The Fryer, Vol. 21

The gods of videogame news have abandoned me
10/30/2009 12:32 PM | 1 Comments | Page 1 of 3

Chumbawumba: We're "totally open" to the idea of Chumbawumba: Rock Band

In the wake of rumors that bands such as The Who and Queen may be getting their own The Beatles: Rock Band-style dedicated rhythm games in the future, English folk/pop band Chumbawamba publicly announced today that it was "totally open" to the idea of being featured in a Rock Band game of its own.

"Chumbawamba has seen the music industry go through a lot of changes in its 27-year history," Chumbawamba singer and guitarist Lou Watts said at a sparsely attended press conference at the London Hard Rock Cafe today. "From eight-tracks and cassettes to CDs and digital downloads, Chumbawamba has been more than willing to change with the times. If today's music fans are eager to experience Chumbawamba's music in a highly polished, heavily marketed, completely Chumbawamba-focused videogame, we are more than willing to accommodate their desires."

During the conference, Watts was highly critical of artists like Prince and Led Zeppelin that have reportedly turned down deals to get their music into popular rhythm-game franchises. "Unlike some other members of the music industry, we aren't afraid to change with the times," Watts said. "We aren't afraid to embrace new methods of delivery for our music. We aren't afraid to accept large sacks of money in exchange for the rights to our entire musical catalog. In short, we are not afraid of the future."

During a short Q&A session after the conference, Watts addressed concerns that Chumbawamba's catalog wasn't popular or deep enough to sustain a rhythm game devoted exclusively to its songs. "I know most people think 'Tubthumping' is the only Chumbawamba song that can work in a videogame," Watts said to general sounds of agreement and dawning recognition from the assembled press. "And it's true, 'Tubthumping' and Chumbawamba have already made their mark on gaming through appearances in games such as World Cup 98 and Donkey Konga. But we feel that fans would be eager to follow Chumbawamba's career through all 14 studio albums, which include toe-tappers like 'Mouthful of Shit' and 'Doomed Flight 1721.'"

Requests to MTV Games and Activision Blizzard about the existence of some sort of secret, Chumbawamba-focused rhythm game currently in development were returned with quick replies of "Don't be silly," and "Of course not," respectively.