Pining for the Fjords

"I know a dead parrot when I see one!"

How does one, as a blogger/podcaster, tell the world that he's taking a break from blogging/podcasting? I mean without writing a blog post or making a podcast about it?

Such is the dilemma with which I've been wrestling for the past two months. In the meantime I've been doing very little to get the word out regarding where the hell I am and what I'm doing.

Which I reckon is an answer in itself.

In that time I've slept on a number of amazing moments in geeky music, from another Vocalist/Producer Challenge to Frontalot hitting basic cable to a sweet new Dual Core video to Nursehella's second coming to, Christ, probably a cool half-dozen new EPs from Adam WarRock. I've let it all pass by unremarked upon, internet. Because I'm tired—oh so tired!

It wasn't until a friend asked if I had closed up shop here at Hipster, please! that I began to consider my answer to a question that, it turns out, was being asked by more than a few of you. Up until that point I thought that the project was merely resting. Like the Norwegian Blue.

Pithy Python references aside, I'm still not sure what's to become of Hipster, please! and Radio Free Hipster. I only know that I, as the proprietor, have wearied with age and circumstance.

I am currently stretched thin emotionally, financially and, given the toll it's obviously taken on my output, creatively. I'm finding my way into a new life that may or may not include this as a part of it. My gut instinct is to bookend things, to wrap up the podcast—which has really become the focus in recent years—for the sake of closure.

The thing is as much as I consider this site a pet project, a one man show, it's not. There have been, since the earliest days, folks behind the scenes providing art assets and story scoops and moral support and pretty much propping me up at every turn. And just because their names aren't beside the posts doesn't mean they don't have a stake in this too.

The site itself is in dire need of some housekeeping, a redesign and, y'know, regular content, and it's not something I can do myself right now. Whether that means I let things ride while I attempt to get my shit together, write the whole thing off as another faded internet relic or bring in some help to run the store remains to be seen. But whatever the outcome I simply wanted to take a moment to say how very much I've enjoyed the experience, and that I genuinely hope to have the luxury of enjoying it again in the not-too-distant future.

You Really Like Me!

While I will spare you a full-on Ric Flair-style epistle, I do ask that you bear with me for what I swear will be an isolated instance of flagrant self-congratulatory wankery BECAUSE I WON A SECOND GODDAMN PARSEC AWARD!

I'm not sure what it means that I now have two of these things – likely that there is simply a dearth of geeky music podcasts out there – but I am honored and pleased and still more than a little stunned by this development. The competition this year was particularly stiff, so I have to give a special nod to my brothers Joe and Marc, and of course I wanna thank all those that nominated RFH as well as Parsec Committee itself.

But mostly I want to thank my obsessive-compulsive disorder; I will sleep well knowing that this added bit of symmetry on my mantle will prevent the world from spiraling into utter chaos, and that's all because of you, old friend.

Rob the Jewelry Store (and Tell 'em Make Me a Grill)

Mine? Not so much.

Hello, denizens of the internet! This is just a quick personal note to let you know that I will be AFK, as the kids say, for a while next week.

How long? I have no idea.

I have a dental procedure scheduled early Monday morning, and I use the phrase "dental procedure" because saying "invasive gum surgery" just wigs me the fuck out. Depending upon how well the dastardly deed itself goes down, my pain level in the days immediately following and how kick-ass the drugs they prescribe me to deal with the aforementioned discomfort truly are, I'll likely be out of commission for at least a couple of days and at most the bulk of the week.

What this means is, well, I probably won't be doing a lot of blogging. Odds are, however, that I will be tweeting, and, as I'm gonna be whacked out of my gourd on pain meds: guaranteed comedy gold!

Oh and also, specifically to those of you with my phone number, if you call and I don't answer I'm not being a dick; it's just because I can't talk. Or maybe I am being a dick. You'll never know.

I'm not entirely sure how or if this will affect the next podcast, but if worse comes to worse you'll just have to make do with another mixtape episode. Although I know how much you guys hate going an extra couple of weeks without hearing my hillbilly drawl.

In the meantime, long days and pleasant nights.

Oh, and if any Catholics in the audience know of a patron saint of periodontics, hit your boy up with a desktop icon. As they say, there are no atheists in dental chairs.

You're Anti, You're Antisocial

Over the weekend I wrote a letter to my 11-year-old self. It read as follows:

Hey, Zack.


