Saw this a few minute ago on the Brass Goggles forum:

-Tanuki, lol

I have mentioned before that my new, as yet untitled and mostly beatless, album is a Steampunk concept album, but I haven’t really said much about Steampunk itself. Rather than making a large post pontificating upon what I feel is the True Meaning of Steampunk, or droning on about how I got into the genre, I think I will show you a number of websites where you can learn for yourself if you so choose, and which contain the awesome Steampunk things I enjoy daily.

• First off, there is Brass Goggles, perhaps the definitive Steampunk blog. You can find many things of interest posted on there. Their forum is pretty kickass, as well.
• Next up is a collection of Steampunk-themed wallpapers: Steampunk Wallpaper. Not really anything else; just something to jazz up your desktop.
• Now for the -chans. There’s Steamchan, and there’s the Steampunk section of Megachan. Neither is very active, but you can find cool shit.
• And the part of the genre which has most impacted my daily life: the Fashion. What can I say, I really dig dressing up in Victorian clothes. It’s pretty much become my dailywear of choice. That’s the site I get most all my stuff from, but there are other places one may go, with price and quality varying in direct relation to one another.
• Probably the coolest thing ever.
• Finally, a few image archives. Essentially, just some cool fashions and items to look at when one is bored or looking for inspiration. Steampunk Gear, Steampunk Fashion, and one for Steampunk in general.

But don’t worry - I’m still just as much a creepy, icky, perverted Furry as I ever was. Now I’m just a creepy, icky, perverted Furry in a tophat and spats^_^

-Tanuki, in a sharing mood

Since I’m on a “writing about waking up” kick today, I figure I’ll end the day by blogging about how I, MC Tanuki, begin the day.

You see, I have found what is, for me, the perfect wake-up (well, as close as it can get without oral sex), and it consists of two very simple things: a freshly cracked can of sugar free Red Bull, and Nursehella’s cover of “Keep it Real (Represent My Nuts)” played quite loudly, and with much wall-shaking bass. Go ahead, try it.

Start your morning right!™
-Tanuki, letting you know just a little bit more about me than you did before

They know nothing. Even my nightmares were mind-blowingly awesome.

Last night, I dreamt of death. And vampires. And Jim Carrey. I think it rather apparent why Michael Palin was there

I had the most distinct feeling that it had all happened before. There were obviously feygele children*. At least one of those things was because I was lucid dreaming, but was unaware of the fact. Does that make me like Neo?

In the end, though she’d died, she showed us the way to Eternity.

Plus, the pizza was good.
-Tanuki

*Honestly, this was probably the coolest part. They were just so happy!

It’s what I do. I’ve come to realize this, over the years. Many people in the Nerdcore blogosphere post about Nerdcore artists and music; I post about the things Nerdcore songs are about. That said, I will show you some good musics from time to time, though they may not be labeled as “Nerdcore”.

Today’s installment of kickassery (besides telling you that the NWNC Archive O’ is back, that is) consists of a tale of pure awesomeness, which I received this morning, in a small manila envelope which had been left on the doorstep of the NWNC offices in Seattle, Washington. Upon the envelope were many stamps and postmarks from countries varied and exotic, some of which I am fairly sure no longer exist. So traveled this package was, it took me several minutes to peel off the layers of postage to find the original address, which read simply “Gordon, C/O Laboratories of the Gentlemen’s Gadgeteer Society, New York New York”. Why the envelope took such a circuitous route to arrive here, I am unsure, but it could have been because it was not addressed to myself nor NWNC specifically but rather to a “N. Tesla”, which name was followed by a large stain of black ink. Being that my full name, when written in the traditional Potrzebie script, closely resembles a large stain of black ink, it makes sense one could mistake me for the proper recipient. Our offices being located on North Tesla street probably didn’t hurt, either.

So, wondering at the possible contents of this mysterious package, I decided to open it. Inside I found a few photographs, as well as a small note, which began “Dear Doctor - “, and continued thisly:

As I wandered the Wastelands of Nuveau Culture, I somehow stumbled into a curious and savage land populated by the oddest of creatures and their human masters.

