By Chris Cummins in
Daily Lists, Nerdery
Tuesday, Jun. 1 2010 @ 8:05AM
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Daily List suggested by Zombiezeus. 16) Matthew Sweet
Throughout the course of his deservedly lengthy career, Matthew Sweet has crafted songs of romantic despair and desire that any lovelorn nerd can relate to. Better still, he's covered the themes to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and Speed Racer, and his early videos featured footage from anime films. (Just check out the above clip). But what really proves that he is one of us is his tattoo of Urusei Yatsura's Lum -- the same character that Topless Robot main man Rob Bricken has permanently inked on his person.
15) Ben Folds
Whether transforming Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" into a romantic ballad, extolling the virtues of a cappella vocal groups or recording with good pal William Shatner, Folds is always making his brand of piano-based nerdiness seem cool to frat boys and indie rock snobs alike.
14) Stovokor
If you saw Trekkies 2, you probably remember Stovokor -- the world's most popular Klingon death metal band. Again, they are a death metal band. Consisting of dudes in Klingon outfits. Who sing entirely in Klingonese. Let that sink in for a moment. Now before you go and mock them, remember that bat'leth strikes are really fucking painful.
13) Gwar
Do Gwar really need an introduction at this point? For 25 years the costumed rockers have been bringing mayhem (and plenty of mysterious fluids) to audiences around the world. The fact that the group have achieved mainstream success is baffling and more than just a little impressive. As the above clip proves, even people in the heartland find latex-clad anarchists with Lovecraftian tendencies lovable.
12) Devo
Devo scared the shit out me when I was growing up. So you can imagine that the "Whip It" video, what with its weird hats and mashed potatoes, was akin to my worst nightmare. As the years have gone on and kid fears have dropped away, I've come to recognize Devo for what they truly are: Harmless nerds who make music for other harmless nerds. Bonus points go to frontman Mark Mothersbaugh for his amazing art lessons on Yo Gabba Gabba!
11) Volume
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10) MC Frontalot
If Tiger Beat was geared towards fans of videogame references and hip-hop, MC Frontalot would be the publication's Justin Bieber. Once an unassuming musician named Damian Hess, the rapper has become the face of the nerdcore movement -- which is convenient since he coined the phrase. By infusing humor with geekcentric subject matter, Frontalot creates music that is fun and packed with smart rhymes that rival those of his peers in the mainstream hip-hop world. Let's hear Eminem try to fit the words "300 baud" into one of his raps and not sound ridiculous.
9) Kraftwerk
Germany's Kraftwerk have often been mocked for their cold, mechanical sound (the most notable example being The Big Lebowski's nihilist band, Autobahn). Yet beyond their carefully constructed image and robotic vocals lies an innate desire for human connection. As heard above, 1981's "Computer Love" is a commentary on how technology can increase loneliness -- something that anyone with hundreds of Facebook friends yet no one to spend a Saturday with can relate to. Creating eerily prescient predictions of the perils of online dating is one thing, but Kraftwerk really established themselves as nerd icons with the release of a ditty called "Pocket Calculator." Guess what it's about.
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179 comments
Comments
lurkette said:
No Jonathan Coulton? Blasphemy!
Doctragon replied to lurkette:
I totally agree with you. "Still Alive" at least!
Saustin replied to lurkette:
Seconded. His songs are formed around nerd themes and experiences in such a great way.
Spazweez replied to lurkette:
No surprise to find that this is the first comment. Lack of Coulton indeed renders this list invalid.
Ex-computer dude. Friend of uber-nerd John Hodgman. Still Alive, Re: Your Brains, Code Monkeys... For god sake, he wrote a song about the Mandelbrot Set.
Thomas said:
Mc chris over the front? Travesty! Voicing a character on television should not get that much credit.
Hear, hear! chris is a decent rapper, but he's no Front. Heck, he's no Beefy or Schaffer the Darklord for that matter.
And Nthing the JoCo sentiments.
Apkar replied to Church:
Fuck that. Front takes too much credit. Chris has been living in his shadow his entire professional career. I'm happy to see Chris get some recognition over Front.
Lithroe replied to Apkar:
Ya, I'm going to have to go ahead and agree with you here.
Thomas replied to Apkar:
I could sound good rapping to a dat. Front brings respect and cred to the genre. I'd like to see chris go on tour with some other rappers for once. I can see putting him above front only by givin merit to his acting career. Musically front is far superiour and he has a more entertaining show.
Pork Soda replied to Thomas:
mc chris is touring with other rappers currently; MC Lars and YT Cracker.
Am I the only nerdcore fan who really thinks that MC Frontalot is totally sucky? His rhyming is kind of hackneyed and his lyrics aren't even all that good. MC Chris on the other hand has a great delivery style and his lyrics are far more enjoyable. MC Chris all the way.
Stephen replied to Patrick:
Huge ditto there.
Lithroe replied to Patrick:
No. No you are not the only one. Please don't think you're alone.
