NerdCORE!

December 11, 2006 7:21 PM

NerdCore for Life say what?
posted by delmoi (61 comments total)

I hope it catches on and the people now dressing up as pimps and ho's find something more amusing and creative to dress up as.
posted by Listener at 7:26 PM on December 11, 2006

How about a bully pimps and nerd hoes party?
posted by redteam at 7:30 PM on December 11, 2006

That looks like a good film. Thanks for the heads up.
posted by tellurian at 7:40 PM on December 11, 2006

It sure is empowering to act like the people who beat us up in high school
posted by saraswati at 7:45 PM on December 11, 2006

"I respect those who originated this culture, but there's others who wear it like an apron." (these guys aren't nerdcore, but they're close)
posted by anthill at 8:03 PM on December 11, 2006

Allow me to mention MC Chris (nerdcore what what) and his amazing Kingdom Hearts rant.

SHOOT 'EM IN THE HEAD!
posted by craven_morhead at 8:04 PM on December 11, 2006

Oh, rant NSFW




/his axe is on fire
posted by craven_morhead at 8:05 PM on December 11, 2006

Nerdcore is the new Weird Al. Except unfunny.
posted by basicchannel at 8:26 PM on December 11, 2006

Lords of the Rhymes is (are?) my favorite nerdcore duo. I'm not part of the nerd culture, don't go to cons and such, don't cosplay. I have never used "kawaii" in a non-ironic manner, but I can understand these people. It's about taking back the derogatory term that "nerd" used to be. It's okay to be weird and like Anime. It's okay to get a little Narutardic once and a while.

Right?

On the other hand, the cultural elitist in me wants to say that such emphasis on fantasy and escapism and the encouragement of it in the mainstream via the vehicle of "NerdCore" rap has me worried. I feel it may be indicative of a society that will soon become victim of a bloated disconnect with reality. Wait... can a disconnect even be bloated? Ok, I'll leave it up to ya'll to get what my connotations are.

On the other hand(foot) it's all good and I kind of just wanted to give mad props to the Lords of the Rhymes.
posted by Mister Cheese at 8:35 PM on December 11, 2006

mc chris boba fett song on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsryQOMcDy4
posted by graham1881 at 8:36 PM on December 11, 2006

lords of the rhymes are pretty fucking awesome. i was at the show that footage of them is from. good times.
posted by teishu at 8:39 PM on December 11, 2006

Harvey Pekar's friend Toby lives on.
posted by Falconetti at 8:45 PM on December 11, 2006

What the hell is with all those guys ripping off MF Doom's mask? That's like his signature. Not cool.

What's more -- MF Doom manages to rap about plenty nerdy stuff, without making me want to slap him.
posted by malphigian at 8:46 PM on December 11, 2006

It's been culturally acceptable to be a nerd for a while now.
posted by drezdn at 8:46 PM on December 11, 2006

Addendum: Before someone tries some kinda nerdy gotcha -- Yes, I know MF Doom stole it from the fantastic four, but I'm saying it's his whole thing, y'know?
posted by malphigian at 8:48 PM on December 11, 2006

Hey, in Itchy and Scratchy Episode 68O1, Itchy uses Scratchy's skeleton as a xylophone right. But he hits the same bone twice and it makes two completely different sounds. Heh, are we supposed to believe that this is some sort of magical skeleton? I mean, come on!
posted by Falconetti at 8:56 PM on December 11, 2006

Geek Chic, anyone?
posted by niles at 8:56 PM on December 11, 2006

I care not if he ripped of MF Doom's mask thing because that line about rolling in DnD to see if you'd be a great rapper killllled me.
posted by haveanicesummer at 8:57 PM on December 11, 2006

You make my karma puke. (PDF)
+
I want candy
Bubblegum and taffy
Skip to the sweet shop with my sweet heart Sandy
Got my pennies saved, so I'm her sugar daddy
I'm her Hume Cronyn and she's my Jessica Tandy
I want candy
posted by carsonb at 9:20 PM on December 11, 2006

