Pencil Neck Geek

If I ran a game store I would play the song Pencil Neck Geek by Fred Blassie.

"Pencil neck geek" was the nickname that old time pro wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie festooned upon his opponents. The song was drafted by some musician friends who coerced him into a recording booth and told him he didn't have to sing, that he could just speak the lines. The result is the classic Pencil Neck Geek, released in 1976 and made famous by play on the Dr. Demento show. In the song, Blassie paints a picture of a town plagued by geeks that seem to multiply without reason and bring ill fate wherever they roam. He uses the plague as an excuse to hurl two fistfuls of insults at geeks everywhere. The song is novelty from beginning to end based upon the language, the subject, the singing style, and the instrumentation (wrestling manager Johnny Legend plays the harmonica on it!). It plays a little like a country or folksy ballad. As the title of "geek" was transferred from actual geeks to those who can pass as normal and eventually to those who can pass as cool the word as an insult has been lost. The word "geek" has been empowered now, which makes Blassie's use so much the better. The nice thing about gamers is that there is a cultural memory of the word as a weapon and Pencil Neck Geek is a fun reminder of where the word started.

Pencil Neck Geek was released on an a 7" vinyl album in 1976, titled Nothin' But a Pencil Neck Geek. The A-side has both No Bout Adoubt It and Blassie, King of Men and the B-side has both U.S. Male and Pencil Neck Geek. The song was included on a 1983 album entitled I Bite the Songs, and has been included on Dr. Demento compilation albums.