Airness Flashcards
Shreddy Eddy Lines
“Worst idea you’ve ever had man” - D Vicious
Somebody does crucified Jesus every year, don’t be that guy
“It’s sonic coherence on every level. How are people not putting it together?” - Golden Thunder
It’s a killer supercut, man. But maybe it’s just a little too much. That’s a lot of threads to weave into sixty seconds.
“If we lose sight of that, what are we even doing here?” -Golden Thunder
I saw a guy play n-ked in Des Moines this year
“Did he place?” - D Vicious
Disqualified
“And this will be, what, the fourth year you don’t qualify for Nationals?” - D Vicious
Woah, dude! That’s harsh.
“Am I not allowed to bring up the actual fact that neither one of you have ever qualified for the National Championships?” -D Vicious
I mean, you can bring it up. You don’t have to be a jerk about it. (Short pause) Last year was your first year at Nationals, and you won the whole thing. One of us could pull that off. Plus, this season, my song is untouchable. Which you would know, if you had been to any of the qualifiers
“It doesn’t matter how superior your taste is if you cant put on a show.” - D Vicious
(a tense pause)
Dude, that Sprite commercial really inflated your ego
“I’ll probably just throw something together in the green room during round one” - D Vicious
(hurt) You’re not even going to watch us play?
“I’ve got plenty of time to figure that out” - D Vicious
What are you playing?
“I got lots to get done” - D Vicious
(skeptical) Like what?
“Shreddy Eddy, it fills my heart to the brim to see you hale and hearty.” - Facebender
Happy to have you in the room, buddy
“Egregious!” -Facebender
The judges at some of these small qualifiers, I mean, who are they? What qualifies them to judge competitive air guitar on our level, you know?
“Un-commercializable” - Golden Thunder
Totally democratic
“And we look totally cool doin’ it” - D Vicious
(click glasses)
But do these new judges understand that? No. They do not. These qualifiers used to be judged by rock gods, real legends. But now there are so many of them, its washed-up comedians and satellite radio DJs.
“Hey Shreddy. Golden. Facebender.” - Canibal Queen
Hey, CQ
“As skilled as she is mysterious. The Aphrodite of air guitar” - Facebender
That’s excessive, but I will admit, Cannibal Queens got the best technique in the game right now. There’s nothing the judges can pull out in the second round that she cant nail.
“This isn’t Carnegie Hall-“
(interrupting) Technical points win championships-
“Dispute it if you can, Shreddy. You can’t!” - Golden Thunder
Don’t dismiss your technical scores is all I’m saying. You might be able to fudge your left hand placement here in small qualifiers, but on the National stage? The international stage> That just doesn’t wash. That’s not going to wash in Finland. Air guitar is not a joke to anyone in Finland.
“I regret to inform you that the show doesn’t start for a few more hours.” - Facebender
I think they open the doors at nine. There’s a place with good pizza up the street, if you need to kill time.
“I know what time the show starts. I’m registered to compete” - Nina
“Really?” - Golden
Fresh meat!
“Delightful” - Facebender
I’m Ed Leary, Shreddy Eddy
“Those are your stage names?” - Nina
They’re our personas. Important distinction.
“It has already begun, you see” - Facebender
“I guess” - Nina
When we’re among competitors, we go by our personas.
“I’m Nina” - Nina
What do you go by onstage?
“Are stage names mandatory?” - Nina
Personas. And they’re not, but like, you’ve gotta have one to protect yourself.
“From what?” - Nina
From everything outside the music.
(Rolling her eyes) “Oh boy.” - Nina
When you get up there tonight, you wont be a girl onstage at a dine in Staten Island, doing a mime routine. You’ll be a rock goddess, playing Wembley Stadium. Madison square garden. The international space station. Melting faces and breaking hearts for 60 seconds. That rock goddess needs a name.
“I didn’t mean to insult anyone” - Nina
We’re not insulted. We just don’t want to talk to you anymore
“Conclave?” -Nina
Why did you register? Why are you here?
“ours is not a community built up on competition, but camaraderie” - Facebender
There are a few jerks in the mix, but for the most part, everyone’s chill
“Um, I thought I’d do Dont Stop Believin”- Nina
(groan) Are you serious right now?
“Doesn’t mean we want to heart it. Again” - Golden Thunder
Not to mention that song doesn’t exactly melt faces
“He played with Santana at 15!”
(impressed) Good point, well made. But the song, it just doesn’t shred. And it doesn’t have anything to do with you , unless you consider yourself “just a small town girl living in a lonely world”. Journey is for step moms and frat boys. You have to play something that blasts your soul, Nina.
