Can anyone explain Nardwuar the Human Serviette?

djtopcat · March 3

I started watching some of his cringy interviews with hip hop notables, please tell me it's all an act, and he's actually quite normal for a Canadian in real life?
Listening to him is like nails on a chalkboard. He reminds me of Pee Wee Herman pre getting caught jacking off in an adult theater era.

ketan · March 3

I really love Nardwuar, and as a Canadian, I've seen his interviews for most of my young adult/adult life. He's super weird, yes, and I don't know if it's a character or if he's "on the spectrum" (but he's a bit atypical even in his earliest interviews from when he was in high school). His sense of humour and his attention to detail/showering of subjects with gifts are totally unique and endearing to me. I mean, interviewing musicians is normally a very artificial and boring exercise, so I appreciate what he brings to the game.

ketan · March 3

Oh, the other reason I love his interviews is because you often gain some insight into the human being behind the musician in terms of how they react to Nardwuar, like some human Rorschach test . The first Henry Rollins interview he did is a great example - after watching that, clearly Rollins was a tremendous dork at that point in his life:

Oh, another thing I like: he carries on the counterculture tradition. Like hippies used to stage freakouts - not just because of drugs but to weird the mainstream out and help them break out of traditional ways of thinking. I like how Nardwuard weirds people out (like you, DJ Topcat!).

dizzybull · March 3

djtopcat · March 3

ketan said:

Oh, the other reason I love his interviews is because you often gain some insight into the human being behind the musician in terms of how they react to Nardwuar, like some human Rorschach test . The first Henry Rollins interview he did is a great example - after watching that, clearly Rollins was a tremendous dork at that point in his life: Oh, another thing I like: he carries on the counterculture tradition. Like hippies used to stage freakouts - not just because of drugs but to weird the mainstream out and help them break out of traditional ways of thinking. I like how Nardwuard weirds people out (like you, DJ Topcat!).

I think it's just the way he talks that bugs me. Where in Van is he getting all those 12"s he gives to guests?

djtopcat · March 3

Nas wasn't having it. Lol These interviews gone wrong compilations are hilarious!

klezmer electro-thug beats · March 4

I don't enjoy watching his interviews but it's interesting when people bring up the artists who have just completely not gotten what he's about and been assholes to him. His persona means it's like seeing someone kick a dog, it tells who who the real creeps are in music. Sonic Youth.

Probably some others too but yeah, apparently Sonic Youth like bullied him and cackled like hyenas, breaking the shit he was giving them etc.

DOR · March 4

I enjoy Nardwuar from time to time. Dude has been doing his thing since the mid 80's. And his research is usually top notch. While at times it can get kinda uncomfortable for some of his interviews. I kinda enjoy how it's completely off script and not some bullshit PR deal.

I remember when he had a stroke, quite a few artist we're tweeting out support for him

And dude has interviewed everyone.

And when I say everyone...

ketan · March 4

eric ANDRE was weirded out by nardwuar - that's hard! archie shepp cameo!

Frank · March 4

As a fellow fanboy and compulsive rabbit hole crawler I can understand what drives this guy but at the same time I get how his hyper nervous persona, his ice pick to the ear voice and frantic, poking microphone moves can grate some people in purely painful ways. Who would want to face such an assault before a performance or, maybe even worse, afterwards.

Then there are truly magical moments when the chemistry works like in the Pharell interview, it just seems he needs a real chill and self aware person as a subject. But holy shit... that voice... just get yourself some downers man and maybe smoke two packs of Gauloises a day, can't be hard to get those in Canada. I have to made and admission though... back in 1983 I wore the same exact plaid zipper pants.

Electrode · March 4

These are entertaining for all the reasons mentioned, but I sense that the personal subjects he uses to blindside the more unsuspecting ones have less to do with "research" than the interviewees' family, friends, bandmates or managers being in on the joke.

dizzybull · March 4

I thought nardwar died

para11ax · March 7

I think he’s great.

I think his thing is a schtick, but it’s brilliant because his goofiness makes the interviewee seem that much cooler if they play along. He’s almost child-like in his excitement and a superfan in his knowledge—how can you hate on that?

His voice is annoying, yes, but that’s gotta be part of the act. There’s a dude who calls himself “The Schmo” and is an MMA interviewer. He basically does what Nardwuar is doing but kinda toned down (and quite frankly lame in comparison) and appears to be making a decent living doing it!

RAJ · March 7

DOR said:

And his research is usually top notch.

