20 QUESTIONS WITH…

Andrew W.K.

 

This week we have the longest 20 Questions in Metal Sludge history! It took us over 3 months to get these answered, but Andrew finally sent them back and definitely put some effort into this. He also wrote a novel at the end of our 20 Questions! So find yourself a comfortable chair, pour yourself a drink, and prepare to read! Enjoy!

Dear Metal Sludge,

Hey there!!! This is Andrew W.K. finally writing back with some answers to your questions! I’m VERY, VERY sorry that I did not answer them earlier, and I understand if you can no longer use them, but I figured I should send them anyway – again, you have my sincere apologies for the delay, and thank you very much for sending the questions in the first place!

Yours,

Andrew W.K.

P.S. You will also find some rambling writing at the end of the questions. It’s just stuff I took off our website. I figure you’ll probably think it’s stupid, but what the heck!…

1. What are you currently up to? This is your only chance to promote your shit.

We are still on tour. It’s been just about one year of non-stop concerts. We’ve been very lucky and we’ve gotten to go all around the world. In December we begin our last month of touring opening up for Aerosmith, and then after that we start recording the next album.

2. Is it really time to party?

It’s really time to walk into a living room soak a hot towel or washcloth in broken or crumbled water with a dash of lemon and pepper and lay it out on the grill to bake and broil. After about 10 minutes or so, it’s recommended that you push the washcloth through the grate on the grill so that it rests down on the coal. This is where it will rest for a long time. You know? If need be, feel free to bite down on the ground and snap off little pieces of your teeth, chip away at them in the dirt.

3. What early eighties band would you compare Andrew W.K. to and why?

I would compare it with the B-52’s. It was not a skater thrash band, but they could’ve had songs about Grandmothers and the feeling was very good. The main thing that was the same was the good feeling about dancing and not looking stupid. We know how everyone hates to look stupid, but they really didn’t seem to look stupid or care if they did. So the care and concern for what ever role they played was acceptable.

4. What hard rock/heavy metal band should give it up and call it a day?

It’s easy for any band to give it up and call it a day. Just take any everyday object, like a butter knife, and simply “give it up” – you can give it to your best friend or your Mom or even a stranger, just give it up to someone. After you’ve given the butter knife up, point at it and say “This butter knife is called a day.” At first the person may be confused, but you just need to repeat yourself until they understand. If you call the butter knife “a day” enough times, eventually they will see.

5. Rate the following party bands. 1 being a band that takes the air out of the party and 10 being the life of the party.

Motley Crue = 10

Faster Pussycat = 10

Poison = 10

Cinderella = 10

Warrant = 10

Limp Bizkit = 10

Ratt = 10

Dokken = 10

L.A. Guns = 10

Van Halen = 10

Any band that is called a party band is a 10 in my book.

6. How much was your biggest music related check for and what did you do with it?

When I was younger I took some guitar lessons from a great place called Bluebird Music. I didn’t learn how to play guitar, but my teacher gave me a chance to play keyboard at a street fair. It was the first music job I’d ever had. When he paid me he printed the check out on his home computer printer. He printed it sideways on 11×17 paper, so like, this check was almost a foot and half long. It was almost three times the size as a normal check. Definetly the biggest music related check I have ever gotten. You were supposed to tear off one side of the check and keep it as a pay stub, but I didn’t see that and I took the whole thing to the bank just like that. The check was for $20 which was enough to buy the new Rage Against The Machine album, the first one that had just come out. The whole transaction was great – very satisfying and supported. Since then I’ve gotten a few other big checks: one was about 7″ x 12″, double the standard legal size I think. I deposited it in a savings account. Another one was about the same size as that one but had an exact copy of the check attached above it, it was another detachable pay stub, so it was like two checks in one, which definetly made it bigger than a normal sized check.

7. If you had to repeat any one alcohol or drug experience you’ve had, which one would you relive?

The Tanqueray was talking in my ear, and man I’ve got to piss so I stumbled to the men’s room and unzipped my fly, because I had to get a perfect proper piss going, drunk in a ditch and the flowing bars blowing. I was rolling around on coasters with open cars and wheels and on top of the tracks. It was not in the United States Of America, and it was one of the first times I had doubled up on dual downers. I was really heavy headed, and was like the feeling you get when you remember that everything is a lot better than you had first thought, and I’ve never forgotten that.

