If anyone ever tells you that they’ve never played air guitar don’t believe them. Everybody has played air guitar. Nuns play air guitar. Al Qaeda plays air guitar, shit the pope plays air guitar and he can fucking shred it up. Ever play air drums on the steering wheel when you’re driving? That’s fun as fuck! I am an equal opportunity air instrument player. Hell guitar, drums, bass, keyboard I’ve even lip synched while holding an air microphone. I do it all, man!
As one of the elder bastards on this site I came up in the nascent era of air guitar. It wasn’t a real competition and if you played it, you played alone. Like George Thorogood with the drinking. There was also no youtube, no MTV. If you wanted to see and understand a guitar players style you had to see them live or maybe catch them on Rock Concert or Saturday Night Live or something. I saw AC/DC back in the motherfucking DAY! Bon Scott still hadn’t managed to successfully drink himself to death while fatally crashing his car at the same time. Bon carried Angus through the crowd on his shoulder while Angus just blistered the everlasting shit out of a lead solo. Have you seen videos of Angus from the early days? That little fucker was a Tasmanian Devil. Non-stop action. He was constantly banging his head. Constantly, during the entire set. He would randomly fall down and kick his feet while spinning in a circle all while playing the guitar. Just non-stop entertainment. One of my very first air guitar albums was this one.
And boy did I ever play the shit out of it. For some reason I owned this album before owning the previous albums including “Let There Be Rock.” When I did buy that album though? Holy shit. I was playing in front of packed arenas (in my mind) and shredding the fuck out of shit! I would play the fast leads and do the head banging thing. I don’t know if you’ve ever done any head banging, I’ve been a banger my whole life, but holy Christ it will destroy your neck muscles for days after just one good head banging session. Angus would do this shit EVERY SHOW FOR THE ENTIRE TOUR! Crazy little bastard.
It is with that note that I bring you my favorite air guitar song. AC/DC “Whole Lotta Rosie”. Play this fucker and see if you don’t break out the fake Gibson SG. Go on, I dare you.
If you have a favorite air guitar song, drop the youtube link in the comments and when Rikki gets back from his European World tour next week, we will compile these into a youtube play list.
My neck is hurting just thinking about it.
Start shreddin’ muthafuckas!
Alejandro Escovedo- Castanets
https://youtu.be/NArdXSzO9Ew
Late to the party, my apologies. Good god this song has been covered a lot, but I’ll stick with Neil’s Cortez.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gfjoAyqfLs
I put this in an open thread the other night, but it deserves to go here as well.
“Hey Jude”, by Wilson Pickett & Duane Allman, considered by some the first “southern rock” song
http://cdn8.openculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Duane-Allman-and-Wilson-Picket.jpg
https://youtu.be/0y8Q2PATVyI
I never liked that categorization of The Allman Brothers; they just had great music, rock ‘n’ roll if you have to.
This is a fantastic version to me.
Yep. Just. Good. Music.
The sound owes as much to Pickett and his willingness to take the risk. But, people gotta label; I remember the record store near my house doing exactly that. People looked by genre rather than band.
As a fan of professors from Wilson Pickett State Teachers College, I’m supportive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9FpLjfN2qc
http://45.media.tumblr.com/63e00afc7ec3bb53c84605f5f0537b5a/tumblr_nv5dfzEMb01rs1y0wo1_500.gif
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL9rBAjut2g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WfKtdFiO2k
http://45.media.tumblr.com/2a20cda96ce30047c49571604c9ab7de/tumblr_nk075sDZfp1s9nttjo1_400.gif
Gave you the only intentionally sultry one. Badass with a guitar one now
http://images.sk-static.com/images/media/profile_images/artists/670743/huge_avatar
Tal Wilkenfeld
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMEzFgCLv8c
http://57.media.tumblr.com/98d072985eea633644ea28cf3f19f815/tumblr_mxktatZnet1r3k15eo1_250.gif
Got mentioned before; I just added a guitarist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jxsnIRpy2E
http://49.media.tumblr.com/0ea786e18853507e2157db01d063fe30/tumblr_o21tzc3zHT1rsbo1mo1_500.gif
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLfXCuWR0kg
Three in one, the two guitarists and a ghost.
http://40.media.tumblr.com/d3e3070a46fb1bf13c9a7b8bc384dd3d/tumblr_nkydpcd4GX1qc1uwto1_1280.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15eu7ar5EKM&ebc=ANyPxKrE3s4SK303m89CJhIRNyt9aR7hYLbL8IaNAGvwoVqSrUlYVq66eJ-8GkZH0ff4uU3XNeDr-wJgTkfBnCMpnX3W162iOw
http://41.media.tumblr.com/f3ecdd13f6a5b3ab69e68b0c4f80f918/tumblr_nvilveo1GC1sf36lbo1_1280.jpg
Awaiting moderation on a youtube? WAAAT?
