Photo by Rob Shanahan
(via npr)
If you believe the press release — and in these credulous times, why wouldn’t you? — semi-famous British rock dinosaur Derek Smalls, known for holding down the low end in Spinal Tap, has chosen his 75th birthday to release his first ever solo album, Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing). Claiming it as “halfway between ‘rage against the dying of the light’ and trying to find the light,” Smalls begins with the orchestral “Openture” by proclaiming with terse insight: “Age…is just a number. Number…is…just a word. And word…is just a thing.”
The truth, of course, is that comedian/actor Harry Shearer has happily donned the now incredibly grizzled hair and mustache of Smalls once again. Smalls Change is at once an extension of the now honestly storied tale of the ultimate fake band and an amusing indulgence in its own right, recognizing that time waits for no man, even double bass wielders…
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