Things are good. You've got a wife and kids now, and sometimes you get to write stuff for money. You did alright.


--Z.


PS: You just saw Anthrax, and it was fuckin' awesome!

Believe it or not, that last part is important. In every life there is an undeniable catalyst – some experience or idea or individual – that provides for you, intentionally or otherwise, this overwhelming sense of relief. The knowledge that things are alright. That you are alright.

For most normal folks that role is likely filled by a friend or family member, but for me it was music. Music was the thing that told me things were gonna work out, and I believed it.

Anthrax, specifically, was a band that made me realize that it was okay to like punk and metal and hip-hop and skateboarding and comic books, even though several of those items may appear mutually exclusive upon first glance. In essence, their music made me realize not only that it was alright to be me, but that there were others out there like me.

That simple realization proved incredibly powerful over the years.

Now at 35 I can say that I've seen the band live, and that in itself is an important rite of passage for a music fan. Like me the guys are a lot older now. (Joey Belladonna, for example, appeared to be held together by little more than spit and Band-Aids, but the fucker could still hit those high notes!) Still, when the lights went down everyone in the venue was magically transformed into a crazy-ass adolescent again. If only for the duration of the set.

I guess the thesis of this oddly personal and only vaguely nerdy missive is as follows: don't be afraid to reconnect with your younger self. He was a good kid, and he'd likely wanna know all the amazing shit you're doing now in grown-up land.

Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama

I'm leaving you, my tiny baby birds. I'm afraid you will be forced to fend for yourselves for the rest of the week while I take the fam on our regular pilgrimage to the coast.

Hush now. Don't cry. Your ol' Uncle Zack will be back before you know it. And if you really can't live without me you can follow my exploits via the Twitters. I will endeavor to regale you with tales of all the crazy shit my kids do. That'll keep you entertained for a bit, right?

Those of you in NYC, however, have a very special assignment in my absence.

This Saturday night (August 6), my good friends Schaffer the Darklord and the newly revamped Monsterface will be playing at… a bowling alley in Brooklyn? Wait; that can't be…

Yup. It's a bowling alley in Brooklyn.

I am counting on you Gothamites to head out there and support 'em. And to come back with a full report of the awesomeness that will assuredly ensue. And also to maybe bowl a couple of frames.

You have your mission. Godspeed, internet!

A Winner is… Me?!

 I'm not used to winning awards. Especially those based on merit!

In case you haven't realized, this Labor Day weekend plays host to two of the absolute biggest events in nerd culture. The first is Penny Arcade Expo, a relative newcomer to the con scene but already a genuine powerhouse, and the second, of course, is Atlanta's annual Dragon*Con. Due to vested interests in the goings-on of both, I had a hard time deciding which one to attend.

PAX, though located on the opposite side of the country, was set to feature special GeekDad panel, and editor Ken Denmead specifically invited me to take part. Meanwhile, my Radio Free Hipster podcast was again a finalist in this year's Parsec Awards at Dragon*Con.

A cursory look at my finances, however, made the choice quite clear – I really couldn't afford to go to either. So instead I stayed at home with the family and did my best to keep an eye on the internet for news from both.

I was elated to hear that GeekDad's showing was extremely well received. Though, truth be told, I knew the guys would do us all proud. But I was even more ecstatic when it was revealed that my show had actually won the Parsec for Best Speculative Fiction Music Podcast!

I don't really not what to say, save holy shit! The time for acceptance speeches has come and gone, so I'll be brief and simply thank the Parsec Awards' judges panel, all of you listeners who nominated RFH and especially the other finalists Wander Radio, Wandering Geek Podcast and last year's winner the mighty FuMP.

Much love to all, and, again, thank you!

101 Damnations

If my math is correct – which may or may not be the case – Radio Free Hipster will reach its landmark 100th episode this November. Strictly speaking, it won't be my 100th podcast, as there have been a number special shows that have thrown the actual count off, but it's the canonical number 100 and that shit's got to count for something.

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out a proper way to commemorate this event, and I think I've finally settled on a solution. The bad news is that it relies heavily on you.

What can I say? I am a lazy old man.

Essentially, what I'm asking for here is song requests. I do this regularly, but there's an added twist this time around. I want you to think back over the past five years' worth of episodes and point me toward your favorite tracks.

Did Radio Free Hipster help you discover a new artist or uncover a particularly tasty song? That's the kind of thing I'm looking for.

