The Great Kat "Extreme Guitar Shred" DVD
Independant
BY: D-Day
As I started the "Wagners War" CD review with the selfish statement of it "not being what I was hoping", I'll also start this one the same way. I was really hoping to see a normal video shot of this guitar genius simply demonstrating her craft for all to admire in at least one clip. The video stylings, however, follow her musical stylings with a fast paced, flash-style barrage of images to go along with the songs.
For the die hard Kat fans that "get it", however, this is a great addition to the Great Kat library. At only $8 to the general public, it's also very affordable.
My personal favorites would be "Castration" and "Dominatrix" for the more theatrical of the lot. "Dominatrix" even has scenes of the Great One performing spoken lines from the song which at least shows her in a new way that isn't just in her signature pose. I felt like I was getting away with something by actually seeing her mouthing words instead of just posing as she does in all the photos.
That would lead me to my actual complaint. Seeing "Live In Chicago" on the list of six videos made me almost drool in anticipation. Live clips are usually various camera angles showing the band perform, right? The first 1/2 second of the video had me about to scoot forward on my seat like a teenie bopper at a Beatles concert when I saw the Great Kat standing in front of the microphone with her guitar. Well.... then the bombardment of micro-second scenes started flashing again. To get back to my selfishness, I would have been willing to kill someone for the chance to just plain see her play by that time. Nothing more is necessary.
I will state again, however, that major fans of The Great Kat will still be happy to have the DVD and should rush to get it. If you're just curious from hearing all about her and want to actually see a master at work, you may just get a little dizzy from the rush of images and speed-demon instrumentals.
In conclusion, I'm happy that I was honored with a preview copy of this DVD. Like the albums, it's a mind-splitting experience that could only be more intense if it was in 3-D; but that would probably need to be accompanied by a nurse for your own personal safety.
Would I do any of the videos differently? Of course. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I just want to see a scene of her playing the guitar for more than 2 seconds at a stretch.
How would The Great Kat respond to that, I wonder? Probably by bashing me in the head with a guitar and screaming, "Well, get off your ass and see me in concert you maggot!"
