Buffy The Vampire Slayer

In 2003, one of Dr. Christopher Neal’s favorite television programs, ’’Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’’ got a stake through the heart.

But good shows, like bad vampires, never die. And Neal is one of dozens of scholars who are making sure that the former Warner Brothers television show has a long and fruitful afterlife - in academia.

Neal, 35, director of bands at McMurry University, presented a paper at the Slayage International Conference in Nashville in late May.

He wasn’t alone.

Three-hundred ninety people from multiple countries and 43 states presented about 180 papers devoted to actress Sarah Michelle Gellar’s buxom vampire-smasher and her often-creepy cohorts.

Neal’s paper, ’’Vampires Rock, Heads Roll: Tone Painting, Characterization via Musical Style, and other Musical Symbolism in ’Once More with Feeling’, was nominated for the outstanding paper award at the conference.

’’It didn’t win, but it was an honor to be nominated,’’ he said.

Neal examined a much-acclaimed musical episode of the program. The show in general deals with the title character’s eternal fight against the forces of darkness hidden in suburban America.

When he was introduced to the series, Neal said that he was surprised to find a smart, well-written and at times immensely deep program.

’’People used to tease me that I just liked the beautiful blonde,’’ he said, referring to Gellar. ’’But that wasn’t really true. I think I took an interest in writing about it when I read some of the scholarly work that had already been done on the program.’’

Believe it or not, ’’Buffy’s’’ musical accompaniment regularly draws inspiration from the most sublime of composers, he said.

’’I saw, especially in the musical episode, techniques that resembled what Mozart’s operas or techniques that Wagner might use,’’ Neal said. ’’... I use these comparisons to highlight how postmodernism is the meeting of high art and popular culture.’’

Conference organizer David Lavery, professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University, said there’s a lot in ’’Buffy’’ for scholars to sink their teeth into.

’’I did a rough calculation, and there are currently about 40 academic disciplines or methods working with the show,’’ he said in a telephone interview Thursday.

Academics from physicists to philosophers, theologians, sociologists, law professors and more have done work with the show, Lavery said.

’’The reason we examine the show is that we see so much in it that can use our academic talents,’’ he said. ’’We academics like to joke that we’re doctors who can’t help anyone. But we can help you understand ’Buffy the Vampire Slayer’.’’