I enjoy “Weird Al” Yankovic’s latest video/song “White N’ Nerdy” — a parody of Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’ Dirty.” I can’t think of a better way to pay homage than to get white n’ nerdy in regards to the song itself. Therefore, I present an overly careful and catalogued list of all references made in the song and video.
(v) means video only, when there’s a joke beyond just literally illustrating what’s said in the song. And I’m arbitrarily deciding what’s “white” and what’s “nerdy.” I’m already regretting this decision.
- Mowin’ lawns instead of “rollin”
- (v) Overly friendly and naive wave
- (v) Short-sleeve buttoned up polo shirt, khaki pants, horn-rimmed glasses
- (v) Subdivision setting
- (v) Red torches are in a Pac-Man shape
- (v) Gangly walk
- (v) Uncool handshake
- (v) Gangstas lock doors like frightened white suburbanites might do in a hard-core ghetto (love it)
- 1st in class at MIT (intelligence = nerd)
- champion at D&D (fantasy stuff = nerd)
- (v) playing dice on streets with D&D dice and nerd kids (dice on streets = gangsta; d&d and kids = nerd)
- Optical Illusionist MC Escher referred to as a Hip-Hop MC (Escher’s paintings = nerd; inspired)
- Earl Grey tea instead of 40 oz. (40 oz. = gangsta; British drink = nerdy) — the video clip of this is my favorite moment in the whole thing. The way the thug whips his head back looking straight ahead after Al turns down the 40 oz. is really funny.
- Hubcaps on his non-badass car as “rims”
- action figures (kids toys = nerd)
- (v) presence of Seth Green (Seth Green = nerdy; it’s true)
- Stephen Hawking (intelligence = nerd)
- (v) library is of the leather-chair, dark oak, hardcover book variety (British = nerdy; yes, i’m just calling it British)
- MySpace
- (v) room has periodic table and a heart monitor (science = nerdy)
- (v) Top 8 includes:
- Bill Gates (computer),
- Napolean Dynamite (iconic nerd),
- Mr. Peabody (geeky and a cartoon),
- Albert Einstein (science),
- Screech (iconic nerd),
- Frodo (fantasy)
- and Pee Wee Herman (childish and nerd)
I guess anyone with a bow tie was eligible. Late 80s Senator Paul Simon, maybe? He’s listed as post-grad education (intelligence = nerdy)
- (v) MySpace page also includes the default friend Tom, as if he doesn’t have anyone better — that’s hilarious (nerd = no friends)
- Pi to a thousand places (math = nerdy)
- braces instead of grills (childish? physically inferior? = nerdy)
- sandwiches with mayonaise (liking mayonaisse = white)
- (v) Pajamas, wonder bread = white? nerdy? The lines are blurring.
- Minesweeper (that’s a brilliantly specific reference, plus using ‘whiz’ and ’sweet moves’) (computer = nerdy)
- Fingers moving fast presented as an intense and impressive thing (computer aptitude = nerdy)
- Killer app i haven’t run (computer = nerdy)
- (v) Binary code as background (computer = nerdy)
- At Pascal, I’m number one (Computer = nerdy)
- Calculus just for fun (math = nerdy)
- (v) Typing on computer in shower (computer = nerdy)
- (v) Shower cap (overly protective of physical self = weak = nerdy)
- Instead of Gat, soldering gun (engineering = nerdy). I love the quiet “what?” after that line.
- Happy Days theme song (vanilla music, maybe having a favorite theme song = white?)
- (v) Awkward Dancing = nerdy
- Ping-Pong. Nerdy for reasons that I don’t actually know, though I agree. Sports that don’t require strength = nerdy?
- Trivia quiz (intelligence, boasting about it = nerdy?)
- (v) Playing with other nerdy lookin’ folks; throwing board aggressively
- (v) Trivia questions: the best I can make out (bonus points for this being a first generation Trivial Pursuit card):
- Geography: In what city is the largest ball of twine built by one man?
- Entertainment: What’s the deal with Lindsay Lohan? I mean, seriously
- History: F.D.R. - Was he faking it?
- Arts+Literature: On what page does Harry Potter die in the next book?