Best-case scenario: a dozen or so of you will each pick a jewel previously featured in the podcast and I'll use these to build a special fan-fueled retrospective episode. If you have anything else you'd like to add, you are also certainly encouraged to relay it to me through email or Google Voice. (Although I'll not hold my breath on that last part. I ain't no fuckin' Casey Kasem.)

As for the song requests, you can share those with me by commenting here, via Twitter or by using the aforementioned avenues of email/voicemail.

In closing, just let me thank you for listening. Without your kind attention I'm just some dude talking to himself. That's an early warning sign of schizophrenia, and I'm uninsured so, y'know, doubly bad.

Missed Opportunities

Photo by: @awfulwaffle73

Let's assume for a moment that you are the one reader of this blog not already sick of hearing me go on and on about Nerdapalooza.

Yes, I fully understand that I am proceeding under a false pretense here, but the truth is I have an awful lot of shit to share about last weekend's event and only a handful of places at which to do so. Bear with me.

Just like in 2008, my post-Nerdapalooza coverage will be broken up into a number of posts. There's this introductory piece, of course, as well as a forthcoming GeekDad post wherein I examine what this year's festival tells us about the future of the franchise. In addition to these I also envision a special superlatives post, in which I'll shout out some of the festivals most epic moments and players, and a final piece of critical analysis where I'll break the thing down from start to finish.

But before I get mesmerized by my own grand schemes, let me cut to the chase here.

I experienced a lot of exciting and amazing things at Nerdapalooza 2010, but the further I get away from the event the more things I notice that I neglected to do. Some of them were things that merely eluded me at the time, ideas that I didn't even have until well after the fact, while others were on the proverbial list but never quite materialized.

I have selected ten specific examples. Like you do.

1. Big Up @starlainjury
   I expected to meet a lot of folks at Nerdapalooza 2010, but ThaSauce mainstay and regular Shael Riley collaborator Injury wasn't one of them. ThaSauce's table was located directly beside the GeekDad booth, but we only spoke briefly on day two and I didn't fully realize who she was until shortly before Shael and I went on our hot dinner date. At any rate, if you're reading this, Starla, yours is one of the most intriguing voices in the VGM scene.
2. Stooge it Up with @datavortex
   Are Data's folks big Three Stooges fans? Been meaning to ask him that shit for years, and planed to do so in person at this year's event. We actually spent tons of time hanging out over the weekend, but for some reason I never remembered to bring it up.
3. I'm @DKaine / You Know Me
   David Kaine does nerdcore karaoke. Hell, he even performed "I'm On a Boat" during the open mic. This is a fascinating idea which I planned to discuss with him at length. And then I totally flaked and forgot.
4. Hatcore
   I packed a pair of epic hats to wear at the event: my Cthulhu tuque from GrapevineFires and the cunning hat @freakapotimus made me. Yet I never even took them out of my suitcase. #hatfail
5. Play Matchmaker
   B-Type loves the States and wants to stay. My solution was simple: get hitched. I tried half-heartedly to find him a paramour over the length of the festival, but eventually I just decided on Colon:P. I mean, they were together all the time anyway.
6. Bring the Chain
   Finding out the Scrub Club Records table was located directly behind GeekDad's was a treat. Receiving my own Scrub Club medallion from MadHatter was a genuine thrill. Sadly, I could never find an appropriate chain, and thus I had to settle for carrying it in my pocket all weekend.
7. Swappin'!
   I got to talk a bit with both GeekPeekPost's @thelotech (who actually interviewed me) and my sister-in-arms Game Music 4 All's @chibi_ma on Sunday, but failed to orchestrate the meetings of the minds I had originally planned. Bottom line, ladies, I think we need to replace next year's Podswap with a Blogswap. :)
8. Mistaken Identity
   On the subject of GM4A, my pal Genoboost was conspicuously absent this year. I totally should've pretended to be him. I'm sure B-Type would have backed me up.
9. All These Damn Stickers
   I'm convinced that this last batch of Hipster, please! bumper stickers is multiplying. I kept giving the things away by the handful, but I swear I somehow have more now than I did when I left.
10. Sleep
    Yeah. I… uh… pretty much didn't sleep the entire weekend. Apologies to anyone who attempted to talk to me only to find me wholly incoherent. I'm an old man, and don't do well without 7 or 8 hours worth of regular sleepy-time.

