Ethiopian Review

Forget Rock ‘n’ Roll High School — we’re going to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Ivy League! These musicians are also pretty big thinkers with a passion for the sophisticated, the eccentric and the downright nerdy. So slap on your pocket protectors, grab your black-framed glasses and celebrate rock’s biggest geeks.

10. David Byrne

A skinny man in a big suit with suspect dance moves: Byrne epitomized New York’s New Wave scene in the ’70s. As the frontman of Talking Heads, Byrne rocked the button-down look better than anyone. His average-white-guy looks only enhanced the caustic wit of songs like ‘Burning Down the House’ and ‘Psycho Killer.’ His recent work includes scoring a ballet and making a giant piano out of an abandoned ferry terminal — really.

9. Tom Morello

This Harvard grad and political guru is also the renowned guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Morello’s ingenious use of effects pedals, toggle switches and other electronic techniques crafts monster riffs that are both hard rock and hip-hop. His use of his brains and progressive beliefs, though, combined to form a nonprofit organization with Serj Tankian of System of a Down.

8. Jello Biafra

Once a high school theater club member, Biafra went on to become the lead singer of the iconic punk band Dead Kennedys. He molded his obnoxious persona and politically charged lyrics around his anti-establishment angst, stemming from the gentrification of his hometown of Boulder, Colo. Born Eric Boucher, Biafra stills uses his stage name to give spoken-word performances and spark political protest.

7. RZA

Your high school chess team could have learned a thing or two from the RZA. The Wu Tang Clan leader is also a chess master who once held the title belt for the Hip-Hop Chess Federation (yes, hip-hop has its own chess federation). He says the game resembles a “battle” and helps kids learn to think before they act. RZA even created a WuChess Web site for fans to master their skills.

6. Robert Plant

The subject matter of several Led Zeppelin songs shows that the frontman and lyricist kept dog-eared copies of the works of fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien alongside his old blues 78s. And it only begins with the fact that ‘Misty Mountain Hop,’ ‘Ramble On’ and ‘The Battle of Evermore’ directly reference ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ — in ‘Bron-Y-Aur Stomp,’ Plant reveals that he named his dog Strider, after the ‘Rings’ character.

5. Devo

These art school brats became New Wave icons in red flowerpot helmets, and ‘Whip It’ made them ’80s pop stars. Actually, Devo are a conceptual art project railing against the twin menaces of Reaganomics and Rubik’s Cube. Their robotic rock and band name (short for “de-evolution”) portray humanity as mindless automatons who blindly follow leaders. And if a problem ever came along — well, you know …

4. Dexter Holland

The Offspring’s spiky-haired lead singer is just a dissertation away from being Dr. Holland. The high school valedictorian and longtime University of Southern California grad student bailed on his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology to focus on punk rock — who wouldn’t? Holland even has a passion for flying and once took a 10-day solo journey around the world surviving on “Doritos and beef jerky.”

3. They Might Be Giants

Instead of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, these brainy Brooklynites sing about shapes, museums and robots. So it was no surprise when TMBG made a full-fledged children’s album teaching kids how to cross the street and to tell the truth. The duo’s nasally vocals and accordion-led power pop hooks has won them a few Grammys, including one for the bratty theme song ‘Boss of Me,’ from ‘Malcolm in the Middle.’

2. The Decemberists

You might need to consult a dictionary while listening to the Decemberists. Fronted by literary kingpin Colin Meloy, the band spins tales about marauding pirates and Japanese folklore and even created a concept album about shape-shifting lovers. Meloy cites novelist Vladimir Nabokov as a major influence and has even penned a book about ’80s alt-rockers the Replacements.

1. Weezer

We all know they look just like the Buddy Holly, but Weezer also like to play a little Dungeons and Dragons. They referenced the über-nerd role-playing game in the song ‘In the Garage,’ making them heroes to pimply teenagers around the globe. As Weezer achieved rock-star status, lead singer Rivers Cuomo enlisted in Harvard and began writing a sci-fi rock opera that has yet to see the light of day.

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