Well, it’s not exactly upside down, but Ultimate_MANGO lives in Australia where he has been creating content since the C3 legacy days. We asked him to tell us more about it

“I remember I saw a YouTube video for the Gangman Style and Caramelldansen customs. After a little bit of digging around I found the C3 website!”, Mang0 recalls. “I got in the world of rhythm gaming with Guitar Hero 3. My cousins were playing it and they forced me to have a go. Instantly got hooked. Later that week we bought a Xbox 360 and a copy of GH3. One of the best setlists in all the GH/RB games in my opinion.”

What are you passions in life?
“Since C3, music has been getting higher and higher on the list. It’s easily at the top at the moment. I’d love to be able be in a band or do sound engineering. Who knows what will happen down the track. I also really love my film making and such. Anybody that knows me knows my favourite band is Tupper Ware Remix Party (TWRP), a band that has slowly been getting more popular in the past few years (mostly thanks to Game Grumps and Dan Avidan shouting them out) If I had to describe them I would say they are like a funky Daft Punk with 80’s synth and Talk box. Don’t let the onstage costumes put you off them, each one of the members are VERY talented (Meouch is seriously one the best bassists I have ever seen) If you enjoy tunes that make you bop and dance, then I easily recommend them.”

Tell us your coolest anecdote related to rhythm gaming?
“Probably my best moment was at a supernova where they had a stage set up for RB. A proper drum kit, 3 mics with stands, a guitar and a bass, with separate screens for every player and a massive screen for the audience to see as well. There was maybe 1 or 2 people going up on stage and play, while a few people would stop and watch and clap at the end. I decided to bite the bullet and asked my friends if they wanted to go up. Surprisingly they said yes. We got up with a full band going, with myself on pro drums. We did Red Barchetta by Rush, all on expert. It’s one thing to play in your lounge room with friends, but to play on stage to a bunch of strangers was a surreal experience. We got so many people stopping and watching us as we really got into and had fun. We got people cheering and by the time we finished there was a line at the table beside the stage of people wanting to have a go, with maybe at least 50 other people just watching and applauding. I would love to be able to do something like that again soon.”

All about authoring

“Something that surprised me about creating songs is how much time can go into making one. It entirely depends on what you want out of it. You want a guitar chart? Cool. You want full band? That could be a few days maybe. Want a kickass venue? Sink some more time in there. I like that there’s that flexibility for what people want/are able to do. You get out what you put in. For me the hardest thing to do is Pro keys. I’ve been charting for nearly 6 years and I still can’t do pro keys. I’m just starting to get the hang of vocals/harmonies, and that’s been a massive pain!”

Will you enjoy playing a song? No? Then don’t touch it.

Was there a moment where you thought “I’m gonna quit this, it’s too frustrating”?
“Frustrating? No. There has been a few times I get burned out and think of possibly retiring from customs. I give myself a break and then I get back into it. One day I’ll stop, but I have so much I want to do atm. I will of course let people know when I get to that point though haha.”

Can you recall the moment when it all finally clicked and you started thinking “Hey, I can really do this!”
“Working on the drums for Our House. It was a song I always wanted in Rock Band, and being able to create and play that song was an amazing feeling.”

Is there someone who inspired you to author?
“I don’t think there has been one person that I look at on a pedestal. Since I’ve joined C3, everyone there have been supportive and helpful. Pushed me to be better. Taught me new tricks (did you know there’s this cool thing called CAT? It saves hours of work! I just got it working this year!)”

If you could say “thank you!” to 3 people and only 3 in the C3 community, who would they be and why?
“Impossible to say just 3, sorry. Obviously the Admins and everyone who has created the site and tools that we use. The amount of time and energy is staggering, yet we are still here to this day. If I had to call out a few people, one would be Jimanji. What started as doing a Coldplay song song (which got released a day before we were going to release it) has turned into an awesome friendship, a Paramore Project, (which will be finished someday soon I promise!) and a teacher. I have also been lucky enough that someone from the site actually lives in the same town as I do! That would be PikedPike. We’ve caught up every now and again for RB, and it’s great to have a friend who enjoys their music as much as I do.”

What advice would you feel a new author ansolutely must consider before jumping into this world?
“Read the Damn rules! Seriously though, be aware of why we are even able to do this in the first place, where it’s come from. Be aware that people have put in hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of hours from their own free time, just to give you enjoyment in a 10 year old game. It can be a hurdle to get into this place and learn how to chart, but don’t be afraid. Ask for help, make mistakes, get better. It takes time and practice in anything to be good at something.”

Square or round gems?
Square.

One instrument must go: drums, vocals or guitar?
Vocals.

Either 4-note chords or guitar on vocals becomes legal: do you riot or do you accept either of those?
Riot!

Click here to see this author’s work

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