Nickelback singer: Put down the Guitar Hero

by Justin McElroy { Nov 21st 2008 at 11:15AM }

Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger took a quick break from being preternaturally untalented to express his displeasure with music games, saying "So kids: Start rock bands. Set down the Guitar Hero, learn how to play an actual guitar and start a band, because it's hard to find more bands to put a solid rock-and-roll package together, to get out there. It's getting harder and harder, but I think we've done it."

So remember gang, every time you play Guitar Hero or Rock Band, you're making it harder for Nickelback to put a show together. ... Well, why are you still sitting here? Play, you magnificent bastards! Play!

Tags: And-What-the-Hell-Is-On-Joeys-Head, nickelback

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)

LiqwidZero @ Nov 21st 2008 11:19AM

What is Nickelbag to give advice. They SUCK!

Shagittarius @ Nov 21st 2008 11:59AM

I think they are just mad cause no companies have approached them to be in any of those rhythm games.

All the studios have enough taste not to include Nickelback as even DLC.

Sub Zero @ Nov 21st 2008 12:37PM

Yeah, I stopped reading at "untalented."

Daniel @ Nov 21st 2008 12:56PM

im making this a reply so that everyone can see it:

http://www.thewebshite.net/nickelback.htm

extra proof that they suck.

Chris Are @ Nov 21st 2008 1:16PM

I think it's funny no one has mentioned this yet: how many players of GH would have EVER started a band? Much less a band that might make it as a headliner in a show (even for a band as shitty as Nickleback)??

He's saying GH and RB are stealing potential musicians, but I'm pretty sure my 17 yr old sister was never going to start a band. If someone is musically talented they're not going to pass up a real instrument for a video game. These two concepts aren't even comparable.

Also, Nickleback sucks. (Just had to throw that in)

Kevin McGough @ Nov 21st 2008 5:02PM

I completely agree with you LiqwidZero, Nickelback not only is one of the worst generic rock bands out there, they have no talent for writing music and chad kroeger is a mono-tone waste of space. Who is Nickelback to give advice? Have you ever heard "Someday" and "How you remind me"? If you play them side by side at the same time, its the exact same song, with different lyrics. Try and download it on limewire or something... its sad. the re-used the background music and added new words.

pwnetheus @ Nov 21st 2008 2:19PM

@Daniel

Hey, they're just being consistent... right?

aristokrat @ Nov 21st 2008 2:26PM

In all fairness, both songs in the comparison video are written in the 32-bar pop song format (verse 1, verse 2, bridge, verse 3), a format that almost all radio songs use and have used for decades, so they are bound to follow the same pattern. I'd guess they are also around 80 beats per minute, also a staple of popular radio. Side-by-side comparison is bound to seem similar. Not that this makes them any better, because their lyrics are worse than their musical mediocrity. Though neither of those songs are as bad as the new Third Eye Blind song "Non-Dairy Creamer." I used to like that band, but that song has some of the most awful lyrics I've ever heard. Check it out. Listen for the "Young Gay Republicans" breakdown midway through.

aristokrat @ Nov 21st 2008 2:35PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTjZMzjYaNo

sorry, forgot link. it's truly terrible.

samfish @ Nov 21st 2008 2:46PM

"Yeah, I stopped reading at "untalented.""

Me too. I'm not sure how you could say it better than that if you tried.

Danjer @ Nov 21st 2008 3:02PM

I hate Nickelback with an unyielding and fiery passion. They are one of the only bands that I just truly hate. I mean... If I listen to even one note of their music, I go on a rampage of death and destruction... I hate, hate, hate them... Please... If you play Rock Band or Guitar Hero and want to make a band that is anything like Nickelback, I have this to say to you.... KEEP PLAYING MUSIC GAMES... and let people who actually know what "music" is, play the instruments... Thank you. Good night and good luck.

gst @ Nov 21st 2008 3:46PM

I was perfectly willing to accept Chad Kroeger's existence as a human being about 7 or 8 years ago before every song Nickelback released began to obsessively reference how much Kroeger loves humping chicks.

At this point, I am willing to claim with conviction that a morbidly obese, diabetic 6-year-old strumming out woefully arrhythmic My Chemical Romance songs on Easy in his basement contributes more to music, art, and culture than Chad yelling at me about that one time when he "never gonna quit, aint nothin wrong with it, just actin like we're animals."

Insipidity aside, I am willing to bet that Kroeger, like many lead singers who just feel awkward if they aren't just holding some sort of instrument, is about as proficient with the guitar as your average teen with a garage band. In which case, someone should inform him that you have to actually have a "high-horse" in order to sit on it.

On a note of poor anecdotal evidence: my brother picked up the drums earlier this year after taking a liking to them through rock band. While the RB/GH guitars aren't exactly the same as strumming out chords, a good RB drum player can transfer a lot of basic skills to actual drums, despite the obvious differences.

