I REALLY FEEL BAD FOR ANDREW W.K.
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 3:00pm by Gary Suarez
My enthusiastic endorsement of Andrew W.K.’s 2002 album I Get Wet met with a mixed reaction from the MetalSucks readership, ranging from anger to disbelief to teary confessions of the album’s power to yield happiness and a sense of the unstoppable phenomenon known as THE PARTY. I appreciated his follow-up The Wolf, but as I’ve stated before, it couldn’t compete with I Get Wet. Subsequently, things started to get strange for the white-shirted rocker, as he attempts to explain in a recent piece for U.K.-based periodical The Guardian.
In Andrew’s own words:
At the end of 2004, an old friend of mind got in some business trouble and basically decided to take it out on me. To cut a long story short, this person is someone I worked very closely with and had a formal and family business relationship with. Due to various complaints this person had with me, they were able to turn my life and career upside down. I wasn’t allowed to use my own name within certain areas of the US entertainment industry and we were in a debate about who owned the rights to my image, and who should get credit for “inventing” it. This made my life complicated and intense for a few years, but I kept working and doing whatever I could to keep moving forward.
While Andrew admits that his legal issues haven’t entirely subsided (he’s “getting hourly updates from [his] lawyer”), this does provide a much needed context as to why his third full-length Close Calls With Brick Walls never saw a stateside release. It must be absolutely maddening for a musician to be prevented from releasing his work, all because of a manager or record label or someone other than himself. We hear about these stories all the time, but it’s especially unfortunate when it happens to someone like Andrew, a man unfairly considered by some to be a buffoon who has to fight to be taken seriously when all he wants to do is make music that makes people feel awesome.
Though it may not necessarily be your cup o’ tea, I encourage you to check out 55 Cadillac, his new self-released album of “solo piano improvisations.” It’ll sure help keep Andrew’s spirits up, and considering how much THE PARTY means to us all, it’s a worthwhile investment.
-GS
[Gary Suarez is beautiful. He usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]
One of two worthwhile rockers to come out of my town. I wish AWK the best… even if I haven’t listened to his music since high school
totally shitty thing to happen…
I fucking love Andrew WK. Say what you will about his music but when I met him a few years ago I was blown away by how friendly and approachable he was. I really wish him the best and hope he gets this sorted out so he can get out some new music.
AWK is GOD!
Best of luck AWK. You deserve better.
I will party hard in your honor.
LETS GET A PARTY GOING!
It’s sort of hard to party to improv piano, but we shall see…
BTW, I saw Andrew WK at Hellfest about 5 (?) years ago (in Jersey, I think the last one in the US) and it was one of the most fun shows I have ever been a part of. Hundreds of “tough” hardcore kids who were punching, stomping and spin-kicking each other all day just let loose and hand a grand old time during Andrew’s set (including some of the most tremendous, rollicking circle pits I have ever witnessed). I wasn’t even really a fan of his (or knew much of his music other than the obvious anthems), and neither were a lot of people there, but that didn’t really matter – the guy kicks ass, and it barely took a song before everyone was into it.
He’s inching closer and closer to doing a big US tour like in the old days.
I highly doubt that.
same here
he’s putting on a free show at the university of south carolina tonight
not exactly “big”
It was a lecture, not a show, afaik.
eh – whatever
i didnt go
He’s probably the nicest man I’ve ever met. I hope this gets resolved so he can come be awesome again. In the old days, AWK shows in ohio were out of hand.
Isn’t he on Cartoon Network now?
i thought thats what he felt bad for
Why am I reading about AWK (again)? Please Suarez, let it (him) go!
BTW, Megadeth > Celan, come on broseph!
just the fact that you said broseph means you need to be punted into the sun….
Actually thought the “broseph” was a fitting end to my comment. Come on homie (gnarlk)!
I fucking love I Get Wet. Always puts me in a good mood. My favorite hard/anthem rock of this decade
Have you heard about his new Gundam Wings tribute album, Gundam Rock?
that guys a dick. he shows up to concerts hella drunk and sings a long with a karaoke track. fuck that dude.
He doesn’t drink.
Facebook fail!
I saw him YEARS ago at a festival (I won’t say which, out of embarrassment) and I can still say it was one of the most pumped up shows I’ve ever seen. With a live band, might I add. And clearly not drunk.
WHO IS STEEV MIKE?!?!?!
So is anybody else aware that he hosts a live-action show on the Cartoon Network now-a-days (and has a commercial)?
Just throwin’ it out there.
Why does this matter?
I have a “Close Calls With Brick Walls” 2xLP in purple and orange. Is it an import because it was bought as a domestic release?
Also he did a split 7″ with some guy I’ve never heard of. I just saw this and almost impulse bought it, but $7 for a 7″ is outrageous.
That must be why he’s so damn popular in Japan…he’s got nowhere else to go. He seems like a standup guy and it sucks that he is getting fucked.
If you can, check out some of his J-Pop covers on the internet. Hilariously awesome.
Wow then this shit might be true!
http://awilkeskrier.homestead.com/
Man, Andrew W.K is the nicest dude ever. My friend and I had gotten kicked out of Ozzfest for getting muddy, and to make a long story short, he got us back in. We got to meet all of the second stage bands while we were waiting to leave before we met his guitarist(I only knew who he was from seeing him play 20 minutes earlier). He says, “I think you guys will get back in, where there is a will there is a way.” And about an hour later, we’re snooping around the parking lot, and we see Andrew W.K just hanging outside his tour bus shooting the shit with some kids. We tell him what happened to us, he invites us on the bus. While were walking in, we see the guitar player’s eyes get real big, and he’s like HELL YEA!!! Any ways, Andrew W.K gave us IRON-ON BACKSTAGE PASSES, cause you know, we were like 13 and HAD to see Sabbath, or Ozzy whichever. Great day
AWK is a genius. All the stuff he released in Japan is great. He should just say fuck it and do secret basement tours around the country.