Tinkerhell. That’s my virtual band’s name. I’m talking about Guitar Hero 2, where my real job meets my fake job and everyone has fun.

Guitar Hero 2 is a videogame where players get a plastic guitar-like controller, complete with button frets, a clicker string, and a fake whammy bar, and follow a button pushing pattern on screen that resembles the bass line for a song. And these are probably songs that you know and love. Here’s the tracklist for the X360 version:

1. Opening Licks

* “Surrender” - Cheap Trick
* “Possum Kingdom” - Toadies
* “Heart-Shaped Box” - Nirvana
* “Salvation” - Rancid
* “Strutter” - Kiss
* “Shout at the Devil” - Mötley Crüe

2. Amp-Warmers

* “Mother” - Danzig
* “Life Wasted” - Pearl Jam
* “Cherry Pie” - Warrant
* “Woman” - Wolfmother
* “You Really Got Me” - Van Halen
* “Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight” - Spınal Tap

3. String-Snappers

* “Carry On Wayward Son” - Kansas
* “Search and Destroy” - Iggy Pop and The Stooges
* “Message in a Bottle” - The Police
* “Billion Dollar Babies” - Alice Cooper
* “Them Bones” - Alice in Chains
* “War Pigs” - Black Sabbath

4. Thrash and Burn

* “Monkey Wrench” - Foo Fighters
* “Hush” - Deep Purple
* “Girlfriend” - Matthew Sweet
* “Who Was in My Room Last Night?” - Butthole Surfers
* “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” - The Rolling Stones
* “Sweet Child O’Mine” - Guns N’ Roses

5. Return of the Shred

* “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” - Rick Derringer
* “Tattooed Love Boys” - The Pretenders
* “John the Fisherman” - Primus
* “Jessica” - The Allman Brothers Band
* “Bad Reputation” - Thin Lizzy
* “Last Child” - Aerosmith

6. Relentless Riffs

* “Crazy on You” - Heart
* “Trippin’ On a Hole in a Paper Heart” - Stone Temple Pilots
* “Dead!” - My Chemical Romance
* “Killing in the Name” - Rage Against the Machine
* “Freya” - The Sword
* “Stop!” - Jane’s Addiction

7. Furious Fretwork

* “Madhouse” - Anthrax
* “The Trooper” - Iron Maiden
* “Rock This Town” - Stray Cats
* “Laid to Rest” - Lamb of God
* “Psychobilly Freakout” - The Reverend Horton Heat
* “YYZ” - Rush

8. Face-Melters

* “Beast and the Harlot” - Avenged Sevenfold
* “Carry Me Home” - The Living End
* “Institutionalized” - Suicidal Tendencies
* “Misirlou” - Dick Dale
* “Hangar 18″ - Megadeth
* “Free Bird” - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Bonus Tracks:
# Raw Dog” - The Last Vegas
# “Arterial Black” - Drist
# “Collide” - Anarchy Club
# “Drink Up” - Ounce of Self
# “Elephant Bones” - That Handsome Devil
# “Fall of Pangea” - Valient Thorr
# “FTK” - Vagiant
# “Gemini” - Brian Kahanek
# “Push Push (Lady Lightning)” - Bang Camaro
# “Laughtrack” - The Acro-brats
# “Less Talk More Rokk” - Freezepop
# “Jordan” - Buckethead
# “Kicked to the Curb” - Noble Rot
# “Mr. Fix-it” - The Amazing Royal Crowns
# “The New Black” - Every Time I Die
# “One for the Road” - The Breaking Wheel
# “Parasite” - The Neighborhoods
# “Radium Eyes” - Count Zero
# “Red Lottery” - Megasus
# “Six” - All That Remains
# “Soy Bomb” - Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives
# “The Light That Blinds” - Shadows Fall
# “Thunderhorse” - Dethklok
# “Trogdor” - Strong Bad
# “X-Stream” - Voivod
# “Yes We Can” - Made in Mexico

See, impressive! Granted, the vocals are shit- I think I’d do better with the game if I could actually hear them. And there are no explicit lyrics that I’ve heard. Bummer.

The characters and guitars are pretty funny. But the coolest part is the optical illusion caused by playing for awhile and staring at the moving fretboard. It makes walls move, like some kind of acid flashback. Not that I would know anything about that.

It’s hours of fun, a whole new way to get carpal, and a great way to discover forgotten songs. Danzig, anyone?