“Wow. Helpful. Thanks.” - Nina
A boarding, overplayed, basic song only works if your cut if subverisve
“My.. cut?”- Nina
(groan) If you bomb up there, its going to bring down the quality of the show as a whole. I have like fifty different song cuts on my phone. Do you want to use one?
“I’m good, thanks. I’m just going to get up there and do what I do.” - Nina
But… this is not what you do
“San Diego” - Facebender
Chicago
“Maybe in the green room?” - Facebender
What a jerkstore
“He’s still competing tonight, right? D Vicious?” -Nina
No. He was never gonna compete tonight.
“But his name is on the poster!” - Nina
as the halftime entertainment. Vicious is the reigning camp. You’re going to have to make it all the way to Nationals if you wanna face off against him.
-Vignette 1: Competition Videos-
(you have first line… hint: signing)
I’m just gonna need your John Hancock on this
“Oh come on. I told you I would buy all of your drinks-“ -Nina
(interrupting) From now till Nationals.
“And my word is good. We do not need a contract.” - Nina
Well, considering that you showed up in Staten Island outta nowhere, acted like a complete jerk to everybody, and then got up onstage and thoroughly annihilated yourself, you’ll understand why I cant preform these services for you on the honor system. I’mma need you to sign this.
“Fine. Whatever” - Nina
I’ll email you a copy
“Do you do this for new people a lot?” - Nina
Sure. Anyone who asks.
“That must take a lot of time.” - Nina
It does. But there’s nothing else I’d rather be talking about, so.
“And here I thought I was special” - Nina
Well, I’ve never coached a girl before.
“Thats not reassuring” - Nina
You signed a contract, lady. Lets begin.
“Teach me. I have a notebook” - Nina
We’ll start with the foundation. You did the reading I sent you, yes?
“Yes.” - Nina
(In response to if she did the reading)
Pop quiz! First round is?
“A sixty seconds cut of a song I choose.” - Nina
Second round is-?
“Sixty seconds of a song chosen by the judges.” - Nina
Points are given?
“On a scale of 4.0 to 6.0” - Nina
Exactly like-?
“Figure skating” - Nina
Now tell me: what are the six pillars of air guitar?
“Artistic merit, originality, feeling, technical ability, charisma, and airness” - Nina
Great. Excellent. Memorize them. Internalize them. Metabolize them.
“I don’t know what any of that means” - Nina
And that is why YouTube was invented. (he types something into the computer). Okay, okay, so this is the Portland qualifier, two years ago. This is a great place to start. It was a pretty small house, but everybody really tore it up that night.
(Portland qualifier. Facebender, CQ, and Golden are onstage. its a video.)
Okay, so here’s our pal Golden Thunder. His highest marks are always in originality, as you saw in Staten Island, where he slayed.
“Yeah. His whole unification theme was great” - Nina
You picked up on that? I’m impressed.
“What fool wouldn’t put that together?” - Nina
Point, Nina! Golden approached airness that night. There is no denying it. (short pause). We’ll cover airness. Eventually.
“One thing at a time” - Nina
Obviously. So. As you’ll see:
(Golden rocks out to Rebel Yell- its a video)
Golden’s gift is that he can take a song that judges have heard a hundred times, in this case “Rebel Yell”, and make it totally his own, a brand new thing.
“Looks pretty standard to me” - Nina
Wait for it.
“oh no” - Nina
It’s not over
“Amazing” - Nina
Absolutely. Originality- you’ve got the idea.
“Was he writing the Emancipation Proclamation in the middle there?” - Nina
Very perceptive! And he fired cannons. And surrendered at the Appomattox.
“Good stuff” - Nina
Moving on! Facebender. What did I tell you in my email?
“His highest marks are always for feeling.” - Nina
Exactly. In a lineup full of ego and testosterone, Facebender is a bright spot of actual heart. He sends out his energy in a glorious wash over the crowd.
“Is he crying?” - Nina
He is
“Its… its so beautiful” - Nina
That dude uses air guitar to swim against a tide of real sadness. The judges can see that. And they hardcore respect it.
“You cant fake that kind of heart” - Nina
Exactly. You have to earn it. I gotta say, you’re taking to this like a fish to water. (short pause) Now, Cannibal Queen-
(interrupting) “Nope. I don’t want to watch her video” - Nina
You cant just get up there and play whatever. It’s not a dance routine. CQ is a classically trained guitarist, 100% about the music. Accuracy, specificity, and timing.
“My compulsory performance was almost as bad as my freestyle” - Nina
Worse.