Nardwuar is Comin' to Town — Doot Doo!

Music nerds, music media consumers, would-be (and real) journalists and those who like their web personalities a little quirky all know and love Nardwuar, the Human Serviette. If you're reading this and asking yourself 'Who is Nardwuar?,' let me enlighten you and bring a little joy to your life. A lot of us need it right now! Nardwuar is arguably one of the best interview reporters of all time and he's a mind-blowing researcher famous for asking questions no one else thinks of, thereby winning his subject's trust and admiration unlike any other journo out there. Just ask Snoop Dogg or Pharrell Williams, both of whom have championed him on their social media after their chats; the latter even gave him a platform several years ago via his own YouTube page. Famous for his cute signature plaid beanie, matching pants and colorful shirts, Nardwuar is as cacophonous professionally as he is fashion-wise, and his interviews always go the same way, with an intro followed by deep dive questions about the subject's inspirational grade school teacher or the teen crush who inspired their first song or favorite weird snack or secret mixtape. Nardwuar leaves no stone unturned when he's researching his subjects, and it shows. He also like to give them the best gifts ever, whether it be rare vinyl, weirdo nostalgia like dolls and posters, and other stuff that only he would think of. His Steve Albini interview at South By Southwest for example, has a great section that delves into Kurt Cobain's diary with the In Utero producer, providing insight into that album's recording that other interviews never have. The Canadian broadcaster's fame has transcended his homeland thanks to the internet where he has millions of followers on Instagram and Youtube alone. For the next several weeks he is touring parts of the U.S. to share his vivacious music-obsessed magic with his fans. He'll be at the Fonda Theater this Friday. Here's an edited and condensed version of our chat.

Hi Nardwuar! You're wearing a Cramps t-shirt! Amazing! Interviewing theNardwuar, I had to do my research! I know you love them. Did you ever see them? Yes many times. Did you interview them? Yes. Every Halloween they'd play L.A. I interviewed them backstage at House of Blues on Sunset, which is gone now. When was that? Probably like early 2000s? We're doing this interview on Halloween so it's appropriate. Thank you for talking to me... now I need to interview you! So how does your name/tagline "the Human Serviette" convey who you are and what you do? I know the human part comes from The Cramps "Human Fly." Well, it's about just staring at something, looking at something and wondering, 'What the hell is that?' That kind of sums me up right then and there. Like I'm noticing the word 'serviette.' There must be some deeper meaning behind it. And I found out it's French for napkin. Okay, as a fellow interviewer, your list of subjects is so impressive. I have a pretty impressive list myself, probably topped by Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin. Who tops yours? I would love to talk to Jimmy Page about all the session work that he's done. I haven't talked to Jimmy Page. I recently got close to Led Zeppelin because Robert Plant was touring, you know, recently, and I was hoping to do an interview with him, but it didn't work out. But you have this great following online. Millions on Instagram and Youtube. It's hyperbole to call you iconic at this point, but getting to chat with you is for me, almost as big as Page. And I would love to have your following online. Well I'm still trying to get my name out there, because, remember, I didn't get that Robert Plant interview. I haven't got that Paul McCartney interview, so my name isn't out there as much as I would like it to be. You being in L.A., you could probably get what I got in 30 years, in like a week, there's so much happening there. Who were your first big gets? We mentioned The Cramps right off the bat. Yeah, my interview with The Cramps was set up through CITR University of British Columbia radio, where I still volunteer and do a show. So it's set up through the music director. So for many years, that's why I got interviews, through CITR's music director. And then when I did freelance stuff, I just approached the publicist myself.

