A WK on the wild side

Does anyone know the number of an emergency room in Queens? The reason I enquire is that having been asked to outline his personal philosophy, Andrew WK has, well, gone a bit bonkers.

“I have a motto which I carry around with me on a bit of card. Here, I’ll get it out.” Calm at first.

“Don’t be a wimp.” Voice goes up an octave.

“Don’t be a f-f-f-fucking wimp.” Starting to stutter and trip on his words.

“DON’T BE A F-F-F-UCKING WIMP. GIVE O-O-NE HUNDRED FUCKING PERCENT!!!!!”

Mummy, the big muscley man’s frightening me!

WK is kicking back in his favourite New York borough after a year in which he’s been hailed by some as a rock ‘n’ roll saviour, and dismissed by others as Billy Idol with knobs on. I have to admit my own bullshit detector was bouncing in the red until I heard I Get Wet, his debut album which nicks all the best bits from Van Halen, Twisted Sister, Kiss, Slayer and The Blue Nile (that last one isn’t entirely accurate).

A 35m 53sec testosterone-fest, it features no fewer than three songs with the word “party” in the title, a drummer who used to be in Florida death metallers Obituary, and such gloriously gonzoid lyrics as: “We cut without a knife/We live in black and white/You’re just a parasite/Now close your eyes and say goodnight!” (‘Ready To Die’)

It’s easy to scoff at such bombast but spend time in his company and, like Richey Manic before him, you know WK is 4 Real.

“The message is very clear, very simple,” he resumes. “Don’t accept mediocrity. You only have one shot at living, so make every moment count. Turn negatives into positives. Don’t let anybody dictate what you should or shouldn’t do. You only have to prove yourself to one person and that’s yourself.

“As for why I’m sat here now talking to you – music is what makes your fucking world go round. Music is what cheers you up when your girlfriend sucks. Music is what keeps you going when everything sucks. You know?”

You won’t be surprised to hear that the 22-year-old had something of a troubled adolescence.

“I was very angry and confused at that age, which manifested itself in the music I listened to. Punk, grindcore, death metal…man I was into that stuff 24/7. Despite being blessed with a wonderful Mom and Dad who always supported me, I was asked to leave school for reasons I don’t particularly want to go into here. They eventually relented on the understanding that for my final year, I wouldn’t talk to the other kids and they wouldn’t talk to me”

Was he a jock or the nerd sitting alone in the corner?

“Neither, really. The jocks learned that the sensible thing to do was leave me alone, while the nerds – or ‘individuals’ as I prefer to call them – got on with their own shit and didn’t effect me one way or the other.”

Born in California and raised in Michigan, WK – it’s an abbreviation of his surname, Wilkes-Krier – began taking classical piano lessons at the tender age of 5. Encouraged by those perfect parents of his, he switched to drums in his teens, playing in numerous Detroit garage bands.

At 17, he started recording solo material and a year later moved to New York where, not knowing any other musicians, he gigged with a CD player, keyboard and microphone.

“I swore to myself that I was going to play any show I possibly could, which is why I went the karaoke route for a while,” he reminisces. “I knew that as long as I had myself, I could do this. The only thing I was able to count on back then was me.”

Despite – or maybe because – of his unorthodox approach, WK came to the attention of Dave Grohl who describes him as, “A true American hero. There’s no gloom and doom – it’s all about partying ‘til you puke.”

Such glowing testimonials have given birth to the rumour that Grohl actually penned the bulk of I Get Wet.

“He had me open two shows for the Foo Fighters a couple of years ago, but that aside, there’s no connection,” WK insists. “He’s an awesomely cool guy, though, who’s been through the most unimaginable shit and survived. Actually, the word I should be using is transcended. He’s come out the other side a happier, more complete human being.”

All of which suggests that Andy-boy regards Grohl as a role model.

“We’re all employees of a dream. We’re all in this team, an army that’s fighting for passion. If people think I’m naïve or stupid for truly believing in something, then so be it.”

One of the most striking things about I Get Wet – apart from the Bruce Springsteen goes nu-metal songs – is the cover shot of WK with the mother of all nosebleeds. Although the claret is on this occasion fake, the singer has made no secret of his predilection for self-harm.

“For me, it’s a way to release a bit and get focussed. This is so big that things like that just fall by the wayside. It’s the same as me eating eggs for breakfast. I’ll do this and do that and then change my mind again.”

Is WK prepared for the letters from troubled 13-year-olds who are going to identify with such imagery and look to him for answers?

“If that’s how people react to me then, yeah, I’ll write back and offer whatever encouragement I can. At this point, the response I’ve had from fans has been overwhelmingly positive.”

WK is equally unfazed at being lumped in with the groin-fixated likes of Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit.

“I’m not going to turn around to somebody and say, ‘Sorry, you’re into my music for the wrong reasons.’ Hell, I don’t even mind if your other favourite artist’s Enya!”