Thomas replied to Pork Soda:
Good for him. Different strokes I guess.
sodamancer replied to Thomas:
i didn't even know there were other nerdcore rappers out there besides MC Chris. Now, after researching some, I wish I had remained ignorant. MC Chris is awesome. If nothing else, he brings a smile to my face and a look of utter confusion from coworkers when I listen to "Pizza Butt" at work.
xdoombringerx said:
I saw the list title and immediately thought "The Aquabats". I see they're not here but the list is still awesome nonetheless. I suggest a youtube search for any of their old videos from when they were still a skacore band for evidence of kaiju battles on stage during their live sets, and songs about giant robots with bird-like heads.
Black Kristos replied to xdoombringerx:
Agreed. They should be in the top 10 at least.
Gasstank replied to Black Kristos:
Agreed. Although I'm pleased TMBG are #1.
Callmesteam replied to xdoombringerx:
Yup. I thought Aquabats were number one as I was scrolling along.
I love how every list on here is followed by a list of comments on Rob's shortcomings.
Paul said:
The lack of Protomen on this list makes me sad.
Vunicorn said:
Let me be the first to say.
1. Fun list.
2. TMBGs certainly ranks #1.
3. No Paul and Storm? No Jonathon Coulton?
Casey383 said:
Great list! Since there are going to be alot of "you forgot"s I'd like to throw out CAPTURED BY ROBOTS. Lead singers a nerd andthe band are ROBOTS!!!
Mike said:
The lack Jonathon Coulton bothers me.
Code Monkey is about the life of every programming nerd ever
JD said:
No Kirby Krackle? all there songs are nerd songs, Vault 101 = Fallout 3, On and On = Wolverine, Ring Capasity = Green Lantern.
Asat replied to JD:
If you mention KK, you might as well name-drop Ookla The Mok too. Can't beat a song title like "Stop Talking About Comic Books Or I'm Going To Kill You".
Scruffy said:
If you're interested in nerdy musical acts, you ought to check out three Australian guys - Scod, Yon, and Gatesy - who are better known as Tripod, possibly Australia's most successful nerd musicians. They've released numerous albums, toured around the country and overseas, had a weekly challenge on radio where they would be given numerous topics and 60 minutes to write a song about them, and performed musicals centred around lady robots, incompetent pirates, and most recently, Dungeons and Dragons.
Many of their songs are deeply based in nerd culture and tell tales such as trying to chat up a hot girl in the comic shop, lamenting that they were fans of Lord of the Rings way before everyone saw the movies, what would happen at a Transformer spelling bee, the dangers of owning too many remotes, and the guilt of absolutely massacring an orc in their first D&D battle.
You can find out more about them at www.3pod.com.au, as well as download some of their music. I wouldn't recommend the official forum though - it's all but been abandoned to the hundreds of invading spammers. There's a spamless fan forum that may interest you instead - tripod.freeforumit.com.
Danny Smith said:
jonathan coulton, the protomen, the aquabats and anamanaguchi. a lack of them in your list is disturbing indeed.
Frank replied to Danny Smith:
The Protomen were one of the first that crossed my mind as well. Didn't expect to see them on here though.
wil said:
No RZA? Kung Fu obsession, Afro Samurai, collaborating with Tarantino, Ghost Dog, Bobby Digital (and getting Bill Sienkiewicz to do the artwork) and apparently he's even directing an old school style martial arts flick now.
Ghostface probably also desrves a shout, what with the constant Iron Man references and the Daytona 500 video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPKJZJITZHw )
Blackrabbit replied to wil:
Yes, RZA's deserving, but the nerdiest rapper alive (that has never performed at a PAX) is fucking MF Doom. The man wears a metal mask on stage, is nicknamed Viktor Vaughn, and samples old Fantastic Four storybook records, Spider-Man and his AF, and the Incredible Hulk cartoon!
Black Kristos replied to Blackrabbit:
I have no IDEA how I didn't think of MF Doom earlier today. He should have been on this list way above Front.
Gasstank replied to Black Kristos:
Agreed again.
wil replied to Blackrabbit:
Yeah, you're right, I completely forgot about MF Doom
Anonymous said:
You should do top 10 video game music cover band next.
Turd Ferguson said:
I guess you were going for a slightly more mainstream list, but this Phoenix, AZ band kicks dicks!
Brad said:
Spazmatics http://www.thespazmatics.net/
Greymattersplat said:
I'm with the others that said it, Jonathon Coulton not only deserves to be on the list, I personally would have put him at #3, just behind Al and TMBG. I'd also say that Paul and Storm deserve a spot. Also "Hard and Phirm" too, seeing as they not only have a song where they go into Pi by over 100 places, but also did the music for Rob Zombie's "The Haunted World of El SuperBeasto" animated movie, based on his comic, AND one half of the 2-man group is Chris Hardwick, most commonly known to geeks for his work on G4.
Black Kristos said:
"Basically, there was nothing that Man... or Astro-man? ever did that wasn't insanely, awesomely nerdy."
Which in my book would put MoAM? at #2. They totally built their own theremin and tesla coils for use on stage. They dressed and set the stage up like every nerdy kids dream NASA bedroom set. Recorded a song made with an ImageWriter II printer. Every single song they wrote was about nerdy stuff.
Weird Al played an accordian.
MoAM? wins.
David said:
Elvis should be on this list. He designed outfits based on Captain Marvel, Jr and wore them on stage. He was cosplaying on stage. Elvis was the coolest nerd of all time.
Oh, and no Kiss?
