Guitar Queer-O

"Guitar Queer-O"

Guitar Queer-o is episode 1113 (#166) of Comedy Central's South Park, which aired on November 7, 2007. The title and plot parody the video game Guitar Hero., and the episode aired ten days after Guitar Hero 3's release. The episode satirizes Guitar Hero and video games systems that have become such popular forms of virtual reality that fans increasingly substitute traditional activities such as bowling for video game versions.

Plot

Obsessed with the Play Station 2 video game Guitar Hero II, Stan and Kyle team up and score record points. A producer, named Mr. Kincaid after Partridge Family manager Reuben Kincaid and resembling Colonel James from Boogie Nights, signs the pair to a recording contract and takes them to a party featuring Colorado personalities as Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, Tom Shane from the Denver-based Shane Company, Jake Jabs from American Furniture Warehouse and local newscaster Ron Zappolo.

Stan realizes his potential for success is higher with another partner, Thad. He and Kyle break up. Stan folds under the pressure of stardom when an employee at "EV Games" (a parody of EB Games last seen in Go God Go) sells him the game "Heroin Hero," whose sole object is literally chasing the dragon. Stan's addiction shortens his temper, and Thad quits, in a scene reminiscent of Johnathon Schaech's quitting scene in That Thing You Do!.

Stan and Kyle reunite and return to Stan's to try to reach their goal of scoring a million points. After Stan kicks his dad Randy, who's been playing Heroin Hero, off the couch, the two reach their goal as South Park kids watch. The game congratulates them on scoring a million points and puts a message up saying, "You are Fags!" After Stan and Kyle leave, Cartman and Butters start the game again, thinking that the whole thing was just a game, including the party and Stan leaving Kyle.

Featured Songs

• "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones
• "John the Fisherman" by Primus
• "Surrender" by Cheap Trick
• "Pretty Vacant" by Sex Pistols
• "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
• "Woman" by Wolfmother
• "I Remember You" by Skid Row.
• "Jordan" by Buckethead is referenced briefly.
• The song playing on the radio when Stan is playing the driving game is "You and Me, Girl", sung by his father, Randy in the episode Spontaneous Combustion. However, in this episode, the radio says that the song is by The Splendiffs.

Errors

• When Kyle and Stan score 100,000 points the wires from their Guitar Controllers are seen detached from the controller.

Notes and references

• When Stan is practicing with Thad in the Gamecraft Arcade, a mechanical claw game can be seen behind the Guitar Hero arcade machine. Inside the claw game are Clyde Frog and Rumpletumskin dolls, and the Snacky Smores bear. These are dolls that Cartman owns. Also seen is a Pengin toy from Chinpokomon.
• When Mr. Kincaid is holding the Heroin Hero game case, a boy can be seen behind him playing an arcade machine called "Thirst For Blood". This was a game that Stan owned for the Okama GameSphere in Towelie.