UltimateQ @ Nov 21st 2008 4:31PM

To me you sound like a bunch of butthurt fanboys. I'm not a huge fan of nickelback, but I agree with their sentiment. Video games are fun and all, but its much more rewarding to actually PLAY an instrument.

JCD @ Nov 21st 2008 5:09PM

Daniel, within the boundaries of pop music there are only like 5 possible permutations.

First, there's form. As aristokrat mentioned, the 32 bar format has been around for ages. I'd be really surprised if Nickelback used some other form like a rondo or a concerto. So yeah, both songs are going to have the same form.

Second, there's tempo. When playing live, your tempo is driven by your drummer, which means no two performances would match up exactly. When recording in the studio, however, you play to a "click track" which is set mechanically to some specific measure, like 80 BPS (which these two songs sound to be).

Third, there are only certain chord changes that are audibly permissible. It's called music theory. These rules can be bent (called chromaticism), but they cannot be broken without producing a bad song.

Fourth, there are rules to writing a melody (seriously). You only get so many options (can't make a jump of a tritone, mostly stepwise motion, melody should roughly resemble a bell curve, etc).

So you have to cut Nickelback some slack--writing new stuff isn't as easy as you seem to think it is. Nickelback may not take advantage of all of the tools in the musical toolbox (i.e., they WAY overuse chord progressions of minor thirds and the majority of their melodies just outline the chord), but I'll bet you could take most any two songs off the radio with the same key and BPS and they'd match up.

quickshade @ Nov 21st 2008 6:15PM

Yes, because trying to start a band and making it big is so much easier than just sitting down and playing rockband for a few hours a week. Sorry nickelback but not every kid has a record deal that lets us put out shitty music that will be played on the radio no matter what and hire a whole bunch of people to do all the work for us.
In reality you have to be really good, find 2-3 other really good people and then you can start the band.

#28 @ Nov 21st 2008 6:47PM

JCD, you just took a whole lot of musical jargon and tried to make the point that those nickelback is allowed to create two singles with the EXACT SAME FUCKING CHORDS AND MELODY. That's laziness, and trust me I understand pop music. Shit dude, there's so much better, more varied pop music out there. 5 sets of chord patterns? Sure, maybe in Barney songs, but welcome to the real world buddy.

I'm calling bullshit on your "musical permutations" argument.

Chris Are @ Nov 21st 2008 7:10PM

@UltimateQ

No one's saying it's not more rewarding to play an instrument! The two things aren't comparable! That's like getting on someone for playing 007 instead of becoming a real spy. It's a damn video game! None of the people who play 007 would have ever become spies. 99% of the people who play GH and didn't learn to play guitar wouldn't have played it anyway.

Ugh! Fucking Chad Kroger!

Colinohyeah17 @ Nov 21st 2008 9:12PM

gst

I've seen many kids go through the rb phase to real drums. And it does teach them alot of skills. If they wanna get good they should still get lessons.

Oh and Nickelback, eff off! It's not that easy to get a band going and also to be famous, it's hard to get gigs. Sorry you can just sing like a wood chipper and still call it art.

And if you say that if Nickelback got better at playing music they'd be good, ummm that Santana song anyone.... that still sucked.....

UltimateQ @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:01AM

#28 you are so wrong. Since you have an idea of what a Chord is, go listen to the 2 songs and figure out the chords. You'll see how wrong that website is about the 2 songs. I did it yesterday because I prefer to do my own research.

"How you remind me" is a half step higher than someday. Now, it could be because the video was messed up for whatever reason, speeding it up or slowing down just enough to change the key a half step, but I doubt it.

I think its more believable that someone who hates nickelback simply changed the pitch of one of the 2 songs to match the other.

As for your assessment of the melody. Wow your wrong again.

I won't argue with you that the 2 songs sound similar, and that I dislike Nickelback because all their songs sound similar. Its still not fair to insult them because they found a working formula to bring in buttloads of cash. Its the way of the world; people release crap, people buy crap.

#28 @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:25PM

I really don't want to get into semantics about which chord nickelback used where. They reused a bunch of shit for two songs, they're a terrible fucking band. I don't need anything else but agreement on those two points.

PranaFerox @ Nov 24th 2008 12:57PM

UltimateQ:

Guess what? Shifting an existing song up a half step and calling it new doesn't cut it. If I wrote a hit song by taking an existing Nickleback song and shifting it up a half step, I would have the pants sued off of me by their record company.

How can one prove Nickleback lazy without resorting to (questionable at best) music theory? Simple: there are thousands of bands that manage to go an entire career without releasing two identical songs (separated by a half step or otherwise). QED.

Shmil @ Nov 21st 2008 11:20AM

When Eddie Van Halen tells me to put down the plastic guitar I will, but some Nickelback douche tells me do to it I say no. Instead I say that the Nickeleback douches should learn to play good music before they start talking shit.

