Nerd Man of the Month: Bruce Campbell

There are legendary men...and then there are the men who make the legendary men feel so inadequate they have to hold each other and cry. Bruce Campbell is one of those men, a cult icon like no other. He's done it all. He's played Elvis. He's sung a Duran Duran song and woofed on national television. He's played a guy with a chainsaw for a hand and yes, he's even played himself. Those are just a few of the reasons why Bruce Campbell -- the man, the myth -- is this month's Nerd Man of the Month.

For those of us who love underdogs, Bruce is totally the man. He's like the Humphrey Bogart of B movies, with an on-screen persona so laid back and goofy that he seemingly draws the spotlight without even trying. He probably could have gone the traditional handsome leading man route, but he stayed true to his oddball nature with the Evil Dead movies, carving up cheesy skeletons as Ash. He did TV series like "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr." and "Xena: Warrior Princess." And when he wasn't acting in films that completely screw with people's brains like "Bubba Ho-Tep" (in a perfect Elvis turn), he wrote the books, "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor" and "Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way."

These days, he's sunning himself on the shores of Mainstream Land as the lovablely smarmy and dissolute sidekick Sam Axe in the USA series, "Burn Notice," managing to steal pretty much every scene he's in. And now he's touring the country promoting his upcoming indie film, "My Name Is Bruce," written by "Battlestar Galactica"'s own Mark Verheiden. Check out the preview:



Seriously, how many other dudes would star as a version of themselves who takes advantage of innocent townspeople and generally acts like a coward until manning up and (presumably) saving the day? Okay, probably like 12 guys but he's totally the coolest of the bunch. And, of course, Bruce rocks because he never, ever seems to take himself seriously. He's like the cool kid in class who's so cool he doesn't need to prove it to anyone, rendering him instantly sexy to pretty much anybody and everybody. Just check out this New York Times article for proof.

Plus, Bruce deserves this recognition because he's a hometown boy for us southeast Michiganders. Taller than Eminem, classier than Kid Rock, just as manly as Madonna and way more of a winner than our football team, Bruce is someone all of us here in the Economic Backwaters of the North can be proud of.

And because there can never be enough Bruce love in the world, here he is singing Hungry Like the Wolf:



And on that note, let's wave our chainsaw-hands high and tip our groovy hats to September's Nerd Man of the Month Bruce Campbell and all his transcendent greatness. Hail to the king, baby.