Have a nice lunch

October 31, 2007 10:02 AM

Nardwuar The Human Serviette. Who is Nardwuar? Nardwuar is a singer, DJ, VJ, record label impressario, and patriot. Perhaps most infamously though, he is an interviewer, and it is there his true genius shines. Nardwuar has interviewed everyone from Snoop Dog to Jean Chretien (it was in fact Nardwuar who got Chretien to utter that famous line about pepper).

Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of Nardwuar’s radio show on CITR (stream available). In celebration, CITR is broadcasting a 20 hour interview marathon, followed by a free concert on Friday night with The Evaporators and others. Speaking of interviews, here’s Nardwuar being interviewed for a change. To read or listen to Nardwuar’s interviews, just go to the first link in the post.

posted by stinkycheese (18 comments total)

I love Nardwuar. Many many people do not love Nardwuar. But in their defense, I hated Nardwuar at first.
posted by the dief at 10:17 AM on October 31, 2007

Double (but from a really, really long time ago). I was just thinking about Nardwuar, so I'm glad to see he's still around.
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:21 AM on October 31, 2007

He did have a brain hemorrhage a few years ago MrMoonPie, but he's OK.

Don't know if you saw the more inside, but it's the 20th anniversary of his show tomorrow so I presume that'll excuse the fact there was a post on him six years ago.
posted by stinkycheese at 10:27 AM on October 31, 2007

Welcome to my castle!
Welcome to my castle!
Welcome to my castle!
Welcome to my castle!

Nardwuar once owned (and wore!) one of my band's t-shirts.

So many favourite interview moments... was it Sonic Youth that smashed up the record he gave them?
posted by hamfisted at 10:43 AM on October 31, 2007

Not 5 minute ago I was looking at his Wikipedia page, from a link on The Delgados. I had never heard of him. Weird.

*looks over shoulder for stinkycheese
posted by kuujjuarapik at 10:45 AM on October 31, 2007

hamfisted: Yes.
posted by Reggie Digest at 10:46 AM on October 31, 2007

Bravo, Nardwuar.

Doot Doodle Oot Doot...Doot Doot!
posted by Turtles all the way down at 10:49 AM on October 31, 2007

Wow, that guy's annoying.
posted by languagehat at 11:17 AM on October 31, 2007

Wow, that guy's annoying.

You said it. Just be grateful you don't live in his hometown, where he is all but inescapable.
posted by jokeefe at 11:18 AM on October 31, 2007

Keep on rockin' in the free world!
posted by [expletive deleted] at 11:30 AM on October 31, 2007

About a year before his death, Kurt Cobain was asked by Mr. The Human Serviette what his favourite thing about Canada was. His reply? "No Taco Bell."

A year later, Taco Bell was gaining a foothold in the Great White North... and Cobain was found dead. Coincidence? You decide.
posted by arto at 12:01 PM on October 31, 2007 [1 favorite]

God I love the Nard. Somehow reading him always tickles me more, but I'm weird like that.

Razorcake forever!
posted by lumpenprole at 12:30 PM on October 31, 2007

I love Nardwuar. I discovered him and his antics way the hell back in 1991, when I bought the Clam Chowder and Ice vs. Big Macs and Bombers compilation LP through mailorder (I was only interested in it at first because it had a non-album track by Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet). I've been a huge fan ever since.

The guy just cracks me up by how deep his encyclopedic knowledge about the various victims he "interviews" goes. His interviews with Snoop Dogg (Snoop steals several records from Nardwuar's collection) are hysterical, and his cringe-worthy attempt at an interview with Geddy Lee proved to me just how humorless the man with the nose really is.

The Henry Rollins interview is great too. It's fun to see how many of his interviewees find Nardwuar both annoying and endearing at the same time.
posted by melorama at 12:42 PM on October 31, 2007

Nardwuar is really just a typical guy from Vancouver. Annoying, and annoyingly self-aware of how annoying he is. And really, really unattractive.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 2:07 PM on October 31, 2007 [1 favorite]

Nardwuar is really just a typical guy from Vancouver. Annoying, and annoyingly self-aware of how annoying he is. And really, really unattractive.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 2:07 PM on October 31 [+] [!]

You forgot "and wearing a Lululemon yoga hoodie his girlfriend bought him for Christmas."
posted by Keith Talent at 2:14 PM on October 31, 2007

It was great when he used to be all over Much Music - interviews, party crashing and even the occasional video by The Evaporators or Thee Goblins (who were always the mystery surprise opening band when Evaporators played live!)

Nardwuar swinging from a chandelier and then falling onto his back in the middle of a song is one of my favorite live music memories.
posted by jeffmik at 2:47 PM on October 31, 2007

Oh hell yes. I love Nardwaur. I went to see The Smugglers a few years back in Houston at a tiny record store and Thee Goblins /The Evaporators opened for them. Never heard of them before and they blew the socks off The Smugglers. Still once of my favorite CDs.

On the disc are hilarious interviews with Iggy Pop and Cretchien.

OH HAPPY DAY!
posted by Brittanie at 5:13 PM on October 31, 2007

Wow, that guy's annoying.

I knew him a bit from my Discorder/CiTR (was that the capitalization? It's been so long I can't remember) days in the mid-80's at UBC. Yeah, he's kind of annoying, and one always feels a little sad about people who found a schtick at 20 years old and two decades later have pretty much stuck to it, but he's a Vancouver institution, and has provided many moments of joy to this grumpy bastard over the years, so I totally give him a pass on it.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:45 PM on October 31, 2007 [1 favorite]