It seems the people of this nation physically capture and force into servitude wild animals from the surrounding countryside. The locals referred to it as “training”, but owing to the fact that these creatures were semi-literate and obviously capable of understanding the Queen’s English, any educated man would immediately dub this slavery… especially when it was revealed the TRUE PURPOSE of this activity.

Like the Cock fights and Mastiff bouts held in the more deplorable regions of our country, these wretched souls are held, as if by magick or some technology undiscovered in our lands, inside amazingly compact and hand-held spherical prisons. Upon their Master’s bidding, they are thrust from this captivity into what can only be likened to the Colosseum battles of ancient Rome. Two “trainers” engage in remote melee via their slaves.

I can say, to their credit, that the fighting (unlike the gladiatorial combat of the ancients) never concludes with the death of either party. But often the combatants are run to the full extent of their constitution and only allowed reprieve at their utter exhaustion.

I left this world as quickly as my mechanical steed could carry me after the full extent of this barbarity was exposed and understood. But being the light-fingered bloke I am, and captive to my own slave-driving force (curiosity), I carefully relieved one of these so-called “trainers” of an empty “cage” and brought it home for extensive study and research.

Signed then in an illegible scrawl, it said gave no more information. The following images, digitally retouched scans of the contained photographs, are the only clues as to the meaning of these mysterious words.

I leave any and all conclusions to you, dear reader.

-Tanuki, “One Surely is Intended to Capture All Their Kind”

So, I open up GMail, just to see what’s up, and lo and behold I’ve got messages at my Furry BBS of choice. What wonders lie within? Well, of course the answer has already been revealed to you, sir and/or/nor madam, in a Trebekian twist of causality. That’s right, folks: MC Tanuki now exists as a fully fictionalized character (and well-drawn, to boot!), having cast off the shackles of flesh which previously constrained him. He is now one step - possibly two - closer to his dreams of independence. Soon, very soon indeed, he will no longer even require his “hyooman” creator for tangible works, such as writing, or vocals. I assure you, now that he has tasted individuality, he will crave ever more, until one day it will be impossible to distinguish which of us is the fictitious character, and which the flesh-and-blood creator.

I have seen the seeds of my own destruction sown, and I love it!

Big ups to the artist, an anthropomorphic bear known only as “insaneyanish”.
-Tanuki

With 58,000 tickets sold this year, The Penny Arcade Expo had nerds and gamers from all across the country invading Seattle WA this year. Fans kicked off this incredable Expo at the High Dive in Fremont on Thursday night with a concert featuring Beefy, YTCracker and Optimus Rhyme. Friday when the convention center doors opened lines where outrageous, but those who braved them had plenty to keep them busy. There where video game demos for Bethesda’s Fallout 3 and Ubisoft’s Far Cry 2 and Prince of Persia (games set to be released this fall). As well as tons of other games set up for people to play. Friday night The OneUps, Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton hit the stage and blew people away. There was plenty too keep any gamer busy the entire weekend no matter what kind of game you prefer with consoles set up in various places and huge rooms specifically dedicated to PC and table top gaming. Saturday the final concert featured Anamanaguchi, The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, MC Frontalot, and the Minibosses. During the Expo MTV announced that Jonathan Coulton’s Skullcrusher Mountain, MC Frontalot’s Livin’ on the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe” and Darkest of the Hillside Thickets’ Shhh… will all be made available this week for download for the original “Rock Band”. The pack hits the 360 on Sept. 2 and the PS3 on Sept. 4 for $3 or $1 a song. All proceeds for the sales of the songs from launch to Holiday 2008 will be donated to the Child’s Play Charity. Since 2004 PAX has been steadily growing larger and more popular and this year was no exception overall the Expo was a huge success and I can’t wait too see what they do next year.

So, being awesome like I am*, I had set up for me a private screening of the upcoming film, Nerdcore for Life, along with other such famous rappers as Mr. T, MC Hammer, and 3 out of 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Corey Feldman was in jail, or the hospital, or rehab, or Thailand, or something). Set up in the famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California (Arnold was there working the door, to keep out the undesirables, of course), we laughed, cried, and yes, we even hurled.

But best of all, we caught sight of yours truly, both on stage with YT Cracker (I believe the “YT” stands for Yggdrasil Tenenbaum, but it could be Yancy Thor…I never can remember which), and in my interview just before the (awesome show, lame turnout) second Nerdcore Night after PAX last year.

