To Air Is Human: One Man's Quest to Become the World's Greatest Air Guitarist

by Björn Türoque, Dan Crane, Bjorn Turoque, et al.

The true story of how mildly successful guitarist and New York Times writer Dan Crane relinquished his instrument and became Bjêrn Tðroque (pronounced b-yorn too-RAWK'), the second greatest air guitarist in the nation. This exploration of the international air guitar sub-culture addresses the issue of dedicating oneself to an invisible art in order to achieve the ultimate goal of 'airness' - that is, when air guitar transcends the 'real' art that...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594482101
• ISBN13: 9781594482106
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

AIR-inspiring...

Bjorn Turoque has given his audience a Roque solid, chAIRsmatic, and hilarious tale of his determination and perseverance to not only become the "World's Greatest Air Guitarist", but to also emulate the true spirit and message of Air Guitar - World Peace. I'm eager to see Air Guitar and it's competitive circuit sweep the nation and hope that America will embrace it as the Finns have!

This really is very good!

Having already seen Air Guitar Nation at the TriBeCa film festival and attended the US Air Guitar Finals this year, I was already well versed in all things "Air" and the life and times of Bjorn Turoque. However, I still made the purchase of "To Air is Human" and didn't regret it as I spent a weekend chuckling to myself again and again reading the book that can definitely be defined as "hard to put down". I won't put my description of the content as you can read that elsewhere, but it really is a good read, enjoyable and different and even my wife had now read it - and she is a book snob! Buy a copy and learn about a little part of everyone that is "Air".

laughed so hard I blew snot out of my nose

I really loved this book. I fully expected it to be silly and funny, and it did not disappoint in that regard (I mean, c'mon, AIR GUITAR!!??). However, I didn't expect it to be such a well written, in depth, truly epic journey into the strange world of competitive air guitar; a story that drags the reader along shaking with laughter and olfactory horror (poop in a pizza box, anyone?) into an understanding of and sympathy for the crazed, beer addled, "ersatz" philosopher Bjorn Turoque. Why on earth would anyone give so much for air guitar greatness? Why air guitar? What the...? Mr. Crane answers all these questions with substance and humor, and dare I say humanity. He's a Holden Caulfield (!!) for the jaded, 30-something, unhappy hipsters searching for something more in life...who finds air guitar and a mission! Make air not war. He makes you believe.

Transcendent, incandescent and completely ripping!

You don't need to be a bedroom axe smasher to enjoy this blast of literary ampage. This volume speaks a primitive language that we all can plug into. Young or old. Heavy or metal. Let Mr. Crane turn it up to eleven and run his nimble fingers across the fretboard of your mind.

Literature at Its Finest!

Bjorn Turoque has only won an air guitar competition once (and I was there to witness it), but with To Air Is Human, he proves that he is the #1 ambassador of air, at least in the U.S. Mr. Turoque/Crane/Retard masterfully and humorously takes us into the magical world of competitive air guitar--what it's like to have to explain to your girlfriend why an imaginary instrument must dominate your life, what it's like to compete in 10 competitions and come in second five times, what it's like to live out your rock-star fantasies, and best of all, what it's like to score with an "air groupie." Turoque explores the "beautiful" dynamic of air guitar in Finland, home to the Air Guitar World Championships, in which he has competed twice. The scenes in Finland focus on the unity of the human spirit--from the inspiring words of two-time former world champ Zac "The Magnet" Monro to the air guitar competitions for the "differently abled." Turoque's quest in life and with this book is to introduce America, which should be the leader of air guitar rock-stardom, to this concept. Turoque, a true Nietzche buff, analyzes air guitar with philosophy, pop-culture references, laugh-out-loud humor, and writing skills that have gotten his works published in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. This book might not inspire you to air guitar competitively, but you will laugh. And you will embrace the rock star that resides within. Two thumbs up--or better yet, double devil-horns way up with a C-Diddy-sized tongue sticking way out.