One
of the most exciting acts to hit Europe last year was
the American phenomenon ANDREW W.K. Andrew was born in
Los Angeles, California and was raised in Michigan. He
learned classical piano at an early age and ended up playing
in metal bands in Detroit. After high school he moved
to New York City where he became a solo artist. Andrew
did some solo shows with a CD player, keyboard and microphone.
He released two EPs on Bulb Records: Girls Own Juice and
Party Til You Puke. He also played a few one-man shows
in support of the Foo Fighters. The response was insane.
This was the beginning of a slamming life.
Andrew started putting together the band and they relocated
to Florida where most of them lived, including DT from
the band, Obituary. He released the single "Party Hard"
and it went to #14 in the UK charts the world was forever
changed. Honesty returned to rock. We saw all the blood.
He then released his first album I GET WET. His first
tour in America is now underway. I saw him play one of
the first nights in Hollywood. It was exciting and slamming.
I got to talk to him while relaxing in the Island Records
offices in Hollywood. Next door there was a casting call
for girls to be hired to attend a party. As we were doing
the interview, a group of aspiring models and actors walked
by our door. We had to sit in a room filled with CDs and
Andrew sat on a box of Injected CDs. No need for Axl Rose
now.
Andrew
is a tall young man. He is very polite and called me "Sir"
throughout. He would also stand up and do air guitar whenever
he was inspired to do so and to prove a point. He wasn't
holding back. Good thing I had a good tape recorder because
we were bouncing off the walls while would be Tyra Banks
were walking down the hall. He is very articulate and
certain of what he wants. This tour that started in mid-March
will go on throughout May. On April 13th, he will be appearing
on Saturday Night Live. But chances are that you will
probably have heard about him by now. His music and energy
are a breath of fresh air. Andrew W. K. is for real.
AL:
How are you feeling today?
AWK:
Very good. Thank you, Sir. How are you feeling?
AL:
Good. What is an average day like for you?
AWK:
The average day does not exist. Wake up. That's the only
consistent thing. Or sometimes don't wake up and never
go to sleep. Go to bed later. Yes. There is nothing average
about any one of these days. I wouldn't want to have it
any other way. It's full of adventure and excitement and
surprises and amazing things.
AL:
Do you have a morning routine? Do you have a coffee?
AWK:
I try to create a routine within chaos but it's hard because
chaos doesn't care about routine. That's the thing. Routine
might care about chaos but chaos doesn't care at all about
routine. Chaos say's "I can do whatever I want whenever
I want, so screw you Routine." Whenever I make some plans
chaos rears its ugly head. I try to get some meals in
and some exercise if I can. I try to get the work done.
I try to enjoy every moment of the day.
AL:
When you were living in New York City and were a bubblegum
machine salesman, you read a book about positive thinking.
Can you tell me what impact this book has had on you?
AWK:
I only read one book and I didn't finish it. It was a
book about being a salesman. It didn't have a big impact
on my life but it had some cool ideas in it. It reiterated
some ideas that I already came to believe were true. One
thing it said was you are not supposed to be intimidated
by the world. There is no reason to be. I am all the time
but I try not to be. There is not one book that had an
influence over me. Let me make that point first. But I
say the world is intimidating but I am trying to face
it. There's no real reason for these feelings to exist,
other than trying to protect me. I will value and consider
them to be important. Things like being cautious. But
I am not going to be stopped by my own thinking.
AL:
You studied piano from an early age. Was there always
this idea to do music and form a band?
AWK:
Yes, sir. Did you play music since you were young?
AL:
Yeah. I started playing an out of tune electric guitar
when I was ten years old. I had a desire to play and make
some noise.
AWK:
That was very similar to my experiences. I didn't know
how to tune it either. I probably tune it to a chord.
Playing piano since an early age made music something
ingrained in me before I could even think about it. To
have music be fundamental as reading, writing, or speaking
just made music a thing. It wasn't like "Check out this
record! I want to play music!" Music was always there.
AL:
It was a language that you related to before you could
even articulate why you liked it?
AWK:
Yeah, it was just there. As I got older it was never really
a question that I would have music going on. That was
what I did. I played music every day. I never got into
music because it was something that was always there.
