Brendon Small
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2010) |
| Brendon Small | |
|---|---|
 Brendon Small | |
| Born | February 15, 1975 Springfield, Illinois |
| Genres | Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, character comedy, satire, death metal, melodic death metal |
| Subject(s) | Everyday life, manners, social norms, mass media, popular culture |
| Notable works and roles | Home Movies Metalocalypse Dethklok |
| Website | www.brendonsmall.com |
Brendon Small (born February 15, 1975 in Springfield, Illinois) is an American sitcom writer/producer, actor, voice actor, composer, and musician. He is best known as the creator of the animated series Home Movies and Metalocalypse.
Early career
Small started learning guitar at 14 to assuage boredom after his family moved to Salinas, California. At his first public performance, his hands shook so wildly, he had trouble controlling the guitar. It would be another ten years before he was comfortable performing in public. [1] He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1997. During his music studies he concurrently took several writing and comedy classes at Emerson College. After graduating, he felt that the rock music genre was fading in popularity so decided to try his hand at comedy.[2]
He was performing at The Comedy Studio in Harvard Square when he was spotted by Loren Bouchard, who at the time was casting for the central character for a UPN pilot produced by Tom Snyder Productions which eventually evolved into Home Movies.
Television work
Brendon Small was the co-creator, writer, voice actor, composer and musician for Home Movies, a cartoon initially aired on the UPN television network and then moved to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The final episode of Home Movies aired on April 4, 2004, after running four seasons, although the show is periodically rerun on Adult Swim. In the series, he voiced the show's protagonist, 8-year-old aspiring filmmaker Brendon Small, as well as a number of other characters.
Small lent his voice to a number of other animated shows. He co-starred as Chad in the BET animated sit-com, Hey Monie!, and has voiced many supporting characters in The Venture Bros., including that show's shell shocked and drug-addicted version of Jonny Quest. Small has also had cameo roles in Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, Reno 911!, and Frisky Dingo. Small along with Scott Adsit appeared as lead characters of the Adult Swim pilot Let's Fish; the show's pilot premiered on May 13, 2007, but the series was not picked up.
In April 2005, the Sci Fi Channel announced an upcoming debut of a half-hour animated ensemble comedy show created by Small titled Barbarian Chronicles. The show, which has yet to be seen, was said to be produced by Small and Worldwide Pants Incorporated. Small has said that there are currently no plans to produce the show but that anything can happen in the future[3].
Small's latest television project is as co-producer, co-writer, composer, and voice actor for the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse, which premiered on August 6, 2006. The series focuses on a fictional death metal band named Dethklok, and each episode features a song "performed" by the band. In addition to all of the behind-the-scenes work he does for the series, he also provides voice talent for the characters Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Pickles, and Nathan Explosion, three of the five members of Dethklok. Small has stated that while this is his dream job, he does not really like watching animation that much. [4]
In September 2007, Small completed work on the Dethklok album titled The Dethalbum, in which he collaborates with Gene Hoglan to deliver an authentic melodic death metal sound while simultaneously retaining the light-hearted nature with which Small portrays the heavy metal genre. The album debuted at #21 in the Billboard 200, making it the highest-rated death metal album on the Billboard.[5][6]
In November 2007, Small, Hoglan, Mike Keneally and Bryan Beller performed live as Dethklok at twelve US college campuses in support of the Dethalbum. The Adult Swim-sponsored "Dethtour" featured Dethklok supporting the indie rock band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.[7] The foursome reunited in 2008 to headline a longer "Dethtour," where they toured the U.S. in June and early July with fellow metal bands Chimaira and Soilent Green.
They also performed directly before headliners Iron Maiden during the first day of the debut of the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Canada, 2008.
Small also recently announced work was complete on The Dethalbum II, released on September 29, 2009. A tour in support of the new album began in the Fall of 2009, where Dethklok co-headlined with the band Mastodon.
Non-television career
Small posed for a pictorial that appeared in the April 2006 issue of Playgirl magazine, as part of a humor-themed issue. Small posed naked holding a medieval flail and a strategically-placed metal shield that hid his genitals.
Along with comedians Ron Lynch and Craig Anton, Small has hosted the "Tomorrow Show", a weekly live comedy show at the Steve Allen Theater in Los Angeles.
Brendon Small currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his dog, Ernie.
Small also announced at a concert Q&A session that he will be putting out an affordable Gibson signature model guitar, not an Epiphone, despite the NAMM photos.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2007 | Let's Fish | Kevin | Actor Executive Producer TV pilot |
| 2007 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | Rice Mascot | Voice Actor (1 episode) Animated Series |
| 2006 | Frisky Dingo | Brent & Trent | Voice actor (1 episode) Animated series |
| 2006-present | Metalocalypse | Nathan Explosion Pickles Skwisgaar Skwigelf Charles Foster Ofdensen Various characters |
Creator Executive Producer Writer Director Voice Actor Composer Animated Series |
| 2006-present | The Venture Bros. | Action Johnny Plastic Surgeon Hector Swifty Agent Hauser Sgt. Hatred(1 episode) Various Characters |
Voice actor (10 episodes)Animated series |
| 2006 | Ergo Proxy | Po | Voice actor (1 episode/English dub) Animated series |
| 2004 | Reno 911 | Priest | Actor (2 episodes) Composer TV Series |
| 2003 | Hey Monie | Chad | Voice actor Animated series |
| 2000 | New Apartment | New Tenant | Actor Short film |
| 1999-2004 | Home Movies | Brendon Small Duane Perry Junior Adelberg Ken Adelberg Various characters |
Creator Writer Producer Voice Actor Composer Animated series |
Discography
- 2004: Songs Brendon's Not Allowed To Name (Also known as web) -- Free online download, comprising songs from Home Movies.
- 2006: Home Movies - Bonus Soundtrack CD (released with the Home Movies Season 4 Boxset)
- 2007: Dethklok - The Dethalbum
- 2009: Dethklok - The Dethalbum II
References
- ^ WTF with Marc Maron Podcast, #48, Feb. 18, 2010
- ^ WTF with Marc Maron Podcast, #48, Feb. 18, 2010
- ^ http://www.lambgoat.com/features/interviews/brendon_small.aspx
- ^ WTF with Marc Maron Podcast, #48, Feb. 18, 2010
- ^ Katie Hasty, "Rascal Flatts Races To No. 1 In Debut-Heavy Week", Billboard.com, October 3, 2007
- ^ Review of the Dethalbum in Stylus magazine
- ^ Adult Swim Presents Trail of Dead and Dethklok National College Tour
External links
- Official website
- Brendon Small at IMDb
- SCI FI Reveals New Series, including Barbarian Chronicles
- Brendon Small interview (2008)
- Scene Missing Magazine Interviews Brendon Small
- Brendon's Myspace
- Interview with Brendon Small at Lambgoat.com
- Interview with Brendon Small at Metalunderground.com
- Ultimate Guitar interview with Brendon Small
- 1975 births
- American animators
- American cartoonists
- American comedians
- American comedy musicians
- American composers
- American heavy metal bass guitarists
- American heavy metal guitarists
- American heavy metal singers
- American male singers
- Death metal musicians
- American satirists
- American sketch writers
- American stand-up comedians
- American television actors
- American television directors
- American television writers
- American voice actors
- Berklee College of Music alumni
- American people of Lithuanian descent
- Living people