Rolling a Better You

There is something inherently odd about the nerd psyche that compels us to forsake our mortal shells. Whether it be through engrossing ourselves in reading or vegging out playing an MMO, we geeks often neglect pesky annoyances like, you know, exercise and proper diet.

Sure, there are many in this brave new generation of dorks who manage to balance both their D&D campaign and a healthy lifestyle, but I ain't one of 'em. Instead, I find that I must trick myself into being a healthier person.

Earlier this year I embarked on my own Pokewalker Fitness Challenge, leveraging the allure of videogames to help me stay active. Now, long after the conclusion of the contest proper, I still find myself slapping my Pichu-strapped pedometer on each morning. I have integrated a learned behavior (calculating my walking) into my daily routine that positively impacts my overall wellbeing. Sure, some days I only log a measly 5000 steps, but it's a tangible thing that I can wrap my head around.

Likewise, my boy MadHatter recently launched his own nerd-centered fitness game over at Scrub Club called Gain HP. It's an innovative system that relies on allusions to classic RPGs to keep participants, like me, focused on the task at hand.

Players gain experience points for pounds lost, structured exercises classes attended, doctor visits and monitoring real-life stats like blood pressure. This doesn't sound particularly glamorous, but when you replace the words "exercise" with "fighting" and "diet" with "foraging," you unlock an undeniable level of nerd appeal. There's even a saving throw system, inspired by MC Frontalot's stop-smoking plan, for those who can't kick the junk food cold turkey.

Weekly weigh-ins, which are relayed to Hatter himself, allow for regular point-tallying and leveling-up, with a leaderboard provided to showcase the top ten. Thus far in my first week of play I've managed to do, well, okay. I've worked in the requisite 45 minutes of daily exercise for my character class, Monk, and have done a decent job of cutting out the booze and junk food. (Aside from one morning where all we had to eat for breakfast were Pop-Tarts! #nutritionfail) But for me, at least, the important thing is that I'm putting forth the effort, and that I'm doing it with friends.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take another lap around the building. This Sloth Demon ain't gonna slay itself!

Gone Fishin'

As I mentioned earlier, the family and I are about to head out on our annual vacation to the Carolina coast. As is tradition. Of course, this year it's pulling double duty, also serving as a clever ruse to prevent me from squandering any more Microsoft Points on clothing for my Avatar.

It occurs to me that I have, essentially, been playing virtual paper dolls. My shame is palpable.

Now, I am nothing if not self-aware, so I realize that Hipster, please! exists primarily to act as an at-work time-waster for the bulk of its readership. Therefore, I've elected to provide a handful of pointers toward interesting digital destinations that you might peruse during my absence. I believe you'll find them worthy diversions.

1. Songs from the Pit
   As long as you’re here, why not check out my review of Shael Riley and the Double Ice Backfire's Songs from the Pit. It's a fine album, and I genuinely enjoyed musing about it. I'd also urge you to track down a copy of your own. It's analog-tastic.
   
2. Next Level
   Of course, I can't talk about new albums without mentioning Dual Core's most recent offering. c64 and int eighty have reached a very dangerous point where I expect perfection in their output, and, interestingly enough, Next Level delivers in spades. Further, let me say that it's slated to be my primary road trip soundtrack for a very long drive. In summation: pick it up.
3. The 8th Day
   And speaking of albums, did you know Random's The 8th Day is currently on sale for half price? That's, like, under $5 for one of the bestest hip-hop albums ever. That's what we call a deal, friends and neighbors, but it's a limited time offer. Get on that shit.
4. "He Doesn't Love You"
   If your interests skew a bit more toward the Potter side, then be sure to peep "He Doesn't Love You," the newest track from Riddle™. It's an acoustic rocker (Wrocker?) centered on Amortentia, and the "relationship" between Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle, the elder. As a fan of tragic love songs, I am beholden to recommend it heartily.
5. Social Knitworking
   Andrea, Jenn and Joanna have recently taken their geektastic knitting circle into the virtual realm for all to enjoy. Social Knitworking is both a podcast relating to the fine art of yarn-craft and another great online hub for nerd culture. Head over there and see what marvelous madness these fine ladies have cooked up.
6. NerdRockstar
   If you dig that "Nerdcore is Not Dead" t-shirt that Andrea is rocking in the recent Social Knitworking vlog, then definitely check out NerdRockstar. It's an independent merch site that does much more than just shirts. Although the shirts are pretty goddamn awesome.
7. Geek Amigo
   Equally awesome is the new Geek Amigo community from our friends at Scrub Club. Focused on music, media and culture, it's an ideal chill spot. Give it a look. Hell, you might even make a new friend.
8. Fermilab Rap
   After his turn as MOSI's Rapbassador, my pal funky49's was approached by Illinois's Fermilab about crafting a rap theme for their National Accelerator Laboratory. Not only has the news of this collaboration began to pop up in various news outlets around Chicago, but funk has been blogging his trip. For science!
   