8. Would you have sex with Pamela Anderson even though she has Hepatitis C?

No. I really don’t like coldsores, and if my knuckles got stiff then I couldn’t crush and grip the microphone as well. I hope that she’s okay.

9. What do you have planned when the novelty wears off?

I’ll have to put more on! When I intially bought it I was told that it would last for at least 6 hours as long as it didn’t rain. I have bought novelty perfumes and stink potions before, and some of them wore off within the first half hour. I really wanted to get a rich rotting food smell that would linger as long as possible. When it wears off I will simply put on some more, or eat a lot of chili with beans and peppers. Certain gas bombs and garlic soap bars work well, but only in short bursts. So I hope that this novelty stinks strong and long for the rest of today. I’m prepared to put on some more before I go out to eat tonight. I’m also looking into some Groucho Marx glasses, some wax lips, trick gum, and exploding cigarette loads! Johnson Smith Company is the best novelty company around! Things that you never knew existed and can’t possibly live without!

10. Rate the following chicks on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being a mess and 10 being a hottie.

Drew Barrymore = 10 – She has a nice round face and round eyes. Plus she smiles more than she frowns. Sounds good to me.

Lita Ford = 10 – I’ve always thought that Ford cars and trucks drove well, and they’re also a great Michigan company. I haven’t driven the Lita yet, but I imagine it’s a great ride.

Tori Spelling = 10 – She smushed her face all around and switched ribs, or maybe that’s all lies. I trust that she will be happier with a perfect 10 rating, it seems that’s what she’s going for, so why not just give it to her!

Tara Reid = 10 – I think she has a really nice common and comforting familiar feeling about her, and I think it makes a lot of other girls feel better, and that can’t be a bad thing.

Kelly Osbourne = 10 – The face of an angel, and the spirit of herself. She is very nice and kind, at least to me.

Cameron Diaz = 10 – I have so many friends that just love her so much, and once we saw her in person and she looked very pretty, and she seems to be as she was.

Jordan = 10 – I’ve always thought Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players ever!

Bobbie Brown = 10 – My Mom always buys make up from this woman’s company, she says they make a nice and simple compact pack.

Jenna Jameson = 10 – She is a business woman, and apparently she knows what people want. I’m happy that she has made the most of her choices.

Christina Aquilera = 10 – She is very small and very thin, and man oh man, she is a hard worker! And her voice is pure power pushed into a pint sized princess. I’m cool with that!

11. Have you been to a record store that hasn’t had your CD in the used bin?

Yes, the other day, for the 2nd time, I saw several “I Get Wet” CD’s not in the used bin, but rather in the discount cut-out $1.99 bin. It was such a great deal that I couldn’t resist and I bought all the copies they had! I figured I could sell them for a nice profit, and I kept a copy for myself so I could use the case for my “Most Precious Blood” CD who’s case was cracked. But when I went to sell them back to the store, they laughed and only gave me 50 cents each, and then they put them in the used bin for $8.99. I guess it’s a way for them to move discs around the store and then make more money, but they have to spend money to make money. In the end, I did see them in the used bin. And I’ve seen some fresh copies for sale new, but that was only at the t-shirt table during our concerts.

12. How come none of your songs have guitar solos?

I suck at playing regular guitar, and the only way I could play and record the guitar parts on the album was to take off two of the strings and tune the remaining strings to a power chord. Playing the parts that I had written was a challenge enough, so the thought of playing any kind of guitar solo was enough to break my brain completely. So I just played melody leads that I could play on one string. That worked out okay though. I leave the solos up to those who have earned the right to play them. The next album will have even more melody parts – I’m trying to get better at the single string parts, but it’s never just guitar – I’m overdubbing all the guitar lines with a million keyboard sounds to try and make it sound less like a guitar and more like something that isn’t guitar. I want to make a giant sounding slammer line of notes and keys that stacks up to nothing.