When I started playing piano, which is such a musical
instrument, it allowed me to learn how to play many other
instruments and appreciate things. I am not great at playing
any of these instruments in terms of how good other people
are. I am good enough to play my own songs and that is
all what I needed to do. I would love to get better. I
admire people who can play well. I loved all songs and
all music. There was not one kind of music that I liked.
It was just songs. I loved songs and I loved melodies.
If I ever had a job I was always making music on the side.
I thought that I might want to do other things but I always
had music. As I continued on I became more focused that
all the things in my life made sense for me to write exciting
songs. It all lead up to that. I became focused on that.
I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to see why
not? I became driven that I could do something. I didn't
know what it was. I didn't have any result in mind except
to try to make the best songs that I could. The songs
on "I Get Wet" are good. But I am not satisfied yet so
I continue.
AL:
Some of us first heard about you when you did a karaoke
version of your music and put out a few EPs. Then you
opened for Foo Fighters?
AWK:
I hate to call it Karaoke, but you can call it whatever
you want. That's fine. That's a good way to describe it,
I know.
AL:
You didn't have a band at the time?
AWK:
I was very frustrated because I didn't have a band. I
was just playing shows. That's how I look at it. I had
a keyboard. I tried to play as many parts on tape or on
CD. I would play along on keyboards or guitar and sing
or run around. I would just try to do something. I was
furious that I didn't have a band. It doesn't make sense.
This music isn't meant to be played by one person. Then
I said I wasn't going to play any more shows. Then I said
to myself that I got to play any show any time anywhere,
and that's I'll get a band. That's how anything will happen.
So I stopped saying "No" to anything. By playing shows
by myself that's how I finally got a band together.
AL:
How many shows did you play by yourself?
AWK:
Too many. Sometimes there were a lot and sometimes there
weren't any. When I was wasn't doing shows, I was writing
and recording. I played a lot shows with other bands where
I played other instruments. I had to stop just for a while
to form the band.
AL:
Were you living in New York City when you released the
first EPs?
AWK:
Yes. I was living in Brooklyn in complete and total isolation.
That was fine and that was good. I don't really live anywhere
right now. I don't have a lot of stuff. I live wherever
I am. I have been on tour and traveling for a year straight
now. I love it. The band was half-formed in New York.
Three members live in Florida. I never really moved there
because I didn't have any furniture to move.
AL:
Who is in the band?
AWK:
Jimmy Coup, Payne, and Sergeant Frank on guitar, Donald
Tardy on drums and Gregg on bass. We have a few different
keyboard players who play with us. The first guy to join
was Donald or "D. T." as we call him. I wrote him a letter.
I didn't expect to hear from him. He called me back and
wanted to do it. I was excited at that point. I was ready
to go and rejuvenated. Jimmy was another old friend. I
hadn't seen him in years. We tracked him down. I said
"I have a CD." He listened to it and said "I'm in." The
other three guys I hadn't even met let alone auditioned.
I just thought these people are in. I asked Donald who
knew them "Are these guys nice people?" Okay they're in.
I knew we could do it. I spent so much time doing this
these people have to be great people who just want to
do this.
AL:
You have three guitars on-stage in your band. That's a
big sound. The record sounds like one hundred guitars
playing.
AWK:
The live band is trying to get to that same level we achieved
on the record. The record was made by starting with nothing
and stacking one thing at a time. There were no live band
recordings. It was made a track at a time. When you start
running out of tracks you start packing it in. We started
out using Cakewalk because that was all we could afford
at the time. Then we used Pro Tools. All I had we would
use and all I could get we would use. There were never
any rules. Oh we have to get this specific sound. I wanted
the best sounds we could get. It has to be the biggest
and loudest and exciting thing you have ever heard. That
is what this music is. To deny it that size would be holding
it back and restraining. It's slamming. It has nothing
to do with anything except the future. Here's what technology
has offered me now. I don't want anything to do with "Hey,
let's use this small drum sound." Fifty years ago they
would have killed to get the drum sound that we got on
this record. Why would I want to use a drum sound from
fifty years ago? You know what I mean? I just want to
use the best things we have now to get the music to be
as huge and slammingly loud and big as possible. There
are no rules. There's nothing not cool. There are no worries
as to what's cool or what's right. There's no hiding and
letting walls going up. I want my world to be like BAM
get away BAM no walls! Wow! Look how wide it is?
