If you want to see the positive side, this could be your best argument to convince someone that killing yourself is bad. Rather than being the tragic romantic gesture, the ultimate rebellion against the system, or whatever other misconception your average teenage goth might have, it turns out that suicide is the quickest way to be made in to a money-making puppet – now legally owned by a giant capitalistic corporation.
(Watch the video at the end of this post)
In short, the latest version of Guitar Hero has a bonus mode in which you can get a 3D version of Kurt Cobain to sing songs from a number of other artists. Some of them, you could say, quite not what Cobain would have ever wanted to be associated with, in life or death.
And while there is some debate to the amount of blame to attribute to Cobain's widow, selling the rights to use his image to Activision, it should be pointed out that every single retarded person who buys Guitar Hero is fundamentally supporting this thing.
I do appreciate that in saying so I am probably offending a large part of the readers of this blog, but hey, maybe you like seeing Kurt Cobain singing Bon Jovi. I can't really say that I am that bothered myself, personally I find more offensive the concept of a game which uses music to reward your ability to follow orders and doesn't involve the slightest amount of creativity.
But I am digressing.
Activision's CEO has so far responded to the criticism of fans around the world "We went and spoke directly to the estate and made it crystal clear, got the rights, paid for the rights, and really we've done what we've always done.”
Business as usual then. Well, if you think hilarious to see Cobain singing light-hearted pop songs, here below is a video for you. If you think this is a bit in poor taste, you should email Activision and tell them so. More importantly, if you don't like the idea of becoming part of Guitar Hero after you are dead, it's time to call a lawyer and make some amendments to your recording contract.
I kind of see your point - you could play as Hendrix in the last version, but it didn't seem quite as creepy - maybe if they had a zombie Cobain option? - which puts me in mind of this - a Teletubbies Left for Dead mod, that's possibly one of the most disturbing things I've seen....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-db9qgn99o
The whole thing of Guitar Hero's "Kurtgate" fills me with dread, less about the idiocy of having a rock star made to look a tit from beyond the grave, (I mean I have never read a single rock biography where the star in question is made to look anything but a self serving creeps) but the shear greed of those involved. Courtney et al drone on about "wanting to get Kurt's music out there" but is there a person on earth who has not been bored to tears by the over exposure of the Kult of Kurt? Surely a few years without a Kurt Cobain memorial barbecue gift set or Kurt Cobain figure crafted from ear wax would increase the mystique of his music rather than the association with tawdry money making schemes.
ReplyDeleteI get tired by the amount of money sloshing through rock stars accounts generated by seemingly everything but their music (which needless to say gets increasingly depressingly derivative the more cash they make, ie Foo Fighters, the grunge version of the The Knack) we then have to watch as they parade their bleeding hearts in designer gear at various fund raising events around the world....
Jeez I think I got a bit Che on your arse but its all so boring and stupid...