Cobain band mates denounce dead rocker's Guitar Hero gig
Activision and widow dispute rights
Guitar Hero 5 has failed to hit the right note with the surviving members of grunge band Nirvana.
Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl – now the Foo Fighters' frontman – are reportedly “dismayed and very disappointed” that a digital Kurt Cobain can be used by gamers to play songs by other bands in the latest incarnation of Activision’s videogame.
Cobain committed suicide in 1994.
"It's hard to watch an image of Kurt pantomiming other artists' music alongside cartoon characters... We feel he deserves better," Grohl and Novoselic said in a statement.
"While we were aware of Kurt's image being used with two Nirvana songs, we didn't know players have the ability to unlock the character. This feature allows the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants. We urge Activision to do the right thing in 're-locking' Kurt's character so that this won't continue in the future."
Courtney Love, Cobain’s widow, has claimed that she never approved use of Cobain’s digital likeness.
However, Activision has since said that it secured the necessary licensing rights - signed by Love – to used Cobain’s likeness in Guitar Hero 5. ®
COMMENTS
Huge FAIL moment
I'm sure Cobain gives less than a shit in his worm farm, but it's really only his bandmates and family that stand to be hurt. If they can't deal with his death after all this time, DON'T SIGN AWAY RIGHTS of any kind. His bandmates need to talk with his wife (ahem) before they fuss at Activision.
Big, big FAIL...
Are you all serious?
Seriously.. it's a computer game. It's not that big of a deal.
Ok, so they had a pseudo-Hendrix in GH3, and the "real" thing in World Tour... I can't see how Activision _wouldn't_ have got permission before putting out the thousandth title in their top-selling lineup.
If that woman doesn''t like it, pull the game, take him out, don't pay her a bean. Simple. How does this change our lives? It doesn't.
Still failing to see the IT angle. :)
Taking Kurt out of the game....
....would be fun if Activision provided a digital shotgun upgrade.....
Seriously, if he was still alive, his band would have long been sidelined to a small mention of music history in the '90s.
I'll get my coat.
Selling out
Firstly, the members of the band are nothing to do with the estate of Kurt Cobain and have no say in the matter. That's all down to Courney Love, so they should be taking it up with her, not with Activision.
Secondly, former members of Nirvana would never attempt to cash in on the past. That's why they're about to release another live album from the early 90s...
Thirdly, to the posters who said things like "Grunge was never about making loads of money and playing to as many people as possible." Want to bet? Why do record companies sign bands - to make money, of course! One band by itself does not a movement make...
I thought Nirvana were fairly rubbish Husker Du wannabes and I won't be buying the game either since I can already play real musical instruments...
So unlocking Cobain...
...and playing weird songs in GH5 is wrong, because he's dead. But unlocking Slash and Tom Morello in GH3 and playing weird songs is fine, because they're alive to still have the piss taken out of them for that strange image on your screen?
Err...
