Instead of me talking about politics or the places you should visit this week, I thought I’d interview a visitor to our side of the pond. Some of you whom are old enough will remember the legendary rock band Spinal Tap, well, ladies and gentleman I’m very proud to give you very rare interview with the band’s bassist, none other than Derek Smalls.
Where abouts are you
from in the UK?
Nilford, in the West Midlands. It’s located on the River
Null. It was a trading town in the old days, although I never met
anyone who actually remembered the old days.
Tell us a little about your childhood in
the UK
My mum left the family when I was four years old. I thought at the time it was something I said, but I learned later she split to join an all-women swing band, the Hotten Totties. My dad, Donald (Duff) Smalls, was a hero to me, and to all the folks in town whose telephone handsets he sanitized each week.
What brings you to LA?
I’m here to rehearse, and then perform in, and then dehearse from, Lukewarm Water Live, my big rockstravaganza at the Wiltern theater on Nov 6th. It’s our one-night-only West Coast tour, with lots of special guests, and two symphony orchestras.
Have you been here before, if so what
are some of your favorite things to do here?
Of course, Spinal Tap played the Greek earlier this century, and we must have stopped here on the Break Like the Wind Tour as well. I love the beach here. You can hear loud music everywhere you go.
Can you tell us a little about your
show, what can we expect to see?
Guest stars live in person are Steve Lukather of Toto fame, Dweezil Zappa of Zappa fame, and Paul Shaffer, who needs no introduction and will get none. Live via satellite guests include Donald Fagen, Steve Vai, Rick Wakeman, and the Hungarian Studio Orchestra from Budapest. And, unless something goes wrong, when we do our big encore, “Big Bottom”, we’ll be launching the inflatable pink torpedo.
Spinal Tap was a real change for the
comedy scene, something a lot of people had never seen before…..could you tell
us how it all came to be?
Mr. DiBergi came to us and said he was a fan and wanted to follow us on our first American tour. As it turned out, he had a certain agenda. It ended up being something of a hatchet job. As one example, during that tour, we almost always found our way to the stage straightaway.
Have you considered a Spinal Tap reunion
movie?
You can’t make a movie out of something that will never
happen.
When is your show and how can people
obtain tickets?
Derek Smalls, Lukewarm Water Live is at The
Wiltern on November 6 at
the Wiltern. Tickets are available at wiltern.com
Thanks Derek! We are looking forward to seeing you shake your money maker on the stage…..