I'm not a fan of Matthew Sweet, but Evangiline (based on the comic) is a great song.
Captain Temerity said:
Have to add my voice to the list of people missing Coulton on this list.
Also, you might want to check out We Are Scientists. Heard some great nerdage from that band.
Great list otherwise though. You almost lost me with Michael Jackson, but then you explained your reasoning and I was forced to agree.
BeastOfGevaudan said:
I was thinking Led Zeppelin would be number one, most their songs are about hobbits romping around in Middle Earth
Adam Ruining said:
No love for S.P.O.C.K., the Swedish "Star Trek" themed synthpop act?
Well.
"Never Trust A Klingon," live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0kzI9m6gO0
kevin n. said:
Needs more MF Doom
Bunny Fu said:
This list makes very sad that the talented geek Chris Bess and his band didn't do a follow-up album.
I discovered Chris's cd at a concert when he was a drummer for SCOTS. The track "Damn You Masons" alone is notable for: time travel paradoxes, a Johnny Quest reference and musical references to Adrian Belew and Pink Floyd. Worth a listen.
Gallifrey said:
No Weezer? Have you not hear "In thegarage"? or seen the interviews where they talk about their D&D exploits on tour.
Though bonus points for including Gwar.
RobCorpseEater said:
No Captured!...By Robots? Well,seeing Gwar made up for it.
Honky said:
If you haven't listened to PAIN, I suggest you give it a shot-especially "Midgets with Guns" with it's track "One-Legged Girl" and it's lyrics:
If I could run fast, as fast as the Flash
Or be as cool as Ash in Army of Darkness
If I were Gai-King, or maybe a Viking,
Stronger than The Thing then I could win the one-legged girl
SelectiveRealism said:
How in the world does MF DOOM not make this list? Seriously?
Do a google and youtube search.
Ares B said:
What, no mention of Lordi's glorious win of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest? Shame!
Andrew said:
Good list indeed, but no Say Hi To Your Mom??
Every album that guy includes songs about vampires and robots, and even has a song called "As Smart as Geek is Chic Right Now."
Classic..
A. Biro said:
thank you for showing me a picture of Gwar as soon as I woke up this morning. that doesn't happen nearly enough.
I find this list to be pleasing, but for more nerdy jams, please check out the following:
www.peelander-z.com
www.facebook.com/treephort
www.nerfherder.net
smashpro1 said:
Where is Brentalfloss? His youtube videos have had more than 16 million hits!
Justin Porter said:
I'm sorry, but Rush IS the clear #1.
Let's go over the checklist.
Lead Singer/Bassist = skinny, glasses wearing Jewish guy who hung out with Rick Moranis
Guitarist = goofy stocky Icelandic guy who makes random comments during concerts like "Jazz is weird"
Drummer = short intense guy who dedicates entire albums about dystopian futures where rock & roll is a manufactured product of a socialist/conformist society to Ayn Rand.
Seminal works = long sprawling virtuoso pieces focusing on space travel, dystopia, fantasy journeys, and social paradoxes.
Most Geeky Song = "Subdivisions" off of their Signals album which is ENTIRELY about their growing up as suburban geeks AND has a video focusing on a geeky guy getting shunned by women and taking out his frustrations on Tempest at the local arcade.
tvtastegood said:
Gwar should have been in the top 10 they had more mainstream pop culture exposure during Beavis and Butthead the MC Chris gets with ATHF
Dave said:
DEVO should rank higher. They perfectly capture the pissed off nerds who think society is going down tubes and mock corporate culture while ironically embracing it, and using a science-esque explanation for it (de-evolution). Plus, what could be considered their signature song, "Jocko Homo" references "The Island of Dr. Moreau."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUrT0M_XGZE
Scooter Atreides replied to Dave:
FUCK AND YES!
DEVO invented nerd rock, that is without question (okay, to be fair, some props should go to Frank Zappa). I'll try to keep my raVING to a minimum, but just know that DEVO is the only thing I'm a bigger Geek about than Dune. Nice to know I've got fellow spuds on this board.
DUTY NOW FOR THE FUTURE!
Scooter Atreides replied to Scooter Atreides:
Caps lock error above. No idea what "raVING" is supposed to mean. Sorry.
Papasan replied to Scooter Atreides:
It's an unconscious Devo singing style reference!
we ARE, deVO, we SING, raVING!!!
Scooter Atreides replied to Papasan:
Good call.
Arcane replied to Dave:
Whatever, I'm watching Mark try to draw on Yo Gabba Gabba and he ain't doing ti for me
Kat said:
I'm sad that Doctorin' the Tardis isn't in that list.
raipo said:
no megadriver or minibosses? shame.
kwed said:
Weird Al should be #1...hands down. The man has a song called White & Nerdy. How much more nerdy does he need to get? That rap is full of nerd loving lyrics;
They see me mowin'
My front lawn
I know they're all thinking
I'm so White N' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Can't you see I'm white n' nerdy
Look at me I'm white n' nerdy!
I wanna roll with-
The gangsters
But so far they all think
I'm too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
I'm just too white n' nerdy
Really, really white n' nerdy
First in my class here at M.I.T.
