For our 40th Nerd Nite, we are going to explore the themes of music and comedy! In Nerd Nite 39: Three Nerds Walk into a Bar…, there will be presentations on hidden tracks, rock humor, and feminist stand-up. Join us on Wednesday, June 10th at Maceli’s at 8 pm. (Doors open at 7:30) $1 cover.
Adrian Jacobs: “A Funny Thing Happened at the End of the Album”
Exploring the stories, methods and madness behind some of the greatest hidden tracks of all time.
Adrian Jacobs is the Senior Communications and Operations specialist at LJWorld, Lawrence.com and KUsports.com and helps run the annual Best of Lawrence event. He’s on the board of the Social Media Club of Lawrence and is an alumni DJ with KJHK. A self-proclaimed musicologist, film buff, art history enthusiast, amateur videographer and recent High School Talent Show Judge, Adrian is also known to play guitar and “sing”
Iain Ellis: “A Hurried History of Subversive Rock Humor”
This presentation will throw a spotlight on the history of humor in rock music and its use as a weapon of anti-establishment rebellion. The performers who are the subjects are not merely musicians or comedians–they are artists whose works exude defiance and resistance, whether aimed at social structures, cultural mores, political systems, or the music industry itself. Subversive rock humorists serve as the conscience of our culture. They criticize pretensions, satirize hypocrisy, and pour scorn on power, corruption, and lies.
Born in Manchester and raised east of London, Iain Ellis now lives in LFK where he teaches classes on youth rebellion for the KU English Department. He mostly writes about humor and youth culture, writing over 50 articles for the online journalPopMatters and publishing 2 books on rock humor, Rebels Wit Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists and Brit Wits: A History of British Rock Humor. When not writing or propping up the bar at the Replay, Iain performs and records with 3 local bands: KT/DG, The Leotards, and Heebie Jeebies.
Rachel Blackburn: “Surfing the Fourth-Wave of Feminism in Stand-Up Comedy”
Feminism has been lurking around comic corners for a long time, ever since Jane Austen penned her wit to paper and even before. So how then does our current wave of feminism play out on the stand-up comedy stage? Is feminist stand-up comedy just jokes made by women? For women? Involving vaginas and the wage gap? Or is there more to it? Take a look at the various layers of how fourth-wave feminist politics and social views are constructed through the new and exciting work of stand-up comics who self-identify all throughout that beautiful gender spectrum. We’ll look at the work of Free State Fest performer Tig Notaro, plus Hari Kondabolu and Adrienne Truscott among others, and the exchange between comedy and the fight for equality. Plus, you’ll learn the answer to the age-old question, “Can you write a feminist dick joke?”
Rachel Blackburn, M.F.A. (Virginia Commonwealth University) is currently a third-year Ph.D. student and instructor in KU’s Theatre Department. Her research explores the intersections of stand-up comedy, race, gender, transnational and performance studies. Her professional practice frequently involves directing and performing theatre, both abroad and domestically. This summer, she is teaching Public Speaking as Performance, directing a play reading, presenting her writing at a theatre conference to friendly Canadians, and performing in a New Play Development workshop in Montreal. When Rachel’s not imparting wisdom to her students or gleaning it from professors, she can be found playing her guitar, dancing to some sick beats (preferably by T-Pain), travelling the world, wishing she had a puppy, and laughing a lot with her friends along the way.