Like I’ve mentioned in my other post about guitar hero, I’ve got mixed feelings about instrument gaming peripherals. Yes, I used to be in high school band (don’t worry, I’m not telling you what instrument) and the whole idea of playing on a plastic guitar/drum set seems a bit off to me. Regardless, at my friend’s birthday the other night I decided “Eh, what the hell”.

I’ve played guitar Hero before and I’ll readily admit to sucking badly at anything past medium difficulty…most of the time. Then I’ll sit down as my friend who’s played guitar for 13 years blindfolds himself and aces the song playing in the opposite hands he usually plays. Well not really, but he might as well. It seems most people who are already musicians have Rock Band or Guitar Hero, anyone else notice this?

Getting back to my wonderful experience. After watching everyone play through a few songs, I decide to throw in my hat and I take the microphone. If I’m going to make an ass out of myself, why not do it with the most obvious part of the band. My rationale was that I can sing fairly well, I can’t screw this up that bad. Did I mention I had a few drinks? Honestly though, most of the songs that were on there I thought I knew. I belt them out in the car, the shower, whenever I want to annoy the hell out of my friends. It was singer’s choice so I went with Beasty Boys Sabotage. Mistake number one.

I realized after a few bars of me wondering where the hell the green voice bars were and everyone asking me if I was going to start singing anytime soon that I realized I had to just wing it. Sabotage, who doesn’t know Sabotage? Hell I can do this! I have this song on my driving mix that l play way too often. I know all the words. Mistake number two. I don’t know all the words. I’d say on at least three points during the song I fumbled worse than a five year old kid in his first school play trying to remember his lines.

All in all, it wasn’t that bad. I decided to play it safe and take the roll of bassist and guitarist on the medium setting for my next few songs. My bit of (albeit obvious) advice; if you’re going to take front stage and belt it out as the singer, make sure you know the words to the song. Otherwise you wind up looking like Chris Farley or David Spade when they were trying to sing It’s the End of the World as We Know it by REM in Tommy Boy.