9. Glenn and Rachel
   I'd also highly suggest you check out the performance videos by Glenn Case and Rachael Lane from last month's Song Fight! Live event in their native Spokane. Their setlist featured "Pencil Me In," "Georgia's Hands" and "Need Stilts:" three of my favorite tracks!
10. Twitter
    Lastly, if, for whatever bizarre reason, you really want to know what I'm up to while I am AFK, feel free to follow me on Twitter. I'll be tweeting intermittently from my cell throughout the trip, and, while I can't promise it'll be an incredibly compelling read, I'll do my best to include the requisite level of snark. I do what I can.
    

Look at That Handsome Bastard!

In case you missed my earlier tweet, I am currently Nerdabout’s "Geek of the Week." Hell yeah I am! This means that I got a nice little plug on Discovery’s Science Channel web site, as well as a certificate suitable for framing.

Okay, I actually made the certificate myself out of construction paper and glitter glue, but that other part is totally true.

I’d really just like to take a moment to thank all the little people who helped me along the way: the fairy folk, the gnomes, Hobbits, the Keebler Elves and the citizens of the bottled city of Kandor. But most importantly I would like to thank the kobolds. Where would I be without their constant moral support and classic Germanic mischief?

In a word: nowhere.

In all serious, though, I would like to thank @sciencechannel and @nerdabout for giving me this most esteemed nod. And I’d also like to thank everyone, regulars and half-interested passersby alike, for checking out the blog and the podcast. You are the wind beneath my wang wings.

Oh, and for the record: yes, that is a picture of me in a gibbet. You know you’re a GeekDad when the only photos you can find of yourself are from your family vacation.

Making the Kessel Run

I'm afraid that this week's Nerd News in Brief has been unavoidably delayed. I do, however, have a fairly legitimate excuse. You see, today I am doing the unthinkable; actively promoting a project.

I have, on numerous occasions, characterized myself as being "allergic to hype." I started Hipster, please! to spread the nerdy gospel, but I did so with the caveat that I refused to beat people about the head with my message. I am of the opinion that if you simply leverage your energy to do what you love good things will come. And while this has certainly proven to be true, that doesn't necessarily mean that said good things will come immediately. This is how I have maintained what I sometimes jokingly refer to as "the world's oldest and least successful nerd music and culture Web log."

Yesterday I was informed, however, that Radio Free Hipster's nomination for Speculative Fiction Podcast of the Year has been accepted for this year's Parsec Awards.

First, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped get my name in the hat. When Church first suggested that I was somehow eligible for such an award, I was skeptical. But, as fantastical worlds are very much a part of geeky music, I couldn't exactly argue. Moreover, I was even more skeptical that anyone would take the time to go through the nomination process - not to mention the fact that I felt like a tool for bringing it up - but many of you did, and that really means a lot.

In order for the trick to work, however, I now find myself attempting to distill a year's worth of podcasts into a 10 minute "highlight reel." It ain't easy, but if you took this seriously enough to put my name out there, I damn sure better take it seriously enough to give it a proper go.

Even with my characteristic self-deprecation aside, I don't see myself as having any real chance of winning this thing. But as the old adage goes, it is an honor just to be nominated.

God Save the Queen

Whenever I receive a gift from an artist or reader, I always feel led to thank them within the blog itself. Now, this isn’t to brag. (Well, it isn’t just to brag.) Mostly it’s simply to show appreciation via my most public forum possible. Further, it’s because, in addition to the nerdcore or VGM or WRock community, I like to think that there’s a Hipster, please! community.

Just this week, a pair of these community members – both, oddly enough, from the UK – favored me with some amazing gifts, and I really wanted to share.

Talkie Tim, a long-time reader and listener, surprised me with two sets of the new Doctor Who Time Squad figures, which I’ve been lusting after for quite some time. Because of him I have at last fully realized my dream of a Dalek-infested workspace. (On a related note, Tim and his lady friend nose_in_a_book also helped me put together a soon-to-be-unveiled secret project that I think you’ll dig!)

