(S11E13) After seeing the title of this episode, I'm more embarrassed than I already was to admit that I'm a fan of Guitar Hero. In fact, I own all four versions of the game. There. I said it.
Thankfully, I will say that I never have, nor will I ever, play in my underwear. As far as you know.
This was a strange episode given what we've been seeing the past few weeks. We barely got anyone other than Stan and Kyle this time, but what we got was, as always, pure gold. Oh and by the way, one of our sister sites, Joystiq, liveblogged the episode tonight.
If you're pretty familiar with Guitar Hero -- and if you're a gamer, you likely are -- there's always the debate flying around that people should be learning to play a real guitar with the amount of time they spend on Guitar Hero, not standing around like a tool in your living room diddling a piece of plastic and fumbling around five buttons. Then there are those who will say that this is not about real guitar versus Guitar Hero, as it's just a game. Neither side will ever win, because they're both right in my eyes.
With all the video game love on the show these days, I wonder when they'll tackle America's Army, where the kids get recruited to the Army. Or maybe they already did that and I'm having a brain fart.
Anyway, the scene with Stan's dad playing real guitar was probably the funniest scene in the episode, seconded by him totally flopping on playing the game late at night in his skivvies. I've got friends who are much better at a real guitar than I am and they all say playing Guitar Hero throws them all off because the fingering isn't "right."
Another great scene was the shining moment for the boys, when they finally achieve one-million points in the game and are called "fags," but that just doesn't give you the reaction from the kids you'd expect.
Other great moments:
- "Just listen to that video crowd!"
- Mr. Kincaid from The Partridge Family (well, "Charles" Kincaid) as Stan's manager.
- The humongous pile of cocaine at the party.
- "Uh, that's gay Mr. Marsh"
- "Oh yes, all the biggest stars in Colorado are here."
"Look over there, it's that Jake Jabbs guy from American Furniture Warehouse commercials!" - "I mean, you kinda suck but my dad says you might be good some day."
- "You know where loyalty gets you in a game like Guitar Hero? Nowheres."
- "He doesn't even need a game system to play on; he can play Guitar Hero acoustically."
- The Heroin Hero game and "chasing the dragon."
- Mick of Rocky, owner of the bowling alley.
- "OK, but I get to be the one who betrays you after the sex and drugs party."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-07-2007 @ 11:13PM
Peeps said...
Fairly boring episode, especially compared to the recent trilogy, but the ending more than made up for it.
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11-07-2007 @ 11:53PM
edgore said...
God, I hate to make this correction, since it proves that I live in Colorado, but it's Jake Jabbs.
God, I am such a tool.
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11-08-2007 @ 12:13AM
Margaret said...
Jake Jabbs and Cal Worthington - I'll never buy furniture or cars from them, but both permanently embedded in my memory because of the years and years of corny ads.
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11-08-2007 @ 3:02AM
Little Willy said...
Very predictable episode. Besides lampooning the people who played the "game", they also made fun of rock stars who succumbed to drugs after achieving fame. Did anyone catch the "That Thing You Do" reference?
I can't say it is a good ep but I enjoy the ending that stick it to those who played the ridiculous stupid game.
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11-08-2007 @ 4:37AM
nickmagoo said...
the episode was merely good overall, but the music was totally brill! cheap trick, kansas, ramones, and the sex pistols' pretty vacant (when stan screwed up his big chance - though it was a diff. band playing it). and fresca! i loved fresca...the best artificially flavored grapefruit soda ever. and a great f.u. ending to video game geeks everywhere...
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11-08-2007 @ 5:15AM
OClvl3 said...
Wow, they weren't "sticking it to video game geeks" its obvious that they play Guitar Hero or have played. All the songs they played were from the games (even the Sex Pistols cover from GH1) and knew which songs were the harder ones. It was more sticking it to the kind of video game nerd that plays a game so much so they can be "teh best!!!1" They were making fun of the same kind of people in the Make Love Not Warcraft episode, the kind that devotes too much time to video games.
Favorite moment was the kid playing John the Fisherman acoustically. Primus is awesome.
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11-08-2007 @ 5:37AM
sam said...
omg. Last summer I spent a whole night on a fruitless internet hunt to find out what Tom Shane looks like in person and last night i finally got my wish! kind of. But i'll take it!
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11-08-2007 @ 6:19AM
rulesaremyenemy said...
Did anyone else get the impression that "Heroine Hero" was mocking Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion? It's out for xbox 360, extremely addictive, and will suck up hours of your life in mindless pursuits.
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11-08-2007 @ 6:50AM
fred said...
Yeah, the story was highly predictable but the Guitar Hero part of it brought enough comedy to make up for this.
There was some great songs, and awesome jokes! Not as good as Imaginationland, or their pick or Warcraft, but still a very fun episode !
http://88.191.26.34/i_watch_tv/2007/11/08/south-park-guitar-queer-o/
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11-08-2007 @ 10:11AM
Bash said...
Fred, not having your own Domain for that blog is embarrassing. Honestly. Just crawl back under your rock. This is like handing out fliers and claiming you write a newspaper.
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11-08-2007 @ 12:05PM
kyler said...
butters is my hero.
i thought it was a mediocre episode, but the last line made everything all better.
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11-08-2007 @ 3:02PM
Golly said...
Rulesaremyenemy: Heroin hero is most defintely more of a jab at artist who feel alot of pressure to preform or present something new and better that they turn to drugs. hense reason for the next game Stan was offered "Rehab Hero"
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11-08-2007 @ 4:31PM
Jonathan Morrell said...
Oh man! I never put two and two together... Heroin addict is definitely Elder Scrolls oblivion!
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11-08-2007 @ 7:56PM
az1324 said...
"You could say it's the ultimate first person shooter"
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11-09-2007 @ 12:09AM
adam said...
did anyone else think the ep was spoofing Dreamgirls, or was it just me?
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11-09-2007 @ 3:02PM
A Viewer said...
Adam, it's just you. If it was spoofing anything, it was mainly "Rocky."
It was a very funny episode...also it was a great send-up of all the videogame nuts that spend all of their free time playing "Guitar Hero." I know a couple of them. They're nice people otherwise, but that's like their dark secret or something.
The "You...are...FAGS!" ending was funny, but not too surprising in retrospects, if you consider that the name of the episode was "Guitar QUEER-O."
Also, the best lines included:
"You could say it's the ultimate first person-shooter" [on Heroin Hero]
"Uh, that's gay, Mr. Marsh."
and of course:
"He doesn't even need a game system to play. He can play Guitar Hero acoustically."
One more episode in Season 11...thank God "South Park"'s writers aren't on strike (even if they were I bet Matt and Trey would write it entirely by themselves).
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11-12-2007 @ 1:41PM
Tim said...
Glad I'm not the only one who caught the "I quit"/"That Thing You Do" reference. Man, that's obscure. I love these guys.
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11-12-2007 @ 5:01PM
matt makela said...
this had to be thee funniest episode of the season so far... imaginationland ran tooo long and spoofed too many things at once... by far the most well put together episode, not only mocking video game geeks but also the rock star lifestyle in general.
Now i must swear to myself to never get a million points on that game... tho its so fun...
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