Nardwuar on His Best and Most Uncomfortable Interviews

Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.  

In 1993, a gonzo journalist and punk singer named John Ruskin barged his way into a press conference with Mikhail Gorbachev to ask, “Of all the leaders you’ve encountered, who wears the biggest pants?” Ruskin, known to his peers as Nardwuar the Human Serviette, had a habit of carrying his nutty onstage energy into his interviews, and swiftly gained a reputation for befuddling and bedazzling his subjects.

Today, Nardwuar mostly focuses on musicians, subjecting some of the world’s biggest artists to rapid-fire rounds of rote questions (“who are you? Why should the people care?”) with a playful, animated squeak. Then, when they’re sufficiently dumbfounded, he reveals the fieldwork he’s done on them — a breadth of research so thorough it reaches a point of zaniness. He might casually bring up the name of Seth Rogen’s mall cashier when he was a kid, Kendrick Lamar’s Louisiana Chicken order, or Travis Scott’s high-school Spanish teacher. He gives gifts that will remind his subjects of past lives they’d long forgotten, like the poster of the film Coffy that had Drake reminiscing about his days as a horny teenager. By the end, Nardwuar closes with his signature kicker, “Keep on rockin’ in the Free World! Doot-doola-doot-doo,” then freezing in place until the subject gives a “Doot-doo!” in return.

This might all seem like one huge commitment to a bit, but when you get the chance to actually speak with Nardwuar, you start to understand that this is simply who he is. Calling ahead of a live event he’s hosting this week in New York City — and while wearing his signature tam-o’-shanter — Nardwuar is a ball of energy that never stops rolling. “Everyone has a story, and it’s up to me to bring out the story,” he says. “If Nardwuar can do it, anyone can. Please don’t just leave this up to me.”

Most uncomfortable interview

I’ve accepted that anything may happen during an interview. As long as it’s on tape, that’s most important. I once interviewed Sebastian Bach of Skid Row. I was videotaping it for cable-access television. But Sebastian Bach didn’t like the way the interview was going, so he ejected the tape and threw it against the wall. Then he took my toque off my head — the same toque you can see in my Nirvana interview — and chucked it across the room. This was in 1994, and the toque symbolized the grunge generation — you know, the generation that was killing hair metal.

Favorite tam-o’-shanter

Well, I never got that toque back from Sebastian Bach because I ran the hell out of there. So I was like, Oh my God, I gotta wear something on my head. My mom had gone to England in 1990 and brought back this tam-o’-shanter, so I ended up wearing it. Then I got some tartan pants to match. So even though Skid Row was one of my worst interviews, it kind of contributed to the way I look right now.

Most startling answer

When I interviewed the Canadian historian Pierre Berton in 1992. I said, “Hey, have you ever used hallucinogens?” He was like, “Yeah, sure. I smoke pot with my kids.” Like, Oh my God, I can’t believe he’s saying this. He was ready to answer it, but nobody had ever asked him that. So that’s why I try to find questions that nobody’s answering.

Priciest gift

A lot of times when I do interviews, I borrow records from my friend Avi at Beat Street Records in Vancouver. When I did an interview with Questlove of the Roots, one of the records I borrowed was, like, a $1,500 record: the Outlaw Four’s “Million Dollar Legs.” It was very nice Avi would lend me that, but it was kind of scary. 

Best “doot-doo”

Logic. The second time I interviewed him, I went “Doot-doola-doot-doo” and then he Silly Stringed me. I could not believe that that was happening. And then, another time, during an interview with Diplo, he ended up replacing me. He just carried me out of the interview — because, you know, I’m “frozen” — grabbed my hat and then pretended he was me. I also think there was some twerking involved.

Worst “doot-doo”

One time I did an interview with Rob Zombie over the telephone, and I went “Doot-doola-doot-doo,” but he just walked out of the room and didn’t answer. And so I’m on the phone and kept going, “Doot-doo, doot-doo-doot?” Finally, about ten minutes later, a cleaning person came by and said, “Hello?” I’m like, “Oh, is Rob Zombie there?” She said, “He left ten minutes ago. I’m just cleaning the room.” I was like, “Well, doot-doola-doot-doo,” and the cleaning person went “Doot-doo.” 

Longest wait for an interview

There’s been a lot of waiting, but the first that comes to mind was in 2002. I was told I could interview Ashanti. So I arrived at 2 p.m., but the interview didn’t happen until 2 a.m. It was 12 hours of waiting. All I’d brought were some cookies and apple juice. But interviews are fun. Like, if I have to wait hours to get a blood test, maybe I would be upset. This, I have no problem. 

Best Gen-Z rapper interview

Juice WRLD. It was amazing because he actually put on Twitter that he wanted to be interviewed by Nardwuar. And I saw that, and we arranged it. It happened at Neptoon Records in Vancouver. I was so honored. I still get choked up that he passed away. Rest in peace, Juice WRLD.

