Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Video games killed the radio star

Posted by Wade Tatangelo on Wed, May 28, 2008 at 1:31 PM

click to enlarge 4117f9dkefl_ss400_2.jpg

Not only are video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero III destroying an entire generation (and probably future generations) of would-be real musicians, these press-button evils are now responsible for helping revive the careers of hacks like Motley Crue. I'm sorry, folks, the kids are not alright.

Check out this gamer "shredding" (in front of a live audience!) and being rewarded for his pseudo skills. Yes, I know, I sound like a curmudgeon. But when people start paying to see someone play with a toy that mimics actual musicianship, it will be time for me to find a mountaintop far, far away ... and never return.

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I'm not so sure they're destroying anything. It's a fact that once you learn how to rock the drums on RB, you can apply those skills to a real kit. If you get the shies out by screaming into a mic and learning how pitch works, you may also decide to move it over to a real environment. Ok, I'm not saying guitar/bass skills are really transferable beyond learning beats, but I think there's a lot of potential for people to "master" the game and still be searching for something more. And for $150-$175, you'd never outfit even a garage band. Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein says: "With so much of music blurring the lines between ersatz and authenticity, at least the [game] is a tribute to rock, rather than an affront. In the realm of fakery, I would choose Rock Band over American Idol or over any of the other flimsy truths masquerading as music. With Rock Band, you can play along to Black Sabbath or Nirvana and possibly find new ways of appreciating their artistry by being allowed to perform parallel to it. Rock Band puts you inside the guts of a song. These days, it might be easier to exalt the fake than to try to make sense of the genuine. But maybe by pretending to be in a band, there will be those who'll find the nerve to go beyond the game, and to take the brave leaps required to create something real."

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Posted by David Jenkins on May 28, 2008 at 11:53 AM

It's guitarist I worry about most. Johnny Winter said he used to practice six hours a day. other than Derek Trucks, who said he also practiced about six hours daily, I don't see anyone my generation or younger devoting those kind of hours and acquiring the chops to create the gorgeous guitar sounds of yesteryear. (How many young slide players do you see playing out? Not many. Takes too long to master the right tone. Whereas effects pedal-created madness is relatively easy to get by with.) Plus, what kind of taste do these gamers have if they're making Motley Crue hitmakers again? I'm old school, the last man standing, video games suck!

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Posted by wtatangelo on May 28, 2008 at 5:48 PM

Wade, you're a crusty old curmudgeon (as you acknowledge) trying to defend a flimsy premise. David's right: The game may encourage players to try their hands at real musicianship. If not, no great loss to humanity or themselves. They would have played some other video game. Enjoy that mountaintop!

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Posted by Sal on May 29, 2008 at 8:34 PM

And Radio killed the Opera star...

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Posted by Tom Dowd the 2nd Says: on May 29, 2008 at 11:31 PM

Mick Mars practices six hours a day.

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Posted by Big Marty on May 30, 2008 at 1:30 PM

And still sucks ... Because he left his soul behind a dumpster on Sunset Strip about 25 years ago.

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Posted by rc toys on May 23, 2010 at 8:19 PM

There are certainly a lot of details like that to take into consideration. That is a great point to bring up. I offer the thoughts above as general inspiration but clearly there are questions like the one you bring up where the most important thing will be working in honest good faith. I don?t know if best practices have emerged around things like that, but I am sure that your job is clearly identified as a fair game.

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