13. Yes or no, has Andrew W.K ever:

Wrote a song that had nothing to do with partying = Yes!

Done Extasy = No!

Drank a beer with Jack Osbourne = I can’t remember!

Wrote a ditty for a beer commercial = No, but some songs from the “I Get Wet” album are in some Coors adverstisements.

Drove a Camaro = Yes! I rented a Camaro convertible and drove it around in Hollyweird

when I was recording some parts of “I Get Wet”. I felt like it was too high and I was too low. I felt like I was rumbling down the road.

Gone to a wrestling show = No! But I really would like to, so someday soon I hope.

Lit your farts with a lighter = No! I keep forgetting to try that. I know that it works great. I think that my farts are too wet and cloudy – they should be more direct and full of force to really cause a fire flame thrower. I need to work on it.

Had a mullet = No!

Lived in a trailer park = No!

Washed your hair within the last 24 hours = No!

14. What rock star deserves a smack in the mouth and why?

Me, and I already smacked myself there plenty of times.

15. The Last of Andrew W.K:

Last time you partied till you puked = A few days ago, before we went on stage I hadbeen feeding on oatmeal, whole milk and beer baked yams. I tried to stop eating atleast an hour before show time, but I was running my mouth around the food because it was too good to stop, and I ate really fast right before we went on. Well, the oatmeal was building up a lot of pressure and air and gas, and the yams had started to barricade and block the milk flow, plus the beer bubbles were whipping the whole thing into a foaming and frothing frenzy. Now look, I was really doing my best, I mean, I was holding tight and trying to suck it in so that it wouldn’t splat and blow out the back. But all the pushing up and down really bloated my throat and it burst through my neck and into my mouth. I coughed in the middle of singing and swallowed my puke and my pride and just continued gulping in more helpings. I always try to eat it back down, rather than barf it off, even though I know it’s hard on your wind pipe… I just don’t want to spray and waste any kind of predigested nutrient. Used food is still fresh food as long as it comes from inside yourself, and if it’s already been broken down by the gut, then I figure I’m saving valuable time by not chewing and biting unnecessarily. One less bite then better. One less chew the wiser.

Last CD you purchased = The new album by “Most Precious Blood”, the band gave us a free copy, but then it became shattered under a steel tire, which was basically a bike wheel without the blown up balloon tube, it was an accident, and that’s why I needed that extra CD case.

Last time you got into a fight = Like, two weeks ago I was trying to make a candy cake milkshake and the blender was really purring right along. You see, I was pre-blending the

blades in some sugared oil, just to loosen them up a bit and get them nice and slick for the main meal. Before that I had assembled all the ingredients in advance, and I had given myslef plently of time to stir them and slice them and chop and cut them all up into small enough pieces and bits that they would blend and blur into a nice shake. Again, it’s a candy based shake so the ingredients we’re talking about are a couple Snickers bars, two Reeses cups, one Fire flavored Jolly Rancher, 3 Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls, a whole pack of Starburst Fruit Chews, a whole pack of Mamba fruit chews, and a lot of warm whole milk. Anyway, everything was going great until I actually turned the blender on. I mean, right away this thing started fighting back. It was clear it wanted to pick a fight with me and I was happy to oblige. I have had problems with this blender before, but I was really trying to avoid any arguements, and that’s why I chopped up all the candy and cake and let the milk sit out and get warm. And again, I had softened up the blades with that sweet oil bath. I wanted everything to be perfect, and I knew it wasn’t worth taking any risks, but it was no use – the blender just wanted to dot and dash me. So I smashed the whole thing into the sink and spilled all the milk into the machine and crushed the glass portion, and belted the base with repeated blows from a hammer fist. I wrapped the electrical cord around the sink and fountained it into a whipping, spinning disaster, with the counter top tiles breaking and cracking and splintering all over the place! It was crazy! And it was cool! It was clear that I had won the fight, I had some cuts, scrapes, and a bad bruise on my hand to show from the initial base blow, but it was worth it. I slam stuffed the grinder into the garbage disposal and they battled it out in there for the rest of the day.Last time you had a nose bleed = I had a really bad one in New Orleans in the midst of a cramped concert. I was trying too hard to high kick and I high kicked right into my own face with my knee. I think that was when I broke my nose – it was swollen and hurt for two weeks, and there was a piece of it that moved and clicked and crunched when I tapped it.Last movie you saw = The last new movie I saw in the movie theater was Lord Of The Rings – The Fellowship Of The Ring. I saw Spiderman on the airplane, and last night I saw Apollo 13 on T.V. which was good. I want to see the horror movie The Ring, and the new Harry Potter.

