More Nerd News in Brief

Stephen Hawking (the cosmologist, not to be confused with his rapping counterpart) believes that mankind's future is in space.

Who am I to argue? He's Stephen Hawking.

Still, I can't help but worry. Hell, I can't even ride Space Mountain; how am I gonna manage full-on interplanetary travel, or even the more benign low Earth orbit?

Well, I reckon y'all'll need someone to stay behind and monitor the condition of our tired and ailing home world. Maybe I can even manage the transport system. I'll be just like Shockwave only fleshy and southern.

Just promise me you'll write, and always think back fondly upon More Nerd News in Brief.

• All the way to 11: I begin this edition with news worthy of the top spot: the Tap is back! Now I don't give a good goddamn if you think Spinal Tap is nerdy or not, as they are their own unique brand of awesome. The boys will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium as part of the Live Earth concert series. UK nerds take note, and beware of spontaneous combustion.
• The Majors: And while we're on the subject of the evils of rock 'n' roll, my boy Church just turned me on to an excellent piece written by Steve Albini concerning the dastardly machinations of A&R guys. It's a chilling but informative read that any aspiring musicians should check out.
• Network Etiquette: Benjamin Bear would very much like to explain to you the elaborate system of politeness and respect recognized while conversing on ye olde Intertubes. No. Not really, but his new release Netiquette dropped earlier this week. Take a listen and share your thoughts, BUT DO NOT TYPE THEM IN ALL CAPS!!!11one!1
• Sentimental melancholy: Though not quite ready for release yet, my pal Antisocial assures me that his new album, entitled Depressed Nerd , should be wrapped up and ready for the world on May 18th . This is Soc's first foray into the realm of the full release, and I couldn't be more excited for him. :D
• Femme-Geeks: Nerdcore For Life got some UK and Canadian press this week, with our own lovely and talented Fanatical and Nursehella (respectively) front and center. Sometimes nerdcore is a beautiful thing. Other times it's hairy and smells like Sterno. But sometimes, oh sometimes!
• Back from the grave and stoned off his ass: Lastly, I'd like to wholeheartedly thank MC Wreckshin for calling to my attention that Captain America was recently arrested at a Florida bar. Battery? Disorderly conduct? Possession of marijuana and destruction of evidence? Oh, Cap, I am so disappointed!

Baby Learns to Crawl

Hi, folks.

Well, I have some good news and some bad news.

The bad? My Top Nerdcore Artists feature isn't quite ready yet. I'm sorry. I know I said I'd post it on the 25th, but I have a couple of last minute tweaks that need to be made to help flesh it out.

Which brings me to the good news: Dan (of Nerdcore For Life) was nice enough to give me free reign over the various pictures and videos he's collected of nerdcore artists in action to help dress the piece up. The fact that his team's got pics and footage of damn near everyone, coupled with nerdcore artists' penchant for self-promotion, means that this feature will have some pretty pictures and helpful links to accompany my misuse (and outright abuse) of the English language.

Big up to Dan for helping out! If y'all haven't already, be sure to friend his film over at MySpace.

Of course, this still leaves the minor issue of how, exactly, to celebrate Hipster, please!'s first birthday sans Nerdcore Top 10 .

I hope you have suggestions, ‘cause I got nuthin'.

I mean, in a week that's seen real life Kryptonite discovered in Serbia and the mysteries of a Galleon-based economy unfurled – not to mention that little matter involving the Pope loosing all of those tiny, unbaptized souls from limbo – I truly have nothing of genuine consequence to add.

And so, I shall celebrate this day in the same manner as my own birthday; I'll crawl into a dark corner and weep silently.

You know how I do.

Thanks for being here, and for supporting my little foray into nerd music and culture for the last twelve months. It means more to me than I could ever hope to put in words.

Hipster, please!: your source for nerds news and interviews… and counterintuitive jubilation.

Nerd News in Brief

At the risk of loosing some geek points here, I’m gonna ask you a question: am I the only one who finds himself physically incapable of giving a damn about Nine Inch Nail’s Year Zero?

I mean, in my little, insignificant opinion, the only thing less entertaining than the normal musings of an eternally-angsty 40-something is an over-marketed, gimmicky concept album that refuses to admit that it’s an over-marketed, gimmicky concept album. I’m just sayin’.

Now, as I prepare to spend the rest of my day responding to a string of angry emails and posts concerning the above statements, y’all dig the Nerd News in Brief.

• If we can't be free at least we can be cheap: According to a hot tip from my home-skillet Church, today is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasants Day. (I was gonna buy you a card, but damned if my local Hallmark wasn’t sold out!) Apparently, a couple of weeks ago Howard V. Hendrix, current VP of the Science Fiction Writers of America, posted a rant stating that writers who put their work up for free on the Internet are, in fact, scabs that are devaluing the work of writers looking to get paid. The heated response from the community came to a head when it was declared that April 23rd would be the aforementioned pseudo-holiday International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day, a time where writers (and other artists) are encouraged to put up professional-quality work up for free public consumption. As I’m all about the free shit, I can’t help but support such a movement.
• Solidarity: Perhaps the biggest nerd music story of the past week is the offer made by mc chris to the nerdcore community during his recent interview for Nerdcore For Life. In mc’s own words; “[I]t's an open call to anyone that wants to open for me [J]uly third in [O]regon before we go see [T]ransformers at midnight. [W]e have not confirmed venue or theater, but yes [I] want to do this. [A]nd everyone has an equal chance to get on the bill as we might try to make it a longer show that starts in the afternoon.” Interested parties (and fuck know there’ll be a lot of those) should proceed in an orderly fashion to the relevant thread over at Rhyme Torrents.
• Mmmmm. Jam... and... glue.: JamGlue is currently hosting an MC Lars remix contest through which lucky individuals can win some very cool-assed Lars swag! Interesting, eh? Well, it’s made more interesting by the fact that the entry page includes its own integrated mixer pre-loaded with the a cappella and musical hooks. Submissions will be accepted until May 14^th, so get over there and do that thing that you do with the music and the... stuff. Yeah.
• Glory, glory Hallelujah: My brothers over at Game Music 4 All have just released the complete list of artists contributing to their upcoming release Music EXP, and the only words I can find to describe the glory and splendor are as followed: Hole, Lee, and Shit. Nerdcore aficionados will be interested to note the inclusion chiptune/hip-hoppers Super Barrio Brothers. Y’know, like you needed another reason to be excited about this comp!
• Like speed dating, but with bands: TG over at Northwest Nerdcore recently posted some really nice mini-interviews that he did at the Lars/Frontalot/Optimus show in Portland. The results are a compelling read, to say the least! Y'all check it out.
• Am I nerdcore?: And lastly, my boy Beefy and his long-time associate Ryan “St. Cameraman” Tidrick, have just released a video for Beefy’s track “1-800-NERDCORE.” Though it’s not a lighthearted summer buddy cop comedy involving Cameron Diaz as a wide-eyed recruit who breaks all the rules and William H. Macy as her by-the-book partner, I’m gonna go ahead and call this one a romp. Don’t believe me? See for yourself: 1-800-NERDCORE