Geek Culture! Why We Love Music

I have to say that Google was sort of pissing me off while I was doing some research for this article by asking me if I wanted Greek music. No. I want to search geek music, dang it!

Once I got past that, I began to realize that geeks are widely diverse in their tastes of music. When it comes to mainstream tunes, we all have our own likes and dislikes. Some of us may like goth and industrial, while other may be grooving to hip hop and R&B. There is nothing wrong with being different in our tastes.

Still, there are a few common musical threads that do bind us. You may have come across some of them, you may have not.

What I think is the ultimate web site for geek music is OverClocked Remix, or OC Remix for short. This web site promotes video game music as an art form and encourages musicians to remix their takes. As it is stated on the site itself, OC Remix “is dedicated to the appreciation, preservation, and interpretation of video game music.” The site has very high standards, but there is plenty of music for gamers to find from their favorite games in many different styles.

When it comes to redoing video game music, you can’t leave out the Minibosses. These guys do metal/progressive rock covers of video game music and have a growing following. They cover everything from Super Mario Bros. to Castlevania.

We as gamer geeks are encountering new music in our video games. In Grand Theft Auto IV, as we flipped through the radio channels in our stolen wheels, we discovered many different genres, including Eastern European rock, featuring some pretty kicking tunes, such as “Wild Dances” by Ruslana and the ever-so-catchy “Schweine” sung by Glukoza.

Lots of other games employ soundtrack that introduce the player to other styles. I found the Mexican rock and hip hop in Crackdown interesting and I myself especially enjoy the industrial channel in Project Gotham Racing 4.

In that vein, let’s not forget games that revolve around music, such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Electroplankton, Patapon, Rez, SingStar, Lumines, etc. I was really surprised with the amount of video games that revolve around music or musical elements that are out there.

There are some bands and musicians that wear geekiness on their sleeves. The first one that comes to mind is They Might Be Giants. They write songs about spines, scarecrows, night lights, particle men, and presidents. Those are not common song subjects usually found in today’s music scene, but as a band they have been together for almost 30 years and are still producing tunes. Plus, I think John Liddell’s accordion puts them in the “Really Geeky Type that Gets Beat Up” category.

Now, how about Weezer? The Blue Album is a staple in my library because it is full of 1990’s alternative geek angst. Just look at the lyrics of “In The Garage”.: I’ve got the Dungeon Master’s Guide./I’ve got the 12-sided die./I’ve got Kitty Pryde/And Nightcrawler too./Waiting there for me./Yes, I do, I do.

Another geek musician is the masterful Jonathan Coulton. The man’s repertoire just screams “GEEK!” and that’s a good thing. He’s been extremely prolific with geeky tunes such as the closing theme of Valve’s Portal, and “Flickr.” Other great song titles included “Mandelbrot Set,” “I’m Your Mom,” and “Lady Anberlin’s Mummu. Check out his web site. His songs are all available on mp3 for cheaps and you can download entire albums.

See? Music is a big part of geek culture as it is a part of Greek culture. (How did I get back to that again?) As geeks we need to feel free to enjoy what we like, respect what others like, and enjoy what we can share together.