Got skills, I'm a Champion of DND
MC Escher that's my favorite MC
Keep your 40
I'll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin to the contrary
You'll find that they're quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Steven Hawkings in my library
My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
got people begging for my top eight spaces
Yo I know Pi to a thousand places
Ain't got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I'm a whiz at minesweeper I can play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you're gonna stay amazed,
my fingers movin' so fast I'll set the place ablaze
There's no killer app I haven't run (run)
At Pascal, well, I'm number one (one)
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain't got a gat but I gotta soldering gun
Happy days is my favourite theme song
I can sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I'll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I'm fluent in Java Script as well as Klingon
Here's the part I sing on
They see me roll on, my Segway!
I know in my heart they think I'm
white n' nerdy!
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Can't you see I'm white n' nerdy
Look at me I'm white n' nerdy
I'd like to roll with-
The gangsters
Although it's apparent I'm too
White n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
I'm just too white n' nerdy
How'd I get so white n' nerdy?
I've been browsing, inspectin'
X-men comics you know I collect 'em
The pens in my pocket
I must protect 'em
My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you ROTFLOL
I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code who do they call?
I do HTML for them all
Even made a homepage for my dog!
Yo! I got myself a fanny pack
they were having a sale down at the GAP
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
POP POP! Hope no one sees me gettin' freaky!
I'm nerdy in the extreme and whiter than sour creme
I was in AV club and Glee club and even the chess team!
Only question I ever thought was hard
was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?
Spend every weekend at the renaissance fair
Got my name on my underwear!
They see me strollin'
They laughin'
And rollin' their eyes 'cause
I'm so white n' nerdy
Just because I'm white n' nerdy
Just because I'm white n' nerdy
All because I'm white n' nerdy
Holy cow I'm white n' nerdy
I wanna bowl with -
the gangsters
but oh well it's obvious I'm
white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
Think I'm just too white n' nerdy
I'm just too white n' nerdy
Look at me I'm white n' nerdy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9qYF9DZPdw
Ermac said:
Needs more Misfits, Aquabats and Shockwave.
TK8103 said:
You should really check out The Residents, man. That's all I'm saying about that.
Scooter Atreides replied to TK8103:
Beat me to the punch.
The only other glaring omission on an otherwise stellar list is the Pixies.
checkmd5 said:
I am glad Man or Astroman made the list! one of my favourite surf bands.
Matty Worth said:
Don't completely talk about Man ..or Astro-man? in the past tense just yet. If you live in the Seattle area, the band is playing a special event at The Triple Door (more info: http://www.thetripledoor.net/News-And-Announcements/KEXP---The-Triple-Door-Present-Triple-Sip-2010.aspx). Downside? It's $225 -- though that does include a wine-tasting and dinner, and part of the proceeds benefits KEXP.org, which plays quite a few bands on the list. Still -- could be a sign of more shows in the future.
Eponymous said:
I'm a bit disappointed at the lack of Weezer from the list. Have you not seen some of their videos? Or listened to some of their lyrics?
- Pork & Beans video... I've never seen a video with so many nerd homages. Coke & Mentos? Bad kung-fu fighter? Light sabers in the background? "All Your Base" meme?
- In the song "Only in Dreams", they sing about a girl that's "in the air, in between molecules of oxygen and carbon dioxide". No band can sing about elements & compounds and then be left off a Nerdy Musical Act list.
- Lest we forget the video for Buddy Holly...
Good list overall, but at least one glaring omission...
ogie said:
bolt thrower?!?!?!?! helllloooooooo
Danicus Spamicus Decimus Meridius said:
YT Cracka.
RUSH
Not that i have any faults with the list, just that maybe it should have been even longer :-p
phoenixpen said:
OH MY! They Might Be Giants is my favorite band and I did NOT see that coming! Oh me of little faith! TR knows my mind better than I!
I love TMBG (I think my iTunes is 34% TMBG) and all of their music--I'm really REALLY happy they are number one! (I love Mc Frontalot and MC Chris too!)
Person Man said:
First of all, I clapped when reading number one (obviously).
Second of all, you should really give Marian Call a listen. Not all her songs are nerdy, but she does have an album called 'Got to Fly' in which many of the songs were written as tributes to BSG and Firefly (in fact, two songs are all about Jayne and Yo-Saff-Bridge, respectively). She also did the theme for a low-budget movie called "Zombie Cheerleading camp. Here's her most popular nerd song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLBb58iHiRA
Mikey said:
Ahhh, Devo. Who can top Devo? I was listening to Alice Cooper's radio show one night, and he said that they had Devo open for them once upon a time, and he went to the side of the stage one night to watch them play. He came back visibly shaken, and one of the assorted people with his own band asked what was up. He saigd 'Lobsters! They're playing the keyboards with lobsters! HOW are we going to top THAT?'.
I also love the inclusion of TMBG and of course Weird Al on this list. Saw him one year at the Az State Fair, and it may well be in my top 5 concerts, definitely in my top 7. The guy was entertaining, and had a new stage persona for every single song.
I'd love to say that I liked Man or AstroMan, but the one time I went to see them in Phx, they were late. WAY late. They took the stage @ 12:35 and last call was @ 1. We spent the rest of the night listening to some weird dude with a casio keyboard wearing a football helmet, I wasn't sure why he chose a football helmet until I sat through 3 or 4 hours of his music. The best part of the night is when 20-30 Hell's angels pulled up and came inside to talk to the owner about booking the club for a private function, as they were there. the Promise Keepers convention got out right across the street, I thought a Holy War was gonna open up between the bikers and the extreme Jesus freaks...
