The Richmond Air Sex Championships return to Strange Matter Saturday

by | Aug 27, 2014 | COMMUNITY

This Saturday, August 30th, the Air Sex Championship is coming, literally and figuratively, to Strange Matter in Richmond, VA.


This Saturday, August 30th, the Air Sex Championship is coming, literally and figuratively, to Strange Matter in Richmond, VA.

After six years of performing and three stops in Richmond (all presented by the Coalition Theater), the show continues to arouse, offend, and entertain. Comedian and founding member Chris Trew recently gave some insight into the show, which started as a parody of Austin’s Air Guitar Championship, and also spoke about bringing the show to Richmond for the third time.

For those who may be a bit confused about what to expect, Trew described it as follows:

“There will be little cards that you can fill out with your stage name and your song choice, and you drop it in the Fuck Bucket, and then, when the show begins, we open the show with a thing called ‘foreplay,.’ It’s a stand-up comedy showcase, just to warm the crowd up, to get them wet and hard for the Air Sex. And then I go up and do a demonstration routine, I introduce the judges, I explain the rules and how the competition runs, and then I call up the very first person. They do a routine, they choose a stage name and a song, they do their routine, and then our judges give them some feedback, and then I go on to the next person.”

If anyone has any doubts about pantomiming coitus in front of strangers, Trew appeals to civic duty and Richmond pride:

“The meat of the show is who, from Richmond, will be crowned Air Sex champion, so we are taking sign ups locally, ’cause we want to have someone who lives in Richmond to represent your fine city all year long as the Air Sex Champion.”

Did we mention the grand prize?

“Whoever is the champion in Richmond will win a Fleshlight and we also give away a Fleshlight to whoever suggests the final song that we use.”

So now that everyone’s loins are frothing at the prospect of winning the title of Richmond Air Sex Champion and a top of the line sex toy, I’m sure everyone is looking for a way to get a leg up on (and over the shoulders of) the competition, and Trew is more than happy to oblige:

“I think committing 100% is the biggest thing. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing a classic, Missionary-style with your spouse, or if you’re climbing on top of a great whale and you’re fucking the blowhole.”

A tasteful music selection is also essential:

“A good song choice factors into it, and just confidence.”

No experience in public performance? No problem, according to Trew:

“You don’t have to be trained in improv to do this, because you can get up there on a whim and as long you show commitment to whatever you’re doing, maybe it’s not this beautiful story arch, but we get that you are jerking off nine dicks and they all came in your eye at the same time, anyone can do that, as long as they show commitment.”

All this talk of gangbangs and maritime bestiality might lead one to believe that the Air Sex Championship is nothing more than an orgy of offensive one-uppery, but Trew assures us that even something as seemingly depraved as an evening of competitive imaginary sex can still possess decorum:

“It’s a very sex-positive show, we don’t put up with any hateful, weird, inappropriate stunts.”

First-timers and seasoned participants alike can look forward to a new and exciting experience at this Saturday’s show:

“The show has gotten a lot more popular, and so we have more contestants, which is great, and just overall, it’s a tighter production.”

The Richmond stop ends their 22 show tour this year, and Trew says he is excited to have the climax of their current tour at what he called their favorite venue, Strange Matter.

“Big fan of Strange Matter, this is our third time there, and it’s one of our favorite venues in the whole country… And I’m being very genuine, too, we love Strange Matter.”

The Air Sex Championship is will be at Strange Matter, 929 W. Grace St., Richmond, VA. Doors open at 9:30pm. Tickets are $8 advance, $10 at the door. 18+ only. Tickets:

Facebook event has more details

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




more in community

As Funding Shrinks, Richmond’s Safety Net Is Full

She decided to finally leave. Maybe it was after years of abuse, or after one violent night too many. Maybe it was the first time she truly believed that if she stayed, she might not survive. Whatever brought her to that moment, making the call took courage.  On...

Seeing Richmond Through Their Eyes

Editor's Note: Writers Block is an occasional series featuring personal essays, reflections, and creative nonfiction from Richmond-area writers. In Seeing Richmond Through Their Eyes, Gabriella Ryan shares how a month spent showing her Italian cousins around Richmond...

Can Firehouse Put Richmond on the National Theatre Map?

In the electric and perpetually sincere terrain of Richmond’s theatre culture, there are institutions that do more than merely reside, they lead. They serve as a measure of our city's potential beyond its natural aspirations. I've witnessed Firehouse Theatre inhabit...

Photos | Warriors in Bloom at Agecroft Hall

For one weekend, Agecroft Hall stopped being a museum and became a kingdom.  What began as a fundraiser to help launch Richmond's first Renaissance Faire has grown into a destination of its own. Warriors in Bloom, created by the folks at Virago Alley, returned with...

Dispatch from the Lewis Ginter Picket Line

An on-the-ground account of the strike that prompted Jesse Welles and Graham Nash to cancel their Richmond performances. Tensions escalated as Jesse Welles called off his performance at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden yesterday amid an ongoing union fight for higher...

Far-Right “Remigration” Propaganda Targets Bhatti Campaign

Several campaign signs for Democratic congressional candidate Salaam Bhatti were vandalized over the weekend with professionally printed flyers telling him to "return to your homeland" in multiple languages. The flyers also featured the hashtag #Remigration, a term...

In Plan 9 We Trust

This weekend, Plan 9 Music marks 45 years in Richmond with a party at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Over the past four and a half decades, the Richmond institution weathered some of the most turbulent periods in music history. It closed stores, sold its warehouse and...