BallHawk
08-09-2008, 07:42 PM
Pretty interesting story. Further proof that punters really have too much time on their hands.
Per the Pioneer Press
MANKATO, Minn. — Chris Kluwe stood there with his lips pursed, focusing, sweat building on his forehead.
The crowd watching him chanted, "Kluwe! Kluwe!" as Vikings executives Rob Brzezinski and Rick Spielman watched him perform, their jaws open in amazement.
No, Kluwe wasn't punting in a pressure situation. Holding a plastic guitar inside a Mankato restaurant as people cheered, Kluwe was engrossed in his other passion, the video game Guitar Hero on Xbox 360.
Kluwe estimates that he is one of the top 100 Guitar Hero players in the world, although he emphasizes playing football for the Vikings is his priority. He even has defeated the Guinness World Record holder and played at a video-game developer's convention.
When most football players get recognized in public, it's usually for what they've done on the field. But Kluwe has gained fame — and a little playful ribbing from teammates — for his fast fingers as well.
"It's crazy," Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler said. "He's an NFL punter, and he almost gets more praise and credit for being such a good Guitar Hero player. When we're going out to eat, some of the fans are coming up to him and instead of them saying to him, 'Great game, you did such a great job punting,' it's more, 'Hey, you're so unbelievable playing Guitar Hero."
As you might expect, Kluwe's teammates occasionally tease him for playing video games so intently, though he doesn't have as much time to play now because of his 1-month-old daughter, Olivia. He said his wife, Isabel, is supportive and knew about his gaming early in the relationship.
"I make sure I spend more than enough time with her," Kluwe said. "The video games come second."
Vikings place-kicker Ryan Longwell couldn't help but take a few good-natured pokes at Kluwe's love of the video game.
"He works hard at it, that's for sure," said Longwell, trying not to laugh. "He never lets a moment pass where he's not either thinking about it or working on it. I think it actually helps his holding (on field-goal and point-after attempts) because his hand-eye coordination's got to be phenomenal to do that on expert level."
Linebacker Heath Farwell can't resist getting in his shots, too.
"Which is funny because he's gotten really into Mario Kart," Kluwe said. "He's turning into quite the gamer himself."
Kluwe takes "Guitar Hero" seriously, although it's fun for him. Players select a song and hit buttons on a plastic guitar without strings to match the notes they see on the screen as the song plays. The more accurate their rhythm, the more points they score.
The Pioneer Press recently asked Kluwe to show off his skills at Jonny B's, a sports bar and restaurant near the Minnesota State Mankato campus, where the Vikings are holding training camp. (Owner Jon Mueller agreed to set up the game on his audio/video network.)
Watching Kluwe's performance was kind of like watching a mini-concert, with Vikings fans at the restaurant getting a show on high-definition flat-screen TVs.
Kluwe started by playing ZZ Top's "La Grange," whizzing through the performance with ease, rocking his head a bit. Then he played Living Colour's "Cult of Personality," ending on a streak of 247 consecutive notes hit, his final score reaching 265,323 points.
His set continued with Dropkick Murphys' rendition of "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" (334,178 points) followed by Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" (251,669 points), and he scored 335,557 points for Steve Ouimette's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."
Each time, Kluwe rarely missed notes, and his scores soared.
"I've actually been to some tournaments at the malls and stuff like that. I've never seen anybody that good, that quick," said Joe Knapp, a Vikings fan from Des Moines, Iowa. "A lot of people have trouble playing on medium or hard. He's playing on expert (level). For a guy that basically has a full-time job (with the Vikings), that's pretty impressive."
Kluwe is entering his fourth NFL season after attending UCLA. His musical background includes playing the violin for seven years, and he just started playing a real guitar a few months ago, two years after he picked up the video game. (And no, he's not as good at that, yet.)
His love for the video game benefits charities. Kluwe has held "Guitar Hero" tournaments, with the public paying $5 or $10 to play against him. Kluwe said he matches the money raised and gets the Vikings to do so as well, and donates it to charity.
Earlier this summer at a charity event in the Twin Cities area, Kluwe faced Chris Chike, a teenager from Rochester, Minn., who set the Guinness World Record for the highest score on the game. Chike had the upper hand in most of the songs, but Kluwe managed to win one.
"I was like, 'Yes!' " Kluwe said.
Kluwe said his biggest thrill came when he played at the corporate sales meeting for video-game developer Activision earlier this year in California. Activision teams from around the United States and the world competed against each other, and actress Tia Carrere and a member of the Sex Pistols were on the panel of celebrity judges.
Activision employees from Minnesota asked Kluwe to join their team as a "ringer."
"They had a whole stage set up, light systems and everything," Kluwe said. "I get up on stage, and I play 'Cult of Personality,' and I'm just rocking out and the crowd's getting into it, because I'm playing on expert and most of them can't play on that level. It was so much fun. It was great."
http://www.twincities.com/ci_10080913?source=most_emailed
Follow the link for a short video about the story.
