Revenge of the Nerds: The Rise of Nerd Comedy - Part 2

In part one of this two part series, we looked at the genesis of nerd comedy and how it developed into a mainstream phenomenon. But what is Nerd Comedy?  A Google search for “Nerd Comedy” offers very little by way of definitions, with the exception of this gem from the

Urban Dictionary:

1. 1.     nerd comedy

“A type of comedy where they make many random and vague references to many other shows/books/movie/etc. So that when a passing reference by one character is recognized by you, it makes you feel cool knowing you are one of a very few people who caught that very obscure reference. The reason its <sic> called nerd comdy <sic> is becuase <sic> only smart (or nerdy people) will be able to catch enough references to find the show funny, while a stupid person would wonder why this is funny because he/she does not recognize any of the referneces <sic>.”

This particular entry, most likely submitted by a bitter audience member who stormed out following one too many Battlestar Galactica punch lines, is significant for two reasons.

First: the tone of the entry, the use of the term “they”, and the four (to be generous) grammatical/spelling errors, suggests that this was not written by a practitioner of Nerd Comedy nor a lover of the genre, but by someone who seems frustrated by this variety of entertainment.  Second: the entry suggests that Nerd Comedy is defined not by celebrating the underdog or a focus on comic books etc., but as an art form that excludes anyone with a limited reference level.

I don’t want to put too much stock in our barely-literate Urban Dictionary contributor, but I do wonder how representative this attitude may be.  In explaining why audiences laugh at Nerd Comedy, our wannabe Funk & Wagnall also stumbled upon a path well traveled by thinkers from Aristotle to Woody Allen who have tried to get a handle on why we laugh at anything in the first place. Psychologist Patricia Keith-Spiegel provides one of the more concise explanations for laughter, identifying two primary reasons why we laugh:

• We laugh out of surprise.

• We laugh when we feel superior.

Or in the case of Nerd Comedy, we laugh because we are surprised by an obscure reference and because we feel superior that we were familiar with it in the first place.

When it comes to obscure references, few comedians are as celebrated or reviled as Dennis Miller. While I’ve been personally influenced by hundreds of comedians, it’s was Miller’s Citizen Arcane HBO TV special that first made me—a  self identifying history/politics/music geek—think  that perhaps I could actually perform stand-up myself. Miller, a good looking and cocky conservative isn’t the first person to come to mind when discussing Nerd Comedy, but he may have been the Jackie Robinson of the genre. For Miller, no reference was too obscure, and if you weren’t in on the joke, then you should probably have been reading more. He’s even admitted himself to having some pretty legit nerd pedigree:

"When I went to college, I lived on campus, and the guys I hung out with made me do some things I'm not proud of, although they made the characters in Revenge of the Nerds look like the Rat Pack in 1962. I myself made that kid Booger look like Remington Steele."

Dennis Miller (I Rant therefore I Am)

Today the giants of what can loosely be described as Nerd Comedy, (Brian Posehn, Chris Hardwick and Patton Oswalt) may owe a small degree of debt to Miller, Bill Maher and perhaps even  Mort Sahl.  While they didn’t speak specifically to the science fiction/comic book crowd, all three were unafraid to delve into the minutiae of current events, pop culture, history and literature, thus paving the way for other comics to embrace the obscure references found in the previously un-cool worlds of nerdom.

So here’s my stab at the Nerd Comedy Definition:

Nerd Comedy is the genre of stand-up comedy practiced by performers who self-identify as nerds, and who appeal to audiences that share their enthusiasm for pursuits traditionally seen as outside mainstream popular culture (such as comic books, science fiction and fantasy role-playing games, to name but a few).  Nerd Comedians will often make obscure references that are understood and appreciated by their like-minded audience.

Now before we proudly dust off our pocket protectors (I have never actually seen one) and openly flaunt our Dungeon Masters Guide on the subway, keep in mind that last week The Expendables opened at # 1 at the box office, a poll announced that 1 out of every 5 Americans think that Barak Obama is a Muslim (he is not), and the frontrunner of my hometown mayoral election appears to be the frightening spawn of Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Jabba the Hut.  Perhaps our blessed Nerdvana has come to an end, and the Jeff Hollingsfoots (see my preious article for painful anecdote) have regained control of the universe.

 Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

by Geoff Hendry

© Showflicks Inc. 2010

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