According to the Oxford English Dictionary (online edition), the earliest documented occurrence of the term air guitar in print dates back to 1980:
- 1980 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant 24 Apr. 2/5 (caption) Roy Charette displays his prize-winning form at playing the ‘air’ guitar. 1980 Mountain Democrat (Placerville, Calif.) 19 Dec. A6/1 The fans whip out their air guitars to catch all of Mick Taylor’s licks. 1982 N.Y. Times 21 Feb. XXIII. 15/4 (heading) Her performance almost convinces the audience that she holds a real guitar and not a tennis racquet… ‘Air guitar’, the art of miming musical performances, has caught on around the country. A New Haven nightclub..held the Connecticut air-guitar championships. 1995 Guardian 30 June (Friday Review section) 18/1 Whole venues full of people..playing air guitar and moving their heads in an exaggerated side-to-side motion. 2002 D. AITKENHEAD Promised Land xiii. 139 We did our best to look impressed, but really it was just Armien, standing outside a shed, playing air-guitar on an imaginary AK-47.
That sounds about right to me: I started playing air guitar when I was around 13 years old. Doesn’t everyone?
I indulged in some very public air guitar last night, as well.
Last night we joined Björn Türoque (aka Jean-Luc Retard, my bandmate in Nous Non Plus, aka Dan Crane) and his lovely wife Kate for one of the regional editions of the US Air Guitar Championship at the High Ball in Austin. Björn and Kate travel around the country, emceeing these super-fun events.
Tracie P didn’t join me on stage last night (she’s more of air drum person and man, don’t let this woman loose in the Abba and/or Xanadu karaoke room!).
I couldn’t resist the Chicken Fried Hanger Steak at Lambert’s before the event (probably not the best idea, unfortunately, in the wind-up to an air guitar competition). Lambert’s allows corkage and so we paired with an awesome bottle of 2006 Le Ragose Valpolicella, one of my favorite expressions of the appellation, earthy and grapey, a superb barbecue and southern cooking pairing.
That’s all I have time for this morning as I’m headed out the door. You’re not going to believe where I’ll be tonight… Stay tuned… and thanks for reading!
Do Bianchi 
What song did you show your stuff too?
And what was your stage name…mine would be Goontar Strummer.
@J yule I was “David Lee Rothstein,” rocking the chest air! Rocked out to “Ain’t Talking About Love.” Something tells me I might be seeing you soon dude! ;-)
This is a cool post! Fun reading about “air guitar” – very funny photo of you too. And I like the idea of chicken fried steak with valpolicella – that’s a good one! Now I feel like having that 2nite.
I don’t think I’ve ever had anything other than sweet tea or orange soda with Chicken Fried Steak (haven’t had much of it period, but when visiting family in Houston, it’s an obligation). I suspect Valpolicella is a pretty versatile wine w/ food.
As far as air guitar, some friends and I (clearly under the influence) created an entire “air band” called Ron Lobster & The Deathstars years ago. We haven’t played a show in a while, but we may have to take the air instruments out of air mothballs and air rock it out soon.
I can’t believe I just admitted that.
@Gary Air guitar is so much fun. Dan wrote a book about his experience trying to become an air guitar champ and they also made a great movie about him
I highly recommend doing air guitar and seeing the movie. Dan said I had good “chest air” after my performance!
@Joe I’m most definitely counting on an invitation to sit in with Ron Lobster and the Deathstars when you and I are in the same city at the same time!
Gotta love the CFS man! :-) Valpolicella, such a great food wine when it’s done right…
thanks for stopping by ya’ll!
Hey, you got it, Jeremy!
I really enjoy the blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Great.