Jimmy Page, What's Your Problem?

[whaleswiththumbs]

I have two things to say

First, this article made me think alittle, I am a music person, I own play 3 of the weirdest instruments on the planet(trombone, harmonica, Xaphoon, and some guitar[yeah yeah yeah, guitar isn't that weird but lt me talk]), and after playing Rock Band I do listen to songs alittle better, wondering what playing them would be like on RB. Which means I will listen to a good song alot more.

Second, aren't the rockstars who are complaining most the ones without their own songs on a rhythm game(I checked the ones in the article and didn't find any familiar names), so they are bitchin' cause they aren't making the same(if petty) amount of money the other more successful rockstars are. Heres my advice to them: Shut up, Make better music, and if possibly it might be better than whatever garbage you keep putting out, you might be smiled upon by the god apollo and he will include your game in some expansion or DLC. Or as I quote Yahtzee: "How 'bout you man up... you little pansy."

 

[BardSeed]

If anything, the games will make people crave real instrument playing instead... You know, for people who aren't actually brain dead, like me. When I play GH, it makes me wish I played a real instrument and I'm thinking of taking lessons.

My mate loves rockband and guitar hero games. Whenever I'd ask him why he didn't spend as much time playing a real instrument, "I can just do it on guitar hero, without having to practice.", was his response. Eventually he decided to buy a bass guitar, but after the first day or two, he left it at my house and has barely touched the thing for over a month.

Second, aren't the rockstars who are complaining most the ones without their own songs on a rhythm game(I checked the ones in the article and didn't find any familiar names), so they are bitchin' cause they aren't making the same(if petty) amount of money the other more successful rockstars are. Heres my advice to them: Shut up, Make better music, and if possibly it might be better than whatever garbage you keep putting out, you might be smiled upon by the god apollo and he will include your game in some expansion or DLC. Or as I quote Yahtzee: "How 'bout you man up... you little pansy."

Are you kidding? They don't feature in the games because they don't want to. Trust me, Zeppelin have probably been offered an absurd amount of money to feature in a guitar hero/rock band game. Don't delude yourself into thinking that they can't get into the game. Even Placebo were in. Your post is making rage. How could you say something so stupid?

 

[Crash486]

I think the obvious answer is, they've spent their entire lives practicing/perfecting their craft, and to have it simplified in the form of a video game makes them feel cheap somehow. I mean its not too hard to understand where they're coming from, plenty of people seem to think that playing guitar hero/rockband on expert is similar to playing the song in real life. I don't know how many friends I've heard tell me that "playing on expert is almost like playing a real guitar," when in fact they've never played a real guitar and have no idea.

There are also loads of "watch me play guitar hero on expert" videos on youtube, and even virtual "battle of the band" contests held at gaming events all over to see who the best "rock band" is. It's really easy to see why they may feel that the game is attempting to make their accomplishments seem insignificant.

It's not like when you play a sports game and feel like you're Peyton Manning, there's a very clear distinction between the video game and the real sport, but with games like guitar hero and rockband which actually simulate the feel of playing an instrument I'm sure there are many delusional kids out there that feel they can rock the axe with the best of them.

 

[madcap2112]

Doesn't seem like that big a threat to music to me. It's just a game, for one thing. Not to mention it got me into some good music too. I don't think it's anything Jimmy Page of LED-FREAKIN'-ZEPPELIN to worry about. Besides, it's not like the music industry and rock in general can get much worse.

Having said that, it does get kind of annoying hearing people boast about how good they are at 'Free Bird' or how they can beat 'Through the Fire and Flames' like any of it means anything. I really don't care how awesome you are at it, I'll stick to my guitar.

But it's just a game, anyway.

 

[kato128]

Given the amount of songs that are getting ripped off or remixed these days I think they've got bigger issues than guitar hero. Just about everything I hear on the radio these days is someone rapping over the top of an old song. So why are they focusing on GH/RB when there's a chronic shortage of originality?

 

[AeroZeppelinSevenfold]

Very well written, and well said. I play guitar, drums, bass, and sing a little, and I do it all in Rock Band too. They are not the same. There is no feeling like jamming with some friends, and tearing up a killer solo.

But, on the other hand, there is no feeling like playing Rock Band/Guitar Hero with a few friends. Just going nuts and enjoying yourself to some popular songs with your non-musician friends can be fun too.

They each have their own ways of being fun. Creating music is very fun for me, but it is also fun to Rock Band it up with some random friends.

Does that make sense? I hope it did.

 

[Lima]

Is Jimmy Page still a heavy drug user?... because that would explain this... this and fricken playing with P Diddy ruining one fantastic Led Zep song (I reference "Come With Me" ripping off Kashmir). I honestly think these musicians are getting in a tiffy about nothing. Last time I checked this promotes their music and gets people more interested in the MUSIC itself.

 

[KSarty]

Why is this still causing such a shit storm? So he doesn't like the games, big deal. He said something bad about one of your favorite games and you're all going into riot mode, move on already. If you like the game then just play it, who cares what other people say.