These people aren't nerds. Misfits, maybe, definitely not mainstream pop culture, but they're not nerds. Real nerds are never seen in front of a camera, and real nerds certainly can't get up on stage and rap. This has actually been a minor peeve of mine for a while--nerdentity has been stretched beyond any useful metric, leaving the real nerds, well, where they've always been, I guess, while others ride their wave.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 9:42 PM on December 11, 2006 [2 favorites]

Lunch money never was enough, bullies want your social identifiers too!
posted by carsonb at 9:46 PM on December 11, 2006

UH OH, war wrath of wraith is already splintering the nerds into warring sects.
posted by Falconetti at 9:46 PM on December 11, 2006

It's interesting that these people -- self-described technophiles and sci-fi fans -- make such a point of talking about their persecution by the more "successful" social groups and subcultures.

These are two cultures that I've more or less given up on interacting with, despite my interest in and inclination toward both technology and SF, largely because I eventually got sick of hearing about how my favorite RPG sucks, or that anyone who doesn't know PHP is a retard.
posted by hifiparasol at 9:52 PM on December 11, 2006

Can't we all just get along?

Gaywads, Dorwads Sign Historic Wad Accord
posted by anotherpanacea at 9:58 PM on December 11, 2006

i'm glad someone mentioned mc paul barman, but am i right in understanding that the originator of the term nerdcore is not featured in the film bearing its name? where's frontalot?
posted by shmegegge at 9:59 PM on December 11, 2006

Nerdcore? You ain't nerdcore. You ain't shit. This is nerdcore.
posted by shagoth at 10:32 PM on December 11, 2006

Man, I'm jonzing for a cupcake right about now.
posted by muppetboy at 11:12 PM on December 11, 2006

http://frontalot.com/index.php/content.php?page=mp3

Yellow lasers. Now DAT n3rdc0r3.
posted by muppetboy at 11:15 PM on December 11, 2006

It is just me, or was the guy at the end saying how "bitches better be scared" of nerdcore sort of a buzzkill?
posted by washburn at 11:30 PM on December 11, 2006

Oh, and oh yes, Geek Chic indeed!
posted by washburn at 11:33 PM on December 11, 2006

Trailer lacks Frontalot.

This is inexplicable.

This is inexcusable.

My confusion over this is inexpressible.
posted by sparkletone at 11:34 PM on December 11, 2006

(...grumble grumble grumble nerdcore is hardcore techno with a nerdy bent, and it's been that way ever since 1996, years before Frontalot appropriated it for use in hip hop grumble grumble grumble...)

war wrath of wraith : "Real nerds are never seen in front of a camera, and real nerds certainly can't get up on stage and rap."

The Real Nerds are all backstage with their pocket protectors and taped glasses discussing physics with the True Scotsmen.
posted by Bugbread at 11:58 PM on December 11, 2006

"Bitches better be scared" lad was a total poser. I doubt he could identify a d20 if all his Mego dolls depended upon it.

We've been running shit for awhile now. But I don't mind there being a soundtrack to it. While it's not nerdcore rap, I've got a big, wide soft spot for Warp 11. I want "Everything I do (I Do With William Shatner)" played at my funeral.
posted by EatTheWeak at 12:08 AM on December 12, 2006

It's been culturally acceptable to be a nerd for a while now.

That's the point. It's cool to be socially re(o)pressed. But that's also an overly shallow view. Nerd groups perform an essential social/emotional function in many people's lives because being a nerd is merely tolerated. It's still cool to mock nerds when they're not around. Although it is also a complex personal choice, many young people with unusual levels of interest outside the mainstream of their peers do suffer. And it's better not to suffer alone.

Oh, and this is a great quotation:

"if you have your character, [....]then roll the dice to decide what your... level is, and you might get a three, and you can't rap, but you might have an 18, and then you'd be a great rapper"

posted by honest knave at 12:11 AM on December 12, 2006

Is it just me or does every subculture documentary seem to have people describing it, rather inarticulately, as "whatever you want it to be"?
posted by milkrate at 12:12 AM on December 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

The Real Nerds are all backstage with their pocket protectors and taped glasses discussing physics with the True Scotsmen.