- Science+Nature: What is the melting point of a gorilla’s head?
- Sports+Leisure: How many Wicket Men are there on a 43-men Squiddish team?
- Javascript and Klingon as languages (computer = nerd; fantasy = nerd)
- Right after the word “Klingon” you hear a voice saying “RF Signal!” (thank you, commenters!) That means “Radio Frequency” but I’m not 100% sure why it’s in the song
- “roll on segway” instead of “rollin’ on”.. anything else (Segway = nerdy, means technology = nerdy?)
- (v) Bike helmet, water bottle, full track suit (overly protective plus gadgets = nerdy)
- Good Christ, I’m only halfway through this
- Naive and eager wave at gangsters. Gangstas? (naive/friendly =nerdy)
- (v) Presence of Donny Osmond (white)
- (v) Most of Osmond’s dance moves — either nerdy or white
- (v) Math Equation in background (Schrodinger’s Equation)
- (v) Parody of the circulated video of the kid playing with his light saber
- (v) Thumbs up from nerd juxtaposed with being flipped off from Gangstas. (naive and friendly = nerdy/annoying)
- (v) Disapproving finger wag (British = nerdy. I know it’s not British)
- (v) Presence of Judy Tenuta
- (v) Sweater vest with tie
- (v) Power strip as gift (electronics/gadgets = nerdy)
- (v) Unhappy girl (unromantic = nerdy)
- X-men comics (comics = nerdy)
- (v) Carl Sagan is my homeboy T-shirt (science = nerdy; how about “X is my homeboy” t-shirts being nerdy?)
- Pocket protector (overly-protective at expense of appearance = nerdy)
- Ergonomic keyboard (gadget/computer = nerdy)
- Online deals for writable media (computer/gadget = nerdy)
- Wikipedia. (computer = nerdy). He’s editing “Atlantic Records” and adding in “You Suck.”
- (v) There’s something behind him in a frame as he’s editing and I can’t make it out. I sense reference.
- memorized Monty Python and the Holy Grail (monty python-british = nerdy, obsessiveness = nerdy)
- ROTFLOL — computer shorthand = nerdy
- Business doing websites (computer = nerdy)
- doing HTML — (specific computer reference - nerdy)
- Home page for dog (no friends = nerdy)
- Fanny pack (unattractive accessories = nerdy)
- Shopping at Gap (white)
- Bubble wrap as date (he’s losing me here, even though it’s funny)
- Having sex with bubble wrap (no love life = nerdy)
- (v) Elaborate Christmas snow globe (white; gadget = nerdy)
- (v) Badmitton (sport with no strength = nerdy; British seeming = nerdy)
- (v) Sweater around neck = white?
- Whiter than sour cream (mayonaisse-ish products = nerdy)
- A/V Club, glee club, chess team (technical, effeminite, intelligence = nerdy). It’s an old A/C club judging from the projector.
- Kirk vs. Picard (fantasy obsession = nerdy)
- (v) in frames over his bed == heightens that concept
- Renaissance Fair (fantasy = nerd)
- Name in underwear (overly protective at cost of personal appearance = nerd)
- (v) Wedgie (weak enough to be bullied = nerd)
- “stroll with” intead of “roll with”
- (v) Buying bootleg copy of Star Wars Holiday Special in the manner of a drug deal (fantasy = nerd)
- “Holy Cow” I’m white n’ nerdy = that’s hilarious
- “bowl with” instead of “roll with”
- (v) plaid pants (no fashion sense = nerdy)
- (v) Rejected by gangstas, accepted by other nerds (no friends, except nerds = nerdy)
- Gang sign = Vulcan greeting (fantasy = nerd)
The thing you quickly appreciate about “Weird Al” is that whatever his jokes lack in quality (some are really good, most are pretty obvious) he more than makes up for them in quantity. Look at that list, and the song is only two minutes and 50 seconds long! It’s the old Zucker-Abrams-Zucker “Airplane!” school of comedy: joke after joke after joke after joke. Especially in the video! There’s something like ten times as many jokes there as there are in song.
Also, there’s great timing in that video. Every joke is given the perfect amount of time, before you get bored or sick of it. He’s good, that “Weird Al.”
