
What in Sam Hell is going on with this here "I'm not a victim of mind control" statement from Andrew W.K.? We got a press release about this shit, even. Is anyone seriously worried there's some kind of reptilian Illuminati conspiracy behind the "Party Hard" dude? Is soundtracking frat keggers eight years ago really an effective global domination strategy at this point? Unless your nefarious plan involves increasing sales of styrofoam beer coolers and Valtrex, you've made a bad move, Masons. You'd have gotten more mileage from puppetmastering Sum 41 or Jason Mraz.
Mr. Wilkes-Krier's (if that's his real name) blog is reposted below. I'll meet you at the bottom.
"Since 2001, I have been accused of being part of a conspiracy in which
I knowingly entered into a contract with creative directors called
Steev Mike, who proceeded to invent a new identity for me to perform
under. I'm here to say this is simply not true and a gross exaggeration
of easily explainable and common-place music industry practices. Of
course I work with people who choose not to include their whole names
or real names in the credits, or who aren't on stage with me during my
shows - but taking advice and guidance from other people doesn't mean
I'm a victim of mind-control. That's like science fiction! Andrew W.K.
is about partying and doing what you want! We want fun, and that really
is what I am about.
These lies have unfortunately been with me since my career started -
critics were saying I had to be a fake puppet for the record industry
because I appeared over night. These simple untrue allegations have
grown over the years to the point now where I have to defend myself. I
have done many interviews and talks where I have explained the nature
of how I got into music, and I admitted that I did work with people.
But people have still taken what I said and tried to call me a liar and
a fake. What alarms me most about these accusations is that they remind
me of witch trials: The kind of people who accuse me of being a talking
head for some secret conspiracy to corrupt people's morals are the same
people who claim MTV and Cartoon Network are owned by secret rulers of
the world out to poison kid's brains, or that pop stars like Beyonce or
Lady Gaga are part of some occult society, or that companies like
McDonald's, Coca-Cola, or Hollywood are secretly promoting hidden
plans. Or that the President of the USA is just a figure head and
reading a script given to him by a secret world power. Come on!
We're working in a business where there are different ends and
different means. No one controlled Frank Sinatra or told him how to
sing. No secret group of managers has been telling someone like Jay-Z
what to do or how to look. And no one tells me what to do, except me
and the people who believe in me. I am a real person who thinks for
himself and am not the victim of anyone or group of people trying to
influence my career or life. I take responsibility for everything in my
life, including who I work for and what happens to me because of it.
Just because a person has mentors or advisers doesn't mean they don't
have their own brain and soul. And just because I work with other
people who advise me doesn't mean that I am a puppet for an evil cult
or a have some sort of master plan. I make party music - plain and
simple. In fact, it is me who is the innocent victim of a conspiracy of
critics and haters who don't believe in the power of music and pure
true fun. It is us artists who are the victims. It's crazy that still
today, brand new artists like Lady Gaga have already been dealing with
the same sort of paranoid allegations that I've has been dealing with
since 2001. It just doesn't stop! We are not puppets, we are human
beings.
Musicians are not acting, we are real people. We are not part of a
conspiracy! It's really intense when people are telling you who you
are, so I'm going to tell them who THEY are! On behalf of all
musicians, the entertainment industry, and everyone else who's ever
been falsely accused, YOU ARE NOT HURTING US AND YOU ARE NOT STOPPING
THIS. The party will continue! We will endure! It has become too common
for musical artists and performers to be labeled as part of some global
scam to control the world, or that we're puppets for a larger agenda
designed to hurt people. That's why I'm speaking out and loudly
declaring: I am not evil and neither are any of my other fellow members
of showbusiness. We are here to bring fun and light into the world, not
doubt and darkness. I have been accused of having people design my
image, tell me what to say in interviews, design my clothes, the way I
look and talk, and of course my music. It's true I do work with people,
but not to accomplish anything bad, just the basics that any person
does in this business and with this opportunity to live out my dreams.
I have always admitted that I worked with people and I have confessed
that time and time again, even if the critics twisted what I said. I
did this hoping it would quiet people up and put an end to all the
speculation and exaggeration. I was never an actor and the partnerships
I made with friends, family, and the companies I've worked with have
all been to promote entertainment, excitement, and fun - to give people
something fun to focus on and to occupy our thoughts, instead of a
bunch of fear or negativity.
I will always keep my focus where it matters most:
1) On being grateful for the incredible people who believe in the feeling I work to create
2) And on that magical feeling itself: BEING ALIVE!
Long live music and long live life. PARTY HARD!"
- Andrew W.K.
Well doesn't that beat the buzzkill cult I grew up in all to hell? It's nice to know that there's no team of image consultants and fashion designers carefully calculating his sweaty, blood-covered hobo look.I'm still 100 percent certain Lady Gaga's a robotic suit controlled by a bunch of tiny bad-ass aliens, though.
One thing's sure, pretending to refute crazy conspiracy accusations is
apparently a really effective way to remind me for the first time in
like five years that Andrew W.K. exists. Well played Andrew, or should I say Steev Mike?
Must ... party ... party ... party ... hard.
Art blogs
Emvergeoning
Glasstire
Artlies
Incident Light
Art Beat (Express-News)
Other blogs
Meet New People (Darren & Jessica Guy)
100 In The Shade
Rhetoric & Rhythm
A White Chocolate Mess
Visit the Riverwalk
BexarCountyLine.com
SavorSA
Did we miss your favorite?
Email it to us