Me Geek Pretty TODAY!

At long last, Doctor Popular has favored the waiting masses with his latest masterpiece Me Geek Pretty One Day.

In Doc’s own words:

Me Geek Pretty One Day is Drown Radio's debut solo album. 18 songs, 6 ringtones, album art and wallpapers, plus four bonus tracks. The album boasts a diverse mix of nerdy rapsongs, circuit bent melodies, funny skits, mouth harps, electropop, chiptune, and even a sexy r&b track. MGPOD is a 42 minute album, not including the 12 minutes of extras such as the 8bit bEtty remix of lolCats and a Twistin' Cherry Stems remix by Anticon's Bomarr.

And while I’ve previously expressed my adoration for the disc, let me elucidate:

Me Geek Pretty One Day isn’t your average nerdcore album. Nor is it your typical bitpop, electroclash, or micromusic release; it is a whole new animal as varied and complex as the man who crafted it. But rather than redefine what you think about Drown Radio, it skillfully chooses to refine it. To a razor point.

A masterful blend of re-imagined versions of older Drown Radio cuts such as “Happy Valium Meal” and “A Brave New Essay” (an updated take on Doc’s seminal “Essay on the Wheels of Steel”); contemporary classics like “Gygax” and “lolCats”; top shelf collaborations with nerdcore giants T-Byte, MC Router, and Baddd Spellah; and Doc’s own indubitable musical machinations – “Mouth Party” and “NerdSong” are just a couple of my favorites – Me Geek Pretty One Day is easy to recommend at any price. The fact that you can scoop it for a mere $8, though, makes it a must-buy of the highest order.

Resplendent with head-bobbing hip-hop, off-kilter R&B, and an almost indescribable marriage of indie pop and 8-bit, it combines all your favorite Drown Radio ingredients into a delicious new recipe. Then it offers up cell phone ringtones and wallpapers as an uber-geeky after dinner drink.

You no doubt know Doc Pop as a yo-yo genius without peer. You may likewise know him to be a crafter and visual artist who knows no creative bounds. If you take a listen to Me Geek Pretty One Day – and, again, I can’t recommend that you do so highly enough – you’ll also discover that he is a consummate musician with an undeniable ear for melody, a lyricist with a veritable armada of witticisms at the ready, and a nerdy songwriter with a sound that is varied but never haphazard.

Take that eight bucks your were gonna blow on two gallons of gas and pick up Me Geek Pretty One Day instead. It’s a much better value, and I guarantee that it will take you on a far more satisfying journey.

More Random-ness

The fabulous Johnie Tidwell (of Cartoon Mogul fame) recently sent me a link to the promo for Random’s forthcoming release Patches and Glue. The full-length video for the album’s first single “Fly,” directed by the same Johnie Tidwell, is set to make an appearance soon, with the disc itself due out April 15th. Peep the hotness.

Big Bad World One

Despite the fact that our numbers pale in comparison to those of, say, Penny Arcade, I consider our intimate little group to be a community. Moreover, I consider the Hipster, please! populace to be uniquely eclectic. Sure, this blog has strong and undeniable roots in nerdcore hip-hop, but along the way we’ve managed to bring together various fans of VGM and WRock, electroclash and mash-ups, and a cast of freaks, geeks, lamers, and gamers the likes of which I can’t help but be proud of.

What I’m getting at is that we are, for better or worse, a meta-community. Much in the same way that any suitably downtrodden pariah can easily find a seat at the nerds’ table in your local high school’s cafeteria, we’ve somehow managed to attract folks from a number of disparate stratum to these meager digs. Because of this, I feel oddly indebted to those other, larger communities that have lent us their best and brightest or, failing that, their geekiest. And when the shit goes down, I like to think that HP readers will lend a hand to their fellow dorks.

I have very recently made the acquaintance of one ADeadHeart. In addition to being a parent, she is also a DJ at the “official unofficial” Kingdom of Loathing SHOUTcast station. Suffice it to say we tend to talk shop on both fronts.

Recently, the KoL community felt a great loss. A mother lost a child, in, perhaps, the grimmest way conceivable, and KoLers – and I can’t imagine that’s a crumulent word – have stepped in to help. While they certainly can’t mend all the emotional pain, they can help on a financial level, and that is exactly what they have set to do.

The Andrew Bailey Memorial Fundraiser is, in part, a silent auction to benefit Merrily Melson, known in KoL as Aces44. Items up for auction include, of course, various in-game and physical items from the warped world of Kingdom of Loathing, as well as such sundries as gamer art, jewelry, and signed CDs from Radio Free Hipster staples MC Frontalot and Schaffer the Darklord. Should you feel so led, check out the auction FAQ and get yourself up to speed on the bidding process. There’s some really great stuff available, and the money goes to an incredibly noble cause.