I got an awaiting moderation earlier, no video, no picture. I said bass a few times. I assume it was something with thinking I said ass repeatedly which it will allow now as this goes through no problem
A bass phishing competition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQDjSGnmYBI
http://41.media.tumblr.com/b8cfe6c381459132e1abcc7f1d4037ab/tumblr_nu6aohc9PV1r1arpmo1_1280.png
2 songs in I have a crush on the bassist with curly hair and want to know more about her
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgffDVO2UyA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFiQXKa9Ok
Air violin w/guitar.
http://40.media.tumblr.com/290460d13e889ac2cf9a4a6ace370a40/tumblr_ntg7fhi5cu1rf2h2eo1_1280.jpg
Yeah, not even trying with the theme now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC5PL0XImjw
Guaranteed to make you want play air geetar. And snort blow. A lot of blow. Like, a Tony Montana amount of blow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ID15mv0gA
Air piano, then air guitar…. in case you are in the car.
http://57.media.tumblr.com/8d9fcd9ace26454c73d9fa797e810382/tumblr_o0pne6v6lM1sn8m9wo1_400.gif
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsZSS-_OOqg
Hot bass……
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2a4pr_adrian-belew-david-bowie-pretty-pin_music
http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_liakipzT5V1qaooieo1_1280.jpg
In less embarrassing choices, no clue how this wasn’t one of my first choices
Arctic Monkeys – Brainstorm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30w8DyEJ__0
If you are at all familiar with me this will come as no surprise whatsoever.
Metallica covered this tune on Garage Days but I prefer the original.
Killing Joke. Fuck yes.
Hard to air if you are not a guitarist or have seen him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_kk8mGqBj8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQWzEQOyQhM&ebc=ANyPxKpi74N_lvKCfD5q1RJpuoUoBXz0OcNfIyT-kgl_1LLcUS7wa7DmmLY7tENbg6z32t2GA8co3jv6CIizAmhhv7wLah0JLQ
http://49.media.tumblr.com/672ae2f45a5c5077a253ccc85a9549f9/tumblr_mx2u4kgAYT1qzhnmco1_500.gif
Yeah, I figure I should just own it now that I posted Korn.
Staind – Mudshovel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuAC9YIC2Bs
I was a 90’s kid, of course I liked Korn and figured it fit the theme
Korn – Freak on a Leash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRGrNDV2mKc
Marty Chambers literally kills his drum set here.
Air drumming; should be done more.
I will pretend this somehow fits the theme. It doesn’t
Lou Rawls – You’ll Never find another love like mine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCW1i5HQ0o0
Every time I run, I time my music so this song plays in the last half mile.
This song makes me want to run through walls. If it had existed when I played football, I would’ve broken more bones. Probably some of them, my own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDMvN45sjo4
Apparently, the members of REM were really, really pissed about the final mix of this. They didn’t even play it live for over a decade after it was released. I think it’s skull-crushingly awesome as is.
I tried (admittedly not very hard) to come up with an R.E.M. air guitar song. That’s just not their style. Maybe a couple from Monster.
This is a pretty good choice though, WCS.
I am not looking forward to this weekend of taking care of my mom’s dog. She has her so regimented it is unhealthy. I have to let her out at 4 hour increments during the day and no longer than 8 hours overnight. Specific details about how treats are given and food is put out. I just give my dog a giant pile of food he can eat whenever, let him out when I go out for smokes and if I sleep in a day he can handle it, and feed him cheese every chance I get because it is his favorite food. And obviously if I ever watch Futurama – Jurassic Bark I lay on the floor next to him and hold him
Also. girl dog punches me in the dick every time I come over. She doesn’t do it for anyone else but every time I come over she jumps up on me and hits me. I love the fact I am her favorite I just wish that didn’t happen
This is gonna be a fuckin’ playlist for the ages.
GET BACK FROM EUROPE, RTD!
Forget the Playboy Playmate in the video. Forget the intro/chorus chord progression that is just stellar. This has one of the fucking best solos in history, and it goes on and on and on, even after Pearcy cuts back in with the refrain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1PkQsOdfdc