ANDREW W.T.F.

I've always had a soft spot for Andrew W.K., despite being somewhat indifferent about his music. His debut leaned heavily on simplistic headbanger anthems, but, still, you kinda knew there was something different about the guy. First off, he was always wearing a white T-shirt and white jeans, pretty much the complete opposite of what you'd expect. And there was his preoccupation with songs about partying: "Party Hard," "Party 'til You Puke," and "It's Time to Party,"...the kind of stuff that makes "Margaritaville" look like a May Pole dance. That was just an initial impression, but enough to keep him on the radar.

Shortly after hearing his debut (and it's subsequent relocation to the "can't see this ever bearing repeated obsessive listenings, so might as well sell it" pile), I was lurking in a record store, talking to a shopper (that's a person who actually buys things) who said that he had hung out in Andrew W.K.'s trailer at a recent Warped Tour show, and that he was a really, really nice guy. He elaborated, adding that a fan had come up to the trailer door and, while conversing with W.K., happened to mention that he was having trouble paying his rent. Without being asked, W.K. got out a checkbook and wrote the kid a check.

Every subsequent thing I've heard about him has been just as confounding. He's obsessed with Johan Sebastian Bach, he produced Lee Perry (?!?), toured with a string quartet, appeared as a motivational speaker, and hosted a kid's show on the Cartoon Network (the awesomely named "Destroy Build Destroy"). That's just a few, but still a pretty big bag of tricks.

There really are no two sides to Andrew W.K., there are a zillion sides. He's got a lot of quirks; enough to keep things interesting, if not always listenable. Here's a few:

Exhibit A: The party songs: "It's Time to Party," "Party Hard," "Party 'til You Puke," "Party, Party, Party," "We Party (You Shout)," "Big Party," and "The Party God;" seven variations on a theme, mp3s at Metal Bastard

Exhibit B: The Tiny Desk Concert: Two long improvisations, a very different version of "I Get Wet," and a beautiful cover of Jimmy Webb's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," all with just vocals and electric piano: The Andrew W.K. Tiny Desk Concert (video) at NPR.org
Exhibit C: Destroy Build Destroy at the Cartoon Network and YouTube
Exhibit D: Andrew W.K. on Bach at NPR.org
Exhibit E: "Wolf Eyes Rule" mp3, a song by a band, Wolf Eyes, that he produced, guesting on vocals, at The Walrus
Exhibit F through Z: The Further Misadventures at the Andrew W.K. Official Site