<P> Shearer, Guest and McKean have since worked on several projects as their Spinal Tap characters . They released three albums: This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Break Like the Wind (1992) and Back From The Dead (2009). In 1992, Spinal Tap appeared in an episode of The Simpsons called "The Otto Show". The band has played several concerts, including at Live Earth in London on July 7, 2007 . In anticipation of the show, Rob Reiner directed a short film entitled Spinal Tap . In 2009, the band released Back from the Dead to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of the film . The album features re-recorded versions of songs featured in This Is Spinal Tap and its soundtrack, and five new songs . The band performed a one date "world tour" at London's Wembley Arena on June 30, 2009 . The Folksmen, a mock band featured in the film A Mighty Wind that is also made up of characters played by Shearer, McKean and Guest--was the opening act for the show . </P> <P> Shearer is also known for his prolific work as a voice actor on The Simpsons . Matt Groening, the creator of the show, was a fan of Shearer's work, while Shearer was a fan of a column Groening used to write . Shearer was asked if he wanted to be in the series, but he was initially reluctant because he thought the recording sessions would be too much trouble . He felt voice acting was "not a lot of fun" because traditionally, voice actors record their parts separately . He was told that the actors would record their lines together and after three calls, executive producer James L. Brooks managed to convince Shearer to join the cast . Shearer's first impression of The Simpsons was that it was funny . Shearer, who thought it was a "pretty cool" way to work, found it peculiar that the members of the cast were adamant about not being known to the public as the people behind the voices . </P> <P> Shearer provides voices for Principal Skinner, Kent Brockman, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Otto Mann, Rainier Wolfcastle, Scratchy, Kang, Dr. Marvin Monroe, Judge Snyder and many others . He has described all of his regular characters' voices as "easy to slip into . (...) I wouldn't do them if they weren't easy ." Shearer modeled Mr. Burns's voice on the two actors Lionel Barrymore and Ronald Reagan . Shearer says that Burns is the most difficult character for him to voice because it is rough on his vocal cords and he often needs to drink tea and honey to soothe his voice . He describes Burns as his favorite character, saying he "like (s) Mr. Burns because he is pure evil . A lot of evil people make the mistake of diluting it . Never adulterate your evil ." Shearer is also the voice of Burns' assistant Smithers, and is able to perform dialogue between the two characters in one take . In the episode "Bart's Inner Child", Harry Shearer said "wow" in the voice of Otto, which was then used when Otto was seen jumping on a trampoline . Ned Flanders had been meant to be just a neighbor that Homer was jealous of, but because Shearer used "such a sweet voice" for him, Flanders was broadened to become a Christian and a sweet guy that someone would prefer to live next to over Homer . Dr. Marvin Monroe's voice was based on psychiatrist David Viscott . Monroe has been retired since the seventh season because voicing the character strained Shearer's throat . </P> <P> In 2004, Shearer criticized what he perceived as the show's declining quality: "I rate the last three seasons as among the worst, so season four looks very good to me now ." Shearer has also been vocal about "The Principal and the Pauper" (season nine, 1997) one of the most controversial episodes of The Simpsons . Many fans and critics reacted negatively to the revelation that Principal Seymour Skinner, a recurring character since the first season, was an impostor . The episode has been criticized by both Shearer and Groening . In a 2001 interview, Shearer recalled that after reading the script, he told the writers, "That's so wrong . You're taking something that an audience has built eight years or nine years of investment in and just tossed it in the trash can for no good reason, for a story we've done before with other characters . It's so arbitrary and gratuitous, and it's disrespectful to the audience ." Due to scheduling and availability conflicts, Shearer decided not to participate in The Simpsons Ride, which opened in 2008, so none of his characters have vocal parts and many do not appear in the ride at all . In a 2010 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Shearer alluded that the reason he was not part of the ride was because he would not be getting paid for it . </P>

Who provides the voice of mr smithers on the simpsons
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