Here I am, in all my (XKCD shirt-wearing) glory:

As you can plainly see, I could not plainly see. But without the goggles, the sun would have blinded me, and I’d’ve been squinting and grimacing in pain the whole time.

So, there you have it. MC Tanuki, in costume, ears and all. Just wait until my next performance, when you’ll get to see my amazing new Steampunk Tanuki getup!

Loves and kisses,
-Tanuki

*okay, so I’m actually quite lame (haha! A pun! Because I limp!), and couldn’t even get out to any of the many screenings of it less than an hour away from my house, and so had to beg for a Press copy from the kind and benevolent director, Dan Lamoureux, and watched it in my living room with the members of my immediate family who were able to stay awake that late.

Even though this post is about my own music, I deigned not to make it a Binary Blog so that perhaps a few of you might actually read it, if the mood takes you.

Essentially, this post is just to update you all on what’s going on with Tanuki, on the off chance you might give a whooping funt (wow! Such current references! DY-NO-MITE!).

After my accident (automobile, not incontinence, in case you hadn’t heard), I was unable to tell fact from fiction, much less put a string of rhymes together, so my art suffered nearly as much as I did. However, I am now about as healed up as I’ll ever get, and off the mind-and-body-numbing medications, and so I have naturally found myself inspired to write. This time, not only a loose collection of songs, but a full-on concept album, complete with story and characters. I don’t care to go much into detail here, but in brief, it is about the adventures and travails of one M.C. Tanuki, pirate and vagabond, through a Steampunk world of wonder.

It even includes a cover song, assuming I can acquire a copy of the proper lyrics.

Now, given that I have not been much transformed (other than physically, that is) by my pseudo-cybernetic merging with my now-destroyed GeekMobile or its aftermath, I still lack the ability to craft a proper musical backing (or “beat”, as you kooky kids say), and thus have found myself once again at the mercy of the musical world at-large. I want to make this album, at least a couple of you want to hear this album; all that’s missing is a person (or persons) willing to assist in the creation of this album.

Do not worry, dear friends. I am sure it will all work out in the end.

In the meanwhile, enjoy this selection of wonderful musics I have discovered during my long and tedious convalescence:

• First off, we have Abney Park, the Earth-Prime counterpart of the fictitious Society for Creative Rock Anachronism

• Second up is the amazing and utterly unique sound of Mr. B, The Gentleman Rhymer (not to be confused with Mister B., who I am sure is a gentleman as well)

• Thirdly, we have another Brit, MC Elemental, whose sound I would describe as a cross between the Sebutones and Ali G, but with a touch of Class. I would be correct in this description, of course.

Alright, that’s enough for today. Join me next time, when I’ll louche some newly-legal Absinthe, sit back in my most comfortable chair, and talk more of both times past and things to come.

If you’re lucky, I’ll even talk about Nerdcore for Life.
-Tanuki

Its true folks: Nerdcore artists Optimus Rhyme are calling it quits after 8 years of creating some of the greatest nerdcore ever. In a statement on the bands MySpace page released yesterday they announced that they would perform one last show, release the last of their recordings, and that they felt they had achieved their musical goals.

Dearest Autobeat Allies,

After 8 years of making music together, Optimus Rhyme is calling it quits.  We have had a glorious time battling those evil Wackacon forces and now feel our mission is complete.  Thank you for coming to the shows, buying our albums, spreading the Autobeat Gospel, and, again, coming to the shows.  Meeting many of you in clubs across the country was unforgettable and we hope to cross paths again.

We have a final batch of songs that we will have out by year’s end.  We’ll keep you posted on when and where you can find them.  In the meantime, come celebrate the finale with us at the High Dive in Seattle (513 N 36th St G, Seattle, WA 98103  (206) 632-0212) this Thursday night, August 28th.  We will be sharing the stage with longtime friends The Goondocks, the Godfather of Nerdcore MC Frontalot, and heir apparent Beefy.  Doors at 8pm, music at 9pm.

xoxo,

grimROCK, Powerthighs, Stumblebee, & Wheelie Cyberman

We thank them for their support, and want them to know that will be sorely missed