By Jamie Gordon
Anyone that knows me knows my affinity/passion/love for Andrew W.K. In fact, last year I dressed up as him in the office for Halloween. So, when I was presented with the opportunity to talk to him for Atlanta Music Guide, of course, I could not turn it down. Now, I should make it known that this was not my first interaction with Mr. W. K. My former band was also managed by his manager, my friends arranged for him to call and sing “Happy Birthday” for my thirtieth, and I’ve been known to jump on stage with him a time or three. What I anticipated to be a 15-minute phone interview turned into an hour-long discussion about life, music, and yes, partying.
I started the conversation by talking about the first time I experienced his party live, Furnace Fest 2002 in Birmingham, AL. Going into that festival, I don’t think anyone knew really what to expect. “Party Hard” was the only song I- or probably anyone- knew. There was a lot of talk amongst festivalgoers about why he was headlining and how many people would even stay to watch. It didn’t take long for us to realize exactly why he was there to close the festival. That performance became the most genuine musical experience I had been or would ever be a part of. You could actually see and feel the band trying to figure out “what the hell is happening?” on stage. I went out on a limb, thinking he would remember that night and he absolutely did. Here is what he had to say about that night:
“That was a turning point and I cant say that about really any other show that had such significance. You can look back and reflect on different events, different concerts and just different moments in your life and realize they have a certain significance. It’s certainly more rare and elusive when you’re going through the experience and realize it’s a turning point. It’s as if our brains were actually being re-wired onstage.”
Andrew is set to release his first studio album in 8 years on March 2, 2018. I asked him about getting back in the studio and writing songs after such a long hiatus.
“There was not a lot of conscious thought or planning on anything, including making the new album. It was not a decision to go away and not make one. There wasn’t really a decision to force it and come back to make a new album. Committing to partying doesn’t allow you to let your mind to get involved in the same way as it would in other areas of life. When partying is your main theme and main goal, it takes over. Things like logic and reason and common sense and rationale and schedules all go into a whirlpool. There is an element of chaos that takes over and I’m at the mercy of the party spirit.”
In support of the forthcoming record, Andrew has embarked on his first full band tour in five years.
You will probably be expecting to hear a lot of new material, right? Nope. Don’t worry Atlanta; Andrew won’t be testing out new material on us! In fact, he has a pretty different approach than most musicians would have after writing a new record and you will only be hearing one new song. ONE! His philosophy is this:
“I, as a concertgoer, don’t like seeing bands playing material I’m not familiar with. The concert experience is a celebration of that familiarity, that closeness with the material that I have as a lover of the artist’s work.”
While this is the band’s first tour in 5 years, Andrew has been quite busy. He went out on a solo keyboard/drum machine tour, a 50 State “Power of Partying” lecture tour, and was even the keynote speaker at the “My Little Pony” convention. With all of his avenues of performance it still doesn’t come easy.
“They’re all difficult for me. I wish one thing came more easily. Even with something I can do well, It feels hard and overwhelming.” He feels as nervous going on stage for a lecture as he does going out with a full band and that is what still keeps it a party for him.
As I mentioned earlier, I like many fans, dressed myself as Andrew for Halloween last year (#awk4halloween). I asked him how that what that has to feel like and what it means to him. Not surprisingly, he is very humbled by his fans.
“I feel like they’re dressing up more than as me. We are in it side by side, together. It means the world to me, not as a gesture to me but as a gesture to this feeling and the party spirit.”
You can catch Andrew, his band, and the party spirit on “The Party Never Dies” tour at Terminal West on October 23.