As the vast majority of you are crafters and musicians in your own rights, you also might consider donating some of your own wares. Sure, there is already a wealth of items available for bidding, but I know you guys; you always manage to bring something new and worthwhile to the table.

Lastly, if neither of the above is your thing, feel free to simply spread the word. Toss a link up in your favorite BBS, write a little post about the charity for your blog, or slap up a bulletin on MySpace. As Bob Geldof has already told us, sometimes it’s just as important to raise awareness as it is to raise money. Okay, maybe not as important, but it's important nonetheless.

At any rate, thanks for your time and attention. I appreciate it, ADH appreciates it, and you can be damned sure Aces44 appreciates it.

It’s a big bad world out there, and sometimes we all need a little support.

Nerd News in Brief

There is not a word for how exhausted I am; there is only a sound. That sound is an odd cross between a soft whimper and supernaturally thunderous snoring. Frightening, no?

I’ve been a little confused of late regarding the apparent failing of my memory. Why, for example, didn’t I recall all the sleepless nights I spent with Li’l X. back when he was, y’know, little before Miss Twiggy made her appearance known? Perhaps it was because just enough time had passed as to shadow those recollections in the darker corners of my mind. Perhaps, in retrospect, that age of exhaustion simply seemed inconsequential when compared to all the fun we’ve had in the years since. Perhaps we humans have a genetic failsafe in place to purposefully make us forget such inconveniences so that we will continue to procreate for the good of the species.

Honestly, I think I was just so goddamned tired that the events themselves failed to register.

• America’s Finest News Source: Nerdcore For Life has hit the big time. And by “big time” I mean the documentary has been mentioned in the only non-gaming periodical that I read regularly, The Onion. The only downside? Non commentary by Smoove B.
  
• Vindication!: Not too very long ago, I shared my thoughts on the NC4L doc on this very blog. Interestingly enough, one of the film’s stars – the undeniable YTCracker – also posted a mini review a few days back, and it looks like the original DG and I agree on a number of points. Great minds, and all that.
  
• He fronts the most: Church was nice enough to alert me to the fact that a recent episode of the Geek Cred podcast (ep. 20, for those of you keeping score at home) features an interview with our own MC Frontalot. And, if that doesn’t slake your geek culture podcast thirst, Matt suggests the This Week in Geek podcast. No Frontalot, I’m afraid, but there’s plenty of comic book talk to make up for it.
• 15 miles to the Dork Shack: Also from Church comes a link to this uniquely nerdy piece from the Athens Exchange. It outlines the best places to geek out in Athens, which, given, the high hipster count, can be challenging. While I gotta gives props for including a nod to the UGA Quidditch League, I fail to see what’s so nerdy about the Athens Beard and Mustache Club. Although maybe I’m just jealous.
• Let’s get it on: In his continued effort to touch on my favorite aspects of musical culture, Random is poised to release a Marvin Gaye tribute album. The first single “Hand Me Downs” is freely available, but only for a week. What are your still reading for?!
• Coming back for seconds: The follow-up to nYgel’s Nature’s Outcasts is “coming together a lot faster than expected.” As a huge fan of his previous effort, I can’t help but be excited. A quick look at the project’s rough track listing (and its staggering list of contributors) will ensure that you, too, will be equally jazzed about the prospect.
• To know him is to love him: While Beefy’s forthcoming album Rolling Doubles is, admittedly, taking longer than expected, the big guy has left us neither high nor dry. In the spirit of Wordburglar’s “Cream of Wheat,” Beefy has just released “Get to Know Me,” a “way chilled out random ass song.” Take a listen at his MySpace or bump the track at thesixtyone. (On second thought, just bump it at thesixtyone. I’ve got a lot of points riding on it.)
• And speaking of: Congrats to Wordburglar for his triumphant appearance in LA music mag URB’s “Next 100.” Check out this post in Rhyme Torrents for the full scoop, and then go buy his 2006 release Burglaritis. I’m serious. Go buy it.
• Wrock it: Congrats, also, to Wrockers The Weasel King and Split Seven Ways, this April’s Bands of the Month at Wizrocklopedia. SSS is a crazy prolific songwriter from the UK who, I can only assume, has released another album and 2 EPs in the time it’s taken you to read this, and The Weasel King is an American Wrocker who was kind enough to offer up a track to be (remixed and) included in the next Hipster, please! compilation.
• Accio wiki: And speaking of the ‘Pedia, behold the glory of the new Wrock Wiki! Lizz and her band of marry muggles are, as always, hard at work to make your quest for Wizard Rock knowledge a little easier, and this is yet another example. Thanks, as always, to Matt for keeping me up to snuff on all things Wizard Rock.
• With special guest stars: With the new Star Trek movie delayed, Church has proposed not one but two vids to tie you over in the interim. The first is a Federation take-off on an old TV classic, and the second… well, the second features Megos. ‘Nuff said.