At approximately the same time that Tim’s care package was making its way across the Atlantic, I received a sizable donation from another Brit who I will simply refer to as Chris. Coupled with some residual cash I had floating around in my Paypal, this enabled me to once again upgrade my podcasting rig. And, while I can’t promise that the change in sound quality will be as drastic as it was when I upgraded my tech back in January of 2007, I’m hoping for the best.

When I started this project 3 years ago, it was about my passion for nerdy music and culture. Thankfully, since that time it has become about our shared passion. And whether it’s folks like Beefy and Nikki Nefarious agreeing to be in features, friends like Church and Matt feeding me post ideas or cats like Anthony and Hex helping to spread the word about my hair-brained venture du jour, Hipster, please! exists as much by your whim as mine. And while I certainly don’t expect any sort of compensation for my meager (and largely intangible) services, know that I genuinely appreciate every email, comment, band suggestion, donation or press kit.

It’s a great big world, and there are far more pressing matters to which you could all turn attention. But you choose to come here and hang out with me, and that means a lot.

So much nerdy love to all, particularly to Tim and Chris for the handsome gifts. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a Sycorax vs. Cyberman death-match to officiate.

Geeking up Lunchtime

I have said many times in the past that I am not paid in the traditional sense for the work that I do here at Hipster, please! Further, I have stated that the means by which I am compensated tend to take the forms of free CDs and, more importantly, nerd love. But it would be far more accurate to say that my most frequent form of recompense is stickers.

Chances are, if I have received a parcel, thank you note, or care package from (or – heaven forbid – actually met face-to-face with an) artist/fellow writer over the past three years, it has resulted in one or more promotional decals falling into my possession. This is a fact I relish, as I come from a more punk rock background where things like stickers and badges are, quite literally, the glue that holds a scene together. The obvious outcome of this, however, is that I now have an entire drawer in my home dedicated to the housing of nerdy stickers.

Over the weekend, Li'l X. and I decided to use these as the raw materials for a little project; we replaced the well-worn magazine collage design that adorned my lunch cooler with the stickers in question.

Now, each afternoon when I dig into yet another peanut butter sandwich at my desk, I do so in the presence of Beefy, Schaffer the Darklord, My Parents' Favorite Music, Uncle Monsterface, and countless others. It helps to dress the proceedings up a bit.

Nerd News in Brief

John Updike died earlier this week.

Truthfully, I’m still a little sad about that fact, but burying your heroes is the kind of thing to which every man must become accustomed. I’ll just lump his effigy atop the growing pile – with Carlin and Hicks and Strummer and the like – and go on about my business of stoking the pyre.

His short story "A&P" was the first piece of realistic fiction that ever struck me as the slightest bit realistic. It spoke to me in a way that no short-form work has since, and its reading has become something of a sacrament. It was the story that made me realize, even as a youth, that tales bereft of monsters or magic or superheroes could still be compelling, and, no, not just by leaning of the crutch of blatant sexuality. It set naked before me the simple truth that man is slave to his emotional whims and adolescent urges and that life itself is the canvas on which we paint.

But mostly it taught me that everyone has a story. Even the lowliest of worker bees.

