More than 1,680 guitar players turned out, tuned up and took part in what organizers say was a world record rendition of Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water — a song that was the first many of them ever learned.
Some came from as far away as California and Germany on Jun. 3 to take part in a Kansas City, Missouri, USA radio station's effort to break a Guinness world record for the most people playing the same song simultaneously. The record had been 1,323 people playing the same song in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994.
"It was cool to see little kids playing, people who had been playing for their whole lives, like older people, and then I'm sure there were people like me who just picked up the song a couple days before," said Autumn McPherson, of Winfield, Kansas, USA, a senior at the University of Kansas.
Photo: AP
Preliminary numbers show 1,683 people played the popular early 1970s guitar riff at Community America Ballpark.
"I thought it was going to be kind of cheesy," said Hannah Koch, of Prairie Village, Kansas, who came clad in an elf costume. "But after I got here, I got caught up in the excitement of it."
Tanna Guthrie, a morning show host for KYYS (99.7 FM), came up with the idea for the record attempt. She said her station will send participant sign-up lists, photos, videos and copies of media coverage to Guinness seeking official recognition of a record.
One of the participants, John Cardona of Hanford, California, said he brought felt-tip pens so he could get others to sign his guitar.(AP)
一千六百八十多位吉他手齊聚一堂飆音，參加深紫色合唱團的《Smoke on the Water》演奏大會，主辦單位稱這場大會為打破世界紀錄的盛事。這首歌是許多吉他手入門初學的歌曲。
有些吉他手甚至從加州和德國遠道而來，參加美國密蘇里州堪薩斯市一家電台六月三日的這場盛事，準備打破最多人同時演奏同一首歌的金氏世界紀錄。先前的紀錄為在加拿大卑詩省的溫哥華所創下的一千三百二十三人。
家住堪薩斯州溫菲爾德市的堪薩斯大學大四生奧登．麥克菲爾森說︰「看到小朋友和年長者等彈了一輩子吉他的人一起彈奏真是酷極了，但我確信也有跟我一樣前幾天才開始惡補這首歌的人。」
初步估計有一千六百八十三名吉他手在美國人棒球場齊彈這首風行於一九七○年代初期的歌曲。
「我原本覺得有點庸俗，」打扮成精靈、來自堪薩斯市普萊瑞村的漢娜．科赫說︰「但我抵達現場後，也感染了那份興奮之情。」
KYYS電台（FM99.7）的晨間節目主持人坦娜．古絲芮是這項破紀錄活動的發起人。她說電台將會寄出參加者簽署名單、照片、影帶與媒體報導影本給金氏紀錄，以尋求正式認可。
來自加州漢福市的參加者約翰．卡度納說他還自備了簽字筆，好讓別人在他的吉他上頭簽名。（美聯社/翻譯︰賴美君）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses is touring Taiwan tomorrow. What about pop diva Lady Gaga? B: Unfortunately, Singapore has once again exclusively secured Gaga’s concerts in Asia, just like Taylor Swift’s exclusive Asian shows last year. A: The Singaporean government reportedly paid up to US$2.2 million to secure Swift’s shows. B: And the shows did boost its economy and tourism. A: But I’m angry about this approach, so I’m not going to Gaga’s shows this time. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰明天即將來台，流行天后女神卡卡呢？ B: 真可惜，新加坡再度取得卡卡亞洲巡演的獨家主辦權，就像去年泰勒絲的亞洲獨家演出一樣。 A: 據報導新加坡政府付出高達220萬美元，取得泰勒絲的亞洲獨家主辦權。 B: 而她的秀也的確提振了該國的經濟和旅遊業。 A: 但我對此還是很不爽，所以不去新加坡看卡卡了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses and pop diva Lady Gaga are finally touring Asia again. B: Are they also coming to Taiwan? A: The band will stage a show at the Taoyuan Sunlight Arena on Saturday. B: Wow, so this will be the band’s third visit. I really love its 1992 power ballad “November Rain.” The nine-minute hit was the Billboard chart’s longest song at one point. A: Let’s go celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰、女神卡卡終於再度展開亞洲巡演了。 B: 他們也會來台巡演嗎？ A: 槍與玫瑰本週六即將在桃園陽光劇場開唱唷。 B: 哇這將是該團第三次來台演出，我超愛他們1992年強力情歌《November Rain》，全長近9分鐘還曾是告示牌排行榜最長神曲。 A: 那我們一起去慶祝該團出道40週年吧！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Every May 1, Hawaii comes alive with Lei Day, a festival celebrating the rich culture and spirit of the islands. Initiated in 1927 by the poet Don Blanding, Lei Day began as a tribute to the Hawaiian custom of making and wearing leis. The idea was quickly adopted and officially recognized as a holiday in 1929, and leis have since become a symbol of local pride and cultural preservation. In Hawaiian culture, leis are more than decorative garlands made from flowers, shells or feathers. For Hawaiians, giving a lei is as natural as saying “aloha.” It shows love and
If you could nominate any toys for the Toy Hall of Fame, what would they be? Iconic playthings like yo-yos, toy cars, or video games seem like obvious __1__. Classic toys such as jacks, playing cards, and board games like Chess, Monopoly, and Uno have brought endless joy to generations. Overall, there are countless toys that __2__ in the Toy Hall of Fame. The National Toy Hall of Fame was __3__ in 1998 at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The Toy Hall of Fame aims to __4__ items that have been cherished for generations, and several
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