I really, really wanted to like “Umbrella” after all the hullabaloo that Shaun has built around it this summer. When I finally sat down a couple of weeks ago and watched the video and realized that the “Ella, ella, eh eh eh” song that had become so ubiquitous to every trip to a public place this summer was this much lauded “Umbrella” track, boy was I disappointed. I’m going to be the voice of dissent on this one here at Res, but that song is boring, the girl doesn’t have half the pipes that Beyonce has, and what Shaun calls minimal I call flat out lazy. The best pop song of the summer? Are you serious? In a summer where Lil’ Mama and Avril Lavigne teamed up for the best poptastic confection of teenage snottiness in years (and I don’t care if Avril lifted that song wholesale from some earlier punk band– EVERY early punk song goes “HEY HEY!” at some point, doesn’t it)? Yeah, I’ll give it to Shaun that it sticks in your head, but that’s not a hook, that’s repetition.

Alright, now that that’s out of my system… On to something Shaun can’t stand (it’s only fair play).

It’s that time again– most everybody will be back in school starting tomorrow (and lots of people are already back). It’s the first year in three that your dear Trixie won’t be going back herself, and while I’m glad to have graduated and to be the proud recipient of a Master’s Degree, there is part of me that wishes I was going back to the Land of Higher Education. When it comes to the School of Geekiness, I guess I’ll never actually graduate.

So, in honor of back-to-school, I want offer you my new favorite Nerdcore artist, Schaffer the Darklord. CDK3000 and I were at a burlesque show a few weeks ago and Shaffer was performing this killer rethink of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of a homicidal Tin Man.

The Tin Man — Schaffer the Darklord

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Nerdcore, but it’s rare to come across such an artist who can actually flow about Star Wars and D&D. Sure, they can rhyme, but their talent’s all dependent on novelty. Not so with Shaffer– this guy can wrap his mouth around brilliant tongue twisters that make him the veritable Eminem of Nerdcore.

For those who are going back to school, this is for those of you chasing after your lab partner. Sure, the ode to geek girls is an easy topic, but Schaffer breathes new life (via inhaler?) into a time honored subject.

Nerdlust — Schaffer the Darklord

You can check out STD (as he calls himself) at Rififi in NYC on September 13th guest hosting Starshine Burlesque.