Geeksongtricity: A Playlist
A few weeks ago I gave you a top 10 (really 11) countdown of the best Star Wars music videos/parodies on the internet. Just when you thought it was safe to read Geekcentricity without being subjected to ludicrous song parodies and cheaply made videos, I proudly present:
Geeksongtricity
There are a ton of videos out there celebrating or ridiculing (usually some combination of both) some aspect of geek culture. Here is my attempt to collect some of the best (or worst) of them into one place for your eyeballs and eardrums. This playlist is in no exact, particular order other than that given by my arbitrary whim. Mwahahaha.
Please note: If you are easily offended, this list probably isn’t for you. Nothing is sacred in these videos. I’ve seen some people online get offended in some shape or form by most of them. From ridiculing geek stereotypes to objectification to profanity, these videos have it all. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. You were warned.
“Dance With Me” by the Old 97′s
The Old 97′s are an alt.country band that formed in Dallas, Texas in 1993. They’ve been featured in a number of tv shows, including Ed, Scrubs, and Veronica Mars. ”Dance With Me” is a track from their 2009 release, Blame It On Gravity. While the song itself seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with geek culture, the band made a brilliant music video for it that features a frustrated geek desperately seeking an autograph from Battlestar Galactica‘s Tricia Helfer.
“It’s All About the Pentiums” by “Weird Al” Yankovic
The king of parodies released this parody of Sean (insert his current nickname here) Combs’ “It’s All About the Benjamins” in 1999 on his Running With Scissors album (the same album that also featured “The Saga Begins”). While the tech references are grossly out of date, the song is still hilarious. And AOL’ers are still brain dead.
“Unicorns L.A.” by My Barbarian
I first discovered this video about seven years ago and it hasn’t gotten any less strange to me no matter how many times I’ve watched it. My Barbarian is collaborative performing arts trio based in Los Angeles. This video looks like a LARP gone horribly, horribly wrong. You may even want to rip your eyes out before you get all the way through. It is the most amazing terrible music video ever. Enjoy!
“OG: Original Gamer” by MC Lars and MC Frontalot
I don’t know what to say about this one other than, “Dad beat me senseless with an NES controller.”
“Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Does Not Make You Slash)” by MC Lars ft. Parry Gripp
Another song by MC Lars, this one confronts the notion that playing Guitar Hero video games makes you a musician. Don’t laugh, I’ve met people who seem to believe this. Seriously.
“Game On” by The Guild
Felicia Day and company have released two music videos with the cast of The Guild. This is the weaker of the two.
“Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury” by Rachel Bloom
Remember when I said this list had the potential to be offensive? Well, this might be the place where it fulfills that potential… in spades. That being said, it’s phenomenal video about the singer’s lust for her favorite sci-fi writer. Rachel Bloom, who wrote and performed the song, manages to work in references to many of Bradbury’s seminal works alongside a plethora of sexual innuendos (just like my use of the word seminal). This video was nominated for a 2011 Hugo Award for “Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.”
“Tonight (I’m Frakking You)” by Break
This parody of “Tonight (I’m Loving You)” by Enrique Iglesias brought to us by Break, features Amy Okuda (The Guild) and Alessandra Torressani. The part of Ludacris is played by Big Bang Theory‘s Kunal Nayyar. Watch for a cameo by Chad Vader.
“I Kissed a Nerd” by the Damsels of Dorkington
The Damsels of Dorkington are purveyors of what they call “nerdcore improv.” Before you get offended about the geek stereotypes, check out their website. They actually are gamers and huge nerds. Besides, I’m just glad somebody turned Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” into something productive.
“Nrrrd Grrrl” by MC Chris
This track from 2008′s MC Chris is Dead is awesome. That is all.
“White & Nerdy” by “Weird Al” Yankovic
The second entry on the list by the weird one, this parody of Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’” is from his 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood. Believe it or not, this has the distinction of being Weird Al’s first top 10 song on Billboard’s Hot 100 list (peaking at #9) and his first song to go platinum.
“(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar” by The Guild
The other music video released by Felicia Day and the cast of The Guild, this one is by far the better of the two. Day wrote the lyrics while Joss Whedon’s brother Jed wrote the music.
“Girl At the Video Game Store” by Parry Gripp
Nerf Herder frontman Parry Gripp recorded this song for the 1,000th episode of G4′s Attack of the Show. Host Olivia Munn is the title character and Kevin Pereira makes a cameo on drums. If only the local video game store was like this…
“Geek & Gamer Girls” by Team Unicorn
The second Katy Perry parody on this list, this time of her song “California Gurls,” this one by (much hotter than Katy Perry) Team Unicorn. The role of Snoop Dogg is played by Robot Chicken creator Seth Green. Watch for cameos by Battlestar Galactica‘s Katee Sackhoff, The Guild‘s Felicia Day and Stan Lee.
“Roll a d6″ by Connor Anderson and Assorted Intricacies
This phenomenal parody of the Far East Movement’s “Like a G6″ was written by Connor Anderson during a game of Dungeons & Dragons and the video features a D&D game I’d love to play in.
I hope you enjoyed my Geeksongtricity playlist. Feel free to share your most/least favorite songs from this list in the comments below.
