US Air Guitar: San Francisco Regional Championship 2008

BB pal Jess Hemerly attended the US Air Guitar: San Francisco Regional Championship a few weeks ago. As she astutely points out, it's quite a testament to the, er, premise that a show where the performers pretend to play invisible musical instruments sold out a mid-size rock venue. Over at SF Jukebox, Jess posted about the pandemonium. Her piece is accompanied by Jonathan Koshi's terrific photos. Seen above, winner Shred Begley, Jr. From the post:

For those unfamiliar with the magic and mystery of air guitar, it is an annual collection of freaks, wannabes, amateur comedians, and rock lovers who "play" air guitar on stage. Sometimes a contestant seems to be completely disconnected from both his body and the music. Other times, a contestant is so good that it's as if a guitar will materialize in his hands any second....

The evening began with the ceremonial air-ing of "War Pigs," where master-of-air-emonies and retired contestant Bjorn Turoque invited audience members to join him on stage and play air bass and air drums as he sang (really sang, not air sang) and aired lead guitar.

US Air Guitar: San Francisco Regional Championships (SF Jukebox)

Previously on BB:
• Photos from San Francisco Air Guitar Championship 2007
• Air guitar t-shirt

• [Marcy]

  This is one time of those times when I hoped to find a video link at the end of the post!

• [Dav]

  Oh man, I’m glad I bought my tickets already.

  The documentary Air Guitar Nation is really wonderful. I highly recommend (if you’re in the bay area) buying your ticket to the live event first and then renting the DVD.

• [Takuan]

  I do hope the rules forbid any who can actually play. That would be a mockery.

• [smasm]

  I joined with the express purpose of sharing the joy that C Diddy, world air guitar champion 2003, has brought me for the last three years. God bless his Hello Kitty cloaked heart.

• [agreatnotion]

  Actually I have video that I completely forgot about. I’ll upload and add to the post. Thanks!

• [doumakes]

  Years ago, MadTV put on a sketch about an air guitar store that was among their funniest ever. If you can find it on the web, do.

• [Phikus]

  C’mon… There’s nothing like seeing dicks prance around (or is it pricks dance around…?) playing with big imaginary redundancies…

• [Buckethead]

  There’s actually a documentary on DVD about these guys, ‘Air Guitar Nation’.

• [Tao]

  Air Guitar Nation is definitely worth checking out.
  Truly fascinating (and entertaining) stuff.

• [buzzcowboy]

  Although I was mistakenly identified as the person who threw a glass of water on a contestant and then greeted with a chorus of c-words from the judges and the crowd, I enjoyed myself at this fine event.

  (For the record: Hot Lixx Hulahan, who won the finals, actually threw the water.)

  In any case, we interviewed fans about the concept of “airness” at this event, and we have some good footage of Shred Begley/Awesome too:

  http://blog.cafepress.com/?p=503

  The finals were insane. Woo air guitar!

• [backlikeclap]

  I’d kill to take a few hundred photos of that concert.

• [sicklecell]

  looks boring

• [Jaan]

  Dumbest. Thing. Ever. (dumb isn’t the word I want to use but I’m trying to be PC).

  It’s things like this that make me wonder if America is doomed. Are we so fraking lazy that we honor those that can actually get off a couch and pretend to play guitar, instead of all the “losers” that can’t even do that?

• [Antinous]

  How could strangers making fools out of themselves be boring?

• [Takuan]

  firstly, I think it was`those girlish flibbertigibbets the Finns – taking time off from vodka,stabbings and saunas – that originally hosted this. Secondly, lighten up for craps-sake, have a beer and quit6 thinking about work for five minutes.

• [Anonymous]

  Shred Begly Jr. (A.K.A. Awesome) (which, I believe, is his “official” name), is also San Francisco-based comedian Alex Koll.
  http://www.myspace.com/alexkoll