Gen X Are We Adults Yet? The Art of Air Guitar: From Cardboard Cutouts to World Championships.

Greetings, and welcome to another episode of GenXAWAY! Today, we're going to explore the fascinating world of air guitar. For those of you who might not be familiar with this art form, air guitar involves mimicking the motions of playing a guitar without actually holding a real instrument. It's a unique way to express your love for rock music and to unleash your inner rock god.

Air guitar has a rich history that dates back to the late 1970s when metal DJ Neal Kay and a patron named Rob "Loonhouse" Yeatman introduced the first cardboard guitar at the Soundhouse heavy metal club. From there, air guitar grew in popularity and became a phenomenon in metal clubs around the world.

While some people credit Joe Cocker's performance at Woodstock in 1969 as the earliest example of air guitar, it wasn't until 1996 that the first Air Guitar World Championships took place in Oulu, Finland. Today, air guitarists from all over the world compete in national championships, with the winner receiving a custom-made guitar called "Flying Finn" by Matti and Saara Nevalainen.

Some air guitarists take their craft seriously and have even set Guinness World Records. In 2011, Hot Licks Houlihan was crowned the Air Guitar World champion, and he now teaches the art of air guitar to aspiring rockers.

If you think you have what it takes to become an air guitar champion, you can enter the Air Guitar National Championships, which offer information on everything from rules and judging criteria to tips and tricks for perfecting your performance. The winner of the AGWC even receives a custom-made guitar and, on one occasion, a VOX BM Special amplifier from Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen.

In 1991, MTV featured a brief air guitar segment, which included Dweezil Zappa, son of legendary musician Frank Zappa. Air guitar has come a long way since its humble beginnings, and it continues to captivate audiences around the world.

Thank you for tuning in to GenXAWAY, and keep on rockin' and air guitar-ing!