Despite grusome appearances, Andrew WK is remarkably well-adjusted
Listening to this wholesome rocker speak is like talking to a motivational speaker
PREVIEW
ANDREW WK
Thursday, September 26
The Back Alley
For those of us who dreaded watching back-to-back hoochie music videos on Much Music, catching "She Is Beautiful" was quite the welcome jolt of surprise. The video from newcomer Andrew WK (a.k.a. Andrew Wilkes-Krier) started airing a couple of months ago when it was put into high rotation on the station. The headbanger thrashing his way through the video was so different from the bling-bling crap before and after him that it was impossible not to appreciate him. It made those of us wholly disenchanted with the unoriginality of the mainstream scene smile smugly and think there might be hope yet.
The 23-year-old rocker starring in the video was born in California and raised in Michigan, where he developed an affinity for melody after beginning classical piano lessons at age four. As a teen, he immersed himself in the Detroit punk and metal scene. By age 17, he was recording his own material and itching for a challenge. A year later, he moved to New York City simply because he couldn't think of a scarier place to move to.
Once in New York, he was so desperate for bandmates that he approached people on the street carrying guitar cases. Nothing panned out, but he never gave up. Soon, he would become respected in the city for being a dynamic solo musician with a sizable following. He would also travel to less glorious out-of-town gigs and take eight-hour bus rides to play for 10 people and earn little pay. Still, it was at those shows where he met friends and folks who would help him be discovered. When Island/ Def Jam approached him with an offer, he replied without any hesitation: "Let's go."
"When something good happens, it's not a reason to celebrate as much as it is a reason to work harder to make up for all that good stuff that's happened," he says during a phone interview. "I'm so fortunate, it's silly, it's stupid, it's obscene. I don't want to ever feel guilty, so that's why I have to work hard to make up for all that I've been given ’cause it's crazy. The least I can do is use it and not waste it and never ever be down.
"I have the most amazing life that anybody could ever ask for – now it's up to me to use this and try to give as many other people something good from it as well."
Quite often, listening to Andrew is like listening to a motivational speaker. He offers a wealth of insight, he's humble, remarkably sincere, enormously driven without sounding selfish and deeply passionate about music. He has posted pieces of heart-warming advice on his Web site that would likely benefit anybody stumbling across it, but especially a depressed kid searching for much needed advice. Call it Chicken Soup for the Punk Rock Soul.
"These things I'm saying are nothing new – I have the platform by which to do this, and to not use it would be a disgrace. You don't have to work to maintain a positive mindset, you just have to allow yourself the courage and the strength to see things as they really are and it will all make sense. I have to work on it on a daily basis.
"A lot of what you read on that Web site is me basically trying to keep myself in order and remind myself of that stuff. I look at that stuff to cheer me up. To think that it could benefit somebody else is an incredible, incredible gift that we give each other."
His goodwill has touched many fans, including a fan who wrote him and thanked him for helping him get through chemotherapy. After a show in New Jersey, another fan presented Andrew with a trophy she'd made herself. The plaque read: "For Music Humanitarianism."
Many folks, including parents, may have cringed at the sight of the guy with a bloody nose on the cover of his latest album, I Get Wet. They may have cringed watching him swing his long, messy hair in the video that introduced him to many of us. Chalk it up to another case of "can't judge a book by the cover." Andrew has a world of good to offer fans no matter their age. And while he is probably one of the most well-adjusted musicians I have ever interviewed, there's no doubt about it, this boy can rock. |
