Nickelback Wants You to Stop Playing Guitar Hero

Nov. 20 3:32 PM by Alicia Ashby

Guitar Hero is the rhythm game of choice for most Wii owners, so this truly strange bit from a recent MTV interview with Canadian bland-rock stars Nickelback seems highly relevant. In it, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger claims that Guitar Hero and games like it are destroying the future of American rock n' roll.

"I feel like there's not enough rock bands out there, especially when we go on the road," said Kroeger, who performs with the Canadian rock outfit on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Wednesday night. "It's tough to find other bands out there, because either they're making a record, or they just got done touring. 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."

Somehow I think the terrible economy and the death of school music programs is more to blame than Guitar Hero, but what do I know? I haven't even recorded one Top 40 hit.