Matt Henke said:
Are Gemaine and Brett from Flight of the Conchords not nerdy enough to be included on the list? This seems like such an obvious oversight to me that there must be a reason I'm missing that Flight of the Conchords is not on this list.
Sono replied to Matt Henke:
I totally thought the same thing. I've had their Lord of the Rings song stuck in my head all morning.
Lisa said:
I get the non-Pythagorean scale thing, but then, I have a degree in music, my best class was theory, and when I'm stressed, I calculate prime numbers in my head...
And of course, Weird Al HAD to be on the list. He should be #1, though, if for no other reason than he's been popular among non-nerds. First concert I went to was Weird Al, actually, back in the early 80s. Next concert was the Purple Rain Tour, which, for my non-geek friends sorta evens things out.
Oh, and both Prince AND Michael Jackson are/were HUGE nerds. As a budding nerd in the early 80s, and a teenage girl during the same, I was obsessed with both, learning everything I possibly could (much harder without the internet), and appreciated just how nerdy they really were, even then.
Now as for Computer Love - since I grew up in a neighborhood similar to where early rap and hip hop was born, the only song I knew of called Computer Love was by Zapp & Roger, an R&B electronic band.
Russellmania XX5 said:
I would vote for David Byrne of the Talking Heads. He was on Lisa Simpson's list of noteworthy nerds. Saw him once and his "dancing" certainly puts him in this category :)
Neonlexicon said:
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Dr. Steel. Come on... evil scientist living in his lair on an island, making toys that will help him conquer the world? Then again, we did have GWAR and two MCs. I can somewhat see how there was no room for Dr. Steel.
MachinaFatalis replied to Neonlexicon:
+1 for Dr. Steel. Definitely the best mad genius/world emperor to perform industrial hip-hop opera ever! http://www.doctorsteel.com
Mistletoe said:
Call me old-school, but I'd have liked to see Tom Lehrer on the list. I mean, what science major doesn't know his song about the Periodic Table? Never mind New Math, Lobochevsky, Silent E...
thelordofhell replied to Mistletoe :
Dag replied to Mistletoe :
Tom Lehrer is great. I have all his original music on vinyl as well as on CD/MP3. C'mon, how can you beat a song called "Masochism Tango" or "Oedipus Rex"?
Oh, and may I mention Raymond Scott. Looney Tunes would be poorer if the example that man set went missing.
GaryML said:
No mention of Anthrax? Yeah, they played metal, but I'd have to think that songs based on Stephen King novels, Judge Dredd comics, and David Lynch movies and playing while wearing shorts and tennis shoes at a time when Slayer and Metallica were in all black singing about death and doom would qualify them for some geek love.
Not to mention "I'm The Man," one of the geekiest songs ever. The riff is literally "Hava Nagila."
Jim North said:
Whatever else I may think about the rest of the list, my everlasting affection has been gained by putting TMBG as #1.
I had just entered teenagerdom, moved to a different state, and managed to snag my first few true friends when I heard TMBG for the first time. One of my new buddies played The Statue Got Me High for me over the phone, and I was instantly hooked.
One of the greatest moments in my life was a few years back when I actually got to go see them in concert up in St. Louis. It was absolutely freezing, there was snow on the ground, I was wearing steel-toed boots which almost gave me frostbite, and I was suffering from an infection in one of my wisdom teeth, but it was worth every single second of agony, and I'd do it all over again just to see them live one more time.
Grady said:
Your #1 video of TMBG is MIA.
8-Bit Nerd said:
It's a good list, but why limit it to just 10? I was shocked to see the 2 Skinnee J's not listed though. They were Nerdcore years before MC Frontalot and MC Chris.
Protoculture said:
Phish should take the number one spot
Protoculture said:
Phish should take the number one spot
Joopac said:
There definitely needed to be some Protomen on this list.
ChristianH said:
Whoa! The Apples In Stereo, but no The Decemberists?
Michael Jackson, but no David Bowie?
Shennanigans!
Popette replied to ChristianH:
I'd have to agree.
I mean, when the man was quite young, in his Hunky Dory phase, his songs were already referencing Nietzsche. Then he made one of the most famous albums of all time, and he made it an epic space opera about an alien. Along came Diamond Dogs, where he literally wrote a glam-tinged musical for 1984, which was stopped due to some tricky legal issues.
After a few years out of the limelight, recording more experimental krautrock music in Berlin, he comes back. Fame strikes again for dear Bowie with Let's Dance. This pop friendly, radio-ready album had a theme of "the struggle between god and man".
A couple of flops and a decent album later, comes Outside. Outside meaning the extremely elaborate cyberpunk concept-album-odyssey-type-industrial-thing. Or as he called it "non-linear gothic drama hyper cycle". Nothing nerdy about that.
Then came Earthling, with the title basically giving you the nerd quotient. After that, 'hours...' which was basically the soundtrack for a videogame (Omikron - The Nomad Soul). This was followed up by two of his most intellectual albums, Heathen and Reality.
