Q&A: Andrew WK

Music producer, rocker, music commentator, motivational speaker—Andrew WK does it all, in moderation.

By Jackie Cular

Andrew WK is multi-talented to the extreme—he rocks, he composes, he motivates—all the while keeping a realistic and upbeat outlook on everything that comes his way. Andrew WK, short for Wilkes-Krier, recently re-released Close Calls with Brick Walls and sat down for a chat about the economy that was nothing short of up lifting.

ChangeUpMag:  “How has the economy affected your habits recently?”

Andrew WK: “To be honest… Every where I go in the US, including where I live here New York City, has been very intense and I have felt that my life. All that has changed is that [my family] has been more resilient in terms if thinking about money, finances, and the world in general. [I] basically say prayers for everybody in the world to release themselves from the anxiety, mental anguish, and the crippling feeling of un-motivation and fear that can come from shifts in the world.”

CU: “Based on what you like to do, do you have any suggestions that you to save money?”

AWK: “Oh yeah I feel like money is there to be the powerful, amazing tool and you can do so many things with the tool… it’s a really powerful mechanism to move around in the world and have cool stuff happen; so in that regard I’ve always thought you should never be cheap when it comes to things that you like. The attitude of making money disappear, actually makes more money come around; when you’re involved in spending money on things that you really love, you feel good about it. I myself have tried to change my way of looking at money over the years; more and more I get more radical with it where I develop a love of money that doesn’t hinder [me]. A lot of the old hang ups that I sort of have been programmed with, that money is bad, and to appreciate your money and it’s better to be poor. It’s such a powerful thing and not very complicated. So, I think it’s a good time right now for everyone to evaluate their own relationship to money. [Ask yourself,] when the thought of money comes to mind what kind of feeling do I get?”

CU: “Well said. Is there something you’ve done recently to treat yourself or spoil yourself?”

AWK: “I had a very nice anniversary with my wife; we went to a very nice restaurant with incredible food–probably the best meal I’ve ever had. It was an unbelievable, incredible night in New York. At the same time I wouldn’t want to think of that as a splurge or spoiling myself; I would like to think that that shit’s a no-brainer. We enjoy [things] with this companion emotion of guilt, or worry of anxiety, or doubt– fear basically. That cripples and complicates the whole experience that should be this enjoyable time. So I think we should spend money when we want to and not spend money when we don’t want to–and feel really good about the outcome [either way]. Like when you’re eating food and you’re on a diet you can spend an amount of time being able to be very detailed in researching different ingredients and their diet facts and the results it will have on your diet, and your body and your physical state and well being and emotions. Or you can just eat what you feel like eating and try to have the safe facts that your body will feel healthy.”

CU: “Everything in moderation–it sounds so easy.”

AWK: “Including that statement everything in moderation, that statement itself should be taken in moderation. Because there are times where it can feel great to go into a very excessive state and having moments of moderation should also be kept in moderation.”

CU: “I was watching TV too much yesterday and I noticed that you had a hand or to in redoing The Simpsons theme song for the anniversary of their 450^th episode. How did you get involved in that?”

AWK: “Thank you for asking about that; I am really glad, I just saw it today and was just blown away. We set up a time at this really great recording studio in Harlem where they had the camera’s set up for recording and I played this song on the piano and they cut out my part and put it in the opening. I was just so excited about all the people they were interviewing; you got ZZ Top in there–my favorite band of all time. To be able to pay tribute and respect to the show was just an amazing thing and I am just incredibly thankful for that.”

CU: “If you could be a Simpsons’ character describe that character and give them a name.”

AWK: “I would like to be myself on the show as a great song writer; every now and then [the show] gets performers… maybe Otto’s older, wiser brother. I want to have a reoccurring role.”

CU: “You have had your hand in a lot of TV programs–Destroy Build Destroy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and various specials on Vh1; how do you get involved and branch out so well?”

AWK: “I’ve always really liked TV… especially [being on set] the lights and equipment sound stages and that way it’s all set up. It’s an incredibly high adrenaline surrounding that you cannot fight it, and in a way it’s incredible. It’s a lot of work but it’s also a lot of competition, and if you’re working you have to be better than everybody else that’s working–amazingly good. You’re working with all these amazing people that have been working in this great and specialized field in producing spectacles and then you get to see them work their magic and be in the middle of it all–it’s incredible. So I fell in love with it when we first started making our music videos, the first time we ever played on TV, the first time we got to do TV interviews or use a TV set or going inside a sound studio on stage. When you’re someone who actually performs, it’s an amazing kind of stage to work with, and it has a lot of different qualities that set it apart from different parts of entertainment.”

___________________

For more information on his re-released Close Calls with Brick Walls and tour, go to www.myspace.com/andrewwk; he has several dates in New York City and will be joining the Warped Tour this summer.