Got this link from my gal Buttnik (I loves ya, Nik!), and I thought I'd pass it on. Test thyself:

Your Geek Profile:

Academic Geekiness: High Movie Geekiness: High Music Geekiness: High SciFi Geekiness: High Gamer Geekiness: Moderate Fashion Geekiness: Low Geekiness in Love: Low Internet Geekiness: Low General Geekiness: None

How Geeky Are You?

Nerd love to the haters

Not a lot in the way of posts this week. Once again, it’s not because shit hasn’t been going on. I’ve simply been otherwise indisposed. I’m already piecing together ep. 3 of my podcast, Radio Free Hipster. (It’s an all nerdcore edition that’s looking to be a doozy. That’s right, kids, a doozy.) I’ve also been working on a new mash-up using an a cappella that YTCracker was nice enough to provide for me. Needless to say, that process is slow going. I’m not exactly what you’d call a “DJ” or a “producer.” Nor am I blessed with what you’d call “talent” or “skill,” so don’t expect much, okay?

I’m also finalizing my feature for the month. The real work has been done for weeks, but I always like to let a piece sit for a while if possible. That way all parties involved are able to take a good, long, sober look at what we’ve compiled and weed out anything that may incriminate us later.

On a totally unrelated note, my homie (sp?) High-C over at Rhyme Torrents posted a link to this little gem. I know Joel isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite software pundit, but I think he hits the nail on the head in this regard. For some reason, making fun of nerds is still in vogue. Considering the facts that A) with the prevalence of technology in the modern household, pop culture is rapidly aping nerd culture and B) because of this proximity to tech most people (especially the young, the educated, and those with a fair amount of disposable income) who aren’t professed nerds at least have nerdly tendencies, this is fairly asinine. But hey, what can you do? Rail against it in your blog, I reckon. It works for Joel. And for me.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 2: Rural Hadouken

I took the title of this episode from a phrase Paige used in last week’s edition of Just Another Lazy Podcast. The entire crew was expressing disbelief at my southern accent, and it was just too funny not to snake. What can I say? I am a country gentleman, born and raised. That’s not exactly the type of cat you’d expect to blog about nerd music, but life’s funny like that.

On the WWW it’s easy to just assume that everyone you encounter is pretty much just like you. I, for example, often imagine that all half-dozen of you are tiny, dark-haired dudes dressed in skinny ties and cheap Steve Madden knock-offs, even though I realize this to be patently untrue. The digital world is fairly subjective, so I imagine it’s a good thing to throw a little harsh reality in now and again.

Speaking of which, here comes another dose.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 2: Rural Hadouken Size: 34.2 MB Running Time: 37.22

RFH Ep. 2: Rural Hadouken

Intro: John Denver -- Thank God I’m a Country Boy (Party Ben’s City Boy Mix) Z’s AM Radio edit

I hate this goddamn song. Seriously, it’s just not a very good song. Not to piss on John Denver or nothing. I mean he was down with Jimmy Carter. Party Ben made a pretty serviceable dance track out of it, so big up to Ben. You’d be hard-pressed to call this song “geek,” but it is dorky as hell. That’s gotta count for something.

Z’s 1^st Interlude: “Sorry to startle you”

I realized upon listening to this interlude that I seemed to have subconsciously played up my accent here at the beginning. I doubt y’all’ll notice. I’d imagine that, to most of you, I already sound like Jeff goddamn Foxworthy.

Track 1: 50 Pence -- In da Pub

This is a track that folks either love or hate. Personally, I can’t get enough of it. 50 Pence is, in actuality, a UK producer named Liam Don. You can get more tracks here.

Track 2: Silence Xperiment (AKA Q-Unit) - We will Rock You in da Club

The Jay-Zeezer track went over really well last ep, so I figured I’d try again. If you haven’t downloaded the entire Q-Unit: Greatest Hits album yet, you really need to. It’s free.

Track 3 MC Router, funky49, & Redvoid -- 8BITch

It appears as though I wrongfully attributed this track to 1GB in the actual podcast (even though the lyrics plainly state that it’s MC Router and funky49). :( What can I say? A couple of glasses of wine with lunch and I’m pretty much useless. Apologies to Router and to funk and ‘Void for the mistake. No disrespect intended. This track was on the playlist for the first ep, but I pulled it fearing that Beefy would feature it in his podcast that week. I was wrong. Ain’t I a ‘tard? Oh, and Router’s “power button?” It’s on her thumb. Trust me.

