Top 10 Nerd Songs

[Brent Chittenden, who, besides making lists for this site, maintains Nerdholes, which is described as “two assholes talking about nerd stuff”–TATAS for short.  His Twitter handle is @BCNerdhole.  In other words, he’s eminently qualified to compile this list. – AC]

I’m a nerd. And not just about music either. I collect action figures, read (and write) comics, I love sci-fi and fantasy and board games and video games.

This weekend, Fan Expo is being held in my neck of the woods. Canada’s biggest comic/sci-fi/anime/gaming convention with a crap ton of guests. So to celebrate this event and needing some tunes for the road, here’s my Top Ten Nerd Songs

10) Queen – Flash

The movie of Flash Gordon is just… um… wow…how to describe it?  Craptacular campy goodness? It had theme from Queen that kind of matches the above description.

9) MC Chris – Fett’s Vette

An MC that sometimes gets labeled as nerdcore, MC Chris does make the occasional nerd reference along with doing work and music on a ton of Adult Swim shows.

8) Tori Amos – Tear in Your Hand

Okay, so it’s not a total nerdy song but I love it and it features a very solid reference to writer Neil Gaiman and my favorite comic book series of all time, The Sandman. Neil also happens to be the godfather of Tori’s daughter.

7) Debs and Errol – I Wish Totoro Was My Neighbor

A duo out of Toronto, Debs and Errol have recorded this lovely little ditty about one of the my favorite films. They also have a great song about AT-ATs in the Snow.

6) The Ramones – Spider-Man

The Ramones cover of the original Spider-Man theme song is awesome and great for in the car on the way to the con.

5) Nerds With Guitars – Sympathy for the Daleks

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I’ve known these guys a long time but I can’t help but love their take on the evils of the sci-fi world. I also rather like the U2-like guitar sound.

4) Devo – Joko Homo

The original nerd rock band, Devo always remind us that the guys in the art, math and science have the potential to kick ass musically.

3) Led Zeppelin – Ramble On

What’s this? Led Zeppelin? Nerdy? Have you ever paid attention to the lyrics? There’s a whole verse about The Hobbit! And the image of Robert Plant sparring with Gollum makes me laugh.

2) Jonathan Coulton – Skull Crusher Mountain

A great song about being a villain with a crush. Jonathan Coulton is an incredibly talented musician and song writer whose work, while nerdy, transcends genres.

1) Kirby Krackle – Dusty Cartridges and Longboxes

Probably my favorite song from their album E Is For Everyone, this a great ode to geeky love. The girlfriend and I have already decided if we get married, this is playing at our wedding. Now like I said, these are some of my favorites but there is a ton more out there.

What else should be on this list? This is a list I can rewrite week after week so please, send whatever you got.

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I’ll add one:  Warp 11, a band that sings nothing but Star Trek-themed songs.  Check out this live version of “Sulu” and them sample songs like “I Don’t Want to Go to Heaven As Long As They Have Vulcans in Hell” on their, ahem, MySpace page.  They also have songs like “Suck My Spock” and “Boldly Go Down on Me.”

And if that’s not enough, try Stovokor.  They’re a death metal band that sings exclusively in Klingon.