drummer that spontaneously exploded, second billing to an amusement park puppet show, and a 30-inch Stonehenge replica that was always in danger of being crushed by a dwarf. Now the faux band, reuniting for the DVD release of their mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap," has recorded an interview voicing their opinion about Napster.
Labelled "the secret interview," it presents the three band-members in silhouette to protect their identities, as they offer a succinct summary of the two positions in the free-music controversy. "Are you in it to communicate with people or are you in it to get their money? Or to communicate with them and then get their money..."
The bumbling band-members meander through their opinions about mp3s ("The mp3 format is great for us. Because it sounds crappy. So it makes it easier for us") as well as a misunderstanding over the phrase "viral marketing." ("Well you know, mono's a virus...") As a publicity stunt, they've even released an mp3 of their latest track -- "Back from the Dead" -- on their new music site Tapster.com. It functions just like Napster, except that it only offers that one file.
Newsbytes quoted band-member Nigel Tufnel as saying "Napster's a bit complicated, really, what with all of the songs available..."
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