LeadBoxx @ Nov 21st 2008 12:29PM

I wouldn't even put it down if any rock guitar gods told me too (unless they were telling me to do so to give me lessons on a real guitar).

Foetoid @ Nov 21st 2008 8:10PM

Wow, i really had no idea the hate that has been spread around for Nickleback. I love their music, pretty much all thier hits are favs of mine, and the stuff done by Chad Kroger himself like 'Into the Night' and 'Hero' are excellent. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!!!!

/watches his hearts dissapear.

Roto13 @ Nov 21st 2008 8:45PM

The clicking of millions of plastic Guitar Hero guitars sounds a lot better than anything Nicklebag has ever performed.

Yes, I'm replying to this comment because I don't to be on page 5.

Someguy @ Nov 21st 2008 11:20AM

I couldn't agree more putting Nickleback out of business would be a service to humanity on a Darwinian scale.

OMGOMG @ Nov 21st 2008 12:36PM

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK IT THIS PHOTOGRAPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roto13 @ Nov 21st 2008 11:03PM

EVERY TIME I DO IT MAKES ME LAUGH

Because the song is so hilariously bad.

JeSuZ Cicle @ Nov 21st 2008 11:21AM

Wow.. Justin I just wanted to take this time to tell you, I love you man, Im rocking my plastic insturments so hard right now. Maybe if we all join in we can banish the evil known as NICKELBACK!

Bunker @ Nov 21st 2008 11:21AM

Nickleback makes me ashamed to be Canadian

Dr. @ Nov 21st 2008 11:38AM

Nickelback makes me ashamed to be HUMAN. The Canadian part just adds insult to injury...

maylon @ Nov 21st 2008 11:57AM

Dont be ashamed, Canadians still have the like of Loverboy, Aldo Nova, and Celine Dion

deaftly @ Nov 21st 2008 12:03PM

Its ok, you still have Bryan Adams and Celine Dion.

Dirty @ Nov 21st 2008 12:26PM

Everybody's working for the weekend.......

AwesomeTown @ Nov 21st 2008 12:30PM

With Neil Peart, you should never be ashamed to be Canadian.

FSK405K @ Nov 21st 2008 3:32PM

Here I have been making fun of Canadians my whole life but you have Neil Peart while we have Dick Cheney. To the world: so Sorry.

chris @ Nov 21st 2008 4:36PM

You have Devin Townsend!

Superstar90 @ Nov 21st 2008 9:43PM

Don't worry, Broken Social Scene has our backs :P

(The Award-Winning) dark_inchworm @ Nov 21st 2008 11:22AM

It's not like Nickelback is a real band.

M@ C AIR @ Nov 21st 2008 11:25AM

I had to look at my flow chart to make sure.

OH SNAP!

(The Award-Winning) dark_inchworm @ Nov 21st 2008 11:29AM

You mean this flow chart?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d128/dark_inchworm/294168009_b25decaddf.jpg

M@ C AIR @ Nov 21st 2008 11:53AM

Indeed

Efren @ Nov 21st 2008 11:23AM

Nickelback needs to set down the guitars and play Guitar Hero so one has to hear their crappy music again.

LiqwidZero @ Nov 21st 2008 12:01PM

I'm siding with you on that one, Fernando.

Nirvana does suck.

BananaBoat @ Nov 21st 2008 12:12PM

@shag

I'll admit, I was nowhere near Washington state during the nineties. I guess I couldn't have formed an opinion based on my limited experiences with the who, zeppelin, The Beatles, Aerosmith, Van Halen, ACDC, Queen, Pink Floyd, etc. I now see the error of my ways in having found Nirvana's music to be excruciating to the ears.

In all seriousness though, hindsight is 20/20, so even if we weren't there, like most of us weren't for The Beatles for instance, we can understand when a group is revolutionary. Personally, I don't find Nirvana to be that different than the hundred other grunge bands or alt rock bands from the nineties. Then again, I didn't exactly study the subject. While the goth kids were listening to Nirvana, I was playing sports and video games. The sound of Zelda's main theme easily drowned out any of the crap on MTV.

BananaBoat @ Nov 21st 2008 12:14PM

How odd that both of us mistakenly replied to the same person....

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Nov 21st 2008 11:22AM

Neil Hamburger : "What do you get when u shove a penny up the ass of all five members of Smashmouth?...Nickleback."

Fernando Rocker @ Nov 21st 2008 11:23AM

"... it's hard to find more bands to put a solid rock-and-roll package together, to get out there. It's getting harder and harder, but I think we've done it."

Done it? Yeah, right.

Nickelback is one of the worst "rock" bands ever. Ugly voice, uninspired and easy riffs and lame lyrics. Almost as bad as Nirvana.