Small started learning guitar at age 14 after a kid in his neighborhood began teaching him about guitar and music. At his first public performance his hands shook so wildly that he had trouble controlling the guitar. It was another ten years before he was comfortable performing in public. He graduated from Palma High School in Salinas, California. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 melodic 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.
In 2007 and 2009, Small hosted the Guitar Superstar competition and in September 2008 he was one of the judges. In 2010 Small directed Soundgarden's music video for "Black Rain", and The Damned Things music video for "We've Got A Situation Here".
Small's virtual band Dethklok appeared, via video, at the 2009 Golden Gods Awards. The band received the award for Best International Band. At the 2010 Golden Gods Awards, Small attended and performed with Brian Posehn's band and introduced Fear Factory's set. At the 2011 Golden Gods Awards, Small attended and introduced DevilDriver's set. Small attended the 2012 Golden Gods Awards and introduced Triviums's set.
Small recently finished work on the fourth season of Metalocalypse, which began airing on April 29, 2012.
Small performed guest vocals as Nathan Explosion on the Zimmers Hole song "The Vowel Song". Small also contributed guitar work to the songs "Devils Teeth" from Exodus's album Exhibit B: The Human Condition, as well as "More Metal Than You" from comedian Brian Posehn's album Fart and Wiener Jokes. Small created the "Murder Mix" of the song "Liar" by Emilie Autumn from the Liar/Dead Is the New Alive EP. Small performed the solo for the song "Get It Up" (Van Halen cover) on Sylencers' debut album A Lethal Dose of Truth. Small performs a guitar solo on the song "Let's Make Out" on the Sex Slaves album 'Call of the Wild'.
In early 2011, Small introduced the Dethklok "Thunderhorse" Explorer from Gibson, a guitar made to his own specifications, and modeled after Skwisgaar's Gibson Explorer. A limited edition Epiphone "Thunderhorse" Explorer, based on the Gibson "Thunderhorse" Explorer, was introduced in early 2013. In May 2012, Small introduced the prototype for the Gibson Flying V "Snow Falcon", built to his own specifications, and modeled after Toki Wartooth's Gibson Flying V. The final version of the guitar was released on December 13, 2013.
In April 2012, Small released his debut solo album, Brendon Small's Galaktikon. The album featured Dethklok members Beller on bass and Hoglan on drums. Small described the album as a "high-stakes, intergalactic, extreme rock album" and described it as being similar to Dethklok but with more melodic vocals and rock elements. Small performed songs from Brendon Small's Galaktikon for the first time at "WesFest 8" on March 3, 2013, in West Hollywood, California.
On April 29, 2012, Small started a weekly guitar lesson video series on the Adult Swim YouTube channel, entitled "Shreducation", which consisted of 12 installments.
Small, Beller and Hoglan got together to work on the third Dethklok album, Dethalbum III, which was released on October 16, 2012. Small released a fourth Dethklok album, entitled The Doomstar Requiem, on October 29, 2013, which is a soundtrack album to the Metalocalypse special of the same name. The album featured Hoglan on drums, Beller performing guest bass on a track, and Mike Keneally performing guest vocals.
Small released a follow-up record to his debut album, entitled Galaktikon II: Become the Storm, in 2017.
You Can't Run Away
Brendon Small Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ghosts of your past have died
I have hidden your soul
you're under my control
you can't run away from me
I want you to know
I can detect your lies
you're risking both your lives
you have begun counting days
you have found your place to stay
you will never get away
you can't run away from
you can't run away from
you can't run away from me
I realize that I'm feeling so much colder
I realize that I am running out of time
you have begun counting days
you have found your place to stay
you have begun counting days
you have found your place to stay
you have begun counting days
you can't run away from
you must run away from
no you can't run away from
no you can't run away from
These lyrics are from the chorus of Brendon Small's song "You Can't Run Away." The opening line "I am inside your mind" sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. It appears that the singer is telling someone that they are under his control and cannot escape. He has hidden their soul and can detect their lies. He warns them that trying to run away would risk their lives. The repetition of the phrase "you can't run away from me" reinforces the theme of control and power that the singer has over the other person.
The second verse continues the theme of control and the futility of attempting to escape. The singer states that the other person has found a place to stay, but they will never be able to get away from him. The line "I realize that I am running out of time" adds a hint of desperation and urgency to the situation.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of one person exerting control and dominance over another. It is unclear who these characters are or what their relationship is, but the sense of power and control is palpable. The repeated phrase "you can't run away from me" adds to the unsettling feeling of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I am inside your mind
I have taken control of your thoughts and emotions and you are completely in my grasp
ghosts of your past have died
I have erased any memory or influence of your past experiences, leaving you vulnerable and unable to resist me
I have hidden your soul
I have taken away your sense of identity and purpose, leaving you lost and confused
you're under my control
I have power over your every action and decision, leaving you powerless
you can't run away from me
you cannot escape from my grip or the hold I have on you
I want you to know
I feel the need to emphasize and make clear a message to you
if you try to go
if you attempt to leave or resist me
I can detect your lies
I am aware if you are not being truthful and will not hesitate to take action against you
you're risking both your lives
if you do not comply with me, both your life and mine are in jeopardy
you have begun counting days
you have realized that your escape is futile and are aware that time is running out
you have found your place to stay
you have settled and accepted your fate within my grasp
you will never get away
there is no possible outcome where you can escape my control
you can't run away from
you cannot escape, evade or hide from me
you must run away from
your only hope of survival is to flee from me and my control
no you can't run away from
I am reiterating that there is no way for you to escape me or my grasp
no you can't run away from
reassuring that there is no other outcome and escape is impossible
Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.