Episode 03: How Much Is Enough?

In 1984, a guitarist called Nigel Tufnell showed a journalist his amplifier.

For those who haven't seen, this is Spinal Tap.

And if you haven't, please just stop this podcast right now and go and watch it.

It's one of the finest and funniest films ever committed to celluloid.

I genuinely mean that.

Come back when you're done.

Anyway, Nigel is the lead guitarist of the world's loudest rock band called Spinal Tap.

He's explaining to journalist Marty DeBerge, played by the late, great Rob Reiner, that his amplifier is special.

Because while most amplifiers go to 10, his go to 11.

Does that make it louder? Asked the journalist.

Nigel considers this.

Well, it's one louder, isn't it? And the journalist stares at him and says, well, why don't you just make 10 louder? And Nigel looks at the amplifier and he looks back and he's just genuinely baffled by the question.

And he says, but these go to 11.

It is, on one level, completely and wonderfully absurd.

But on another level, it's the most accurate portrayal of how most of us relate to money, ambition, success and status.

We don't ask how much is enough.

We just reach for another notch.

We go to 11, then 12, then 13.

And nobody ever stops, actually stops to ask, why don't we just make 10 louder? And it's not just Nigel.