Harry Shearer plays a record producer

Harry Shearer is Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner and more on “The Simpsons.� He’s also, at will, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and Mike Wallace.

Whomever he plays, he’s relentlessly funny. The evidence, for those not yet wild about Harry, is neatly packaged in the actor-satirist’s new CD, “Dropping Anchors,� a send-up of TV news anchors, and the DVD “Now You See It,� a showcase for his work on “Saturday Night Live� and HBO.

After a fallow period in which Shearer’s albums were sadly lacking, and following a frustrating experience for his wife, singer-songwriter Judith Owen, with a record company, the pair took the initiative and formed their own label.

“You sit around as an artist and think, ‘I can do this better than these guys,’ whatever the record company isn’t doing at the moment,� Shearer said. “So somebody called our bluff and said, ‘OK, you’re the record company.’ �

With Warner Bros. handling distribution, Shearer is hoping that his CD and DVD releases -- and two new albums from Owen, including “Lost and Found� -- will find their way into the hands and hearts of consumers.

He helpfully explains that the label’s name, Courgette Records, is “British usage for zucchini. It’s a tip of the cap to Derek Smalls’ favorite vegetable.�

That’s the fictional rock musician Shearer played in “This Is Spinal Tap.� He also shined in “A Mighty Wind� and is part of an upcoming Hollywood spoof, “For Your Consideration,� all as a member in good standing of filmmaker Christopher Guest’s merry band of performers.

The movie is scheduled for fall, as is Shearer’s first novel, “Not Enough Indians,� a comic take on Native American casinos.

For now, fans of the man with a thousand voices, more or less, will have to content themselves with his work on “The Simpsons,� in its 17th season (a long-awaited big-screen version is set for 2007), and the Courgette releases featuring Shearer’s delicious humor.

“Now You See It� includes “Astounding Innovations� with Shearer playing Richard Nixon as an infomercial co-host, and the choice “Mike Wallace Investigates Minkman Novelties,� a “60 Minutes� expose of knockoffs of novelty toys by Hong Kong manufacturer Ping E. Lee.

Shearer is joined by stellar talent, including Guest and Billy Crystal as the embattled Minkman brothers, and a memorable Martin Short as a man trying to defeat synchronized-swimming gender bias with his brother (Shearer).

The humor is more cutting on “Dropping Anchors,� but Shearer considers it a “nervy� project for other reasons.

“I realize I’m going against the grain, doing a fully produced CD of comedy sketches and music at a time when the only comedy recordings are basically standup,� Shearer said. “But it’s the kind of comedy records I grew up on and ... [have] always been kind of my favorite.�

“Dropping Anchors� is billed as “an almost heartfelt farewell to the TV news icons of the last two decades.� Anchors who have retired or shifted gears are fodder, as is the general state of network news. Only Peter Jennings escapes mockery; Shearer says it’s because he never mastered his Canadian lilt.

Most of the routines originated on Shearer’s 22-year-old “Le Show,� which originates at KCRW-FM (89.9) in Santa Monica but is heard nationally and abroad on diverse outlets including National Public Radio and Armed Forces Radio.