ABSTRACT
David Link, publicity manager at Twentieth Century Fox-the studio responsible for the hot film, Revenge of the Nerds-delineated the signs of the encroaching craze. The forces behind the rise of the nerd included, first and foremost, the computerization of society. Hackers the type of computer whiz kids glorified in War Games have become the new campus heroes. In addition, there appear to be a lot of closet nerds; i.e., people who go home and dress like nerds because they feel more comfortable that way. Among musicians, Elvis Costello and the band Devo epitomized the nerd with their owlish, horn-rimmed glasses and gawky poses as early as 1976, followed by Thomas Dolby and Michael Jackson. Pee Wee Herman, considered by many to be the quintessential nerd, achieved cult status and sired a whole school of socially regressed stand-up comedians, including Howie Mandel and Richard Lewis.