 

[HentMas]

wow, they should team up with Jack Thompson (or whatever his nameis spelled)

i have a friend that loved the game, and after it he bought a real guitar and learned to play... i mean, how can it not be a "conection" to apreciate more music????

 

[BoyParka]

To an extent, I do agree with the rockstars. I mean, really, if you can 100% "Through the Fire and the Flames" on expert then you really need to start learning a real guitar.

I don't agree. The thrills of ace-ing a video game are completely different from the joys of playing and mastering an instrument. There is absolutely no reason to assume an interest in (and even dedication to) the former implies the latter would be even remotely interesting to a person.

There seems to be this notion that if it weren't for these people playing games, they would be engaging in the supposedly real-life equivalent. But they are *not* equivalents. A game never is a "virtual" alternative to a real-world activity, regardless of its content matter. And no-one playing games considers them to be a replacement (if you do, please get help). So while everyone keeps yelling Guitar Hero keeps people from learning the guitar, implicitly assuming one is just a watered-down, no-skill version of the other, no-one points out the obvious apples-and-oranges falacy of that statement.

 

[Visulth]

This reminds me of a comic:

I agree with a lot of what's been said here; I've never encountered someone who seriously considered themselves actually proficient at a guitar or something simply from playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero.

My only guess as to why these actual musicians don't like RB or GH is that maybe they do feel threatened, they don't like the idea of a game encroaching on their "territory". It's really all in their heads, which might say something about their character.

I do play drums both on an actual drum set and on GH/RB and the one thing that really got me hooked on the games was that instead of having to spend tons of hours memorizing the notes and working through really complex parts, you could just pop in the game and get almost the same satisfaction. This, as said before, in no way replaces creating music or actually playing at a concert, but it's fun. Hence why so many people have GH, RB, or both.

 

[JimmyFan]

Comparing music games to real life music and instruments is like comparing Call of Duty to real life war.

And then people acting all put out when General Patraeus puts down the video game...

Page didn't up and slag off video games; someone asked him the question and he answered. Let's consider his actual words (which strangely are nowhere to be found in the article or this thread): "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?"

One of the best guitarists in the world just put your game in its proper place, while putting the musicianship of greats like Bonham in its proper place. This upsets you why?

So the man doesn't want his life's work, and that of his colleagues, reduced to the level of a video game. Instead of getting self-righteous about it, you might consider what he's trying to tell you about music, the same way you might pull your head out of fantasy land long enough to listen to a four star general tell you about war.

BTW, Tendo - "Stairway to Heaven" has been a beloved and vastly well known piece of music played throughout the world by everyone from Frank Zappa to symphony orchestras for over 30 years without being part of a video game, heck, without even being released as a single. You're deluded to think it needs GH/RB to somehow survive. Frankly, if young people can't be moved by it on its own merits without the corporate stamp of approval from GH/RB, it says a lot more about them than it does about Jimmy Page.

 

[Maddness101]

wow, they should team up with Jack Thompson (or whatever his nameis spelled)

i have a friend that loved the game, and after it he bought a real guitar and learned to play... i mean, how can it not be a "conection" to apreciate more music????

Best guess? People feel bands have somehow 'sold out' by being in a videogame, after all look at the comments along the lines of music being 'reduced' by being in a videogame... although again this may be a GH/RB/Music games in general thing rather than if the songs were in a game where you don't 'play along', but you never know.

Edit: Oops thats a lot of 'air quotes' shall have to tone those down

 

[KenzS]

I have to agree with jimmy page to an extent.

Though I do not believe these games are ruining music, in fact they are encouraging the younger generation to actually listen to classic rock!

But I believe some songs should not be given to the satisfaction of the paddle players. Save Led Zeppelin for the true guitarists.

On a later note, WTF is with aerosmith and this game? Their opening act for their concerts is geeks playing guitar hero, i guess it's cheaper then opening bands?

 

[Jim Grim]

I agree with you on the point about how music games will not in anyway damage the music industry. After all, where would the songs for these games come from in the first place if people were no longer writing and listening to great music? However, I don't believe they'll contribute to much either, let alone 'revolutionise' the industry. The truth is that they probably have no effect on peoples view on music; people will always just listen to what they like the sound of. Music games will not change music, in the same way that shooters don't change war.

 

[jdenicholls]

Yeah Rock Band is fun. Sucks dick compared to the fun of learning to play guitar properly, but I'm not going to begrudge those who play those sort of games their fun. But tbh I'm not about to hand 70 quid over for a copy of said games, especially when you can pick up a decent guitar for less than that. I get more fun out of Spotify.

 

[Rawker]

i agree and disagree, its sad we buy our musical culture in a box for $60, and thats not including the instruments. you should go out and by yourself a real instrument, because by the time you can play every song on expert, you could have probably learned a few of those songs in reality. Should he be worried? not in the slightest, he should be worried about the jonas brothers, not guitar hero.

 

[The_Deleted]

If anyone's an affront to music it's Chad twatting Kruger and Nickleback. Still, at least it'll mean a lack of Nickleback songs in the future. Thank fuck. Bear in mind, this is the band who's song Rockstar was used to sell sofas.