There are few honors in this life like being asked to point a camera at Derek Smalls. The legendary bassist of Spinal Tap — the lukewarm water between the fire and the ice that has propelled rock and roll for four decades — has a new single out, and we were the lucky souls he allowed into the room to capture it. "Harder" is its name. Harder is its game. The video, now live on YouTube, is exactly what you want from a man who has spent the better part of his career operating at a tasteful eleven.
The song itself does what Derek Smalls songs have always done, which is to take the magnificent, throbbing, undulating subject matter of classic rock and deliver it with the gravity of a man who is being completely serious and not at all aware of his own joke. Being in a band — that makes him harder. Buying lots of land — that also makes him harder. Doing what he planned. Lying on the sand. Harder. Harder still. Each new verse stacks a fresh and entirely innocent activity onto the pile until the listener is left with no choice but to consider what, exactly, doesn't make Derek Smalls harder. By the time the song locks in on its hook, you've stopped trying to keep up and started nodding along.
For the video, we set out to honor the source material the only way it deserved: by playing the whole thing absolutely straight. No wink to the camera. No nudge. No commentary. The bit is the take. Derek Smalls in full bloom, Marc Bonilla on guitar, Toss Panos on drums, CJ Vanston on keys, and a director whose only job was to stay out of the way and let a legend do what he's been doing since 1984. He delivered each line with the gravity of a man who is absolutely sure he is not joking, while the rest of us tried very hard not to break. We will admit that the crew did not always maintain composure between setups. You try keeping a straight face. We dare you.
Working with Derek Smalls — which is to say, working with Harry Shearer — has been one of the quiet joys of our recent years. The songs keep getting harder. And we keep showing up with cameras.
Watch "Harder" on YouTube. When you're done, head over to dereksmalls.com for the rest of the catalog and to find out what Derek decides is harder next.
"Harder" music video directed and produced by Fish Pot Studios. He's a tasteful eleven. Always has been.