I've heard of bad parenting but this takes the cake. According to the Raleigh News Observer, 16-year-old Blake Peebles has, with his parents' permission, dropped out of high school to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional Guitar Hero player. And of course, Blake doesn't know how to play the actual guitar. After bugging them for months, Blake's parents finally gave in to his plan and hired a tutor for him. Blake spends all night playing his video games and some of the day doing school work. His mother said, "We couldn't take the complaining anymore. He always told me that he thought school was a waste of time."
You know what my mom said when I complained about school? "Shut up and do your homework."
I've been meaning to go off on this subject for months but have avoided it for one reason or another. This whole Guitar Hero phenomenon is akin to karaoke - it's a lame activity that gives untalented amateurs the false sense that they somehow have the ability to compete with actual professional performers. I've played it and it didn't do anything for me (sorry E). Playing video games can be fun but it doesn't even come close to the thrill of actually performing music in front of an audience. Those colored plastic buttons are not the same as playing a real instrument. Non-musicians need to understand that. I once attended an event where the "house band" were four tools standing around with their fake Rock Band instruments playing fake music between the award presentations. The organizers must have thought it was cute. It wasn't. In fact, it was quite annoying.
This Blake Peebles kid is the latest example of some poor delusional soul who's trying to take the easy road to success. What's really sad is his parents who are contributing to their son's phantasmic dream world. It's like someone who's kick ass at Madden 2009 thinking they can be an NFL football player. Ain't gonna happen. My advice to Blake is to pick up a guitar and try the real thing. Oh, and go back to school.
Posts
1 comment:
Hell to the yeah!
I've never played those games, and maybe they're fun when you're drunk or high, but they make you look lame. And the commercials? Kids trying to look badass with plastic little guitar toys around them. Psh.
These games take the sexy out of rock.
And as a chick, well, there's no way I'd ever want to sleep with a guy after seeing him play a fake guitar. Furthermore, as someone who knows how to play an actual instrument, it's just laughable.
I swear every time I walk into Best Buy and see a grown man playing the demo of this game in store I feel the urge to punch him in the back of the neck.
That's just how I roll.
Post a Comment