Academic Takes PhD In Air Guitar

Telegraph (UK) ^ | 08/01/2005 | Amy Iggulden

[wildbill]

The first academic study into the sweaty pursuit of air guitar playing is to use the work of French philosophers to explain why men and women do it differently.

Doctoral research has begun under the supervision of Britain's first professor of pop music, who is also overseeing a PhD into the art of "moshing", the vigorous head-shaking dance popular among concert crowds.

[wildbill]

A three year study of 60,000 words. I suspect Freepers can explain the difference in a few pithy comments.

And what's next? A study of Kareoke performed by Mimes.

[ClearCase_guy]

In his book "Magister Ludi", Hermann Hesse described a future world in which intellectuals had become totally fixated on details of the unimportant. Books were were written on the caloric content of cucumbers raised in Wales during the summer of 1923, or some such. The idea was that Intellectuals had become divorced from anything useful and were no longer participating in the real world.

You can see it happening.

[phasma proeliator]

direct from the "Whisky Tango Foxtrot" files.....

[Fierce Allegiance]

Saint Peter: And what did you do with your life?
Dude: I ROCK, MAN! I have a PhD in Air Guitar!
Saint Peter: Later, dude.

[Rebelbase]

His dissertation was only 10 chapters. Mine has 11.

[Stu Cohen]

Laugh all you want, but this degree is still more useful in the real world than "Women's Studies".

[battlecry]

File this one under "Unmarketable Skills".

[battlecry]

Yeah, and my air guitar amp goes to "11" also.

[freebilly]

Men and women orgasm differently..., and that, gentle reader, is why air guitar is stroked differently by the different sexes.

(I do believe there also are a small percentage of men who play air guitar behind their backs)....

[Fierce Allegiance]

[Maceman]

I am reminded of the hapless Dr. Jocolpus Bumer of the University of Belgrade, whose sad fate is related in Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary under the definition of the letter "J":

J is a consonant in English, but some nations use it as a vowel — than which nothing could be more absurd. Its original form, which has been but slightly modified, was that of the tail of a subdued dog, and it was not a letter but a character, standing for a Latin verb, jacere, “to throw,” because when a stone is thrown at a dog the dog’s tail assumes that shape. This is the origin of the letter, as expounded by the renowned Dr. Jocolpus Bumer, of the University of Belgrade, who established his conclusions on the subject in a work of three quarto volumes and committed suicide on being reminded that the j in the Roman alphabet had originally no curl.

[Cyber Ninja]

When all else fails....more cowbell.

[upier]

But couldn't you just make "10" louder?

[fso301]

Call it behaviour similar to a cat suddenly racing around the house in a seemingly random manner in an attempt to burn excess energy.

Done long enough, it's a good aerobic workout.

[mcshot]

And we have a short dissertation PhD here.
Excellent work.

mc

[wildbill]

Women's Studies? I think you must mean Womyn's Studies. The feminazis hate anything with 'men' in it.

[wildbill]

Are you equating the female orgasm (which is often faked)to the unfakeable art of male air guitar playing, Sirrah?

Well, that's a good observation and the comparison I'm sure will be thoroughly examined in one chapter of her dissertation.

[theFIRMbss]

>File this one under "Unmarketable Skills"

I don't know . . . Someone
has to do those commericals
for iPods, Nikes . . . .

[freebilly]

True, the male O is definitely unfakeable.

Now, someone could also do a dissertation on why females are usually better vocalists....

[wildbill]

Females are better vocalists? Probably goes back to vocalizing the fake orgasm. (see When Harry met Sally)