# Is the age of guitar heroes over? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2006, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287 "2006-09-03T09:36:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/21 "2006-09-03T22:34:24Z")
As long as there are Playstation 2’s, there will be [Guitar Heroes](http://www.guitarherogame.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/22 "2006-09-04T01:23:02Z")
I’d say it was punk that slayed the guitar god, way before grunge, but it was a slow kind of poison, that weakened long before it killed. Punk reminded everyone that the spirit of rock was not in virtuosity, and increasingly the guitar gods were identified with pretentious wankers who could play a thousand notes per minute but couldn’t turn out a good hook if their lives depended on it. It’s odd to think the underground so thoroughly overthrew the mainstream, such that the genres that quite rely on technical virtuosity, or, at least, blistering speed, like the various classes of Death Metal, are the underground now. ---
**Author:** ![JCorre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@JCorre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCorre)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/23 "2006-09-04T03:37:58Z")
[QUOTE=sleestak] I do have a question though. I keep hearing that Jack White is a guitar god but I go and listen to some White Stripes and just don’t hear it. I don’t care for them all that much but there are a lot of guitarist whom I don’t care for but still respect their talent. Can someone point me to a Jack White tune showing off his skills? Slee [/QUOTE] The biggest glimpse that Jack White gives on the albums of his guitar skills is on the song, “Ball and Biscuit” on the Elephant album. You really would have to see him perform live to get an idea. I would reccomend getting the DVD “Under Blackpool Lights” or searching on youtube. I’ve seen the band live about 9 times now and every time I was blown away. ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/24 "2006-09-04T04:05:29Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Cheatem Undhow] As long as there are Playstation 2’s, there will be [Guitar Heroes](http://www.guitarherogame.com/). [/QUOTE] God I love that game. I actually go to Best Buy on my lunch break and show off ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/25 "2006-09-04T04:24:16Z")
[QUOTE=FrantzJ] Pardon some minor grammatical errors. [/QUOTE] Dude, you’re asking about Guitar Heroes. We wouldn’t expect better. 😉 There, you have your first Official Sarcastic Response, making you a full member in all but name. Pay your dues with the nice electronic person on your way out. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/26 "2006-09-04T04:31:28Z")
[QUOTE=Loopydude] Punk reminded everyone that the spirit of rock was not in virtuosity, and increasingly the guitar gods were identified with pretentious wankers who could play a thousand notes per minute but couldn’t turn out a good hook if their lives depended on it. [/QUOTE] Amen to that. I listen to a program that plays early R&B and the DJ plays attempts by some of the guys from the 50s to fit in with the new R&R sound but they don’t have any more a clue about Rock than Bing Crosby and imbued nonsense lyrics, because they thought Rock was just nonsense lyrics, with a Vegas sound. Good rock is completely, resolutely, and totally STOOOPID and any effort to make it sound like it was made by people who could read music and pass an IQ test is doomed. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/27 "2006-09-04T04:40:00Z")
[QUOTE=scotandrsn] I see Rock’s rebirth in bands like OK Go and Panic at the Disco. [/QUOTE] In the car after dinner tonight my daughters were discussing titles that had nothing to do with the song and one by Panic at the Disco was mentioned and almost immediately came on the radio. They are STOOOPID and (thusly?) I agreed that the title had nothing whatsoever to do with the song. I need to track down “Death May Be Your Santa Claus” by Mott the Hoople to ruin their day and show it’s nothing new. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/28 "2006-09-04T04:45:21Z")
I think musicianship is over in general. Today it’s about image, videos, sampling, etc. You don’t need to be able to carry a tune to rap. Today you have groups with no one who can sing and no one who can play an instrument. Boy I sound like an old fogey. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/29 "2006-09-04T05:42:58Z")
[QUOTE=Club 33] One “new” guy out there who is in the same league with the guitar gods of yesteryear is Jimmy Herring. He hasn’t had a ton of exposure yet but has been playing with The Dead, The Allman Brothers, and a bunch of others and has all the chops and musicality of many of the greats. If you haven’t seen him play, I highly recommend it. [/QUOTE] I like Jimmy’s playing a lot, but his style is too weird to ever get big outside of the jamband scene. There’s a lot of high-speed stuff and weird notes. Not that that should keep people from seeing him, he’s a terrific player. It will only help him if he’s left the Dead and the Allmans behind forever and consistently plays his own stuff instead of stepping into the shoes of Jerry Garcia and Dickey Betts. Widespread Panic is closer to his natural style, but if his own band came around here, I’d be more interested to see them. **AskNott** mentioned Warren Haynes, and he may be the closest thing to a guitar god (or would-be guitar god) mentioned so far. And I think the example is instructive: his band, Gov’t Mule, plays in a style that is deeply rooted in late 60s/early 70s blues rock. Their early inspirations were Cream, Mountain, Hendrix, etc. They have modern touches in the lyric department, but are an obvious throwback in every sense. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/30 "2006-09-04T06:07:30Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] I think musicianship is over in general. Today it’s about image, videos, sampling, etc. You don’t need to be able to carry a tune to rap. Today you have groups with no one who can sing and no one who can play an instrument. Boy I sound like an old fogey. [/QUOTE] Not only an old fogey, but an ignorant old fogey. Or is your hatred of hip hop causing you to engage in hyperbole (and blinding you to reality)? There are still far more “musicians” putting out albums than rappers (and there are even - shocking! - hip hop acts who _play instruments_ and _sing_). But admitting that makes it much harder to whine, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/31 "2006-09-04T06:23:52Z")
