Air Guitar Nation on DVD
Documentary is Simultaneously Majestic and Ridiculous
Two American air guitarists compete regionally, nationally, and internationally - but mostly against each other in this hilarious documentary.
In Air Guitar Nation, director Alexandra Lipsitz delivers you to the foot of the stage for one of today’s fastest growing faux-art forms: air guitar performance. First we visit the East Coast, then West Coast versions of the inaugural U.S. Air Guitar Championships in which everyday people (usually without any musical knowledge or talent whatsoever) compete in costume, strumming their invisible guitars and strutting across the stage to music that other people created. The U.S. winner (together with a self-invited American competitor) then journeys to Oulu, Finland, for the World Air Guitar Championships to compete against other air guitarists who dream of being virtual rock stars.
Audience Award Winner
Winner of the Audience Award at the South by South West (SXSW) Film Festival, Air Guitar Nation primarily follows the antics of the two U.S. contestants, David (C-Diddy) Jung, an actor/comedian wearing Spandex pants, a red kimono, and a Hello Kitty breastplate, and Dan (Bjorn Turoque) Crane, a real musician who composed the music for the film yet yearns for superstar air guitar status. Sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes deadly serious about obtaining their 15 minutes of fame, these rockers never fail to entertain.
The other contestants are entertaining as well. There’s the Belgium champion (who is not really from Belgium) who gives a philosophical and heart-felt speech about “keeping it real” and then performs his imaginary guitar work on stage wearing only a loin cloth and a crown of thorns. There’s an air guitarist in a wheelchair, an author competing as research for a book, and an air guitarist who performs using an invisible guitar and wearing invisible clothes.
In addition to the original music composed by Crane, the film features songs from artists including Smashing Pumpkins, Motorhead, Kiss, David Bowie, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, David Lee Roth, and Extreme. During his interviews, C-Diddy (known for his unique brand of onstage “Asian Fury”) frequently notes the weirdness of air guitar and its devotees. That weirdness –from the performers to the audience to the groupies – is fully captured in Air Guitar Nation.
The Zen of Air Guitar
About 40 minutes of DVD bonus features provide some funny behind-the-scenes footage from the World Air Guitar Championship where contestants are taught the proper care and handling of groupies, the Zen of air guitar, plus an interview with British author/air guitarist Ian Stafford, and two extended performance scenes of quirky contestants (from the West Coast U.S. Air Guitar Championships). Other less amusing extras include a lengthy (and pointless) restaurant scene and Crane lounging in a hot tub with some giggling girls in bikinis.
- Air Guitar Nation
- Director: Alexandra Lipsitz
- Movie Run Time: 81 minutes
- Rating: R (profanity, brief male nudity)
- DVD Bonus Features: Behind-the-scenes footage, additional air guitar performances, contestant updates, deleted scenes, and theatrical trailer.
For more information about music documentaries, read Young @ Heart Movie Review.
