‘Grandpa Metal’ to be Posehn’s ultimate opus

By Stan Ashbee
Westwind Weekly News

This ain’t your grandmother’s cup of tea! It’s comedian, actor and writer Brian Posehn’s “Grandpa Metal.” A brand new comedy/metal album to be released Feb. 14 on Megaforce Records, just in time for the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone.

Posehn had a recurring role on the Emmy-winning TV phenomenon “The Big Bang Theory,” has written 45 issues of Marvel Comics’ “Deadpool” series and appeared on an episode of “Star Wars: The Mandalorian” on the Disney+ streaming service late last year.

Being a part of the “Star Wars” universe was a nerd dream come true, Posehn said.

“It was funny. I wasn’t able to talk about it. I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and I couldn’t tell any of my friends I was in it. That was very hard. It was so hard for me not to just call every single one of my friends or send pictures of me. I took pictures, of course, of me in the dressing room in the costume. Even the costumes are cool. It’s ‘Star Wars.’ They put money into it,” Posehn added.

“One of the first projects I worked on, we would just pull up to a place we wanted to shoot and jump out of a van with a camera crew. You’re not supposed to do that, but that’s how we did it. I’ve done a lot of other stuff. Even the sitcoms, you’re just not used to the level of production,” he said. “And now, I’m part of the universe. I never thought it would happen, but I’m very happy.”

“Grandpa Metal” features some of metal’s finest including Scott Ian and Jonathan Donais from Anthrax, Corey Taylor from Slipknot, Gary Holt from Slayer and Chuck Billy from Testament. Singer, songwriter and fellow comedian Al Yankovic also lends his musical chops on the forthcoming metal masterpiece.

“The original concept for this album came from bands like Scatterbrain and S.O.D. and even Cheech and Chong,” said Posehn. “They all made music that was fun and funny. Heavy music that also made you laugh.”

“I wanted this to be the ultimate comedy/metal record. A loving record that made fun of some of the things in heavy metal, so I called all my friends and asked for a bunch of favours. The intention was just to make a funny metal/comedy record for people who like both of those things,” said Posehn. The new album also features a unique and awkwardly beautiful cover of the 1980s hit “Take On Me.”

Posehn has always said every song could be better if it was heavy metal. “That’s the way I always pictured that song. That was the ultimate version for me,” Posehn added. “Just making metal.”

According to the comedic “Master of Metal,” it was a blast making the record – but it took forever.

“I’m really used to messing around and recording these songs. I want to do a follow-up already because I had so much fun doing this. But, I won’t take as long to complete it, as I did. This took about six years. They call it the ‘Chinese Democracy’ of comedy records,” Posehn joked, in reference to how long it took Guns ‘N Roses to release their aforementioned album.

Posehn noted his latest opus will be released on vinyl and CD, but he said he’s not too sure about cassette. “Because I know that’s coming back.”

“Of course you can steal it too and I won’t like you for that. Don’t come up and tell me ‘hey, I stole your record. I like it, it’s OK.’ Just don’t waste our time,” Posehn joked.

Music enthusiasts don’t necessarily have to love heavy metal to get all the jokes on this record, Posehn explained. “Some are so, so dumb and obvious. They’re pretty basic and right in your face. A comedy/metal record done by a guy who loves both. It’s silly. But the music, I think, is legit. That was always the idea.”

Of course with many album releases an extensive tour usually follows, but Posehn added he’ll never do a proper rock show. “That’s not why I’m doing this. I did it for fun and I will tour it and I will do some.” He noted there has been talk of doing a hybrid tour down the road with spoken word and comedy first and then he would come out and do a couple of songs at the end. “That’s kind of the idea.”

Posehn has visited Canada a time or two over the years with his stand-up. “I always have a great experience. Two of my favourite cities are up there. I love Vancouver and Toronto. I’ll put them against any American city. Those are two of the best cities I’ve ever been to. I love both those places.”

As for other projects Posehn has in the works, he said he’s getting back into comic books. “And then I’m also out touring and I’m about to do another special. We’re looking at recording something in the spring.”

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