I never really got into the Guitar Hero franchise for two reasons: I didn’t really like the over-the-top cartoonish art design of the game and I also wasn’t very good at it. I understood the appeal, but the soundtrack wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. While spending the night at a friend’s house a couple years later, I was introduced to Rock Band. Not only did I love the toned-down sleeker aesthetic of Rock Band, the main set list was full of songs that I loved like Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”, The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, and Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”. However, the song that actually convinced me to purchase Rock Band 2 was Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Snow (Hey Oh)”. While the song is fantastic, I learned all the words to it since my friend spent hours trying to complete the song on expert, fighting off cramps in his forearm.
I wasn’t very good at the game, frequently just getting by on Medium difficulty, occasionally dipping into Hard. I just used the game to let off steam after school or basketball/soccer practice. Some songs reminded me of my early childhood like Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle”, ”Give It Away” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy”. Other tracks like “Spirit in the Sky” and “One Way or Another” I had only heard bits and pieces of in commercials, but listening to the entire song prompted me to add them to my music library. The most rewarding experiences, however, were the songs I loved that I had never heard before:
“Let There Be Rock” - AC/DC
”Pinball Wizard” - The Who
”Float On” - Modest Mouse
”Shooting Star” - Bad Company
”Nine in the Afternoon” - Panic! at the Disco
”Teen Age Riot” - Sonic Youth
”White Wedding (Part 1)” - Billy Idol
Rock Band 2 also provided a nice bonding experience for my brother and me. He would hop on the drums, taking full advantage of every drum solo the songs offered. The Rock Band series had an even more influential entry in 2009 with The Beatles: Rock Band.
Initially, I did not have much of an interest in The Beatles: Rock Band until I did some research and saw how many songs they composed that I actually liked. I was 12 at the time, so cut me some slack. I was not aware that they sung the version of “Twist and Shout” that was in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off nor did I know they performed “I’m Looking Through You” which was played during the intro credits sequence of Ghost Town. As I became a Beatles fan, my dad heartwarmingly informed me that the game was only made because Michael Jackson had recently died. See, Michael Jackson owned the publishing rights to The Beatles' music and he was rather restrictive when using them commercially. However, when he died, his estate was more than willing to accept checks for the use of The Beatles music. Still, it’s always refreshing to know that the source of my fandom for The Beatles was a product of Michael Jackson’s death. Thanks Pops.
Rock Band made me more receptive to other types of music and I simply adopted the mantra, "If it sounds good, I'll add it to the playlist." Initially, I only listened to hip-hop, gospel, and certain artists like Michael Jackson or The Temptations. After Rock Band, I became a huge classic rock junkie as well as becoming more familiar with doo-wop, Motown, alternative rock, disco, grunge, and even some heavy metal songs. Through the "sound good" mantra, a lot of my unfair perceptions about certain musical genres melted away. My playlist has become extremely eclectic ranging from Prince to Dave Brubeck, Daft Punk to Dion & The Belmonts, Carl Orff to Howard Shore, and Kanye West to One Direction. I'm a man of simple means. If I like it, I press play.
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