No, real, real nerds are still in high school, and don't have the wherewithal to find people to spend Friday night out with, let alone people to produce their hardcore, techno hip-hop albums. As you say, bugbread, it's a "bent" or an "angle," but, as I said, they're not nerds.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 12:35 AM on December 12, 2006

Nerds, like Wiccans, can be good people, but get em together at some theme-based function and they're entirely too precious.

"if you have your character, [....]then roll the dice to decide what your... level is, and you might get a three, and you can't rap, but you might have an 18, and then you'd be a great rapper"

Ugh. Moronic is the new geek. Way to represent. You 3d6 suck.

(Also, since when are ability scores "levels"?)
posted by dreamsign at 12:46 AM on December 12, 2006

(not directed at you, hk)
posted by dreamsign at 1:03 AM on December 12, 2006

What? No rhyme torrents link?
posted by milnak at 1:27 AM on December 12, 2006

dreamsign: whew. :-)
posted by honest knave at 1:41 AM on December 12, 2006

MC Chris has real talent – I mean that's why he's been voicing characters on television for years, he's not some dumb punk. Frontalot's music is pretty bad, but at least he has a healthy sense of self-awareness and irony that most of these fucks lack. The remainder of these people are so beyond the pale in their lameness it's hard to quantify.
posted by blasdelf at 3:53 AM on December 12, 2006

Frontalot's music is pretty bad

Less polished, certainly, but I dunno... I've tried listening to a few of these guys, but Frontalot is the only one who's made it to my ipod. I too was dismayed to note his lack of presence in this trailer. Apparently he's got his own documentary coming out. Not his, but focusing on him. I don't think he'd hold up well in a live setting, though.

(Your favorite nerdcore artist sucks.)
posted by Roommate at 4:31 AM on December 12, 2006

war wrath of wraith writes "No, real, real nerds are still in high school, and don't have the wherewithal to find people to spend Friday night out with, let alone people to produce their hardcore, techno hip-hop albums."

Maybe that's true for nerdcore hiphop, I dunno.

About electronic music in general:

Some of the nerdiest nerds I knew in high school were the ones using primitive tracker software to make bad synth music. Or had actual synths (the difference seemed to fall along the "computer nerd" "engineering nerd" divide). You don't need to "find" someone to produce your album, you do it yourself. It's one of those hobbies particularly suited to people like nerds, who might be interested in music but not social enough to form a band.

Now, when it comes to nerdiness in hardcore techno, just get your ass to a nerdcore event in Tokyo. These are not wanna-be nerds, or nerd-flavoured regular folks, or nerd posers. You will never find a more wretched hive of authentic nerdiness as you will at a Sharpnel show.
posted by Bugbread at 6:07 AM on December 12, 2006

For starters, MC Frontalot came up with the term "Nerdcore", so you've gotta give him some props. He would be in the "Nerdcore for Life" documentary if he didn't have his own coming out.

I've seen MC Frontalot live a handful of times. He has a band with him and it fucking rocks. The musicians are all studio musicians and they've got some great beats and whatnot. Blak Lotus, the bassist, does his own stuff under his real name, Brandon Patton, and Gminor7, the keyboardist/guitarist writes musicals for NYC theater.

I would link to some free Frontalot music, but his site sucks ass at the moment.
posted by taumeson at 6:12 AM on December 12, 2006

Nerds are oppressed and downtrodden? The richest men in the world are nerds. In todays economy, your boss is likely to be a nerd. and the old boss is most definitely the same as the new boss.

So you may have money, but you're still not cool, poindexter.

*ignores the nerds and the bullies, goes out behing the bike shed to smoke pot*
posted by jonmc at 6:15 AM on December 12, 2006

MC Frontalot live is freakin' fantastic, expecially with his current backing band. I saw them at their tour kickoff in Greenville, SC (of all places). The film crew there sat me down in front of the camera for quite a while because, well, I'm a big nerd. The trailer linked in this post was pretty nice, but I'm really looking forward to Nerdcore Rising.
posted by ewagoner at 7:03 AM on December 12, 2006

jonmc writes "*ignores the nerds and the bullies, goes out behing the bike shed to smoke pot*"

Auto mechanics and janitors aren't cool either, though. Basically, once you're an adult, there is no group concensus about cool/uncool, so everyone is "not cool, poindexter".
posted by Bugbread at 7:19 AM on December 12, 2006

I also was dismayed by the lack of Front.