Ok let's talk about your research game. It's other level. This goes way, way beyond Wikipedia or googling. How do you unearth this stuff? Do you have a team that helps you? It's a one person DIY operation. For me, it starts with who, what, when, where and how. They can answer all those questions and it's a good start. And then you think, 'Okay, I've answered those. Let's further explore each of those topics.' Like if I were to interview Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, I remember that my friend Bev Davies saw them. Photographer Bev Davies, who I did a punk rock calendar with, she saw them in 1966 in Toronto and she actually brought a band called The Ugly Ducklings, who used to be called the Strolling Bones, to meet them. And the Ugly Ducklings had a guy in a band, Glenn Bell, who looked exactly like Brian Jones, the same hair... And so she documented that moment of Glen Bell meeting Brian Jones. She also took some photos of Mick Jagger and I got a hold of those photos, printed those out, and was going to give those to Mick Jagger and be like, 'Hey, um, do you remember playing Toronto in 1966 and meeting the Ugly Ducklings?' That is definitely not a question most would ask Mick Jagger. It's so random, but that is your charm. Ok so in terms of technique, for you, it's aboutthinking about people you know, stories you've heard, or people who have a connection to the artist, right? Watching your interviews, you really blow people's minds doing this, every time. Your whole persona is also part of your appeal. I know people probably ask you this a lot, but is this the way you speak and look all the time? Off camera when you're not working are you the same Nardwuar? It's pretty much all the same all the time. Like, it's a pretty easy also, what I do anybody can do. Most people can't be bothered to follow through, to do the research and to have the fun. I just want to have fun. So, yeah, when the mic is on, the mic is on, when the mic is off, it's still fun too.

You wear the colorful outfits off-duty too? I have an amazing selection of stuff that I have to wear now that I've acquired over the years. I just need a long sleeve shirt. I've got my tartan hat. So what goes with this hat? Tartan pants. And what goes with the tartan pants? Tartan shoes. So it's basically just wearing a shirt because you don't have to worry about anything else. Speaking of Halloween, there are some people —and I'm so honored— that dress up like me. But yes, to answer your question, I now have tons of stuff around the house. It's like, I have to wear what's around the house. You should market the hats for your fans. One of the interviews I've done with Tyler, The Creator in 2005, I was wearing this shirt. And I'm coming down to his Flog Naw Festival to do interviews as well as doing the Nardwaur Video Vault show at the Fonda this week.

Let's talk a little bit about your new show. So your "video vault" — tell me and tell our readers about what it entails and why you decided to put this show together. Well, it's sort of like some of my favorite interviews, so I'm going to play some of those, but give context. Also do a Q &A as well. I'll be there live in person. adding context to some of the clips and sharing some of my life story. You're touring with this show and you're having different DJs in different towns. The wonderful Senor Amor is deejaying this LA show. Should be great. Yes in New York, we had DJ Jonathan Toubin. In San Francisco, we're gonna have Russell Quan, who is the DJ, or the drummer of The Mummies. In San Diego, we'll have DJ Mike Stacks from Ugly Things fanzine, one of my favorites. Top three favorite interviews we'll see clips from in the show? The one that pops into my mind right off the bat would have to be Snoop Doggy Dog. I've talked to him many times over the years. I think the first time was the year 2000. So that has been really, really cool to have that continue on to this day. It's hard to pick you know, the top three, but another one that comes to mind is Jello Biafra of The Dead Kennedys, just because he was one of the first interviews I did that was recorded on a video tape and widely distributed. When I did my interview with Nirvana, I played the audio on CITR and nobody phoned in. But now, you're getting more people watching your interview [online]. So I love how things have changed. The audio of my Jello Biafra interview was aired on CITR radio in '89 and then I kept on talking to him. He didn't really like me to begin with, in 1989.

Can you do a good interview when they don't like you? Exactly. So I went back in 1991 and he still kind of didn't like me, by no means. But when I talked to him in '95 he was a lot more open. And then in 2004 he signed my band [The Evaporators] to Alternative Tentacles and released my DVD. The wild thing is the way this thread goes together. When I last talked to Snoop Doggy Dog. I was like, 'hey, Snoop, it's amazing we're together again. I've interviewed you almost more than anybody.' And he's like, 'who's been interviewed more than me?' I was like, well, 'punk rocker Jello Biafra.' He's like, 'Hey, Jello, I'm coming for you!' It was an amazing crossover moment. You come from punk rock but you're really known for your hip hop interviews. Why do you think that the hip hop community loves you so much? I think for some of the publicists, they have seen me interview other people. So it's been easier to get a hold of people because they're like, oh, we'll check this link out. Also Pharrell, from the bands The Neptunes and NERD. I interviewed him and he loved [it]. And he said, 'Could I do a favor for you?' And I said, 'you could hook me up with Jay Z,' and he did. He got me the interview. I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is amazing.' A few years later, he started a YouTube channel called I Am Other, and he hired me. So not only did he get me Jay-Z, he got me chedder well! It was a great interview. So thank you Pharrell. I would also say Questlove of the band the Roots. Yes, he is an amazing hip-hop historian. You just like show a record to him and he will talk. I love that fact.