Derek Smalls will be releasing a solo album this year — even though there’s technically no Derek Smalls.
Smalls, of course, is the character created by Harry Shearer for the classic music mockmumentary This Is Spinal Tap as well as subsequent projects by the fictitious heavy metal band.
Now Shearer, who’s in the midst of a lawsuit over royalties from the movie, has resurrected Smalls for a solo album, tentatively titled Smalls Change and featuring guest appearances from Peter Frampton, Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and Steve Vai.
According to GQ the album is a concept piece about an aging rock star and features songs about erectile dysfunction (“Memo To Willie” with Fagen), “It Don’t Get Old and “MRI.”
A release date has not yet been set, but when Smalls Change drops it will be the first new Spinal Tap-related album since 2009’s Back From The Dead.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
