Metal Music Blog

Some say we Finns are grazy enough to figure out really weird ideas, such as Air Guitar World Championships. Can you believe that we have also Wife Carrying World Championships, Rubberboot Throwing World Championships, Cellphone Throwing World Championships and Mosquito Killing World Championships? Yes, they are all real contests, and I have joined once Moquito Killing WC. Now we have also Air Guitar World Championships!

Air Guitar playing means that you act like playing a guitar. So you do not have any real guitar in your hands, you are just acting like playing a guitar. Playing air guitar is said to be a subcategory of dancing. Air Guitar World Championships was born in Oulu in Finland in 1996. Since then the contest is held yearly, and year after year it is getting bigger and bigger happening. It has turned to a profitable business.

This year’s winner in Air Guitar World Championships was Ochi “Dainoji” Yosuke, the same dude who won last year as well. This victorious air-guitarist shows some magic riffs and moves in the video below. Check out how he tunes his amplifier, makes some last-minute checkouts and talks to his crew. He is a professional air-guitarist. Notice his furious and aggressive style as well as his staggering outfit, the tiger shirt! This “Tiger-Dude” is really awesome. Listen to his tiger roar!

Tiger is really my idol, but let’s see a couple of more videos. Here is the Shaking Devil from Italy playing some good old rock and roll! Look at that speed. He must be exhausted after hour gig. I just wonder what I would play in the contest. May be Wintersun’s Beyond the Dark Sun.. no, in fact I would play Pantera’s Cowboys From Hell. Rock!

You really gotta have some balls when you enter the Air Guitar Championships stage. Check out this dude. He plays with great passion. Notice his cool rock and roll leopard overalls.

Playing air guitar is a great show in which you better have a good choreography in order to win. Check out how this guy combines his acrobatic skills with rock and power metal. It is also important to have an interesting persona and this dude makes sure that his tattoos are seen by the audience.

Cool competitions here in Finland, right? For more about Air Guitar World Championships, check out their website. Would you like to join the 2008 contest?