Everyone's done it. You've done it in your car, at your desk, in hallways, at the mall, at parties, even in the privacy of your own bedroom. It does not matter how young or how old you are, no one is exempt. You may choose to use a tool of sorts, perhaps a tennis racket, or a golf club, a novelty pen, or a wooden spoon. Many of you probably resort to using your bare hands.
I am talking of course about that most favorite exercise of frustrated rock stars everywhere — playing the "air guitar."
No matter your walk of life, everyone has engaged in this activity. Now, what if you had the opportunity to take that absent minded activity to the stage? What if you could "perform" for hundreds, maybe thousands? No way, much too silly to consider, right? Think again. For over a decade, thousands of fans and dozens of performers have descended upon Oulu, Finland to do just that.
Air guitar is that phenomenon by which the non-musician (well, sometimes musicians take part too) will become one with the music he or she is listening to and will pretend to play along with said music.
It could be as simple as strumming at your steering wheel on the way to work, or it could turn into a full-fledged aerobic workout as you take to the sky, jumping and twirling and truly joining forces with your favorite artist. It is fun, exciting, and something that everyone has done at some point. Alexandra Lipsitz's film, Air Guitar Nation, shows you that this absent minded activity that we all do is a serious competition for many.
The documentary shows the rise of organized competition in the United States with the intent of sending a representative to the World Championship in Finland. It is a wonder that it took so long to gain the attention of the US. The Championship was began in 1996 by a couple of Finnish college students looking to spread a message of peace, the idea being if you are playing air guitar, you cannot hold a gun (which I guess is true, unless you choose your rifle as a stand in for a guitar).
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Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Freaking hilaroius Chris. But I honestly don't think you give the subject matter enough credit. If this DVD is anywhere near as funny as those pictures look, I'd have to rate this is a must-own. Nicely done Mr. B.
-Glen