AL:
Is that what you are going through on-stage? You are giving
it 100% and conducting the band and get people involved
who might stand in the back. Are you breaking down the
walls on-stage?
AWK:
Yeah! I am doing my dances and trying to sing my songs.
I am not conducting anything. Donald is running the show
up there. He knows what he is doing. I am just playing
the drum fills because they are so fucking good. How can
I resist? I played this (taps the CD) so many thousands
of times, that not to do that would be holding back. If
we were listening to this CD right now I would be fucking
drumming like a madman. While giving everything I have
just shy of failure on those notes (starts singing). That
takes all I have pretty much to start with. There is no
persona. I want people to have fun. I am having so much
fun. I want the audience to feel really good about themselves.
That is hard to do. It's hard to feel good about yourself.
I want them to look at me on the stage and not feel like
I am up on a stage. I want them to say "I want to be up
there and I should be" and then they start dancing. I
want them to say "That guy doesn't think he is better
than me. In fact he's just like me. We are friends."
AL:
Last night at the Whisky A-Go-Go some guy jumped on stage
and you gave him a bear hug. It was funny.
AWK:
Yeah. He thwarted my end dance and got caught up in the
PA grating. The metal grill came off and I got cut on
it but it's okay because we are all friends. It's for
us and it's for them. When I sing about "we" it's about
"us": everybody in that room and everybody in the world
who believes in something.
AL:
People expect blood because you are giving it your all.
AWK:
Yes, sir.
AL:
You are not holding anything back. Do you have an infinite
supply of the infinite?
AWK:
That's a great way to put it. I have an infinite supply
of the infinite. Exactly. There are no uncharted horizons.
There are no unmapped territories in the future. There
is no one to tell me what I want to do or think, or what
we think, is old, or bad, or wrong. Get out! Pass! Even
better I am going to work hard to bring that person along.
I am going to say "listen for one second and I am going
to work hard to bring you and your bad attitude along
with us to where we are going." That's the new frontier.
The old frontier was "Bah! Okay, fine. Fuck you! You're
over." Now we have so much strength and potential, that
even that guy who doesn't want to be included will be
like ARRGGHHH COME ON I will drag him in. I am very serious
about having fun.
AL:
Is your work ironic in any way?
AWK:
Ironic? You tell me what is ironic about it? In a world
of so much pessimism okay, even confusion, doubt, there
is so much we have already seen, right, that we can't
believe that something someone is doing can be genuine!
Oh yeah! They have to tone it down and hold it in and
say it was just a joke. When you say something is just
a joke it absolves you of all responsibility of being
wrong. I worked really hard on this record. If someone
says "that's sucks." Then I say "Oh yeah, no big deal,
I didn't really work on it that hard anyway." It's just
a joke. Fuck that! I am giving it all I have and being
completely one hundred thousand percent committed to something.
It's like I am committed to smiling. My duty is not to
get angry with people for doubting it. I have to explain
and prove to them that this is not too good to be true.
You don't have to distance yourself about being passionate
about things. If you feel this inside, and you believe
it, and you feel it in your heart, that's all you need
to know. My music is the further thing away from a joke.
It is the truth.
AL:
Last night at The Whisky during the show I was looking
at people and they were looking back at me. We were both
smiling at each other because we were having a good time.
Most times I go to shows people ignore each other and
you never talk to anyone outside your friends or people
you come with.
AWK:
What you have just said is one of my biggest dreams come
true that no one has ever said to me. I have been talking
about that for years now. The best thing in the world
that I want to create is an environment that you look
over to someone that you don't know and you smile because
you feel that they are your friend. There comes a point
where you have to make a choice. Do I like this? Am I
seeing what I think I am seeing? Am I going to deny this?
