Brendon Small

Infobox Comedian
name = Brendon Small


imagesize = 234px
caption = Brendon Small at NAMM 2008.
birth_name =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1975|2|15|mf=y
birth_place = Springfield, Illinois
othername = Donald Cock
yearsactive = 1997 - present
spouse =
homepage =
academyawards =
notable_work = "Home Movies (TV series)" "Metalocalypse" "Dethklok"
occupation = comedian, television writer, musician, and voice actor
website = [http://www.brendonsmall.com/ www.brendonsmall.com]
genre = Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, Character comedy, Satire, Death metal, Melodic death metal
subject = everyday life, manners, social norms, Mass Media, Popular culture
influences = Woody Allen, George Carlin, Steve Martin, Larry David, David Letterman, Johnny Carson, Louis CK
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Brendon Small (born February 15, 1975 in Springfield, Illinois) is an American stand-up comedian, 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 13, and 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 began performing stand-up at The Comedy Studio in Harvard Square, where 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." Small has also had cameo roles in "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", "Squidbillies", "Family Guy", "Reno 911!", "Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil", and "Frisky Dingo". Small appeared as one of the lead characters of the Adult Swim pilot "Let's Fish"; the show's pilot premiered on May 13 2007, but no further episodes have been aired.

In April 2005, the Sci Fi Channel announced the upcoming debut of a half-hour animated ensemble comedy show created by Small entitled "Barbarian Chronicles". The show, which has yet to be seen, was said to be produced by Small and Worldwide Pants Incorporated. Brendon has said that there is not any current plans to produce the show but that anything can happen in the future [http://www.lambgoat.com/features/interviews/brendon_small.aspx] .

Small's latest claim to fame 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 the Drummer, and Nathan Explosion, three of the five members of Dethklok. The song "Thunderhorse" was also featured on the hit video game Guitar Hero II.

He has recently completed the Dethklok album entitled "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 sub-genre. The album debuted at #21 in the Billboard 200, [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003650421 Katie Hasty, "Rascal Flatts Races To No. 1 In Debut-Heavy Week", Billboard.com, October 3, 2007] ] [ [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/dethklok/the-dethalbum.htm Review of the "Dethalbum" in Stylus magazine] ]

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 …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. [http://movementnews.blogspot.com/2007/10/adult-swim-presents-trail-of-dead-and.html] The foursome reunited in 2008 for a longer, headlining "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.

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 Theatre in Los Angeles.

Brendon Small currently resides in Los Angeles, California with his dog, Ernie.

In the commentaries for "Home Movies", he has said that his family is of Lithuanian ancestry.

Selected filmography

Discography

* Songs Brendon's Not Allowed To Name -- Free online download, comprised of songs from Home Movies.
*2006: Home Movies - Bonus Soundtrack CD (released with the Home Movies Season 4 Boxset)
*2007: Dethklok - "The Dethalbum"

References

External links

* [http://www.brendonsmall.com/ Official website]
*
* [http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=2&id=30824 SCI FI Reveals New Series] , including "Barbarian Chronicles"
* [http://www.lambgoat.com/features/interviews/brendon_small.aspx Brendon Small interview (2008)]
* [http://scenemissingmagazine.com/article/?p=1060 Scene Missing Magazine Interviews Brendon Small]
* [http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=696541569 Brendon's Facebook]
* [http://www.myspace.com/BrendonSmall Brendon's Myspace]
* [http://www.lambgoat.com/features/interviews/brendon_small.aspx Interview with Brendon Small at Lambgoat.com]
* [http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=37971 Interview with Brendon Small at Metalunderground.com]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orP_aDWx1dU Ultimate Guitar interview with Brendon Small]