Do my GH3 skills translate to real guitar? No, not really. I wasn’t really so naive as to believe that. However, there is no question to me that someone that can play GH3/RockBand has the ability to learn to play a real guitar, up to some level. It DID inspire me to learn a new instrument and I have enjoyed it so far.

While it did knock on Guitar Hero/Rock Band, the main point he was trying to make was that he felt The Clash “sold out”. It’s the same reason Jello Bifara and most artists stringent on licenscing have: When you license a song for a commercial product, the focus will be taken away from your song.

Granted, the tone seems kind of paranoid and against “the man”, and brings up the issue of of Marxism, saying that by buying Guitar Hero, we’re all consumerist zombies. Makes a couple good points, but he really ignores the bigger picture: what if it acts as an influence, whether to play the real guitar or REALLY get into the Clash. We all can’t be that pathetic and predictable, right?

Maybe he’s underestimating and I’m overestimating the average American intellect.

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/the-alluring-danger-of-dilettantism/

Sigh. More.

–
Strummer died in 2002, sparing him the despair, and humiliation, of seeing “Complete Control” turned into pure merchandise, a complete parody:

This is the perfect subversion of the Clash’s subversion, anarchy turned into routine, complete with a score-keeping mechanism. Now when Strummer screams “You’re my guitar hero!,” it’s an act of distancing rather an embrace. It’s also, bewilderingly, an act of advertising, the cynical come-on of a hawker. Strummer’s scream becomes a moment not of mutual liberation but of deep creepiness. The ironies are piled so high that the only way out is to ignore them, as Johnny Rotten and Steve Jones have learned to do so well.
–

My Review here:
http://rbexperiment.blogspot.com/2009/02/he-became-d-pad-hero.html

It’s good, but pretty hard and could use some music other than 80′s Pop.

I love playing both bass and Rock Band. The video games allow me and friends to play a song instantly without rehearsal and it means I can play instruments I can’t play (drums!) and songs outside my skill level.

I generally counter with “Join the real Army.”

What the hell are they expecting at that point?

“What? Aw, Thanks man! I knew something was up was when had to get these at GameStop. And that they don’t really make sound unless the PlayStation is on.”
And then they are worshiped for all eternity solely because of their keen observation skills.

Guitar Hero got me to take up the real thing. I still play fake plastic rock games, but they provide two different feelings:

Fake Rock provides accessibility. Me, my friends and family can start jamming without lugging any equipment around, or worrying if Person A knows song B. It’s all there. Even alone, the scoring and competition gives me a tangible measure of progress. The music comes to me.

The Real Thing is more primal than that, the satisfaction of “I, and I alone did it.” when I finally learned a tough riff. I can put feeling into how I play, and can just mess around with the damn thing.

I’ve turned this into The Rhythm Bastard Experiment (check site), where I try to learn Fake Plastic Rock songs on a real guitar. One of those tab books would help a lot though, but NOOOO, I’m Cheap Bastard. Plus, it would be helpful.

I even did a write up on you:
http://rbexperiment.blogspot.com/2008/10/fake-plastic-rock.html

TL;DR- Takin’ a field trip to Guitar Center.