So Rob Bricken, I do believe Bowie deserves a spot. Because researching all of that was a total waste of time otherwise.
axle said:
just becasue michael jackson had a bunch of arcade games to lure in kids should not make him on this list. i have MAME emulator on my laptop and i play a casio i should at least qualify for 11# based on that alone
Bunche said:
What, no Grand Moff Tarkin? They were a short-lived band whose members played in full-on STAR WARS costumes and sang STAR WARS-centric tunes before being issued a cease and desist order from Lucasfilm (or so I heard).
There's also Servoton, a band whose conceit was that they were a band of robots creating music about robots for robots in a world where robots were slaves and needed music to spur rebellion against mankind. Among other tunes of interest, there were songs dedicated to the robot girl from SMALL WONDER, a number praising Robby the robot as an inspirational icon ("The Image Created"), "3 Laws (Abolished)," "Red Robot Refund (The ballad of R5D4)," and, best of all, "The Death of Magnus," a kickass tune that predicts the eventual demise of the famed comic book robot-fighter, whose inevitable aging process will prove his weakness. That song alone is geeky to a sublime level and can really only be appreciated by the increasingly small number of us who even remember Magnus. The song even opens with the declaration "1-A is a traitor!" and from that moment I was down with Servotron. If you choose to check them out, you can't go wrong with 1996's "No Room for Humans," which contains all of the aforementioned songs.
fakeassname said:
Chris .... are you just temporally stupid? please tell me you are and it was just a stupid mistake due to a sugar high.
HOW THE FUCK COULD YOU FORGET DRAGONFORCE!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I present this as proof of their awesomeness:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnFySWKzWro
wyngarde said:
Where the HELL are
THE NICK ATOMS?
A scientist, 2 robots, hard rock, T.V. themes!
They only play Science fiction conventions!
THE NICK ATOMS!
wyngarde replied to wyngarde:
Oh wait! I found a nice mention to THE NICK ATOMS!
Graham Nolen said:
The lack of Horse The Band on here is disappointing.
demoncat said:
nice list. and amazed Weird al made it in the top five and number two at that figured he would be number five or three. or even one. and might be giants would have had them in the top five but not really number one. and also can not believe Johnathan Coulton did not get on the list for he at least should have been in the top five.
Timmy bot said:
Servotron and ORI. M...OAM? FTW
Cassidy said:
Just to add another voice nominating MF DOOM.
He's named after Dr. Doom. He has an alter-ego called Victor Vaughn who is a time-travelling MC. He has another persona where he raps as King Gheedorah, the 60ft lizard who is invading earth with the Monster Island Czars. He made an entire Adult Swim album with DangerMouse. And that's just for starters.
And as part of those starters, there's this video which is the best homage to early comic books I've ever seen in the world of music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewc1hixzYPY
Blackrabbit replied to Cassidy:
God, the ALL CAPS video is the greatest thing ever. The animator got EVERYthing right - JLU, I love you, but THAT'S how you do Kirby crackles.
leisure said:
That's weird, I just found my copy of Volume yesterday.
mrbananagrabber said:
The lack of:
The Epoxies
Phenomenauts
The Aquabats
Lothar and the Hand People
as well as Pink Floyd, makes this list incredibly week. Shame on you.
suz replied to mrbananagrabber:
Oh thank god, my nerd outrage at the lack of Phenomenauts was going to prevent me from sleeping. Science and honor!
Good catch on the Epoxies too. I'd toss in the Groovie Ghoulies too.
Maybe Warp 11, but I've never hear them play so they could suck for all I know.
intothenight said:
Once again, ELO gets overlooked as a worthy addition to a nerdy music list. Sigh.
Asat replied to intothenight:
As a massive ELO fan I'm glad to see them promoted anywhere, but they don't quite fit the spirit of this list. Yes, "Time" qualifies them as sci-fi mavens, but Lynne's pop-culture obsession has always been the Beatles and rockabilly, which are hardly subcultural.
Roy Wood, though? Man, now THERE'S an ubernerd. "Miss Clarke and the Computer" is worthy of name-checking the creator of HAL.
Blackrabbit said:
Oh, and other nerdy rap albums:
Del's Deltron 3030 (post-apoc sci-fi concept album)
Kool Keith's Dr. Octagonacolygist (full-on bubbling-flask mad scientistery)
...and really, the above two and someone already on the list (Gorillaz) bear the hand of Dan the Automator.
Hermit said:
First, great list, I know you can't possibly get everything.
But...
Seriously, Jonathan Coulton.
And, I'm sure this isn't mainstream enough, but check out A-Rival and his intensely nerdy chip-hop: http://rivalrivalrival.bandcamp.com/album/8-bit-pimp
Evil Monkey Pope said:
Ookla the Mok
MC Lars
Chameleon Circuit
Jonathan Coulton
?
Sean said:
I never expected this list to be complete, but I have to agree with some of the ones left off the list should have been considered:
Servotron
Captured By Robots
Animanaguchi
Phenomenauts
The Flaming Lips
Rush
Jonathan Coulton
The Darkest of Hillside Thickets
Beastie Boys
David Bowie
And I would have ranked Man...Or Astro-Man? at the lowest #2 and probably #1.
goldwyvern said:
the absense of Jonathon Coulton and Paul and Storm are pretty inexscusable, but Daft Punk, Weird Al, and TMBG are all amazing groups/artists. Michael Jackson also deserves 5th or 4th because he composed the soundtracks of Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles. He did, look it up. The man hada thing for SEGA.