Track 4: The Emotron – 80s Nightmare

I’m not sure if this is total dork rock or weird-assed performance art, but it followed the last track nicely. Emotron was on the Frontalot bill when Front came to SC back in May. My friend Neil, a singer-songwriter and real tour-horse in his own right, warned me that the thing that he remembered about seeing Emotron live was that the cat ended his set by catching his wang on fire. He wasn’t joking. This and other Emotron tracks can be found on MySpace.

Z’s 2^nd Interlude: “Nerdcore vs. geeksta”

No one really seems to know what exactly constitutes “geeksta rap,” but I guess I attach this label to geeked out rhymes that seem to specifically mock or explicitly parallel the gangsta rap style. This is the segment where I misrepresent 8BITch and look like a douche. Once again: apologies to Router and funky49/Redvoid. The High-C track that follows was the first song I found in my collection with the word “penis” in it. It’s also one of my fave tracks from Rhyme Torrents Vol. IV.

Track 5: High-C – Flame Extension

High-C is better known as “that guy who put the Rhyme Torrents thing together.” It was an ambitious project, but he managed to pull it off with support from the bulk of the community. He’s got a really non-traditional flow, even for a nerdcore MC, and I dig it. Does he sound like a young Jack Nicholson to anyone else but me?

Track 6: Devo - Girl U Want (DJ Tonyy Devologic Remix)

The second part of the aforementioned High-C track uses a sample from Soundgarden’s cover of the Devo tune Girl U Want, and I really wanted to follow it up with the original cut. Suffice it to say, I couldn’t find it. Instead I tracked down this spiffy remix. I don’t know anything about DJ Tonyy aside from the fact that he’s Brazilian and he’s a DJ.

Track 7: 14 Year Old Girls – Animal Forest

A great band with a horrible name, 14 Year Old Girls plays “Nintendo Punk.” This particular song is about the most addictive game ever devised. (I’m sure that statement won’t spur any death threats from Everquest and WOW fans.) This is another act I really need to try to interview. They seem fun.

Track 8: The Protomen – Unrest in the House of Light

I guess I’d say that The Protomen are best described as a Mega Man-centered prog-rock-opera. Of course, that’s just an approximation. Before you dismiss them as “gimmick” you should really take a listen. I have a strong feeling that their live show is killer. I like the Country/Western feel of this track. Sometimes I gotsta keeps it rural!

Z’s Final Interlude: “EGM article”

That Electronic Gaming Monthly article was a pleasant surprise. That mag has never been one of my favorite gaming publications, but I scored a free subscription from somewhere, so I probably shouldn’t bitch. There are several notable acts I would’ve liked to have seen here, but, as my writing is largely relegated to this blog, the reasoning of legitimate journalists escapes me.

Track 9: Futuristic Sex Robotz -- Snakes on a Plane

This should have been the theme song for what will surely be the goofiest goddamn film of the year, but, alas, Hollywood dropped the ball. If you dig this track (and I know you do) FSR have an entire album worth of material for free download over at their site. Show them love.

And that concludes the show notes for the venerable episode 2. I tried to resist the urge to group the songs into subsets of two, but I slipped a couple of times. Please forgive my rampant cheesiness in that regard.

Comments are welcome and encouraged. You can hit me up here, in public like, via the comment link. You can also post your input to the Rhyme Torrents BBS thread that will most assuredly spring up shortly after this is posted. And you ultra-shy violets can even email me privately. Just be sure to let me know your listening one way or another.

Objets d'art

Beefy was kind enough to immortalize my fulgy mug via his artistic prowess.

The first is a vector render of me in a jaunty olive sweater. This piece -- though drastically resized, cunningly cropped, and with a slight color alteration – will serve as my new profile pic, replacing Jorge the Ceramic Burro. For those of you concerned with the wellbeing of Jorge, let me assure you that he has retired to a posh seaside resort just outside Santiago.

The second image is a sketch in the traditional Beefy style. While Beef refers to them as doodles, I prefer to think of it as being Beefy-ized. Although, now that I see the phrase, it does appear unsettlingly homoerotic.

Much thanks to Beefy for his contributions. May the hair on his toes never fall off!

(What the hell is up with me and all the Hobbit quotes lately?)

"If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is."

Word around the old Rhyme Torrents board has it that the new album by Halifax’s most word-burglingist MC, the Wordburlgar, drops this Tuesday. A sample of the ‘Burg’s stylistic hip-hoppening is available for those skeptical of his wordburglary, and additional info is available in a couple of places.