Guitar Hero – What Proper Rock Stars Think
Rock Stars fantasise about being other, better Rock Stars
With Guitar Hero II due to ‘drop’ (as rock/DJ types like to say) in the States next week and in a couple of weeks in the UK (November 24th), it’s interesting to hear what a few actual, real-life, successful rock stars think of the game.
The Wall Street Journal’s Ethan Smith managed to catch up with a few musicians to find out more about their take on the Guitar Hero phenomenon, and was slightly surprised to discover that, “Many professional rockers ... say the game lets them act out a fantasy that their real lives don't quite match. Sometimes, pretending to be a rock star for a few minutes can be more fun than being one.”
Bob Bryar, drummer for My Chemical Romance, tells Smith that while playing Guitar Hero, "I've done some pretty embarrassing shit... Jumping off tables. Standing with my legs really far apart, in that goofy rock-star stance. I got huge complaints at my apartment building because I put it through my Bose and shred Guitar Hero all night."
The piece goes on to outline that, “From superstars like Korn to up-and-comers, Guitar Hero has quickly become a fixture on tour buses and in recording studios. Intended for air guitarists who might not be able to play the real instrument, the $70 PlayStation title has also won a following in the music world. Its devotees range from alternative-rocker Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails to country stars Rascal Flatts, whose tour manager, Chris Alderman, says he frequently has trouble tearing the musicians away to conduct preconcert sound checks.”
This is hardly surprising news though is it? Musicians have always used videogames on tour buses to numb the boredom of being cooped up in a small moving house with a bunch of other stinking reprobates for extended periods of time. Spinal Tap anyone?
Speaking of the mighty Tap, let’s not forget that it is one of the bands whose music appears in Red Octane’s Guitar Hero II. SPOnG’s very own wannabe-metal-god, Svend, is currently using his own, fully decked-out ‘music studio’ to evaluate G.H.II.
So when you next rock out with Guitar Hero in solitude in front of your TV, spare a thought for all those successful rockers out there, who are doing exactly the same thing.
The Wall Street Journal’s Ethan Smith managed to catch up with a few musicians to find out more about their take on the Guitar Hero phenomenon, and was slightly surprised to discover that, “Many professional rockers ... say the game lets them act out a fantasy that their real lives don't quite match. Sometimes, pretending to be a rock star for a few minutes can be more fun than being one.”
Bob Bryar, drummer for My Chemical Romance, tells Smith that while playing Guitar Hero, "I've done some pretty embarrassing shit... Jumping off tables. Standing with my legs really far apart, in that goofy rock-star stance. I got huge complaints at my apartment building because I put it through my Bose and shred Guitar Hero all night."
The piece goes on to outline that, “From superstars like Korn to up-and-comers, Guitar Hero has quickly become a fixture on tour buses and in recording studios. Intended for air guitarists who might not be able to play the real instrument, the $70 PlayStation title has also won a following in the music world. Its devotees range from alternative-rocker Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails to country stars Rascal Flatts, whose tour manager, Chris Alderman, says he frequently has trouble tearing the musicians away to conduct preconcert sound checks.”
This is hardly surprising news though is it? Musicians have always used videogames on tour buses to numb the boredom of being cooped up in a small moving house with a bunch of other stinking reprobates for extended periods of time. Spinal Tap anyone?
Speaking of the mighty Tap, let’s not forget that it is one of the bands whose music appears in Red Octane’s Guitar Hero II. SPOnG’s very own wannabe-metal-god, Svend, is currently using his own, fully decked-out ‘music studio’ to evaluate G.H.II.
So when you next rock out with Guitar Hero in solitude in front of your TV, spare a thought for all those successful rockers out there, who are doing exactly the same thing.
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Comments
king skins 8 Nov 2006 12:45
1/1
:)