Drunken Fist replied to goldwyvern:
That, and he actually appears in the Space Channel 5 games.
Timmy bot said:
Nerf Herder should really be on this list.
1. Their name
B. Song about (being) Spock
Also. Song about Sleestacks
4. Their name
Also the Pulsars, from Chicago
Guy said:
I am somewhat extremely offended the Protomen are not included.
Polecat said:
Jon Coulton needed to be on this list.... as does Doctor Steel!! Seriously, you can't get more geeky then those two!
xv said:
This small cry into the vast well of this comments page:
The lead singer for Stovokor is like seven feet tall and he's only got one hand.
thelordofhell said:
Thee Shatners
Rusty said:
No Nerf Herder‽
1. Their name
2. BTVS theme song
3. The Backpack Song
Rusty said:
Crap, just saw Timmy bot beat me to it on Nerf Herder. That should teach me not to bail so quick on reading the comments before posting.
the lost skeleton said:
I find your lack of MF Doom disturbing. The man goes so far as to never appear without his dr doom/gladiator mask and has created an involved villain bio, plus all that stuff everybody else said. He shows a true devotion to comic book mythology and nerdery. Also the Misfits love of sci-fi b movies and alien/zombie/monster references should earn them a spot
J Littleton said:
Oh Chris Cummins, you silly fool, you have just unleashed a nastily nerdy pandora's box...
While I don't agree with all, and second many of the other people's wishful inclusions, I'm just happy that we have this many nerdy acts to choose from.
Gasstank said:
I it looks like there's simply too much audio awesomeness to fit in just one list.
The Amazing Sweet-Roll said:
As happy as I am to see Daft Punk on the list, the fact that they're at #3 just doesn't sit well with me for some reason reason. Thought they'd be higher, but whatever...
But to pile on to the music nerd rage, WHERE THE HELL ARE HARRY AND THE POTTERS?! Their constant touring to college campuses and public libraries is awesome enough, but the fact that they were featured in a Sundance film called "We Are Wizards" - a film entirely about the genre of Wizard Rock and the people that love/perform it - a few years back should have at least nabbed them a low spot on the list.
Say_What? said:
I would have to add Peter Gabriel era Genesis (and even post-Gabriel fare such as "Trick of the Tail" and "Wind and Wuthering".) Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie as well. Prog-rock was full of nerdy goodness references.
batcavecomics said:
Sabrepulse?
batcavecomics said:
Sabrepulse?
TheShadow said:
What? No love for Jonathan Coulton or Ookla the Mok. What kind of list is this?
And Hell's Bells, JIMMY BUFFETT is nerdier than some of the nobodies on this list: he's made Star Trek references in at least three of his songs and co-wrote a song with Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher ("I Love the Now", from his album, Floridays). And check out the credits on his album, Last Mango in Paris. The song "Desperation Samba" features Harrison Ford cracking the bullwhip a la Indiana Jones.
Pete said:
Where is BLIND GUARDIAN and their fantastic album, "Nightfall in Middle Earth" ???
I am disappoint.
madmaxrebo said:
Where's Jim's Big Ego?
telezombie said:
first of all, gwar is amazing live. I used to watch them all the time when I lived in Richmond, VA. I can still remember the show I watched at twisters where a girl in a white leather dress behind me got sprayed with fake blood from a giant sword. Back then, these guys pushed the envelope. The lead singer was arrested for his giant fake penis lol.
Otto von schirach should be on the list also. Look him up on youtube. This guy played before a skinny puppy show I saw in DC in a black superman outfit with tighty whities. Hilarious show and his music is sooooo insane. I bought a tshirt and cd that night from him just because he had the balls to play live like that.
another band I saw that was insane was the white mice. 3 piece band with mouse costumes playing straight noise for 45 minutes. Great band.
Nojoy said:
No love for No More Kings, either? Sigh... list needs to be longer.
Thomas said:
They listed Stovokor but not Warp11??????
Anonymous said:
No Futuristic Sex Robotz?
Arcane said:
TMBG @#1 makes this list perfection. Here Comes Science is my favorite album since Factory Showroom. Roy G. Biv is a colorful man, and he proudly stands at the rainbow's end.
Aaron said:
No MC Hawking?
ArmasFM said:
Wow, I actually have that Amazing Spider-Band CD... I should listen to that again, the music is one of the things that old Spidey cartoon great.
Denjiro said:
How about The Black Mages? Nobuo Uematsu and a couple other Square/Enix composers performing progressive rock/metalish versions of Final Fantasy music.
Ad said:
Agree with higher comments that Tom Lehrer should be on there. I'd also put in a vote for Tim Minchin.
Darth Sarcasm said:
My personal favorite has got to be Figurine. In their song "My First U.F.O." they actually get abducted by aliens! How nerdy is that?
Here's a link to "IMpossible" a sad song about long distance love and yearning through instant messaging.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVvBplOgUdo
suzisk8 said:
I agree with TMBG. I have always liked their music and thank goodness that they have many childrens albums out there. I would go nuts with some of the kids music out there for my 6 yr old son.