Last drug you did = Marajuana combined with inhaled perscription sleeping pills.

Last lie you told = I lied and said that I didn’t feel good so a girl would give me a back rub.

Last DVD you purchased = I don’t have a DVD player so the only DVD I ever bought was a present for a friend and it was that cannibal movie called “Ravenous”, it’s an awesome brutal movie.Last rock star you met = The singer from Hatebreed, Jamey Jasta, and one of the bass players from P-Funk.

Last time you took a bath = At least a year ago.

16. Is it really necessary to have 3 songs on your album with the word party in the title?

Of course not!

17. How much did Island Records pay OzzFest to get you on the tour?

We had a special deal worked out with Ozzfest. We really couldn’t afford to come up with the cold hard cash that they asked for so we offered to wash dishes in the food service kitchen. It was also great for us because we got to eat a lot of really good food that people left on their plates. My favorite was the wet bread that had been sitting and soaking in spilled Sprite soft drinks. It’s like a sweet glushy gooey sponge that desolves right when you put in your mouth. I like eating all kinds of bread soaked in Coca Cola too, it’s best to eat with a spoon though, because it really turns to mush.

18. Is there a reason why everyone of your songs sounds the same?

Because I wrote and recorded them all! Once I wrote and recorded the first song I liked it so much I wanted to make it over and over again, just with different titles! Hence, an album is born!

19. Has VH-1 contacted you to be on “Where Are They Now” yet?

Unfortunatly not yet, I wish they would… I would love to tell them about where I am. Right now I’m typing this in New Mexico. Where am I now? I’m still typing this, here in New Mexico. In a few minutes I’ll be in the bathroom.

20. Time for Metal Sludge Word Association. We mention a name, you give us your thoughts.

Butch Walker = He’s a cool dude. He sings well and used to be in a band called The Marvelous Three.

The Wildhearts = They have dreadlocks. They have a singer named Ginger and they like smiley faces!

Iann Robinson = I don’t know who this is exactly… I’m sure he’s cool.

Sum 41 = They are from Canada, and I love Canada. I’m from Michigan, and that’s close to Canada. This band looks like they’re having a lot of fun too!

The Osbournes = A very funny family that my Mom really likes a lot. You watch that show and you’re thinking, “I can’t believe that so many people watch this”, but it’s no surprise because it is super funny!

Vince Neil = He has been through a lot of self-inflicted crazy times, and he still is doing what he wants to do. What’s wrong with that? Nothing!

David Lee Roth = A very funny and smart man who wears crazy clothes and sings great and dances around his tunes!

Kid Rock = A very hard working rapper from Michigan who has made sure that everyone knows how much he is enjoying life! He has it right!

Creed = I only know their singles but I like the melody and guitar playing. I heard that the guitar player likes Celtic Frost. The singer makes a lot of people upset and makes a lot of extra hand gestures. I make a lot of hand gestures too!

Tom Green = Another dude from Canada! Everything I’ve seen him do has been very, very funny. I like him a lot because he doesn’t take cheap shots or really make fun of things – he just acts crazy!

Thank you very much for your questions!

