Air Guitar Nation [Import]

If you're under 60, you've played air guitar at some point in your life - and not just as a child. Even Mr. Bigtime Lawyer or Dr. Smartypants still knocks out a few major riffs when no one is looking - don't try to deny it (unless you've sold your soul to Guitar Hero). What you probably don't realize is that air guitar is no longer just the stuff of private bedroom concerts and junior high talent shows - there's a freakin' world championship of Air Guitar held every year in that bastion of rock `n' roll nirvana. I'm talking, of course, about Oulu, Finland. Yes, the city that gave the world composer Leevi Madetoja and black metal band Impaled Nazarene - and rebuilt itself out of the ashes of a devastating fire in 1822 - has played host to the annual Air Guitar World Championships every August (when the temperature can rise as high as 64 degrees Fahrenheit) ever since its creation in 1996. When a couple of plucky Americans (Kriston Rucker and Cedric Devitt) read about the event in the august Wall Street Journal, they decided to experience the magic for themselves - only to discover, to their horror, that America was not and had never been represented in the sport. They resolved to do something about it, establishing an American championship and sending the winner to compete on the world stage. The rest, as they say, is history.

The 2003 East Coast regional takes place above a strip club in New York City's Pussycat Lounge. Thanks to some last-minute promotion by Howard Stern, hundreds have to be turned away after the place fills up. Those lucky enough to make it in should all have T-shirts saying "I was there when C-Diddy first took the stage." Oh, there are some gifted performers there that night, including Dan "Bjorn Turoque" Crane, but David "C-Diddy," in his red Oriental robe and "Hello Kitty" breastplate, blows out the competition. Unbowed, Bjorn Turoque heads out west for the West Coast regional, looking for a rematch with C-Diddy - if he can get by the likes of cubicle-dwelling government worker Gordon "Krye Tuff" Hintz. The ultimate winner is Finland-bound, where, for the first time, an American will unleash his air guitar chops on the world stage.

The documentary focuses primarily on C-Diddy and Bjorn Turoque, letting us get to know them personally to see how their Air Guitar personas differ from their normal selves. Stylistically, they could not be more different. While C-Diddy is, in a word, unique, Bjorn's old school style puts one very much in mind of Keith Richards or The Kinks. C-Diddy manages to be supremely confident without ever becoming overbearing or a product of his own ego, while Bjorn's relentless pursuit of a championship can make him seem a little overbearing at times - but he acquits himself well in the end. There are no bitter rivalries here, and it's nice to see all of the air guitar champions from various nations all across the globe competing in such a friendly manner.

Naturally, there is a fair amount of humor in Air Guitar Nation, even aside from the actual performances themselves. The Air Guitar boot camp is really something to see. I'm still not sure why the champions of their various nations need Air Guitar training just prior to the World Championships, but it's great fun to hear the instructors talk about the spiritual elements of Air Guitar, techniques for maintaining your instrument (seriously) and how to deal with groupies. Finally, the actual Air Guitar World Championships are truly something to behold. I have to admit I was on the edge of my seat, cheering C-Diddy on for all I was worth. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see more of the actual performances of all the contestants - but maybe that's included in the special features (I don't know because I watched Air Guitar Nation on NetFlix).

So, yeah, the whole Air Guitar thing is kind of silly, but it's just the kind of thing that makes our lives of quiet desperation so worth living. If you can't watch and enjoy the heck out of this documentary, you're a total square, man. I know I'll never play Air Guitar the same way again.

I saw this on the shelves of my local video store, and pondered it for about 3 minutes before deciding to take the plunge. I did have my doubts. After all, as an aspiring guitar player, what fun would it be watching people pretend to play guitar? I mean, I'm bored to tears with Rock Band and Guitar Hero. After a mere few minutes, I was enthralled with this documentary. This is just a story about some regular guys (and girls too) who simply love guitar so much that they have created an art out of "air guitar" -- flailing your arms erratically, throwing shapes, and pretending to rock. Sounds stupid I know, but I can't think of a better word than "art" to describe what they do. It is a new artform. If you're a rocker, don't lie to me -- I know you've played air guitar in your bedroom before. I spent my teens doing that very thing. These guys have taken it to a whole new level, with costumes and personas.

"C-Diddy" and "Bjorn Turoque" are our prime protangonists here, although I immediately sided with the amicable Diddy, known to his parents as David Jung. They both have very different styles. Diddy favours the intricate fretwork of Extreme's "Play With Me" while Bjorn is more a rhythm player, employing the high energy of Motorhead. Each of them hopes to be the very first American air guitar world champion. They battle through the semi-finals before heading to Finland for the big finish. Along the way you will meet other air guitar players, each a champion in his or her own right. My favourites included "The Red Plectrum", so named due to his flaming hair. There was also a Christian rocker whose gimmick was that he played air guitar to Stryper in a wheelchair. Then, partway through his song, he is miraculously given the ability to walk, as he rises from his chair! Hallelujah!

This is just a sweet movie, with a killer soundtrack, and some very unique and fun personalities to boot. They take air guitar very, very seriously, and so will you after seeing this film. There are plenty of deleted scenes and extras on the DVD to keep you going once the party's over.

5 stars.

Finland. I'll say it again, Finland. And not only will I say Finland again, I'll follow up with... a small island in a Finnish lake, accessible only via a hand-pulled cable ferry. Wait for it.... This island is the world epicenter of the juggernaut that has become the World Air Guitar Championships. Oulu, Finland is where the planet's limb-flailing contestants converge on an annual basis to compete for the coveted title of Air Guitar Champion. Air Guitar Nation is the frolicking and hysterical documentary that charts the course of the first American entrants into this esteemed acting/dancing/aerobicizing pageant. This indie doc is a tight little ensemble - from the start the hilarious opening credits incorporate freeze frame eighties graphics to get you in a devil horns and kick-jumping kinda mood. The film-makers treat their subject matter with a reverence that leaves you actually believing in the pseudo-peace-nick attributes many of the participants apply to their "art". One performer makes a poignant case for the Air Guitar movement, saying that (and please allow me to paraphrase), "...the air guitar is the perfect artistic tool - if everyone just picked up an air guitar and put down their weapons, there'd be no war."

Yet the actual turn of events in this film play out like a minimalist battle of the bands. The characters that these otherwise normal working lads assume in order to get their rock on is highly entertaining. The film follows the paths of two entrants in the East Coast auditions, held in a New York strip club that doubles for a live music venue. The winner, Daniel "C-Diddy" Jung, donned in a flowing red robe and Hello Kitty chest-plate, is instantly a press sensation and is flown to LA for a guest appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show and a slot in the US finals. Not to be outdone, his runner-up Dan "Bjorn Turoque" Crane, scores a spot on Carson Daly, the star of which pulls some strings at Jet Blue to fly Bjorn out to LA avenge his honor.

I'll stop here to refrain from spoiling the rest of the show. This is one of those docs that serve as a magnifying glass on a cultural happening you don't often across - a definite flick to check out that makes for a good recommendation around the water or cooler... or in the front row at the next Yngwie Malmsteen concert.