• From the Northern Hinterlands: Nerdcore has been chosen as the "Genre of the Month" by Canadian music magazine SoundProof. While I take issue with some of the information provided – cc rap?! – I’ll let it slide because, as you know, I love Canadians. And speaking of which, the piece also spotlights Toronto-based nerd-centric podcast The Closet Geek Show, which sounds divine.
• Geekarama: Congrats go out to Aaron, of FL nerdcore and geek culture champions A Comic Shop, for securing a regular column at Newsarama. Aaron, in turn, contacted everyone’s best friend Hex Warrior to help put together a piece on nerdy music. And thus the love is shared.
• Everything’s Coming Up Ant!: Congratulations are also in order to my pal Anthony, who’s parleyed the continually mounting success of Game Music 4 All into a gig at gamer/geek culture haven The Start Screen. But Ant hasn’t let this throw off his game, as he recently announced that his plan for ’09 is a new VGM mini-mixtape every month! Excitements. I has them. 
• Wii. Where?: And speaking of GM4A, be sure to check out the site’s feature interview with Alex Neuse of Gaijin Games. It concerns Gaijin’s new WiiWare title Bit.Trip Beat, which is a Pong-style chiptune rhythm game. This is a game that’s been building some great buzz within the community, and this piece just drives home how amazingly cool it truly is.
• When We Were One: I’d also like to wish a happy birthday to my friends at netlabel Pterodactyl Squad! The Squad chose to celebrate its first anniversary with the release of a self-titled album from Atari artist Army of 2600. Give it a listen and enjoy the chippy goodness.
• Disaster-Dong: My pal Matt was the first of many to hip me to this Offworld post about my other favorite netlabel Pause Music. Specifically it concerns Pause’s +PLUS section, which provides free soundtracks from a number of indie games. Collect ‘em all!
• Be Prepared: Matt has also recently turned me on to the concept of Nerd Merit Badges. Technically, there’s only one such badge available at present, but the site seems to be establishing a strong Twitter following to help them decide where to go from there.
• Now *Stay* in the Van!: The 2 Skinnee J’s reunion documentary Get in the Van is currently being submitted to a number of festivals in search of a proper premiere, and the producers need your help. Fans are asked to contact events like The Tribeca Film Festival, South By Southwest, the LA Film Festival, and Cannes to let the submissions boards know how interested they are in seeing the film featured. Is that really so much to ask? 
• I’m Starting to Think it’s His Personal Site: Hey, Church made TechDirt. Again. This time with news concerning the importance of pop culture in the development of childhood imagination. Exhibit A seems to be Potter fandom, so WRockers take note.
• Mouths of Babes: Speaking of Wizard Rock, the scene’s youngest contributors, The Hungarian Horntails, were featured in the School Library Journal. It’s a Q&A with Darius, the older of the band’s two brothers, and he actually interviews better than most artists twice his age. 
• Meryton is a Deathtrap: And while’ we’re on the subject of literacy; please pre-order Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies. It’s a retelling of Austen’s classic that comes exactly as advertised. 
• Grue Rock!: Have you ever wanted to play a text-based, Zork-inspired version of Guitar Hero? Of course you have. 
• Everything Must Go!: mc chris is having another of his famous merch sales. Posters, t-shirts, bags, lighters... shit, pretty much everything for the discriminating mc aficionado is discounted. The supplies are limited and fans are legion, so get on it quick if you want in.
• Needs a Longer Title: Random let me know that, in anticipation of the release of the new Street Fighter title, his friends at Capcom have made available a full set of vocal, effects, and music samples from Street Fighter II for DJs and producers to mix up to their hearts’ content. TrackItDown is hosting the sample set, as well as co-sponsoring a related competition. The 4 best remixers will each win an Xbox 360 and copy of Street Fighter IV, and runners up get copies of the game. For more info and rules, hit Trackitdown.net.
• Not to be Confused with Daryl Hannah: Also from Ran and my boy Ultraklystron comes a mash of Random’s "Splash Woman" and Kanye’s "Stronger." And here’s a vid of Ran’s original track for some comparison. Enjoy the android-y goodness.

My Seven Things

I generally avoid this shit like the plague, but, since Snipey tagged me all direct-like, I reckon there's no harm in a little New Year's meme. And so, without further ado, here are seven weird and rather random things about yours truly:

1. I am a notary public, which means I can legally perform marriages in the state of South Carolina. To date, I have performed one: for my best friend and his long-time girlfriend.
2. I have two children, which isn't exactly a trade secret. What's lesser known is that each has a name that references both cheesy rock musicians and beloved sci-fi/fantasy properties. For my son it's Cheap Trick and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For my daughter, Guns N' Roses and Robotech.
3. My wife is six years my junior, which doesn't seem like a lot until you remember that I have an unhealthy obsession with pop culture minutia. She genuinely doesn't get a significant chunk of my silly references because she was too young to watch Three's Company and Galaxy Rangers. Her loss. ;)
4. Before I started writing about music, I actually wrote and performed it. I was in a half-dozen or so local bands with a number of high school friends throughout my teens and twenties. I chose to leave music for two reasons. The first is the simple fact that I was never really particularly good; I played bass, a little rhythm guitar, and did some songwriting and singing, but I obviously have no innate talent for any of these. The second is a personal brand of chronic, crippling stage fright.
5. With the above two entries fresh in your mind, you shouldn't be at all surprised to learn that it is my fondest wish to start a heavy metal band that does nothing but covers of classic television theme songs. We will be called Clicker, which I imagine would look great in some horribly indecipherable metal band font.
6. I have worked for the same company, a local community college, for 15 years. Yep, that's my whole adult life. I've held four different positions across three departments in my time here, so it's not like I've been doing the exact same thing for a decade and a half. Still, I can't help but think that it's a little odd for someone to hang around the same workplace for so long.
7. While most adults fear things of actual consequence, like, say, loneliness or their own mortality, I am still haunted by the same terrors that plagued me as a child. Namely zombies, spiders, clowns, and Christian puppet shows. The zombie thing is easy enough to avoid, but spiders, clowns, and, since I live in the rural south, religious-themed puppet shows are a constant threat.

