Brilliant Gameologists Podswap Bonus Sode 11: Clip Show 01

There comes a time in a man's life when he must step back and take stock of where he is, where he has come from and where he is to go. This is such a time.

Radio Free Hipster episode 64 is a look back at some of my favorite tracks from previous podcasts, but it is also a restatement of my core purpose – to promote nerdy culture through music – as well as a slightly off-kilter primer for the kinds of artists the show exists to support.

Essentially, this edition again explores nerd music as I define it: by content, intent and origin. Of course, I don't exactly go about it the easy way. So you won't hear any "Nerdcore Rising," any "Fett's Vette" or any "Skullcrusher Mountain." Instead, I elected to ramp up the difficulty number by limiting myself to the kinds of songs you won't likely hear anywhere else. But it's okay; I have a +10 to podcast.

Your quandary, my friends, is where to find this delightful retrospective. For, you see, it ain't here.

In honor of April Fools' Day the Brilliant Gameologists and I have podswapped, meaning that to hear my show you must explore their site (and vice versa). But this is a good thing.

You see, the BGs create one of my very favorite podcasts, and I think you'll like it too. Head over there to snag RFH 64, but be sure to check their stuff out as well. You won't be disappointed.

While there are anime nerds and Trek nerds and computer nerds, any geek worth his salt has surely served a season as the devotee of at least one board, card or roleplaying game. Gaming is very much at the core of the nerdy experience, and no type of gaming is more unabashedly social or more blissfully open-ended than the tabletop experience. It is a tie that binds. 

The BGs celebrate such gaming in all its forms, but the show is seldom explicitly instructional. More often, they simply invite you into their own private chat session wherein they dispense humor and knowledge like so much honeyed mead.

Whether you are an avid boardgamer, a backslider who has recently returned to the fold or even an RPG virgin, Brilliant Gameologists will surely prove a valuable tool.

With that in mind, please enjoy the following clip show. It will give you an idea of what kinds of gaming-related (and distinctly non-game-related) issues the series covers, as well as shed some light on the delightfully profane way in which Zeke, Meg, and Josh do their thing.

Trust me; it's a keeper.

Download Brilliant Gameologists Podswap Bonus Sode: Clip Show 01 Size: 13 MB Running Time: 18:57

EDIT: And don't forget to subscribe to their feed! They will love you long time.

EDIT AGAIN: Because you demanded it (Matt!) here’s the track list from RFH 64:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"

For those keeping score at home, I've been rocking this bad boys since RFH episode 15.

Track 1: MC Frontalot – "Gonna be Your Man" 

Originally included in RFH episode 10.

Z's 1st interlude: "I tend to cast a wide net."

The reason I tend to have such a loose definition for what constitutes nerdy music is that our culture is amazingly malleable. Nerds, despite the often narrow constraints of the outside world, are delightfully varied.

Track 2: Optimus Rhyme – "Train in Vain (Live)"

Originally included in RFH episode 6, and available free on the Nerdcore Under Cover compilation.

Track 3: The Fine Print – "Strawberry Jam" 

Originally included in RFH episode 29.

Track 4: Totally Radd!! – "Shark Attack Day Camp"

Originally included in RFH episode 12.

Track 5: Cheapy D – "Ass & Tetris"

Originally included in RFH episode 30.

Track 6: Southside – "Vibrate"

Originally included in RFH episode 52.

Track 7: The Sprites – "George Romero"

Originally included in RFH episode 32.

Track 8: The Weasel King – "Luna"

Originally included in RFH episode 38.

Track 9: Snake Eyes – "Transformer (Sara Connor's Wild Ride Mix)(Maja vs. Lou Reed vs. Traci Chapman vs. Brad Fiedel)"

Originally included in RFH episode 40, and available free on the Old Nerdy Bastard compilation.

Z's 2nd interlude: "My favorite songs are often those that mix a lot of these elements together."

It's one thing for a song to be nerdy because it's created by nerds or because it references cultural touchstones or even because it employs a tech-heavy means of creation, but it's quite another thing for a song to be nerdy for all those reasons.

Track 10: e. gibby and slackmaster d – "10 year Old (Lullaby Dub)"

Originally included in RFH episode 33.

Track 11: Harry and the Potters – "Blood of Prince"

Originally included in RFH episode 48.

Track 12: Computerization – "1.14me"

Originally included in RFH episode 45.

Track 13: Jonathan Coulton – "First of May"

Originally included in RFH episode 43.

Track 14: Elsonso – "The Geomancer"

Originally included in RFH episode 37.

Track 15: The Grammar Club – "Balloon Flight"

Also originally included in RFH episode 37.

Z's final interlude: "A look at the cultural manifestation of nerdy music from the proverbial trenches."

Which are much tidier than the actual trenches.

Track 16: Jay-Zeezer – "Bonnie and Clyde and El Scorcho"

Originally included in RFH episode 1.