Nigel Tufnel's hair is as much a part of his Spinal Tap persona as his guitar licks and his sleeveless shirt showing a sternum and ribcage that perfectly match his own innards. But Christopher Guest the writer/director/actor/guitarist will go without his wig this spring and summer for a large-scale tour with his Tap cohorts Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. The 'Unwigged, Unplugged Tour' -- which falls on the 25th anniversary of 'This Is Spinal Tap' -- won't likely feature handlebar mustaches, vegetables wrapped in foil, pods or little people and littler Stonehenges, but it will find the trio playing songs from Spinal Tap's catalog as well as tunes from other projects including Guest's folk music film 'A Mighty Wind.'

Three years have passed since Guest last directed a movie ('For Your Consideration'), during which he says he has practiced playing guitar, mandolin and other instruments every day. This year looks to be a particularly music-filled one for him. In addition to the tour, he recently released 'Memories of Summer as a Child,' a CD of meditative bluegrass-tinged music with his friends David Nichtern and CJ Vanston under the name the Beyman Bros.

Guest compared the improvisational spirit of some of the Beyman Bros. songs to his films, in which scenes are sketched out but no dialog provided. Both in music and film, he says the approach rarely results in crashes. "It's better to work with pros," he tells Spinner, which, in a way, explains the idea to send up heavy metal musicians in the cult favorite film 25 years ago.

"If I'm listening to music, [metal] is not typically what I'd listen to," Guest says. "When we did 'This Is Spinal Tap,' it was more about the characters. That kind of music, at that time, was pretty pompous and over-the-top.... The movie was more about these guys who were in over their heads artistically -- who had grand visions and were self-important. I guess you could find any style of music and make the same case. There are pretentious players in any kind of music."


Christopher Guest's Spinner Interview