I think the thing that actually killed the guitar god were those 80’s virtuosos you mentioned. Clapton and Hendrix were technically excellent, but they were also strong songwriters who made sure their technique fit in with the song and how their rhythm section played. Vai, Malmstein, etc. couldn’t write catchy songs (quick, how many of their songs can an average rock fan name?) and too often their playing ignored the song in favor of superfancy technique. As a result, “guitar god” became synonomous with “boring excess”. I think the guitar god can be revived but it’ll require a guitarist who can play fancy and write well. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/32 "2006-09-04T06:31:41Z")
Everyone is asking for a guitar hero now, but 10 or 15 years ago people were all saying that the grandiosity of the guitar solo was inversely proportional to the soloists dick. The most recent Guitar God was Dimebag Darrell, may god rest his black-toothed soul. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/33 "2006-09-04T08:00:08Z")
Well, if you want to include bass guitar heroes, I nominate [Les Claypool](http://www.primusville.com/frames/ffreakout.html) of Primus fame. The link has various music video clips featuring his insane bass skills. I’d recommend the first four songs there if you’ve never heard Primus before. Claypool also plays a stand up bass on “Mr. Krinkle” and “Over The Falls”, as well as a few other instruments on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/34 "2006-09-04T08:18:46Z")
Well if we’re including Claypool than Vic Wooten has to be in there. He makes most guitarists look bad. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/35 "2006-09-04T08:51:36Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] Not only an old fogey, but an ignorant old fogey. Or is your hatred of hip hop causing you to engage in hyperbole (and blinding you to reality)? There are still far more “musicians” putting out albums than rappers (and there are even - shocking! - hip hop acts who _play instruments_ and _sing_). But admitting that makes it much harder to whine, I’m sure. [/QUOTE] First of all I don’t hate hip-hop, I like some of it. Second of all I said rap, not hip hop. Third, I like some rap. Fourth, bite me. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/36 "2006-09-04T09:25:16Z")
[QUOTE=installLSC] Vai, Malmstein, etc. couldn’t write catchy songs. . . [/QUOTE] You may be right about Yngwie but how much Vai have you heard? I’m years behind on his output but he can knock out a tune, a lot of his music is not shredding guitar. IIRC many songs stuff on Flexable are straightforward\* catchy pop like \*Little Green Men \* and _Boy Girl Song_. As for why there are no guitar Gods anymore, I think there are just too many of them. Also a lot of newer players have chosen to opt out of the whole virtuoso game and invent their own one (or two) man genre so they’re king of their own hill. \*for a Zappa influenced value of _straightforward_ ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/37 "2006-09-04T14:35:46Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] Good rock is completely, resolutely, and totally STOOOPID and any effort to make it sound like it was made by people who could read music and pass an IQ test is doomed. [/QUOTE] Hmm. Does it have to be STOOOPID? I think some of the best rock can be very clever, in its own gritty way. It’s just not necessary to be a good player. In fact, musicianship may get in the way, as the discipline needed for high technical virtuosity may be antithetical to the barely-controlled chaos that produces the freshest rock. ---
**Author:** ![JCorre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@JCorre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCorre)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/38 "2006-09-04T18:14:19Z")
I’d also like to put in a mention for 2 extremely good guitarists named Dave Navarro and Tom Morello. Maybe not gods, but heroes for sure. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/39 "2006-09-04T23:27:18Z")
\> TWEEET!!! \< :::Moderator blows whistle::: > [@Woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Not only an old fogey, but an ignorant old fogey. **Woodstock** , such a comment is out of line. You may NOT insult other posters. See [FAQ: Rules for posting on the Straight Dope Message Boards](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384736) and note especially Post #10 … or [Forum Rules](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=343601) and note Post #3. > [@DanBlather](#): > > Fourth, bite me. **Dan** , when you are on the receiving end of a personal insult, do NOT respond in kind. The proper course of action is to hit the REPORT button (the little exclamation point in a red triangle in the upper right corner of the offending post) and let a Moderator handle it. When you do that, the Moderator only has one poster to chew out. When you respond in kind, the Moderator reads both of you the Riot Act. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287/40 "2006-09-05T03:44:53Z")
No guitar gods anymore eh? Nobody better tell [Herman Li](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqYjqyHnVNs) . (Warning-Youtube video) That guy blows my mind every single time I see or hear him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-age-of-guitar-heroes-over/371287.md?page=3)