The reactions some of the interviewees give when he digs up some super private tidbit are priceless.

dizzybull · March 9

I spent an hour this morning digging though the strut trying to figure out why I thought nardwar died. The term “rip” had 36 pages of results. I got halfway through and gave up. I swear this last year I thought he died and that there was a thread about it.

ketan · March 9

Had a stroke in the last couple/few years (I can’t accurately recall time anymore) - maybe it was that? I doubt we’d have talked about it here tho...

edit: Occam's razor - maybe you’ve got a nardwuar death fantasy??

ketan · March 9

djtopcat said:

ketan said:

Oh, the other reason I love his interviews is because you often gain some insight into the human being behind the musician in terms of how they react to Nardwuar, like some human Rorschach test . The first Henry Rollins interview he did is a great example - after watching that, clearly Rollins was a tremendous dork at that point in his life: Oh, another thing I like: he carries on the counterculture tradition. Like hippies used to stage freakouts - not just because of drugs but to weird the mainstream out and help them break out of traditional ways of thinking. I like how Nardwuard weirds people out (like you, DJ Topcat!).

I think it's just the way he talks that bugs me. Where in Van is he getting all those 12"s he gives to guests?

Beat Street? But I'm sure he's buying on the internet too.

djtopcat · March 10

dizzybull said:

I spent an hour this morning digging though the strut trying to figure out why I thought nardwar died. The term “rip” had 36 pages of results. I got halfway through and gave up. I swear this last year I thought he died and that there was a thread about it.

Yeah he's alive, but apparently he did have a stroke which necessitated a pretty serious operation. Interesting that his catchy video jingle is a spinoff of an actual song by his group The Evaporators called Nard Nest.

dizzybull · March 10

ketan said:

Had a stroke in the last couple/few years (I can’t accurately recall time anymore) - maybe it was that? I doubt we’d have talked about it here tho...

edit: Occam's razor - maybe you’ve got a nardwuar death fantasy??

That is indeed the simplest explanation.

CRABFUNK · March 12

How painful is this to watch?

foe · March 15

CRABFUNK said:

How painful is this to watch?

until dave leaves it's really bad.

he's clearly a character. whatever reaction he gets to his character, he will push it more.

ketan · March 15

foe said:

CRABFUNK said:

How painful is this to watch?

until dave leaves it's really bad.

he's clearly a character. whatever reaction he gets to his character, he will push it more.

Happy ending? https://exclaim.ca/music/article/blurs_dave_rowntree_apologizes_for_2003_attack_against_nardwuar

Now a politician campaigning for London's Labour party, Rowntree has issued an apology for the Nardwuar attack some eight years later, blaming his cocaine addiction on the unwarranted bullying. Here's the full statement, taken from Rowntree's site:
  There has been some speculation as to why I accepted a recent blog comment linking to a clip of me bullying the Canadian journalist Nardwuar in 2003.

  The reason is, that I can't take the credit for the things I've done that I'm proud of, without taking the blame for the things that I'm ashamed of.

And this is definitely one of the things I'm ashamed of.

There's no excuse for my bullying, and the reason I did it is perhaps nearly as sordid.

As I've written in the past I became addicted to cocaine during the nineties. Now I've no idea if it has this effect on anyone else, but for me, the day after a cocaine binge I'd sometimes fly into a murderous rage, and take it out on whoever happened to be around. In this case, it happened to be the journalist.

To be clear, Nardwuar didn't do anything to provoke me. I sent an apology to him the next day, but I didn't hear anything back from him, so I assume he didn't accept it.

These days I keep a clip of the interview on my phone. I don't drink, smoke or take drugs, and if from time to time I wonder if I'm doing the right thing treading this (sometimes rather lonely) path I play it, and have the answer.
  The reason is, that I can't take the credit for the things I've done that I'm proud of, without taking the blame for the things that I'm ashamed of.
And this is definitely one of the things I'm ashamed of.
There's no excuse for my bullying, and the reason I did it is perhaps nearly as sordid.
As I've written in the past I became addicted to cocaine during the nineties. Now I've no idea if it has this effect on anyone else, but for me, the day after a cocaine binge I'd sometimes fly into a murderous rage, and take it out on whoever happened to be around. In this case, it happened to be the journalist.
To be clear, Nardwuar didn't do anything to provoke me. I sent an apology to him the next day, but I didn't hear anything back from him, so I assume he didn't accept it.
These days I keep a clip of the interview on my phone. I don't drink, smoke or take drugs, and if from time to time I wonder if I'm doing the right thing treading this (sometimes rather lonely) path I play it, and have the answer.
Nardwuar responded to the apology on his Twitter page, where he wrote, "Thanks to Dave of Blur for this apology... I do appreciate it!"

djtopcat · March 16

ketan said:

foe said:

CRABFUNK said:

How painful is this to watch?

until dave leaves it's really bad.

he's clearly a character. whatever reaction he gets to his character, he will push it more.