Even though I don't have all the answers, and I don't
have it all figured out, I am going to look up to it in
awe. What I am feeling I am going to respect it enough
to say that it is real. Why not look up to things in their
glory? That's a big deal. Doing things is not easy and
it's not hard. The music is simple to the point of it's
complicated if you want it to be or it's stupid if you
want it to be. It's an honest hand held out to say "Come
on!"
AL:
So far the shows in the big cities have gone well. Do
you think that you are going to be well received in Middle
America?
AWK:
Who knows? We will get it there and will see what happens.
My responsibility is to make them like it. It's not their
fault if they don't like it. Look how many decisions you
have to make about every fucking moment of every day about
what you think about things? And then you are judged accordingly.
No wonder people distance themselves from making decisions
or feeling excited about something. It's a challenge to
feel excited about something because someone is so quick
to take your money, or to make you feel like you are wrong,
or tell you how you are because you like those things.
Oh what do you like? I like this. Oh you are that type
of person. No, I'm me. It's so quick to rush to judgment.
The fact is that the world is an open playing field and
a source of riches that we should all enjoy as much as
possible. We shouldn't give anyone a hard time. We should
let everyone be free. We should just be close to things
that we feel inside and that is something no one can tell
you is wrong.
AL:
Is that why you wear white clothes all the time? People
can just think of you as a blank canvas to project whatever
feelings?
AWK:
Yeah. It's simple. It's just me. You don't have to think
about it. You know who I am now, and it's done. Actually
it's because I wanted to show up well on a black stage.
That's how it started. I wore jeans and a t-shirt. Then
I wore lighter ones. Good, I don't have to think about
that anymore. I didn't have to think about whether I should
pull out the leather pants and the rubber shirt for that
night. That's fantastic. One less thing to worry about.
It gets in the way of what I want to do which is make
people feel good.
AL:
What should people expect on this tour or any shows this
summer?
AWK:
People should come in and relax and take a deep breath.
Shake your arms and tap your feet a little bit. Do a little
jig. Then get ready to have fun. I will do everything
to make that happen. If you want to believe in this, just
do, it's going to be okay. The music will not let you
down. We all set goals and finite results we are looking
for. Success could be about being wealthy, owning a house,
having a family, it could be anything. It's not about
achieving, as much as trying to, that is important. You
may not achieve what you are doing but you can always
count on trying. Don't stop trying. What are you going
to do? Kill yourself? You would still go on.
AL:
Do you believe in higher intelligence or spirituality?
AWK:
I believe in many things. I believe that something is
going on that I don't understand and I don't want to understand.
I want it to be mysterious, huge, and bigger than me.
I would like to think that there is something looking
down saying "Good, good." I think that everyone goes to
the same place. And maybe you go to somewhere else after
that. It's going to be exciting to see what happens. Everyone
is welcome.
AL:
What about relationships? Are you married?
AWK:
No. I will be someday. It's something that I look forward
to because I want to have kids. That is why I would want
to get married. It will be great. I will be a good father.
I will give them a lot of attention. I will strict, reasonable
and fair. I will play a lot.
AL:
What do your parents think about what you are doing?
AWK:
My mom has probably never been happier in her whole life.
She is happy knowing that I am okay. My dad is the same.
My dad didn't know what think at first. My mom knew all
along. They have been supportive all the way. My mom has
been selfless, giving, and strong. My dad is a teacher.
My mom decided long ago that she was going to be the world's
greatest mom and she achieved that for me long ago. I
have a younger brother who is a great golfer. He is just
starting college later this year.
AL:
Are you going to do a new record right away?
AWK:
Yeah. I am going to start the next record either in July
or September.
AL:
What is it going to be like?
AWK:
One word. More. All the songs are ready. I just have to
record them. I have enough material for the next two albums
so it's just a matter of picking and choosing. I am going
to do everything I can to make it sound big and huge.
Just do it. What you feel inside is real. Just feel it.
When you go on a roller coaster or go over a bump, you
feel something. That is the world communicating something
to you. Don't lose those feelings. Hold on to all what
you can because that is what makes life worth living.
The world is really out there but we all have the power
to make it whatever we want it to be. We control ourselves.
Humans have that ability.
http://www.andrewwk.com
Alexander
Laurence - Superflyww9@aol.com
