More Nerd News in Brief

This NPR story about Japanese Beatles tribute band The Parrots really struck me as interesting. I mean, sure, we can chalk this up to just another eastern fascination with western culture, but I tend to see it another way: cosplay to the Nth degree.

I mean, nerdiness is all about fully embracing your interests, and cosplay is about losing yourself in that same interest. So don't theses dudes qualify? Aren't they music dorks who have taken things to another level?

The attention to detail, the dedication to craft, the dogged determination: are these not the earmarks of geekniness?

• Robots, rock, and reading: If you’re in the Seattle area and are looking to rock the fuck out this weekend, may I humbly suggest what is certainly the geek rock bill of the season: Captured By Robots, Hearseburner, and goddamn Blood Hag! This very evening – Friday, October 12th – at The Funhouse, from 9:30 PM to 2:00 AM, you can see all three amazing acts for the low, low price of $10.00. And to sweeten the deal, CBR will be presenting “Dubya,” a musical adaptation of the last 7 years of the George W. Bush presidency. As performed by killer robots.
• What’s my name?: mc chris has another round of concert dates for the forthcoming week. Behold:10/15/2007 - The Annex Madison, Wisconsin; 10/16/2007 05:30 PM - 7th Street Entry (All Ages Show) Minneapolis, Minnesota; 10/16/2007 09:00 PM - 7th Street Entry (21+ Show) Minneapolis, Minnesota; 10/18/2007 - The Waiting Room Omaha, Nebraska; 10/20/2007 08:00 PM - The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, Colorado; 10/21/2007 - Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado ALL AGES!
• Triple threat: MC Frontalot, Schaffer the Darklord, and hometown hero YTCracker will also be performing in Colorado. On November 18th at Denver’s Marquis Theater, you can watch these three titans of geeky rhymes do there collective thang. This all ages event kicks off at 7:30 PM, and tickets are $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the door.
• The Atomic Age: Also on the subject of forthcoming gigs, MAJA will be performing at the Atomic Comics Anime Festival on Saturday Oct 27, 2007 at 12:00 PM. The show (and the festival itself) will go down at the Atomic Mesa Superstore in Mesa, AZ. Show up and support you otaku rap.
• Harold and Kumar go to Starfleet Academy: Matt just hipped me to the casting of the cat that played Harold in the role of Sulu in the new Star Trek film. I didn’t actually watch Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, so I’m not sure if this dude is a master thespian of George Takai's caliber. I said “thesbian.”
• And what do I do?: Church also alerted me to a little love directed at our own mc chris by the Wisconsin State Journal. Although, personally, I find the writers admission that “[a]ll of a sudden Madison is becoming dweeb central” as a little odd. I mean, come on; it’s Madison, WI! The nerds have always been there. Now they’re just coming out of hiding.
• Just when you thought you’d run out of things to crank: MadHatter, of Sinister Six fame, has just dropped a new track on his MySpace. Like any fan of, y’know, music, Hatter hates “that god damn 'Crank That Soulja Boy' song and dance” so much so that he… made his own?! At any rate, you can check “Crank That Scrubby Boy” on his profile or via direct download.
• Triumphant return: After a lengthy absence, Rhyme Torrents mastermind and young Jack Nicholson sound-alike High-C has returned and promised a new album of collaborations and cover songs in the near future. It’s slated to feature collabs with the likes of The Ranger, DJ Snyder, mCRT, Random, and Betty Rebel, just to name a few, as well as covers of classic tracks by Todd Rundgren, Public Enemy, and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. Keep your ear to the ground for more info.
• Nerds are scary: And speaking of RT, this year’s Rhyme Torrents Halloween compilation is tentatively slated for an October 16th release. At 26 songs strong, there’s sure to be something for everyone. And, having already heard the ZeaLouS1 and Sinister Six tracks, I think that things are already shaping up nicely. Oh, and the disk still needs a cover, so interested parties should holler at the RT crew.
• Brazilian wax: On the Nerdcore For Life front, Dan reports that he received word of another Brazilian article concerning the documentary. This turned out to be erroneous, as the piece actually references the Frontalot doc Nerdcore Rising rather than Nerdcore For Life, but I reckon it’s worth a read regardless… assuming, of course, you can read Portuguese.
• Undead Equal Opportunities Bill: And to wrap things up, more zombies. Consider yourselves primed for next weeks edition of Radio Free Hipster.