Despite being called a nerd, I was quite flattered. Which is worse, nerd or geek? As long as I'm not a dork.

Fast 'n' Bulbous
www.fastnbulbous.com

Eat this, John Cusack. Unlike the 'five best love songs'-type lists that littered the High Fidelity movie, Fast 'n' Bulbous, carved out in HTML with love and sweat, delivers the mother of all rock lists. With thousands of entries and Top 100 lists from 1965 to 2001, Fast 'n' Bulbous has 'nerd' stamped all over it. "I'm a notorious list maker. . . I feel compelled to keep track of music I like for the fear of forgetting stuff," explains the creator, Chicago's Anthony Van Dorston (aka Uncle Fester). As the title suggests, there is a heavy Beefheart connection, with the mighty Don Van Vliet readily namechecked on almost every page. Van Dorston has been writing since 1986, and the site offers a fine selection of articles (such as a history of punk and a profile of Funkadelic), plus plenty of inspired rants and reviews. Obsessive music fandom at its very best.

ANNE HILDE NESET