Maybe I’m being self-indulgent, but I think some of you have wondered why I’ve been slack on posting lately. I would apologize, but I’m not sorry.
Since Monday, I’ve been addicted to a lil game called Guitar Hero. If you’re not hip to GH, get hip. It’s the greatest thing ever.
Basically, it’s like Dance Dance Revolution for the guitar. They give you a raft of pretty good songs, and you play them with a guitar that comes with the game. Costs $70, and it’s so worth it, especially if you were a kid that dreamed of playing the guitar like I was.
In fact, I played pretty well as a child. When I was 9, I accompanied my teacher at a show at Prairie View A&M’s Christmas show. I was so nervous that I made myself sick, but I made it through “The First Noel” without any hassles and got personally introduced to the crowd. Even with a splitting headache and a stomach doing backflips, I was extremely excited. One of the greatest days of my life.
Unfortunately, my teacher was later killed by his ex-girlfriend in a store parking lot. That was my first brush with tragic death, and it hits me hard now. Way harder than when it happened because I couldn’t grasp death then, but I understand more now than I wish I did.
(Random–ever look back on how you handled deaths as a child and regret that you couldn’t help the people close to you when those things happened? I had two grandparents die at ages when I couldn’t grasp the magnitude, and I still feel bad for that.)
But here’s the thing…does playing Guitar Hero make me like those DDR people? I would call those people lame, but Gary loves it and Gary’s not lame.
Cuz man, I’ll be in this piece killin that guitar. Killin it. It’s the most addictive game I’ve ever played, and the songs are largely fantastic.
One problem–not enough black people. They put a blues joing on there, but it’s from Stevie Ray Vaughan. Don’t get me wrong–he’s probably one of the five or ten greatest guitar players ever. But you gotta put more black people on here than Hendrix. That’s said and somewhat disrespectful.
7 Comments
by Kirk
You’re a LOSER!!! LOSER!!!
35, white as a sheet, balding, sitting at home playing Guitar Hero…LOSER! Wait a minute…
I’ll never even bother trying the game. Either I’ll hate it and be out $70, or I’ll like it and have to take back all the shit I gave you for liking it. Either way, no good.
by Rex
I’ve always felt that Vernon Reid was a seriously underrated as a guitarist in the 90s. Too bad he didn’t develop a larger catalog of music. Was a fan of Earl Klugh’s jazzy style in the 80s. Of course now, Tom Morello is the SHIT!!! Going back, back, back, I really like what Buddy Guy has done throughout his career as well as Taj Mahal; and of course my favorite blues guitarist “composition/writing-wise” was the Reverend Gary Davis. He wrote or inspired almost all of the Hot Tuna songs and Jorma Kaukonen solo stuff…
Different genres of music tend to focus in on one demographic as the musicians of note (no pun intended). And that’s a shame! But, whether the public is aware of the number of great black guitarists or not, there’s no denying who was the best…
If it’s not evident by my love for guitarists, I play guitar as well.
by Gary Dauphin
You are 1000% right: I am NOT lame! Also: GH does indeed rock like a motherfuck.
by williethepimp
Check out the stuff Vernon did outside of Living Colour too like what he did with Ron Shannon Jackson and his solo records. Quite a catalog. I think he plays some banjo with Jackson, but I haven’t heard much of it yet.
by RDR
I don’t even like rock music like that, and I STILL want to try this game …
by Mr Carter
Don’t sleep on DDR… From Beijing to B-More, its well respected.
by Valencia
*Sigh* I know that guitar game….It became the follow up at get togethers after the crew tired of DDR. And man, DDR seems to make people happy….I for one never played it…just watched other people sweat….it’s funny. But that guitar one looks like it gonna have the same effect as DDR…late hours and lots of laughs.