It’s also fun to see just how many jokes refuse to leave the “making fun of nerd” canon, even though they really don’t apply. I mean, does anyone ACTUALLY have a pocket protector? Soldering gun? I’m not compiling totals, but it seemed to me this is “Weird Al’s” definition of a nerd, in descending order of importance:
- Mathematical/computer/science aptitude
- Bad sense of personal appearance
- Obsessed with fantasy genres and kids toys
- No friends or aptitude for handling girls
- Plus a couple of “white” jokes about mayonaisse and the Gap.
Have a nice day.
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Oct 7th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
This is so comprehensive and amazing.
Oct 7th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
I hadn’t noticed the torches. Nice.
Oct 7th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
soldering iron = “sautering gun”
Anything you describe as “British” I’d put under Stuffy WASP, therefore “white”
Oct 8th, 2006 at 6:42 pm
Bare with me on this ‘cause I’m fascinated with the topic…
This video, I think, plays with three classic nerd archetypes:
The first is the “Classic Nerd”
This is the nerd that entered popular culture in the 30s but became a standard archetype in the 50s. This is the nerd of the whiney voice, the big brain, the pocket protector, the large nose and dark greasy hair, the high-waisted pants, the taped black glasses, the un-athletic physique. He is based largely on Jewish stereotypes of the period, a result of poor urban Jews entering elites universities en masse in the 30’s (resulting in the “character tests” of the 40s and 50s that essentially barred Jews from the Ivy League).
The second is the “Modern Nerd”
Unlike the Classic Nerd who is skinny and frail, this nerd is fat. This nerd wears an ill-fitting t-shirt. This is the Computer Nerd and seems to have entered the culture in the 80’s (strangely, “Revenge of the Nerds,” an 80’s classic, mostly features the 50’s Classic Nerd) A good pop-culture example is The Simpson’s, “Comic Book Guy.” This is the Monty Python-quoting nerd, the fantasy roll-playing nerd, the comic book convention-attending nerd, the Renaissance Faire nerd.
The third is the “Preppy Nerd”
This nerd is a stereotype of “whiteness” and is also a product of the 80s. This nerd is effete, a sissy. Like the Classic Nerd (but unlike the Modern Nerd) his masculinity is in question. This is the nerd of the argyle sweater, and pressed khakis and round, tortoise-shell glasses. A good example might be Val Kilmer’s preppy nemesis from “Real Genius” (what the hell was that guy’s name?) This nerd has overly-refined tastes—he sips tea and listens to opera and can’t stand anything “soulful.”
It’s funny how Weird Al (a favorite of the Modern Nerd) puts all the nerd archetypes together as one Über-Nerd in this song/video.
Oct 8th, 2006 at 9:24 pm
What Mitch calls “Modern Nerd” I’d more more likely to call a “geek.”
There’s a raging debate (among nerds) over what constitutes geek vs. nerd. I’ve always kept “nerd” to academic/”useful” pursuits (literature, science, actual computer programming) taken to unhealthy extremes while “geek” is (anti)social/pop culture (Renfaire, science fiction, computer using). Nerds are smart; geeks can be dumb.
I’d call his Preppy Nerd a “square.”
Oct 9th, 2006 at 12:56 am
I second dyna on geek versus nerd.
Oct 9th, 2006 at 12:56 am
does “seconding” someone’s comment make me a nerd?
Oct 9th, 2006 at 8:50 am
Here is the “Are you a Nerd? Geek? Dork?” test on okcupid.com
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=9935030990046738815
I think I just passed all three.
Oct 9th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Mitch, that is my favorite comment in the history of the blogosphere. I think I agree with Dyna’s categorization, but Mitch’s articulation of the types is pretty spot-on.
What’s also amazing to me is how popular hitting these various stereotypes is! People still love making fun of that “classic nerd” type — but who is REALLY like that? The “modern nerd” and “preppy nerd” — I feel like I know people like that. But Case A? No one!
Oct 9th, 2006 at 9:55 am
Just FYI, that’s Schrodinger’s Equation in the background — the bedrock of quantum mechanics. The lazy, talentless humorist would’ve just thrown “E=mc^2″ up there and called it a day; Al goes the extra mile.
