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Skinny ties, Brill Creamed hair and horn-rimmed glasses.
The Spazmatics are what they wear.
The Chicago band members set to perform Sunday at Huntley High School take pride in their ultimate “nerd” style.
So much so that they won’t go by any other name or back story.
They’re the Spazmatics: Louis, Eugene, Milton and Jeffrey.
And they perform, as they put it, “all the awesome sounds, styles and way cool dance steps from the 1980s, the decade we’d love to forget.”
“So much of the music from the ’80s was so awesome,” said Eugene MeeGeen, who plays the drums. As story has it, Eugene achieved international acclaim in 1981 for his invention of “robot” drums.
“You had pop, rock, hair metal, ballads and New Wave. We tend to lean more toward the New Wave because of all the cool synths and stuff,” he said.
As they tell of their beginnings, Louis Stigwood, a physics professor at Alta Dena High in Thousand Oaks, Calif., brought the band together after losing a public debate over String Theory.
As agreed by both parties, the loser would have to do anything the winner demanded.
The pupil who had won demanded Louis perform “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby during half-time at an upcoming state basketball championship game.
He turned to Eugene, then an electronics teacher, who “explained that most of the music could be generated by computers, and all that he needed was a couple of decent musicians to fill in the holes.”
Stigwood then brought in “his special needs brother, Milton, on bass and teacher’s assistant, Jeffrey, on guitar.”
The band now plays full time, three to four times a week, “unless there’s a Dungeons & Dragons tournament happening,” Eugene said.
We asked Eugene a few more “important, scientific” questions.
Who’s your favorite nerd from “Revenge of the Nerds”?
Lewis, because ultimately he gets the girl. He’s our hero because none of us have been with a girl yet!
If you could travel back to the ’80s, what “fad” would you stop before it started?
We would have stopped the multi-layered polo shirts in favor of a well-dressed man in a button down shirt and tie. Every girl’s crazy about a sharp dressed man!
Your show is quite spastic. Are you guys on Ritalin? Should you be?
Only Milton and that’s why he wears a helmet – for your protection and for his.
Any advice for other geeks and nerds out there?
Just be yourself! Girls think nerds are hot because they’re not trying to be somebody they’re not.
You’ve become so successful. Do you think you’ve helped nerds become the new “in crowd”?
Most definitely, we sell out many venues that we play in now. Everybody has an inner-nerd, and coming to our shows helps them let their guard down and connect with that.
CHICAGO SPAZMATICS
When: 3:30 p.m. March 18
Where: Huntley High School Performing Arts Center, 13719 Harmony Road, Huntley. Huntley High School Fine Arts Boosters fundraising concert.
Tickets: $15, mezzanine level, $20 premium seats at 847-659-6659 or www.huntleyfinearts.com.
Information: www.chicagospazmatics.com