From humble beginnings of the US Air Guitar tournament ten years ago, this musical and performance arts event has steadily gained cult status as a grassroots form of achieving world peace via harmonious relationships through common interests. This mutual agreement that taking the stage with an invisible instrument to demonstrate how firearms have no place in rock 'n roll is the binding force that continues to attract and unite Americans unwilling to let dignity stand in the way of global cohesion.
In recent years, few others have consistently represented the colorful and free-spirited city of San Francisco quite like Cold Steel Renegade (aka Matt F.); instantly recognizable by his flowing locks, mutton chops, astroturf armbands and suggestive spandex, this Adonis of airness narrowly missed making history with a fourth consecutive regional title of the Gold Mountain yet was a memorable highlight of elephantine proportions at the 2012 USAG National Championships halftime show in Denver, Colorado.
2009 SF regional sponsored by Boone's Farm.
Equally as impressive as his gift for rhythmic footwork is a compassionate nature most befitting for one who spends much time helping socially disadvantaged people in the Bay Area. CSR's rich experiences of readjusting less-capable citizens meshes well with the air guitar philosophy that patience, dedication and goodwill are key elements to building a better society, so it should come as no surprise that he was formally inducted into the USAG Hall of Fame this year.
The Thrash Prince of Hell Air, G. Tso Money, debuted on the US Air Guitar circuit two years ago and has since gained much more recognition within the community - from raucous jeers to thunderous cheers, this aspiring air guitarist has heard them all and will not stop until earning a chance to represent America on the main stage at Oulu, Finland for the Annual Air Guitar World Championships.
Trials by fire in 2009 and 2010 proved that after bottoming out, the only other way was up; enthusiastic yet lackluster and forgettable performances as a budding rookie, coupled with brutally honest reactions from judging panels and discerning audiences, nearly derailed the quest for spreading a personal message of world peace by air guitar (one cannot bear arms when playing invisible strings). Upon the realization that no less than a 200% effort would suffice in attaining this goal, meticulous planning and research was then invested in preparation for the 2011 campaign.
After witnessing the US Air Guitar Nationals at Irving Plaza in New York City last summer, the next ten months involved music selection, stage choreography, costume design and attitude readjustment. In addition to repeated viewings of "Air Guitar Nation" (the 2006 documentary film chronicling both C-Diddy and Björn Türoque's emergence as world air guitar superstars), a thorough understanding of the art form's philosophy was made possible by establishing more personal connections with fellow practitioners from all over the world. Some have said that it's best not to meet one's heroes, but even those who excel under the spotlights are real people with real lives that anyone can relate to on one level or another. Most notably, the friendships with Cold Steel Renegade (San Francisco, CA) and Brock McRock (Houston, TX) was invaluable in making a total commitment to upholding the true spirit of air guitar: for the love of music, for those who love music and for the individual freedom that no one can ever take away.
In returning to the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., on June 11th, all bets were off when a third performing slot was drawn for the Round One elimination. At a disadvantage once again by going early, there was only way to see if the training would pay off:
Twitter update from @usairguitar on 6-11-11
With such validation and regardless of the outcome, it finally became certain that everything up to this point had been a step in the right direction...
Last July when Cold Steel Renegade (the San Francisco air guitar champion also known as M. Feldstein) was in town for the USAG Nationals, we took a trip down to the Museum of Jewish Heritage and one area of the exhibit really stood out to me: a display case containing intricate gifts that camp prisoners had fashioned from scavenged materials to give one another. I was impressed by the ingenuity and craftsmanship and quite humbled by the thought that the human spirit could endure under such dire circumstances.
While it may be a cliche that the process is just as important as the outcome, for an individual to express their creativity with so few resources then have the products of their labor preserved for future generations to understand on their own is, in my opinion, the mark of a true artist. Each and every clueless politician who wants to cut funding to the arts should read the message that a tiny copper-wire tea set in its context conveys; periodic works of art in many forms have long been profound symbols and vital records of human civilization that should not only be remembered but also continued to be made, no matter the cost.