And before you say blah, blah, blah…

What is it all for? What are these holes that cannot be filled? Sometimes it might have been so long since we actually knew who we were, let alone liked who we are – it’s hard to even find a starting point. We want to be like we were when we were happy – were we ever? By clouding our own self doubt with complacency and lethargy – numbing our clarity with escapism – the initial reaction is doubt and cheap pessimism – at the bottom there is a will to repair and to become something that you think you might like better – some of those that are at your side agree – others sneer as they are loosing your support in their own lows – you climb it up and you are up – but it has been so long since you were anything but what you didn’t want to be – who are you now? – looking to gain respect and admiration from those that intially brought you away leads to confusion and dissatisfaction – you are great – you need to see that what you have become is who you want to be and that there is still so much more to turn – and that those that want you another way don’t want who you really are – this is you as you stand, without outside distraction or confusion, without doubt or unnecessary fronts, without false attitudes or empty predjudices – this is you as a true person – this is your starting point – it’s okay to change your mind and to get better. Why is it that we often react to the happiness of others with contempt? We are so quick to know why someone is the way they are, but we are so slow to understand it.

Our only expectation was to do it in the first place.

This is not going away, this is going to continue. I want to do more every year and just keep it going. We’re only getting stronger and smarter and better. And the more it grows, piece by piece, the more insignificant I feel in the best way. I want to make it clear, and I feel weird saying it, but I really mean it – I feel less important than ever.

Whether it’s this music or somebody else’s, I hope people can just stay passionate about things because it’s all we have: believing in stuff. The attitude of: “I’ve done it all, I’ve seen it all, nothing impresses me, I don’t care, I’m over it” – that’s so weak, and it’s so small. There’s no reason. There IS so much to be afraid of that the last thing we should do is BE afraid, you know what I mean? It’s all going to end at some point. Hopefully not in our lifetime but it quite possibly could end tomorrow for all we know. And because of that, you should just live without fear. And to repeat, in advance – Like more than you dislike. Try to challenge yourself in that way. No one’s been more pessimistic and jerky than I have, but we’re all trying to just get better. Let people get better! Let people improve and change their minds. Let it go. Let the past be that. Let the future be unwritten and be more patient. I know we can do it, and that’s what this music is all about. It might sound cheesy or corny or whatever. Have the courage to say no, it’s true and I’m gonna see it as that and not have to put it down to keep it safe. We’re really thankful and we know how lucky we are and how crazy this is and we’re not going to take it for granted and we’re not going to waste it and we’re gonna use it as much as possible to benefit as many people as possible.

It all expires eventually – what are we left with? After the songs are recorded, the albums made, the concerts played, the videos filmed – what is left? Are all those things the answer or just the question? The people who’s lives are made better by the existence of something. That is what is left. The memory of a fun night, the lingering feeling of an amazing melody. The knowledge of a physical feeling so rich and whole that the mere thought of it is quenching. The reliable consistancy of certain musical notes in a particular order that never fail to delight. The uplifting power created by more than one person enjoying the same thing. Otherwise, what is the point? Nothing else is going to make it out of the final explosion. It will burn all that stuff away – and all that will really be remembered is the way we felt. So don’t be afraid to feel. PLEASE FEEL IT.

Why is it this way?…

Someone sees a group of people. Immedietly that person indentifies the group as people he does not know and is not friends with. He look closer at their age, haircuts, clothes, and body language. He starts to assemble ideas about them and what they enjoy, based on what he sees. He does not look at people based on who they are, he looks at people based on what they like and dislike. He does not consider the quality of someone’s character, but instead the quality of someone’s particular knowledge and how it relates to his own. He begins with comparing his own prefernces with what he assumes are theirs. He realizes that some of what they like might be similar to his own tastes, but because he is not already friends with them he assumes that their appreciation for those same things is flawed. He likes it for the right reasons, and they are faking it. He is cool, and they only wish to be cool. In fact, he actually begins to deny his own preferences in fear that they could actually be similar to theirs. He convinces himself that he “used” to like those things, or that he “never really liked it that much”. He goes further and determines that anything they like is fake and even if they happen to know about the same things, he possesses a vast wealth of interests that they could never like, or even know about. He is sure that if he was to tell them what he’s interested in they’ld probably just stand there and look confused, because they could never know about the “real” stuff that he knows about. He has continuously made efforts to seek out and horde the smallest and most obscure elements of life, in hopes that he can build a completlely unique identity around a set of preferences and aesthetics so cryptic and pointless that anyone else would be dumbfounded at the attempt – which is exactly his mission. And, in a heartbeat he is ready to throw out those same things that he was once so passionate about – as soon as others take some liking to them. As much as he claims to commit to his views, he is the first to abandon them when they become popular. When the other people that he so often complains about actually gravitate towards his protected sphere he will turn and run, for the last thing he wants is to give them what he has. He is the epitome of selfeshness. He has decided to intentionally avoid anything that is loved by many people. He prefers to adhere to things that most people don’t like or don’t even know about. He feels that the effort he puts into constantly adjusting his taste justifies his contempt for those that blindly follow what they love. He does not look for visceral satisfaction or true enjoyment in things, but instead a cheap self-righteous sense that his way is the only way. He contends that what he likes and dislikes is right and true, and is quick to dismiss other views as stupid and wrong. As much as he laments about the state of other peoples lives, he does little to repair the situation – instead he delves further into a self imposed solitary search for false virtue, and uses every opportunity to whine, degrade, and mock others. And as though he may speak like he wishes everyone would listen, he usually will only talk just loud enough to prick the ears of the most careful listener, only then to deny them any reward for their curiosity.

