Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Weird News
Related: About this forumRic Parnell, Spinal Tap drummer, dies, but not by spontaneous combustion
Ric Parnell, the English musician best known for playing drummer Mick Shrimpton in This Is Spinal Tap, has died at the age of 70.
The rocker bounced around groups early in his career, before latching on with prog-rock band Atomic Rooster in 1970. He stayed with the group until 74, playing on studio albums Made in England and Nice 'n' Greasy. During his stint, the group scored two hits in the U.K., Tomorrow Night (1970) and Devils Answer (1971), which peaked at No. 11 and 4 respectively.
...
Parnell grabbed screen time as Mick Shrimpton, Spinal Taps drummer through the majority of the film. As noted in the movie, the band had seen a lot of turnover behind the kit, as their drummers continually died under strange circumstances. Still, Shrimpton looked to buck that trend.
...
Parnell drummed on the films official soundtrack and would stay involved with the group as it went from fictitious to real. When Spinal Tap staged a reunion tour in 1992, Parnell was behind the kit, performing under the name Ric Shrimpton, twin brother to his character Mick, who had died in the film. Spinal Taps sophomore album, Break Like the Wind, was also released around this time, with Parnell once again delivering drums and percussion.
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ric-parnell-spinal-tap-dead/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
The rocker bounced around groups early in his career, before latching on with prog-rock band Atomic Rooster in 1970. He stayed with the group until 74, playing on studio albums Made in England and Nice 'n' Greasy. During his stint, the group scored two hits in the U.K., Tomorrow Night (1970) and Devils Answer (1971), which peaked at No. 11 and 4 respectively.
...
Parnell grabbed screen time as Mick Shrimpton, Spinal Taps drummer through the majority of the film. As noted in the movie, the band had seen a lot of turnover behind the kit, as their drummers continually died under strange circumstances. Still, Shrimpton looked to buck that trend.
...
Parnell drummed on the films official soundtrack and would stay involved with the group as it went from fictitious to real. When Spinal Tap staged a reunion tour in 1992, Parnell was behind the kit, performing under the name Ric Shrimpton, twin brother to his character Mick, who had died in the film. Spinal Taps sophomore album, Break Like the Wind, was also released around this time, with Parnell once again delivering drums and percussion.
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ric-parnell-spinal-tap-dead/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
He replaced Carl Palmer in Atomic Rooster, when the latter went to form Emerson Lake & Palmer. And he was the drummer on Toni Basil's "Mickey".
"The first question they asked was, 'What do you think about a movie that's going to tear your career apart?' I said, 'You should have made this movie about 10 years ago.' They then asked me what other bands I'd been in, and I said, 'Well, I was in a band called Atomic Rooster.' They looked at each other and said, 'Yep, that's it, you're our man.' "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Parnell
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Ric Parnell, Spinal Tap drummer, dies, but not by spontaneous combustion (Original Post)
muriel_volestrangler
May 2022
OP
AZSkiffyGeek
(12,740 posts)1. Best leave it unsolved....
Seriously though, I never knew he was in Atomic Rooster
underpants
(189,332 posts)2. 🕯
Midnight Writer
(23,504 posts)3. I was a big fan of Atomic Rooster and he was one hell of a drummer.