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White and Page: Fuddy-Duddies
Brute
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
How lame is this? Two of my favorite musicians are dissing Guitar Hero and Rock Band (from NME).

"It's depressing to have a label come and tell you that ['Guitar Hero'] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music," White said. He added that although he doesn't try to dictate "which format people should get their music in...if you have to be in a video game to get in front of them, that's a little sad."

Page added that he can't imagine that people are really learning anything significant about playing instruments by playing video games.

"You think of the drum part that John Bonahm did on Led Zeppelin's first track on the first album, 'Good Times Bad Times'," he said. "How many drummers in the world can play that part, let alone on Christmas morning?"

Far be it from this blogger to call anybody uncool, but how are two of the most original musicians around coming off on this? If anything, I've watched Rock Band and Guitar Hero introduce great rock n' roll to game geeks who would otherwise spend their lives listening to Puffy Ami Yumi. Meanwhile, there's nothing wrong with White and Page disliking video games (or admitting that Guitar Hero doesn't equal guitar playing), but one would hope that these two vagabond musicians might be a little more open minded. Page, don't you play guitar on songs about being a woman's "back door man?" White, isn't your ex-wife your sister now? Congrats fellas, you're now fit to join my old man on the back porch to sip bad beer and dis the youts'.

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This piece was originally published at my online portfolio: www.brutestomp.com.

 
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Comments (6)
36752_1519184584690_1386800604_1423744_1678461_n
June 24, 2009
If you weren't going to be a musician before Guitar Hero, then you're not going to be one now. If you're interested in music and producing it, you're going to do so regardless of how many plastic guitars are sold.

If anything, it's introducing new people to classic music, and then they might start going and picking up a guitar. If they don't, then that's one less Fall Out Boy or Attack Attack to moan about, which isn't a bad thing.
Robsavillo
June 24, 2009
A rhythm game just isn't always an appropriate place to experience some things -- could you imagine loading up a band like Hair Police?

I tend to agree with White and Page -- I think it'd be better for kids to become involved in their respective local music scenes and experience music first hand.
Andrewh
June 24, 2009
Yeargh, back in my day we bought mp3s! Kids!
Brute
June 24, 2009
Rob,

Guitar Hero and Rock Band only encourage people to get (more) into (more) music. Musical Luddites expand their palette. Music lovers might take up an instrument as a result. In other words, no one is worse off for having played Guitar Hero or Rock Band, making White and Page a couple of fearful snobs who worry the value of their skills has been diminished by rhythm games. I don't think they could be any more lame.
Robsavillo
June 24, 2009
Adam,

I've heard as much before, and I don't discount that such exposure to music can generate more interest. I do get the feeling, though, that most users are likely downloading material they are already familiar with, as I have no seen any recollections of musical breakthrough being inspired by a session with Rock Band. And the music selection ain't exactly breaking new sonic ground.

But let's be honest with ourselves -- Rock Band and Guitar Hero are not The Stooges, The Beatles, or Public Enemy. I can say that I've learned exponentially more about music from seeing artists perform and talking to artists about their music. You just can't get that with these games as they are now.
Brute
June 25, 2009
Rob,

Points taken. But then my question is: what's the justification of White and Page making these games into rhetorical whipping children? I think their words betray a persistent problem for all gamers: not being taken seriously by the outside world. If either musician knew anything about our hobby, then they would praise RB and GH for not being murder simulators or base, Hollywood-inspired schlock, which our market is saturated with.

I mean, here are the ultimate edutainment titles. They remove everything that's intimidating about trying an instrument while maintaining the synergy of playing in a band. It's the perfect stepping-stone to studying music. As a musician myself, I don't want to discourage anyone from trying RB and GH because there's no telling where the experience might take them. Meanwhile, if someone plays the games and never studies music, is that the fault of the games? Again, why blame the games for anything? Why are the games somehow reflective of a negative "state" that we are in, either in music or life in general?
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