And this argument about ownership of the word "nerd" maybe the funniest thing I've read all week.
posted by frenetic at 7:24 AM on December 12, 2006

Auto mechanics and janitors aren't cool either, though. Basically, once you're an adult, there is no group concensus about cool/uncool, so everyone is "not cool, poindexter".

Exactly. Not caring about cool is the coolest thing you could do. And ambition is the uncoolest thing in the world. That's why these two are the coolest guys on the planet.
posted by jonmc at 7:26 AM on December 12, 2006

or at least their trademarked and licensed bobblehead figurines are.
posted by srboisvert at 7:50 AM on December 12, 2006

(I meant the characters, not the actors. different thing)
posted by jonmc at 7:51 AM on December 12, 2006

And this argument about ownership of the word "nerd" maybe the funniest thing I've read all week.

I'm actually data-mining for a new online game called "Nerd/Not Nerd." I'll hire bugbread as my special consultant. Nerds, faux-nerds and non-nerds everywhere will nerdgasm all over it and I'll make millions.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 8:01 AM on December 12, 2006

No, it's this guy.

The richest men in the world are nerds.

From looking at Bill Gates and Paul Allen, money can't buy you looks. Or even good haircuts, evidently. That's the goofy part
posted by y2karl at 8:03 AM on December 12, 2006

Of course as the Great Bard Of Forest Hills put it:

everyone's a secret nerd
everyone's a closet lame
posted by jonmc at 8:19 AM on December 12, 2006

ok, couple things:

1. nerds are oppressed. as someone said above, true nerds are in high school and desperately in need of someone to identify with. good on these guys for being that.

2. once a nerd always a nerd. it's just that life is so much better out of high school that you don't have to worry about being one anymore. still can't hurt to get back to your roots as an mc, though.

3. frontalot's music does not suck. if you think frontalot's music sucks, it is because you are a bad person.
posted by shmegegge at 8:53 AM on December 12, 2006

Curse MC Frontalot for wanting to maintain his "Mystique." I'm sure he could bring a lot to this movie.

That said, nay-sayers who are all up in the "stop taking yourselves so seriously" hizzouse, why should I take you seriously?
posted by tehloki at 8:54 AM on December 12, 2006

Not caring about cool is the coolest thing you could do. And ambition is the uncoolest thing in the world.

What if you're ambitious but you don't care what anybody thinks about it?

And if for nothing else, Frontalot wins for Indier Than Thou.
posted by weston at 11:06 AM on December 12, 2006

We're all agreed, then, that a Nerdcore Documentary without the Front is like a Webcomics Documentary without You-Know-Who. And I think we all know how well that turned out.

MC Frontalot simply must produce a track about how much Nerdcore For Life sucks. Otherwise, he wouldn't be fronting.
posted by ulotrichous at 12:57 PM on December 12, 2006

What kind of name is "nerdcore" anyway? That's just begging to be made fun of.
posted by sunshinesky at 2:04 PM on December 12, 2006

jonmc : "Not caring about cool is the coolest thing you could do."

Which is one of the things that makes nerdcore fun: It doesn't pretend to be cool. If it were "hackercore" or "leetcore" or any of those other "ways-that-nerds-present-themselves-as-cool" type things, then, yes, it would be uncool. Or if it was "ironic-hipster-nerdcore", it would also be uncool. But nerdcore (or, at least, the nerdcore I've experienced) isn't "look at me, I'm cool", nor is it "look at me, I'm so uncool that I'm cool", but just "look at me. I'm uncool, but so what, this is fun!"
posted by Bugbread at 9:28 PM on December 12, 2006 [1 favorite]

Not caring about cool is the coolest thing you could do.

An oft-stated presumption finally disproven by Marge Simpson.
posted by Sparx at 12:29 PM on December 13, 2006