More Nerd News in Brief

So, Ike Turner died this week. That ain’t exactly what you’d call nerdy, but it’s topical and relevant in a roundabout way.

Ike, you see, was very much a musical visionary. As Matt was quick to point out, Ike Turner actually co-wrote “Rocket 88,” a track that most music historians agree to be the first Rock ‘n’ Roll song.

Of course, he was also a womanizer, an abusive alcoholic, and a drug addict: not exactly the kind of cat you want to look up to, despite his musical prowess.

If nothing else, I reckon Ike reminds us that sometimes amazing art comes from near-despicable people. And whether you're willing to appreciate the former while abhorring the latter is a matter of personal preference, a delicate tightrope walk that some simply choose to avoid.

• Special E.D.: At long last, the debut album from dorky supergroup The Grammar Club has been released. Bremelanotide is now available for free download, and, honestly, I’m already starting to feel a little aroused. You know what to do.
• /spit: In other nerdcore side-project news, MCs Super Dragon X and ZeaLouS1 recently announced a new album entitled Epic Dropz: The Warsong Chronicles slated to drop in early ’08. The release will focus solely on World of Warcraft, and Machinima directors are preemptively encouraged to make companion videos once tracks begin to surface.
• “Of course I'm as good as I say I am.”: Jesse Dangerously was recently interviewed by Canadian music/culture supersite Urbnet. Therein Jesse waxes philosophical about writing his first rap, the use of boastful hyperbole, and the results of his “Outfox’d” challenge. As expected, this is a must-read for nerds and heads alike.
• Superdeformed: It’s official; both Random and Maja will be appearing at Anime Los Angeles. Straight from the horse’s mouth, “Ran and Maja will be performing 2 sets, on Saturday January 5, 2008 (time TBA) and Sunday January 6, 2008 (tentatively 12:30PM).” If you aren’t excited, I kindly suggest you check your pulse.
• If only we were cool too: Matt just pointed me toward this Pitchfork piece concerning the new Wrock compilation Rocking Out Against Voldemedia, an album centered on creating awareness concerning the dangers of media consolidation. It’s condescending and snarky – it is Pitchfork, after all – but at least it’s some press. Make sure to download the disk, if you haven’t already.
• A place where we belong: Church also came through with some interesting Wrock info this week when he pointed me toward this Wizard Wrock ethnography. It’s a really amazing write-up that reminds me of how much better this blog would be if I actually did some damn research!
• Double Trouble: Recently the stars aligned and MC Router and the ultimate blogger nerd-girl, The Game Dame, joined forces for a night of carousing in Dallas. What exactly went down? How much PBR was consumed? Will the world ever be the same? Read on to find out.
• As in, how do you make a?: There was a time when I spent most of my time scouring the Interwebz for new and exciting artists to enjoy. Now, for better or for worse, I spend most of my time writing, but, thankfully, artists have finally started to find me. I recently received a very pleasant email from rapper Whore Moans concerning his new release Episode II: Attack of the Moans. I checked out some of the preview tracks and was wholly blown away. Peep his profile for a little taste of what’s in store (and ordering information for those of you savvy enough to be early adopters).
• Happy Birthday, C64!: Earlier this week I also received a nice message from Jason Tanz concerning some never-before-released tracks from his from his old outfit Commodore 64 that had just been posted over at Wired. For those of you not in the know, C64 was what I like to term a proto-nerdcore group, a fun, kind of silly, and undeniably nerdy rap crew from the late 1990’s. You can check out some tracks from the band’s unreleased follow-up Puberty right here.
• Addendum: Let me also take a moment to congratulate Jason on his new position as Senior Editor at Wired magazine. Yes, yes, I know Wired is the butt of about half my jokes, but I’m honestly being nice here. If you’ve ever read any of his previous work or had any kind of interaction at all with Mr. Tanz, I’m sure you already know that he’s a thoughtful, down-to-earth cat, who’s got a genuine love for both music and the written word.
• They are Christmas: Glenn Case also sent me a link this week to a project from one of his co-workers called the Golden Flamers. Glenn told me that they had “managed to create one of the silliest Christmas albums I have ever heard,” and I can’t help but agree. Hit the link for the only album of the season to feature a track in which Santa gets into a knife fight.
• The recipe for disaster: This one’s been around for more than a month, but I just keep forgetting to talk about it. Those of you who haven’t caught this already, please enjoy the video for the third single from MC Frontalot’s Secrets From the Future. Those of you who have, please enjoy it again… for the first time.