Girl Talk Confirmed For Pep Rally

Pittsburgh-based remix artist Girl Talk is scheduled to play at this November’s Harvard-Yale pep rally, his record label, Illegal Art, confirmed yesterday.

Girl Talk, the stage name of Gregg Gillis, will be the first non-Harvard musical guest since the event was reincarnated in 2005.

He is slated to perform a 45-minute set in the Yard at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20, two days before The Game, a representative from Illegal Art said.

Girl Talk is known for his unique style, combining snippets of other artists’ songs into the mash-up pieces performed during his shows.

Also noteworthy is his distinctive performance style: he dances about on stage, often stripping down to just his underwear, and keeps only his laptop—protected from his frequently flying sweat by plastic wrap—with him onstage.

Girl Talk’s popularity has been on the rise lately, and though many students have yet to hear of him, those who have said they were very excited to see him perform.

Pep rallies preceding The Game have been held in 2005 and 2007. The 2006 rally was cancelled due to rain and last year’s was moved inside the Pub for the same reason.

These two events were very popular, with the 2005 event drawing a reported 2,500 students. The rallies featured Harvard spirit contests, performances by the Harvard cheerleaders, appearances by the football team, and choruses of little-known Harvard fight songs.

College Events Board Vice-Chair Benjamin P. Schwartz ’10 declined to comment on the specifics of the upcoming event, saying only that the CEB was debating “a number of improvements” to the rally but that they were “confident that students will be pleased with the changes.”

In the past few months, the College has played host to pop-rock artist Gavin DeGraw and the hip-hop ensemble Wu-Tang Clan, who were both well-received when they performed during this spring’s Yardfest.

—Staff writer Aditi Balakrishna can be reached at balakris@fas.harvard.edu.