Greatest Snoop reaction

My friend Neko Case was into Snoop Doggy Dogg in the ’90s, and when I had an opportunity to interview him in 2000, I was so scared because I didn’t know enough. I was like, What can I do to make this interview go a bit more smoothly? And I thought, Okay, well, Snoop likes his history. Perhaps he likes the comedian Redd Foxx. My friend Diane had a Redd Foxx doll, so I brought that to the interview and suddenly Snoop started bartering for it. But I couldn’t give it to him because it was my friend Diane’s. So he just said, “I’m taking it.”

That’s kind of what started our bromance¹. There’s always something to ask Snoop Dogg about. My friend Leora once went to Kingsgate Mall in Vancouver and saw a Smokefest concert on VHS. She was like, I bet Nardwuar could show this to Snoop Dogg. When Snoop returned to Vancouver, I showed him the VHS and he freaked out. He had never seen that before. He had produced the movie, but he didn’t have a copy.

Here we are, all these years later, because of the doll. When I do an interview, I always think to myself, How can you make it special? Keep in mind that when I’ve talked to Snoop Dogg over the years, there’s a big gap between the interviews, so there’s a chance to accumulate ideas. Yes, I do have a Snoop Doggy Dogg file. Every time I think of something, I add to it.

Longest research session

There are many files on my computer. If I think of something, I jot it down. I’ve put down a lot for Paul McCartney. Some of the biggest documents were for Tyler, the Creator and Snoop. There are so many pages I think I need a new computer. Whenever I scroll down, the spinning ball of death appears. It’s like when you try to check someone’s old Tumblr page out. It usually takes me 20 minutes to get to the bottom of a document. 

Favorite Nardwuar meme

I interviewed Future in 2014, and he said, “The cheesecake was sensational.” After I did the interview, I uploaded it and people were not too receptive to it, to the point that I kind of almost wish that I didn’t do the interview. Then a couple years later, somebody turned him saying “sensational” into a meme. To top it off, when Future was on Saturday Night Live, he said, “Check out my performance. It’s going to be sensational.” So Future went from Nardwuar to Saturday Night Live.

His dream-interview list

Well, it probably would have been Tina Turner. Rest in peace. I still would love to talk to Barack Obama because there’s all these great connections to Chicago and music. I’d love to talk to Paul McCartney and Neil Young. From the newer generation, I’d love to talk to Playboi Carti. Carti’s right up there with all of them. So Barack Obama, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Tina Turner, and Playboi Carti. 

First question he’d ask Neil Young

“Where’s Bev’s sleeping bag?” My photographer friend Bev Davis was invited to accompany Neil on his famous journey in the hearse to California. So she put her sleeping bag in the hearse. And then Neil said, “Hey, Bev, you’re not going.” And he drove off with Bev’s sleeping bag. 

In 1999, I got a tip that Neil was eating dinner with his manager in Vancouver. So I phoned up Bev, and she rushed down and we asked for an interview. It didn’t happen. But we did get a photo. Bev was right there, but I didn’t ask the question about the sleeping bag because I thought I’d get another chance. I’ve tried over and over to get him, but now I’ve almost given up.

Most gratifying response

In 2008, I interviewed Pharrell and gave him a book about skateboarding in Vancouver. He was so impressed that he asked what he could do for me. And I said, “Could you maybe hook me up with Jay-Z?” I didn’t think it would happen, but Jay-Z was at the Pemberton Music Festival, so I got a phone call in the morning saying Jay-Z would talk with me. But it was gonna be a six-hour drive to get there. When I got to the fest, Pharrell was gone. I was like, Oh no, oh no, oh no. But then I saw Shay of N.E.R.D, who phoned Pharrell. Pharrell said, “Nardwuar, give Shay’s phone to the next bodyguard-looking person you see,” and so I did, and it happened to be Jay-Z’s bodyguard. Pharrell told Jay-Z’s bodyguard that I was legit, and the next thing you know, I was doing an interview with Jay-Z. The interview was five minutes, and then I drove home.

The same thing happened when I interviewed Drake. After the interview, Drake said, “Can I hook you up with anybody?” And I was like, “Lil Wayne.” I also did an interview with Franz Ferdinand, and after, they got my band, the Evaporators, to open for them. I’m so grateful to Franz Ferdinand, and the entire crew, for asking us to open. That was an amazing gift.

Best artist note when he was sick

In 1999, I had a brain hemorrhage. Then David Lee Roth sent me a get-well-soon card. And then in 2015, I had a PFO closure. Both times, people responded and saved my life. But the difference was, after 1999, when I came home, I started freaking out. I didn’t feel like doing interviews anytime soon. But then my friend told me that James Brown was coming to town and that I should interview him. I said I didn’t think I could do it. I was scared. But I did it. 

It took me months to even go out in public in 1999, but I got right back to it in 2015. I had the PFO surgery on February 6 and then I went to South by Southwest in March and talked to DJ Khaled. You know, now when I wake up in the morning, I ask myself if I’m happy. I take a breath. I can breathe. That’s why I’m okay with bad interviews. I’m just happy to be alive. 

Information he’s proudest of tracking down

The research is still to be done. The day you’ve done the ultimate research is the day you should quit. There’s always something to find. But also, a lot of the information is not that hard to find. Most people just can’t be bothered to follow through on the leads that they are given.