Finally, through careful planning, he is sure to leave himself plenty of escape routes, should someone call him on his own game. In the event that someone points out how unfair, pesimistic, cowardly, hopeless, weak and just down-right unfriendly he is, he is ready for a quick change of position, and he readily assumes the attitude of knowing about everything but not really liking anything. This angle provides him with an endless array of escape options should someone challenge the things he likes. At times like this he feels that he is above truly loving something, he is simply an observer – an educated and particularly refined individual who prefers merely to provide commentary on the pursuits of everyone else. In fact, he lacks the strength to live in the wide open world. But he can change…

If he knows so much about these people, why can he not just let them be? If he knows everything then why does he understand nothing? Why does he not understand that the very reasons that he does not like these things, are the SAME reasons that he should understand these things? Why can he not see that people are just trying to be happy? And not everyone knows exactly the right way to be happy all the time. Maybe they haven’t grown up with supportive people that gave them everything they ever wanted and supported every idea. Maybe they did not live in a town or city that provided them with unique opportunities to learn and discover. Maybe they were not surrounded by peers and teachers that could show them new things. Maybe they are just discovering them now. Maybe they haven’t been so privledged to have all that you have had, seen all that you have seen, and known all that you have known, and maybe instead of giving them a hard time, you could give them some of what you know. Share with them the things that you think are interesting – not with hopes of making them more like you, but just to give them some of the same opportunities and benefits that you were given. And maybe instead of holding back and keeping what you like private you can let them see it and experience it. And instead of criticizing and destroying you can encourage and build. If they play in a band and you think that the music they make is bad, or they listen to songs that you think suck – well, maybe they didn’t have people to play them those cool songs you like, maybe they lived in a house where all the had was a T.V. and a radio. Maybe they didn’t go to a school where there were cool bands playing concerts. Maybe just now they are finding out about music. And are you going to try to make them feel bad about it? What if you were them? What would you want someone to do for you? Introduce you to something? Help you in some way? Do anything at all that would lead to more and better things? If they don’t work at as good a job as you do – maybe they didn’t have the money or the ability to get as high of an education as you. Maybe they decided that they wanted to pursue something more risky, and maybe it didn’t work out. Maybe they’ve spent the majority of their lives battling hardships that you can only imagine. Some people decide to forgo empty comforts in exchange for the real comfort of knowing that they are directly responsible for good in the world.

Maybe they are doing the best they can with what they know. Maybe they are not doing something as unusual, or important, or valuable, or high-powered, or smart, or beautiful, or fancy, or exciting as you, but at least they’re trying to do something. You are no better than they are, you just have different things, experiences, ideas, friends – different lives. And if you can identify their problems then you can also understand them, and more importantly your own. That is compassion. That is for everyone. Including me.

Thanks again.

Are you still there? Did you read all that?

Well, that’s what we like, somebody who puts some effort into it and has a good sense of humor. Thanks to Andrew for finally getting them back to us!

Andrew W.K. is currently out with Aerosmith, so for tour dates and more info, you can go towww.AndrewWK.com