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Remember playing along to your favorite tune on a tennis racket guitar or singing into a hairbrush? Remember just letting go and how gratifying it was? Remember getting monumentally frustrated at learning an actual guitar and picking up a trombone instead and being in the high school marching band? No? Um...me neither. You can relive those days of rock n' roll fantasy with the help of a Playstation 2 and the game Guitar Hero. You've already played it, huh? Then you know the work of my next interviewee, Marcus Henderson. You five-starred his solo on "Godzilla" on expert? Liar.
Marcus Henderson is the guitarist responsible for over half the songs on the Guitar Hero game. He also used to be in a band called Drist that toured as part of the Warped Tour a few years back. The guy can shred a guitar...and your face if you're not careful! I got the chance to talk to Marcus recently about his mad guitar skills, Michael Winslow, Guitar Hero (1 & 2), and that elusive orange button:
RJ: When did you start making music and who were your influences?
Marcus Henderson: Remember that dude in "Police Academy" that made those gnarly electric guitar sounds with his mouth? That was me. I dreamed about being a rock star when I was a kid, and I would constantly demolish anything that resembled a guitar by rocking out air-guitar to AC/DC, Scorpions, and Kiss records.
RJ: Are you mainly a guitar person or do you play more instruments?
MH: I'll play anything with strings, but the Guitar is truly in my blood. I can orchestrate on Piano and love to play Bass and Drums for fun.
RJ: As far as guitars go, what kind of gear do you play?
MH: I have about 15 guitars in constant rotation for different purposes. Some guitars match up better with different amps, and output can vary greatly from guitar to guitar. When I prepare for the Guitar Hero sessions, the guitar's that I use are determined by how much output the original had, so pickups have a lot to do with what gets used on any particular track. Some of my favorites (and most often used) are a '97 Tom Anderson Drop Top Classic, Gibson Flying V, Ernie Ball Luke, Yamaha Ty Tabor, Strats... too many to list!
RJ: I remember reading you were in Drist, but not anymore. Are you playing with anyone right now?
MH: I can confirm that I have been asked to tour with an unnamed source next year, but I don't want to jinx it, so I can't tell you who it is... Let's just say something VERY wicked next year comes.
RJ: How did you get involved with the Guitar Hero series?
MH: Wavegroup (Oscar Nominated studio) got my number from a mutual friend, and asked if I was down to record "Symphony of Destruction" for a video game called "Guitar Hero." The rest is history!
RJ: What impact has GH had on your life?
MH: Would you have given me the same interview 2 years ago? Exactly... (Laughs)
RJ: What kinds of reactions do you get when you tell people you're the guitarist from Guitar Hero?
MH: It's weird. You play guitar for twenty years, and work like hell to get an audience and you end up getting famous for re-recording some of the sickest songs in history. I frickin' love the game too, so it's easy for me to relate to those people who'll whip out a camera-phone or have me sign something. When people come up to me and say, " I LOVE that game man!!" I get all excited and say " Me too!!!"
RJ: All of the main songs on GH are covers, but pretty much identical to the original, which is an amazing testament to your musical ability. Did you know the songs going in or did you practice the crap out of them until you got the solos just right?
MH: I had some riffs, but every song is completely different from top to bottom. I had to listen to these songs for up to 2-3 days just to absorb the tones, production techniques, tuning, and all the other variables that come into play before I even start learning the parts. I literally re-create every one of those solos by hand after charting out the sections, solos, and fills. Whilst tracking, we match everything to the original by playing a version of my recorded guitar along with the master track in order to ensure total accuracy. We also sometimes tweak the endings and solos a bit on occasion to keep it real. After all, you are in a cover band in the game.
RJ: Are you more involved now with GH2 than you were with the original? If so, what are your new duties?
MH: Totally. I have been working on the music selection committee for GH II, doing promo/gig tours for Activision, and working alongside John Tam and Ted Lange to give you guys some brand new game play elements that are gonna rock!
RJ: GH won "Best Soundtrack" at the Spike TV Video Game Awards, and all kinds of soundtrack awards throughout the video games industry, that's got to feel pretty good. What kind of pressure is on you now for GH2?
MH: It feels amazing! It's a testimony to everyone who worked on the game... If there was pressure, I had no time to notice. We just went in everyday, brought our very best, and had an awesome time doing it!
RJ: How is GH2 different than GH?
MH: Well, for one, it's more intense. It's also better looking and has a soundtrack that is just gnarly. All of the fun things that make GH so amazing are back, but just lot's more of it. The career mode has many goodies inside, and overall has more of what made Guitar Hero so unique.
RJ: Which is harder: playing the game or playing an actual guitar?
MH: I think the game had some ridiculous moments, and GH II is simply outta control in spots, but the real guitar can demand some techniques that no Orange button can approximate. Slight edge to Guitar, but it's close...
RJ: What things are coming up for you in the future?
MH: I will continue to summon the thunder of the metal gods through righteous guitar playing whilst riding the dragon's of Evermore to the hills of Valhalla and beyond!! That, and GH III...
Be Marcus' friend at www.myspace.com/binarysuicide. Guitar Hero II drops November 7th, you'd be a fool not to buy it. Check out the latest news about it at either www.guitarherogame.com or www.myspace.com/officialguitarhero.