Jimi Hendrix, the legendary rocker of the sixties, is coming to Guitar Hero! That's welcome news to all Guitar Hero fanatics worldwide (especially the more mature ones, he he) who have idolized the rock icon and his music for decades. News reports have confirmed that the Seattle-based company Experience Hendrix, which controls the rock icon's musical legacy, is providing Hendrix's music and likeness for the latest Guitar Hero video game. It's the first time Hendrix's likeness will be showcased in the game.

But that's not exactly what this post is all about. At a small family reunion yesterday celebrating the first birthday of a close friend's son, I found myself wandering to the family room where all the kids were gathered. There they were, the toddlers with their nannies, the young boys and
girls with their PSPs and Nintendo DS, and the young teens crammed in front of the PC and the PS3. This is where you'll usually find kids these days, locked in the virtual world of video games. Feeling a bit cocky and seeking attention, I embarked on a topic that I was certain would grab their attention. "Hey, guys," I started, "have you heard? Jimi Hendrix is coming to Guitar Hero!" They turned to my direction in unison and, seemingly like a well-practiced choir said, "Jimi who?"

I was unprepared for that. After all, who'd expect such a reaction? Jimi Hendrix is a rock legend, and one of the original guitar heroes of the rock era! Sure, I was no rock fan in my youth too as Dad wasn't one either. I was raised in a house where records (those big, black round ones, remember?) of Broadway hits and standards ruled. But in this modern age of iPods, iTunes and music downloads, I didn't expect Jimi Hendrix to be such an unknown to today's generation.

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I stood there for a few seconds dumbfounded. I had to say something as sixteen pairs of eyes (yes, I counted them) were focused on me waiting for a reply. As the clock ticked I started to panic. Then, as my eyes wandered, the PC got my attention and something clicked in my head. Heading towards it, I said, "You don't know who Jimi Hendrix is? He's a legend, one of the best guitar players of his time. In fact, he's the real guitar hero! Let me show you." I fumbled with the mouse as I desperately searched for Jimi Hendrix videos on YouTube. These were just three of what I found:

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They watched the videos intently. Then I heard one of the kids (was it Paolo?) say, "Great!". This was followed by several "Cool" remarks and I knew I had succeeded. I then let out the mother of all sighs of relief as I slowly left the room. Then I heard one of them say, "When was this? This looks so old!" Yikes! I knew I had to make my escape for it would open more questions than I cared to answer from these kids, some of whom are old enough to be my ~~grand~~children! (BTW, my cousin, aged 34, just had her first grandchild three days ago! She married at 16, her daughter eloped at 17, and now she is a grandma!) (Photo credits: sheilsoft.com)

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