Andrew W.K. to Party Hard at Warped Tour 2010

Andrew W.K. is back and ready to Party Hard at this year’s edition of Warped Tour.  We caught up with Andrew W.K. at the Warped Tour pre-show for an interview, and managed to cover many topics in just 5 minutes time.  A motivational speaker, an actor, a highly respected musician and much more, Highwire Daze is honored to present an Interview with Andrew W.K.  Let’s get this party started…

Is this your first Warped Tour, and how do you feel about playing a tour as intensive as this one can be?
We did the entire Warped Tour back in 2003, and the year prior 2002 we had done several shows. I was blown away and loved the entire experience. I never dreamed that we’d be invited back this year, but it was actually some kind of divine timing. My whole life got flipped upside down in 2005. Now in 2010, we’re back! And doing the Warped Tour is the best way for us to see the whole country again.

Will you be performing anything from 55 Cadillac at all?
Thank you for being aware of that album. 55 Cadillac is my piano solo album. There will be moments of solo piano during the show, but not a full-blown set. We’re going to be playing more of our rock and roll material for the Warped Tour.

What made you record an album like 55 Cadillac?
Well, it was again, it came at a certain time in my career where there were certain complications. I had an opportunity to make an album completely on my own terms without the involvement of anyone else. I’ve always had this dream of putting out an album – just sitting down at the piano and making up whatever happens – and that’s what that album is – 55 Cadillac. Just a guy sitting down playing the piano.

Tell me about your self help and motivational performances and how you became involved with that?
I never imagined I’d become a motivational self-help speaker – new age lecturer. But around 2005 when my business side got complicated – it was a long story. But basically it was a new opportunity – a new way to perform. A non-musical performance. I took all the feelings I was putting out and getting from doing my music and said, “Maybe there’s other ways to get to that feeling.” I want to use every method – TV, talking, music, radio – whatever we can to create this feeling of excitement. Going out there and talking about how to have fun in life is a good way to do it.

Tell me about the cover albums you did in Japan. Will they ever be released out here in the States at all?
That’s a good question! I appreciate you asking. In 2008, we did an album of 30 Years of Hit songs from Japan. And in 2009, we did the Gundam Rock album, which is a selection of classic hit songs from the Gundam Animation Franchise. There’s no plans to release them outside of Asia, but fortunately with downloading and importing and the Internet, people could probably find them on the computer someway.

Tell me about the experience where you played at a fan’s wake, and how did that all came about?
A very young man named Dominic had passed away. He had a brain aneurysm, so it was a very sudden, unexpected passing. But somehow, sometime before he passed away, he told his friends that if he ever died, he wanted Andrew WK to come to his wake or his funeral. So he died and they remembered that. A lot of his friends – hundreds and hundreds of people wrote to me requesting that I show up. This guy was very popular and had a lot of friends. It was no brainer – of course I was going to go. He was a very cool guy!

What did you do in the Punk Rock Holocaust Movie and would you ever want to do that again?
In the Punk Rock Holocaust Movie, all I had to do was die, which was the easiest and hardest thing to do in a way. I had a blast doing it – and that was a great memento from that Warped Tour experience.

Would you ever want to act again?
Oh yeah! I mean, I never really consider myself an actor, but I think there’s ways to have fun in things like that.

Do you still enjoy playing Party Hard after all of this time?
I enjoy playing our song Party Hard more every time we play it. As much as I imagine you could get bored with something – when you’re doing what you’re born to do, it just keeps getting better.

What advice would you give a band looking to get signed to a label for the very first time?
Well, I always think about what’s going to make someone stand out. Not just how you look or how you sound – but what are you going to lay on the line as a performer or as an artist or as an entertainer for your audience? Whether the audience is the people in the crowd or the audience is the record label you’re trying to get signed to – or the audience is whoever you are playing your music for. What are you going to give to show them that you deserve their energy, their attention, their time, their money? That ‘s when it moves me – when someone takes a risk and makes themselves look vulnerable. Anybody can make themselves look cool. Anybody can be impressive. But it takes a certain kind of focus to show humility.

What could one expect from a live Andrew WK Warped tour show?
We’re just gonna give everything we have – every time. You’ve got a short set. It’s not like you’re gonna get to play for two hours. You’ve got a half hour to 45 minutes – and you’ve got to give everything you’ve got in that verse to show people that you came people to show them fun – to give them your life! You’re giving a piece of your life to them – they’re giving the time of their life back to you. And we want to create that – the time of our lives!

Do you have any messages for your fans out here in the Los Angeles area?
I was born and grew up my first few years of my life in Southern California and specifically here in Los Angeles. And I’ve always had this connection to this area, and of course it’s because my blood is from here. My Mom is from California proper. And it’s just very meaningful every time we get to come back here – the support and passion from the folks here has been really, really fantastic! And I just feel like it’s just begun. As much as we’ve already done, I feel like it’s just started. There’s still so much partying to come!

(Interview and Andrew W.K./Kevin Lyman Photos by Kenneth Morton)

Warped Tour Official Website

Andrew W.K. on Myspace