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Sometime in the mid ’00s, Andrew W.K.’s career as a rock star began to stall, for reasons that have never really been made clear.
W.K. (born Andrew Wilkes-Krier) had released an over-the-top party rock debut, “I Get Wet,” in 2001, but had struggled to maintain his momentum. There were legal battles with an old associate of the singer, and there was a question about who owned the rights to his identity.
W.K. began landing motivational speaking engagements, where he would preach the gospel of partying (Andrew W.K. loves to party more than anybody else loves anything). To W.K., partying is a tool that can be used to illuminate the search for transcendence, offering what he calls “an elevated glimpse into the heart of all things.”
A few months ago, W.K. released “You’re Not Alone,” his first rock album since 2006. In a phone interview in advance of his Saturday night show at the Vic Theatre, Andrew W.K., perhaps the only man alive to be compared to both Tony Robbins and Meatloaf, talked about transcendence, depression, and the meaning of life.
The following is an edited transcript of that conversation:
Q: Was there a time that you thought this album might never come out?
A: I suppose I went through every mindset. I’ve taken every perspective I could take. Frustration, resignation that maybe I was never meant to make another album, as strange as that seemed. Sometimes I felt like I had to accept it, and actually, once I did come to terms with that possibility is of course when everything started to happen.
Q: There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
A: Oh yeah, for sure. So many lessons.
Q: But you’ve carved out a great, unusual career path for yourself. Did you say, If I never make another album, Ill be OK?
A: Well, I never stopped making music or recording it, it just took a long time. I was unable to see what others saw as a gap. It wasn’t until someone said, “Hey, it’s been 10 years since you released (an album),” that was very shocking to me. I don’t know how to explain it or sum it up, because I don’t understand it myself. I feel as if I’m following a path that I don’t have complete control over, and there’s benefits to that approach. Being resigned to your own destiny, you kind of hand over your will to the ultimate power that is.
Q: So what is ‘the ultimate power that is’? Fate? God? Karma?
A: That’s what everyone’s been trying to figure out and lay claim to for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. I guess for me, you try to find a mindset to interpret the unintelligible aspects of your life that makes them, if not completely understandable, at least enjoyable. You put your life in cinematic terms, so that even confronting the painful parts feels like it’s all part of some kind of purposeful plan that’s being revealed to you. That’s just one way to look at life, and for me, it’s made it more intense in a good way.
Q: It’s interesting to chart the evolution of your philosophy, how partying has gone from something that’s fun to do to the way you look at the world.
A From day one, to have this main theme of partying, it gave a focus for me. The beauty of the partying concept is that it’s very one dimensional and easy to grasp. Within that, you actually have been able to apply almost every aspect of the human experience and relate it to partying, which you can kind of do with anything. It’s sort of like Dumbo’s magic feather. It gives you that first bit of confidence to dive deeper into life, then you realize it gave you strength to access your greater powers.
Q: You’ve gone through your own hard times, been depressed. You’ve said the advice you give is advice you want to take yourself.
A: Absolutely. It’s the full spectrum of human emotion, and a big part of what I’m trying to do is not fight those feelings, don’t run from them, not even try to slay them, but appreciate them in some irrational way. It’s easier said than done, but the harder parts of life do build character. Every encounter we have, every phenomenon, is the party gods trying to mold our soul into a shape more worthy of being encased in a human body. There’s a reason there’s such thing as pain. If we can find some contrarian joy, even in the nightmarish parts of life, we’re victors of some sort. We’ve kind of won.
Q: When you’re making an album, do you worry: “I can’t put a sad song on there, that’s not my brand. People expect me to embrace positivity”?
A: Sad feelings can be some of the most powerful feelings of all. My mind might say, “Oh, this might be a sad song, someone might not like this,” but that deeper intuition might tell me what to do.
Q: A lot of people have referred to you as the rock ’n’ roll Tony Robbins. Isn’t it weird? Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and go, how did I get this career?
A: Yeah, no one is more shocked than I am. I never imagined doing this. I never wanted to be a singer. I moved to New York to be a fashion designer. I worked at an avant-garde clothing company, Comme des Garcons. I wrote them a letter at 15, asking if I could work for them — that’s why I moved to New York. But it all fell apart very quickly, and all my dreams fell away, and what was left was a more subtle yet more focused vision that I started to be shown, and I started to make it real.
Q: How is the Inspirational You different from the Real You? When you go out with your friends and you’re just hanging out, are you inspirational? And are they like, “Stop doing that”?
A: You’ll have to ask them. I mean, who knows? It’s probably irritating.
Allison Stewart is a freelance writer.
onthetown@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @chitribent
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave.
Tickets: $25 (18+); 773-472-0449 or www.Ticketfly.com
Source
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ott-andrew-wk-0511-story.html
