Kurt Cobain Back From the Dead for GH5, Courtney Love Cries Necrophilia

Loving remains of the Nirvana star’s legacy damaged by game, she says

I’m a fan of the video game series “Guitar Hero.” I own two of the games currently, “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” and “Guitar Hero World Tour” (which is technically Guitar Hero IV). I own a PlayStation 2 system that I got on the cheap, and any games I buy are used or from the clearance bin at GameStop. My collection is modest, much smaller than it was in my video game-playing heyday. I just can’t justify paying $40 to $60 whenever a new game comes out. I am splurging for “Batman: Arkham Asylum” for my PC, but that’s a rare exception. There are plenty of classics out there for $5 to $15 used, which doesn’t break the bank and force me to consider an online personal loan whenever I’m looking for some new entertainment.

Number Five is Alive

Now Guitar Hero V is on the market. I’m excited because it features “The Man in Black,” Johnny Cash, but there is another performer included in the game that has caused no small amount of controversy. I’m talking about former Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, who helped define the grunge movement and spoke to a generation of disillusioned youth with his songs, including the classic “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

“Vile” and “necrophilic?” Come on, Courtney

Activision, the company in charge of the “Guitar Hero” franchise now (RedOctane had sole ownership of the first two games), claims that they made a legitimate deal with Cobain’s estate to use his likeness in the game. However, Cobain’s widow Courtney Love is throwing a fit over what she considers to be a “vile” and “necrophilic” use of her dead husband’s avatar in Guitar Hero 5. Take a look at some footage and see what you think:

The banshee is humorless

According to Wired coverage, her main beef appears to be that Kurt sings other people’s songs. That, and the fact that Love appears to treat Cobain’s music as some kind of sacred text that Activision has blasphemed. Is that really what he would have wanted? Is that what any self-confident musician truly wants from the public? Singing someone else’s song honors the originator; it doesn’t lessen the person performing the piece. Of course Courtney Love knows a lot about honoring one’s image, including her own.

She’s intent upon suing Activision and wasting everyone’s time

Not only that, but the cost of frivolous lawsuits are always passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices. Less video games, more money for everyone to purchase recreational substances, eh Courtney? I find her to be generally disgusting and in this case horribly misguided. Here is Courtney’s Tweet heard round the Web, “for the record.”

Kurt Cobain is a playable character

I suppose if an unskilled “Guitar Hero” player got hold of Kurt Cobain’s avatar as their character and stunk up the join, Courtney Love would also try to sue the gamer for slander or something equally ridiculous. A video game is escapism. I don’t doubt that Kurt Cobain was a serious musician, but a healthy outlook on life would allow for such fantasy. If anything, gamers look forward to playing as Kurt Cobain; they are HONORING him, Courtney. I don’t care if Kurt raps or sings hair-metal when used to perform songs by other artists. This is escapism. It’s fun. You need to lighten up and not fall prey to perhaps the same demons that doomed Cobain, Courtney.

Activision appears to have legal legs to stand on

“Guitar Hero secured the necessary licensing rights from the Cobain estate in a written agreement signed by Courtney Love to use Kurt Cobain's likeness as a fully playable character in Guitar Hero 5,” an Activision rep told Wired.

Yet Ms. Love wants to “sue the s*&% out of Activision,” as she told the Guardian. What a shame then that you signed a contract. Perhaps it was signed during a blackout session? Whatever the case, if the Kurt Cobain Trust had an objection to this, they should have spoken up much earlier. As it stands, it appears that usage of Cobain’s image was approved. If Courtney Love is looking for a payday (which, if her Twitter record is any indication, may be her life’s obsession), online personal loans would be a legal route that isn’t harmful to herself or others.