Per the Pioneer Press
MANKATO, Minn. — Chris Kluwe stood there with his lips pursed, focusing, sweat building on his forehead.
The crowd watching him chanted, "Kluwe! Kluwe!" as Vikings executives Rob Brzezinski and Rick Spielman watched him perform, their jaws open in amazement.
No, Kluwe wasn't punting in a pressure situation. Holding a plastic guitar inside a Mankato restaurant as people cheered, Kluwe was engrossed in his other passion, the video game Guitar Hero on Xbox 360.
Kluwe estimates that he is one of the top 100 Guitar Hero players in the world, although he emphasizes playing football for the Vikings is his priority. He even has defeated the Guinness World Record holder and played at a video-game developer's convention.
When most football players get recognized in public, it's usually for what they've done on the field. But Kluwe has gained fame — and a little playful ribbing from teammates — for his fast fingers as well.
"It's crazy," Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler said. "He's an NFL punter, and he almost gets more praise and credit for being such a good Guitar Hero player. When we're going out to eat, some of the fans are coming up to him and instead of them saying to him, 'Great game, you did such a great job punting,' it's more, 'Hey, you're so unbelievable playing Guitar Hero."
As you might expect, Kluwe's teammates occasionally tease him for playing video games so intently, though he doesn't have as much time to play now because of his 1-month-old daughter, Olivia. He said his wife, Isabel, is supportive and knew about his gaming early in the relationship.
"I make sure I spend more than enough time with her," Kluwe said. "The video games come second."
Vikings place-kicker Ryan Longwell couldn't help but take a few good-natured pokes at Kluwe's love of the video game.
"He works hard at it, that's for sure," said Longwell, trying not to laugh. "He never lets a moment pass where he's not either thinking about it or working on it. I think it actually helps his holding (on field-goal and point-after attempts) because his hand-eye coordination's got to be phenomenal to do that on expert level."
Linebacker Heath Farwell can't resist getting in his shots, too.
"Which is funny because he's gotten really into Mario Kart," Kluwe said. "He's turning into quite the gamer himself."
Kluwe takes "Guitar Hero" seriously, although it's fun for him. Players select a song and hit buttons on a plastic guitar without strings to match the notes they see on the screen as the song plays. The more accurate their rhythm, the more points they score.
The Pioneer Press recently asked Kluwe to show off his skills at Jonny B's, a sports bar and restaurant near the Minnesota State Mankato campus, where the Vikings are holding training camp. (Owner Jon Mueller agreed to set up the game on his audio/video network.)
Watching Kluwe's performance was kind of like watching a mini-concert, with Vikings fans at the restaurant getting a show on high-definition flat-screen TVs.
Kluwe started by playing ZZ Top's "La Grange," whizzing through the performance with ease, rocking his head a bit. Then he played Living Colour's "Cult of Personality," ending on a streak of 247 consecutive notes hit, his final score reaching 265,323 points.
His set continued with Dropkick Murphys' rendition of "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" (334,178 points) followed by Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" (251,669 points), and he scored 335,557 points for Steve Ouimette's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."
Each time, Kluwe rarely missed notes, and his scores soared.
"I've actually been to some tournaments at the malls and stuff like that. I've never seen anybody that good, that quick," said Joe Knapp, a Vikings fan from Des Moines, Iowa. "A lot of people have trouble playing on medium or hard. He's playing on expert (level). For a guy that basically has a full-time job (with the Vikings), that's pretty impressive."
Kluwe is entering his fourth NFL season after attending UCLA. His musical background includes playing the violin for seven years, and he just started playing a real guitar a few months ago, two years after he picked up the video game. (And no, he's not as good at that, yet.)
His love for the video game benefits charities. Kluwe has held "Guitar Hero" tournaments, with the public paying $5 or $10 to play against him. Kluwe said he matches the money raised and gets the Vikings to do so as well, and donates it to charity.
Earlier this summer at a charity event in the Twin Cities area, Kluwe faced Chris Chike, a teenager from Rochester, Minn., who set the Guinness World Record for the highest score on the game. Chike had the upper hand in most of the songs, but Kluwe managed to win one.
"I was like, 'Yes!' " Kluwe said.
Kluwe said his biggest thrill came when he played at the corporate sales meeting for video-game developer Activision earlier this year in California. Activision teams from around the United States and the world competed against each other, and actress Tia Carrere and a member of the Sex Pistols were on the panel of celebrity judges.
Activision employees from Minnesota asked Kluwe to join their team as a "ringer."
"They had a whole stage set up, light systems and everything," Kluwe said. "I get up on stage, and I play 'Cult of Personality,' and I'm just rocking out and the crowd's getting into it, because I'm playing on expert and most of them can't play on that level. It was so much fun. It was great."
http://www.twincities.com/ci_10080913?source=most_emailed
Follow the link for a short video about the story.