Happy ending? https://exclaim.ca/music/article/blurs_dave_rowntree_apologizes_for_2003_attack_against_nardwuar

Now a politician campaigning for London's Labour party, Rowntree has issued an apology for the Nardwuar attack some eight years later, blaming his cocaine addiction on the unwarranted bullying. Here's the full statement, taken from Rowntree's site:
  There has been some speculation as to why I accepted a recent blog comment linking to a clip of me bullying the Canadian journalist Nardwuar in 2003.

  The reason is, that I can't take the credit for the things I've done that I'm proud of, without taking the blame for the things that I'm ashamed of.

And this is definitely one of the things I'm ashamed of.

There's no excuse for my bullying, and the reason I did it is perhaps nearly as sordid.

As I've written in the past I became addicted to cocaine during the nineties. Now I've no idea if it has this effect on anyone else, but for me, the day after a cocaine binge I'd sometimes fly into a murderous rage, and take it out on whoever happened to be around. In this case, it happened to be the journalist.

To be clear, Nardwuar didn't do anything to provoke me. I sent an apology to him the next day, but I didn't hear anything back from him, so I assume he didn't accept it.

These days I keep a clip of the interview on my phone. I don't drink, smoke or take drugs, and if from time to time I wonder if I'm doing the right thing treading this (sometimes rather lonely) path I play it, and have the answer.
  The reason is, that I can't take the credit for the things I've done that I'm proud of, without taking the blame for the things that I'm ashamed of.
And this is definitely one of the things I'm ashamed of.
There's no excuse for my bullying, and the reason I did it is perhaps nearly as sordid.
As I've written in the past I became addicted to cocaine during the nineties. Now I've no idea if it has this effect on anyone else, but for me, the day after a cocaine binge I'd sometimes fly into a murderous rage, and take it out on whoever happened to be around. In this case, it happened to be the journalist.
To be clear, Nardwuar didn't do anything to provoke me. I sent an apology to him the next day, but I didn't hear anything back from him, so I assume he didn't accept it.
These days I keep a clip of the interview on my phone. I don't drink, smoke or take drugs, and if from time to time I wonder if I'm doing the right thing treading this (sometimes rather lonely) path I play it, and have the answer.
Nardwuar responded to the apology on his Twitter page, where he wrote, "Thanks to Dave of Blur for this apology... I do appreciate it!"
Rowntree's a legend, I don't think he was being too serious. You want to see cringeworthy Nardwuar interviews watch all the ones with Lydia Lunch lol

MiceTea · April 7

Had to log back in for this. Nardwuar is great. Obviously it's a shtick. There is a youtube with someone interviewing him on the street and he's just talking normal. I'm sure he figured most interviewers are so stale and ask the same questions so he had to stand out. obviously the voice can be grating but it's still a good shtick.

It's hilarious when people like Lydia Lunch, Alice Cooper etc have such a bad reaction to him when they are all about shtick and challenging the norm etc etc. but when that's done to them they can't handle it. kind of exposes them a little IMO. The fact that people like Snoop and Ice T totally got him first interview him shows who the real OGs are in the music game. Some of the punkers just seems like snobs. Jello and Henry came around over time and have done a lot of interviews with him and are friendly with him now.

He asks great obscure questions and I feel like a lot of the time he's actually tracked down family members or friends of the interview subject as part of the research and that's where he gets some of these impossible to know questions, Just a guess...

K. Had to show the love especially after his stroke. He's on Twitch now doing more great interviews. Just had Chris Murdoch a couple days ago talking about afro-punk/canadian punk for an hour and it was great, plus since it's Twitch you can ask questions in the chat and he will ask them to the person he's interviewing. Great stuff.

ketan · April 7

MiceTea said:

plus since it's Twitch you can ask questions in the chat and he will ask them to the person he's interviewing. Great stuff.

He should get on Cameo and charge people to do a mini-interview for someone.

MiceTea · April 7

ketan said:

MiceTea said:

plus since it's Twitch you can ask questions in the chat and he will ask them to the person he's interviewing. Great stuff.

He should get on Cameo and charge people to do a mini-interview for someone.

Or just do standard Cameo, imagine getting a video from your SO and it's Nardwaur ~~telling~~ screeching that you are breaking up!

ketan · April 7

MiceTea said:

ketan said:

MiceTea said:

plus since it's Twitch you can ask questions in the chat and he will ask them to the person he's interviewing. Great stuff.

He should get on Cameo and charge people to do a mini-interview for someone.

Or just do standard Cameo, imagine getting a video from your SO and it's Nardwaur ~~telling~~ screeching that you are breaking up!

Oh shit, unhinged abusive Nardwuar could be genuinely terrifying/hilarious.

djtopcat · April 14

I wonder what his record collection looks like? He's pulled some rare gems out in some of the interviews I've watched. That Sonic Youth guy snapped one of them in half, but I feel like that may have been scripted.

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Can anyone explain Nardwuar the Human Serviette?

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