Sometimes a good feud can keep the world of entertainment spinning, and two movies that have proved that fact are Barbie and Oppenheimer. While the Christopher Nolan historical blockbuster saw Jake Paul walking out for reasons only he knows, it sounds like Greta Gerwig’s touching, yet hysterical exploration of womanhood has earned itself a foe. That man’s name is Derek Smalls, the bassist from the acclaimed rockumentary/comedy This is Spinal Tap, and he has a diss track that’s not so crazy about this doll’s game.
Ok, so it’s actually famed comedian Harry Shearer, and there’s no real feud involved here. However, the music is very much real, as the Simpsons vet’s hard rocking alter ego has now shared his song “Must Crush Barbie” with the world. Feel free to listen to the results, presented below:
If that song doesn’t make you want to crank your speakers to 11, then I don’t know what does. With such rebellious statements as “billion dollars worth of noise, all to sell some pinkish toys,” it’s a tune that keeps the Spinal Tap legacy alive in a truly hysterical fashion. At least, that’s the result if you remember to take “Must Crush Barbie” as seriously as the fictional music legend that birthed it.
Speaking of Derek Smalls, there’s a bit of an update as to what he’s been doing with his life as of late. Included in the liner notes posted to the video above was a short statement from Harry Shearer’s iconic character, filling us all in on the inspiration for this Barbie tune and why it even exists. Here’s what Derek’s been up to, from the man himself:
Been spending the last year or so as Brand Ambassador for BruegelCoin, the Dutch crypto currency. Since it was cratering this past spring, I was following the news more than usual, which is where I got bombarded by all the Barbie b.s. I don’t know which angered me more, but it’s really hard to write a song about crypto. But the overwhelming shroud of pinkness definitely deserved a major pricking. And that’s where I came in.
With Variety previously reporting that a sequel to This Is Spinal Tap is scheduled to debut on the 2024 movie schedule, perhaps this new song is a hint as to what we might see in this long awaited follow-up. Maybe Derek Smalls is upset that his cinematic legacy isn’t anywhere near Barbie’s $1 billion success, and he’s striking a blow for himself and his bandmates.
Or perhaps this is just the musical equivalent of an old man yelling at clouds, which would be absolutely fitting considering Harry Shearer’s pedigree as the voice to some of the funniest Simpsons characters outside of Homer and Bart. Then again, maybe this is a clever marketing ploy to help boost the profile of Barbie, which is now available for PVOD rental at home!
Perhaps there’s a 4D chess game where if Derek Smalls gets his name in the news around the eventual home entertainment release of Margot Robbie’s latest, he too will be back in the news. We’ll just have to wait and see though, as the physical release seems to have been pushed to February 29, 2024, which you can pre-order through Amazon.
