US Air Guitar Chicago Regional coming to Metro Saturday
HIS AIRNESS | An interview with Nordic Thunder, judge for the US Air Guitar Chicago Regional competition
Nordic Thunder doesn't need a guitar to rock -- at least not a 'guitar' in the traditional sense of the word. He needs only his fingers, a hell of a lot of stage presence and, of course, air.
(Courtesy)
9 p.m. Saturday
Metro, 3730 N. Clark
Tickets: $15
(773) 549-0203 or metrochicago.com
The 25-year-old Humboldt Park resident is the reigning Chicago Region Air Guitar champion. He also won the competition in 2006. But this year an air guitar-related back injury that required surgery has sidelined him, relegating him to judging the competition Saturday night at the Metro in Wrigleyville. (Fear not ... Thunder assures us he plans to come back strong next year.)
We recently caught up with Nordic Thunder (whose "Christian name" is Justin Howard) to ask what we can expect at the 2009 Chicago Regional Air Guitar Championship.
What's it going to be like to judge a competition that you won last year?
I'm in kind of a weird situation this year being a judge. Judges are either loved or hated because, well, judges can be [jerks]. Going off my personal experience in the past, there's things that judges are supposed to be looking for, but they tend to not look for, so I'm going to use that to my advantage to judge as closely to the set rules set forth by US Air Guitar. I plan on sending Chicago's absolute best air guitarist.
What are some keys to a great air guitar performance?
First and foremost, you have to have confidence. You have to step out on that stage and be ready to go balls-to-the-wall, no holds barred, all out rock.
If you've convinced yourself that you're playing the guitar, the audience is going to be behind you. If you get the audience behind you, that's 90 percent of the battle right there. If the audience is feeling you and they're cheering you, and they're going ape shit, you're going to feed off that fire and transcend into awesomeness.
The first thing is to win the crowd -- get the crowd on your side. Second is to when you're holding your air guitar, you have to keep in mind that you're holding a guitar. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there. You can't be playing a rubber neck guitar and bend it all over the place. It's got shape, it's got weight. It's actually heavier than a normal guitar. When it's placed on you shoulders it's got to sink down. And your fret work has got to be top notch. Your fingers are going to be working up and down the fret board like you're playing the notes, and your airness has got to be top notch. You've got to transcend the fact that you're a performance artist, and you become a rock star on stage.
So what are the official US Air Guitar judging categories?
The first is technical merit. You don't have to know the exact notes you're playing, but your fret work has got to resemble what's being heard. You have to look like you're playing the part ...
The second is your stage presence. When you come out on that stage, you own that stage. You own the audience. You own the judges. You own the venue. You own everything for that 60 seconds you're out there ...
Third, I'm going to be judging on 'airness.' That's the most difficult criteria to define because it's when you transcend the imitation of a real guitar, and it becomes an art form in and of itself. You turn into a rock star.
Does it help or hinder you as an air guitarist to actually be able to play a tangible, wooden guitar?
Ultimately, I don't think it helps or hinders you. It may give you a slight advantage when you're playing the air guitar, but rock 'n' roll comes from from your heart and your soul. And whether you can play [a regular guitar] or not, the air guitar allows everyone to be a rock star. So if you've got rock 'n' roll pumping through your veins, you've got what it takes to be a great air guitarist.
Are there any competitors to look out for this Saturday?
One competitor in particular I think is going to be bringing his A game ... he was at one point a champion in Ohio, and he moved to Chicago two years ago. He came in second place last year. I just barely beat this guy last year. I'm expecting him to unleash the fury this year. His name is the Rocktopuss. So I think the Rocktopuss is going to be bringing his top notch game on Saturday.
How do you come up with these names?
In my instance, my name came to me through my trainer in 2006. He had a dream -- a vision, if you will -- of my character standing on a cliff on an oceanside, and it was in the midst of a storm. I was battling my inner demons on this cliff. And in the storm, the clouds broke, and the name Nordic Thunder appeared in the clouds. He woke up in a cold sweat and called me immediately, and said, 'Dude, I've got your name. This is what we're going with.' It's a big deal to create your name because you're sort of pigeoned into what type of performer you're going to be. My character Nordic Thunder is a fierce viking, so if I were to come out on stage as a sailor or an ice cream delivery man, it's not going to fit my persona.
In choosing a name, you've got to choose one you're willing to go the distance with, and one that you're willing to fully take on. When you enter the stage, you become this persona. You become your alter ego, and you leave your Christian name behind.
Whether it be an alcohol-induced brain child, if you will, or if it's just something that you feel -- it's kind of difficult to explain, but once you get it, once you know it, then you've got it.
When you're on stage playing air guitar in front of an audience, what's going through your mind?
I choreograph my entire routine. I know exactly what part of the stage I'm going to be on every single second of that song -- literally, I break it down by seconds. I'm going to be here. I'm going to be there. I'm going to spit a mouthful of beer in this camera's face. I'm going to slide my crotch in the way of this camera at this point. So, it's important to know when and where you're going to be on the stage. That should not be thought of on the day of the competition or the night of the competition. That needs to be planned out weeks in advance, so when you come to the show it's second nature and you know exactly what you're doing.
With that said, if you make the second round, it's a completely different ballgame. The judges are going to throw a song at you that you may have never heard. It doesn't hurt to know which areas of the stage you want to work. The Metro has a huge stage, which is awesome. You've got to take advantage of that large space and rock every square inch. Going to the second round, it helps to have an idea of the magnitude of rock you want to bring, but you may or may not know the song.