AIRLINES: Facts On Air Guitar and Björn Türoque

Björn Türoque is pronounced B-yorn Too-Rawk.

The Air Guitar World Championships began in 1996 in Oulu, Finland.

The Finns believe that if everyone in the world were holding an air guitar, they could not simultaneously be holding a gun. Therefore, air guitar will inevitably lead to world peace.

The US joined the world stage when the US Air Guitar Championships began in 2003 in New York City.

In 2006, thirteen cities across the country held regional air guitar competitions.

Competitive air guitar is judged on a 4.0 - 6.0 point scale, much like Olympic figure skating.

Air guitar judging criteria are as follows: Technical Prowess, Stage Presence and Airness.

Airness is defined as the extent to which the air guitar performance exceeds the imitation of playing guitar and becomes an art form in and of itself.

Since 2003, Björn Türoque has competed in ten air guitar competitions around the world, taking second place in five of them.

Björn won the New York regional air guitar competition in 2005, then came in second place overall in the US finals.

Björn fears Asian Fury.

Björn loves air groupies, and yes, Björn Türoque has a posse.

In 2004, Björn and Dan founded Aireoke: where air guitar meets karaoke.

In 2005, Dan and Björn have co-lectured at the Experience Music Project museum. The title of the lecture was “Air Guitar: There’s No There There - or is There?”

Dan Crane does play the “there” guitar, and plays bass in a faux-French rock band called Nous Non Plus. He believes that knowing how to play the “there” guitar tends to hinder an air performance. “I know too much,” says Dan.

Dan Crane is 35 years old, and should probably find something else to do with his life at some point. For now, air guitar “pays the bills.”

Björn has been to Finland twice for the Air Guitar World Championships. In 2003 he came in 7th place, and in 2005 he took 8th place. Perhaps age is catching up with him.

Björn will lecture about “Persistence in Air Guitar” at the 2006 High-Altitude Training Camp in Finland (September 6).

Björn’s motto is: Make Air, Not War!