Oct 9th, 2006 at 9:57 am
Thanks. I’m editing the entry to put stuff like this in as people note it (like I corrected my mangling of the word soldering after Dyna’s post).
Oct 9th, 2006 at 10:04 am
No, Dyna’s wrong and you’re right, Will. It’s “soldering.”
Oct 9th, 2006 at 10:07 am
No, I’m right… it’s soldering. Will wrote “sautering”
Oct 9th, 2006 at 10:07 am
Oh wait, you must’ve corrected it already before I typed that. Never mind.
Oct 9th, 2006 at 10:08 am
Jesus, this is practically an IM session.
Oct 9th, 2006 at 11:55 am
My junior high band director was totally a classic nerd matching every one of Mitch’s points, though I don’t know - is “Clark” a Jewish name? He had all the rest, by golly.
In Douglas Coupland’s Microserfs, one of the characters states that a geek is a nerd with earning potential. Can’t find my book in all of these moving boxes to get the specific quate, which is totally eating away at my geekness.
Oct 9th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Kent was Val Kilmer’s student nemesis in “Real Genius.”
Oct 9th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
This is in no way an admission that I just dug through all of my boxes labeled “books” and found my Microserfs and then sat on the floor beside the scattered boxes, scanning from page to page, but I found the quote:
“I think geek implies hireability, wheras nerd doesn’t necessarily mean your skills are 100 percent sellable. Geek implies wealth.”
Oct 9th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
my head just exploded
Oct 9th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
While it is rather pathetic that he dates a roll of bubblewrap instead of a girl, I assume he is also implying that he does a lot of eBaying. Buying and selling which would require lots of bubblewrap. Perhaps that is just a stretch based on my white and nerdy husband, though.
Oct 9th, 2006 at 8:45 pm
“geek” ceased to equal wealth after the first quarter of 2001
–dot com casualty
Oct 9th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
I blame the nerds.
Oct 10th, 2006 at 11:57 am
I am dwarfed by the actual wikipedia page on this song:
Oct 11th, 2006 at 10:33 am
This nerd taxonomy is fascinating. One enjoyable thing about “Freaks and Geeks” was the subtlety and specificity of its 80s nerd references. Samm Levine’s character in particular was more comedy nerd than fantasy/sci fi nerd - wanting to see “The Nude Bomb,” the Steve Martin posters, etc. If the show had been set a few years in the future, they would be going to Weird Al concerts.
I guess the next thing to do would be to figure out who nerds are in opposition to. Who’s NOT nerdy? Aryans, Jocks, Hip-hop guys, Bruce Willis…
Oct 11th, 2006 at 10:35 am
Matt Says:
October 11th, 2006 at 10:33 am
This nerd taxonomy is fascinating. One enjoyable thing about “Freaks and Geeks” was the subtlety and specificity of its 80s nerd references. Samm Levine’s character in particular was more comedy nerd than fantasy/sci fi nerd - wanting to see “The Nude Bomb,” the Steve Martin posters, etc. If the show had been set a few years in the future, they would be going to Weird Al concerts.
I guess the next thing to do would be to figure out who nerds are in opposition to. Who’s NOT nerdy? Aryans, Jocks, Hip-hop guys, Bruce Willis…
Oct 11th, 2006 at 10:37 am
sorry, I don’t know how to post to comments
Oct 20th, 2006 at 9:27 pm
U forgot the candles in the shape of packman
Oct 30th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
You missed one - in the background, if you listen to just the left channel, you can sometimes hear them shout “RF Signal!”, much like other rappers do when they give “props” in the background of their songs.
I’ve made a decent replica of the Carl Sagn shirt, you can find it here:
http://www.cafepress.com/atheismunleash
Apr 9th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
I have made a “Carl Sagan is my Homeboy” t-shirt.
http://www.zazzle.com/Jennythenipper
May 9th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
ggh
May 9th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
sucked
May 9th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
but now it rock
May 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
the song gos to fast when the nerd sings because hes the champion at d n ds
May 9th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
hey matt do you play call of duty with wardog cause im war dog but i hurried and wrote ff
May 9th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
im un stopable at call of duty
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