Speaking to the BBC, rock star Jon Bon Jovi says he understands where Courtney Love and former Nirvana bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl are coming from regarding the use of Kurt Cobain s name and likeness in Guitar Hero 5.
Cobain can be used as an unlockable character to sing any song on the game, with viral videos of Cobain as Flavor Flav making the rounds on the Internet.
“I don’t know that I would have wanted it either,” Jon Bon Jovi told the BBC.
“To hear someone else’s voice coming out of a cartoon version of me I don’t know. It sounds a little forced.”
Bon Jovi went on to say he declined appearing in the game, and now seems relieved he did so.
“I had the paperwork, they wanted me to be on that game and I just passed,” he said.
“But no-one even broached the subject with me that I would be singing other people’s stuff. I don’t know how I would have reacted to that. I don’t know that I would have wanted it either.”
This comes off the heels of a very impressive debut for The Beatles: Rock Band, this year’s direct competitor to Guitar Hero 5. Sales of the Harmonix-developed Rock Band are far exceeding expectations and critics calling the game a very moving, honorable tribute to The Fab Four.
We will keep you posted with any updates as they come out, including any movement on Guitar Hero maker Activision’s part in relocking Cobain s character, per Courtney Love s request.