With that unpleasant incident behind us, I'm'a tag:

• Church – because he doesn't have a blog and will have to tweet his answers, which I find amusing
• Matt – because he needs something to distract him while he's trying to quit smoking
• Hex – because he spends a lot of his energy focusing on others
• Beefy – because he enjoys talking about his hilarious and noteworthy exploits
• Snake Eyes – because he's Canadian, and Canadians are fascinating
• Anthony – because he is my nerdy music blogging brother
• La Bête – because his job description alone makes me pretty sure he's got some interesting stuff going on
  

Da Rules:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post — some random, some weird.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

The Week in Swag

We all have a lot of shit on our minds today. Specifically election shit.

There' just no changing that. But at least I can get my mind off the forthcoming results by showing off some of my latest acquisitions. Behold.

Dan of Nerdcore For Life was nice enough to hit me up with this t-shirt for submitting one of the winning entries into his recent sticker contest, and Dan Plus Add sent me this personalized copy of his latest release Matters of Great Importance all the way from t'other side of the pond. The other t-shirt is one of the limited run of beige Protoman shirts that Michigan metal mavens Year 200X are selling to celebrate the release of their new album We Are Error, and it was so fucking cool that I did the unthinable; I actually paid for it!!! Tim did hook me up with a free copy of the album, though, and you'll be hearing a lot of it on upcoming editions of the podcast.

Brobee Pumpkin Says Happy Halloween!

On Passing

This is not a personal blog. But it is a blog about nerdy culture as filtered through my own personal experience, and, as such, sometimes my real offline life intrudes. This is such an occasion.

I had originally planned to favor you today with another edition of Nerd News in Brief. There have been interesting developments of late concerning mc chris and Barack Obama, MC Lars and YTCracker, id obelus, and my pal Anthony just to name a few: things that are, at least to my reckoning, solidly newsworthy. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to write about these items at length at this time.

I was informed earlier this morning that my father has passed away. He and I weren't exactly what you call close, but he's my dad and I love him. A good bit of what I am today – both the bad and the good – is because of him. He instilled within me a love of music, a strong sense of self, and a penchant for profanity: the three pillars of projects like Hipster, please!

As I've stated, this isn't an ideal place for my personal emotional wallowings, so I'll simply leave it at that. Only to add that my planned vacation seems to've arrived prematurely and under less than ideal conditions.

Sincerest apologies to all those who have things in the works that I should rightly be promoting at present. I'll get back to the grind once I've had a chance to decompress, and you'll be at the top of the list.

That is to say I'll be back soon with more musings about geeky music, videogames, and Internet culture, and, in the meantime, don't worry too much about me. I'll get through.

Until then, stay well and be safe.

"'Cause we are not our parents, except that we are. So when you're losing what you're holding onto, you've got to let it go. You let it go. Oh, I know. And when I think about how much I didn't know before, it freaks me out to know how much I don't know now."

-- Uncle Monsterface, "Sparkle and Shine"

Stick it!

Remember those stickers I ordered for Nerdapalooza? Yeah, they finally showed up. (Fat fucking lot of good they do me now!)

At any rate, here they are in all their glory. I included my DS Lite in the picture to give you a sense of the dimensions of the decals themselves. And also because I was playing Final Fantasy Tactics A2 at the time.

I know a couple of my Nerdapalooza cohorts had called dibs and a number of loyal readers had requested some as well, but I can’t help but think I’m pretty much stuck with 100 bumper stickers and significantly less bumpers.

I suppose I could use them as the raw materials for a guerilla art project. Or, I reckon, I could fashion a crude but admittedly dapper wallet out of ‘em. The possibilities, as they say, are endless.