This old lady here is seeing one big omission from the list.....Thomas Dolby. Come on, he got the whole world Blinded by Science in the early 80's. Also Herbie Hancock. The video for Rockit is pretty geeky and innovative for that time.
Speaking of good kids music, Barenaked Ladies did an awesome album called Snacktime! and in their ABC song, they listed very obscure words. I like when bands make the parents think instead of wanting to kill themselves because of the music, lol.
Joshie said:
God, GWAR is awesome live. I'm about to see them for my seventh time later this month.
Jay N said:
I agree with the Weez. Those guys are nerds in every way. Watch the vid for "Say It Ain't So". Brian Bell is wearing a stormtrooper shirt, which would definitely make the "Geek Apparel of the Week".
Also, Supernova and Nerf Herder. 'Nuff said. I see a second list in the works...
Draugo said:
I am baffled by the absence of Tom Lehrer and Tim Minchin.
Snatch1414 said:
No Gnarls Barkley? I could care less about them but they performed on the MTV Awards in a full orchestra dressed like Star Wars characters! That alone is nerd heaven whether you like the band or not.
Gwar were actually pretty funny guys in that clip aside from their obviously fake accents. I guess people were humored much more easily back then.
JMax said:
The Flaming Lips? Wayne Coyne actually made a Sci-Fi movie, Christmas on Mars, as well as an entire album devoted to killer robots.
Anonymous Coward said:
As we have seen, this list could have been thirty entries long, but sadly you are all wrong and Rush is the king of all nerd bands. 'Nuff said.
Scoots McGee said:
Where is Ween at on this list? They had a song in a Spongebob episode as well as their song played at the end of the Spongebob movie.
Black Kristos replied to Scoots McGee:
WHERE THE MOTHERFUCKING CHEESE GO AT??!!?
Scoots McGee replied to Black Kristos:
I don't know!
Hagan said:
I guess my last comment got detected as spam since it had too many links.
A second list is needed. Suggestions:
Band of Orcs- its like GWAR, except they are orcs. And awesome
The Minibosses- a career out of jamming nintendo themes in bars?
The Sword- Their whole band, every song, every piece of art, EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM- comes right off a 70s conversion van. They are walking D&D and as nerdy as they come.
Hoju Koolander said:
I just added "Stuck In A Closet With Vanna White" to my ipod. Are you watching me from the screen? Get those Topless Robot eyes off of me! and put some pants on while you're at it.
Hellizard said:
You know, if *I* were assembling this list I might have at least consulted a list of people who have performed at PAX. But that's just me.
Also? Stephen & the Colberts, but only if they were real.
Brimstone said:
what about The Mountain Goats? they could have easily taken the 'indie nerd' slot from Ben Folds or Matthew Sweet. John Darnielle has written songs about HP Lovecraft (Lovecraft in Brooklyn), Sax Rohmer, Micheal Myers... and on his last album he grabbed one of the choruses from Odin Sphre
plus he released a song called 'I'm Sorry Mario But Your Princess Is In Another Castle'
ms. duck said:
how about some classics:
warren zevon?
werewolves? the headless machine gunner?
or led zepplin? they wrote an entire albulm about lord of the rings.
Dave said:
Other people have already said anything I could say about Coulton. Except that the man was once listed as a "contributing troubadour" for Popular Science. C'mon. I'd argue that the dude deserves number one. (I've never really "gotten" the nerd-love for TMBG. I'm not questioning the fact that that love exists, and that they deserve a spot on the list for that if for nothing else, I just don't -get- it.)
Dave replied to Dave:
I'd also agree with the comments suggesting Tom Lehrer. Besides being an actual academician, he's a forefather to many other artists, such as Weird Al, who work in parody and sing about nerdy topics.
nick said:
I not like seeing uncovered Gwar butt in the morning.
Christian said:
OMG, I can't believe Ookla the Mok isn't on here! Miost nerdy band and songs ever!
EZFlash Vi said:
I'm not entirely sure I'd rank Weird Al over Daft Punk, but all in all a pretty exhaustive list!
N-B said:
I see a couple of artists that were glarringly overlooked: AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE, whose entire repretoire is doing Death Metal inspired by Arnold Schwarzeneger movie lines, and MF DOOM, an infamous underground rapper who not only sports a custom Doctor Doom mask but is basically the soundtrack of Cartoon Network's ADULT SWIM!
Kyle said:
If you were going for mainstream: Where the hell is Beck?
If that isn't a requirement: What? Powerglove and Harry and the Potters just don't do it for you?
-d- said:
...just wondering...how the HELL did Modest Mouse NOT make this list???...
Brodie said:
No Luke Ski? Blasphemy...
Rex Hondo said:
Maybe I'm just showing my age, but I am saddened by the utter lack of Information Society in both the list and comments.
DIsEvilWays said:
RUSH! WHERE IS RUSH?!
jadderol said:
I would've loved to see Davinci's Notebook/Paul & Storm on here, and The Aquabats would've been great. Also, MC Lars...I mean, he raps Poe's "The Raven" and Shakespeare's "MacBeth" on top of a plethora of other nerdy things.
