Understanding Andrew W.K. and the hidden meaning...
PART ONE: Andrew W.K. isn't Andrew W.K.
I heard of Andrew W.K. when most people did. It was 2001 and the "Party Hard" video had just come out. Like most of my friends, I thought the dude rocked. He wore dirty white clothes and just spazzed out like a fun loving party animal metal guy. He has tons of charisma and energy and could put out a good rock album for sure. I don't know how anyone could hear one of his metal-party tracks or see one of his crazy energetic videos and NOT love this dude.
I don't know what it is or what happened, but over the years, I just started realizing something was very strange about this person - this whole "Andrew W.K. thing". This is where it gets complicated, confusing, and very hard to explain. But if you want to really understand what Andrew W.K. is about, it's worth your time, energy, and belief.
For the first few years of my familiarity with Andrew W.K., I had always been an enthusiastic supporter, but never went as far as buying an album or seeing the guy live. I had heard he puts on GREAT shows, but I just never went, although I certainly didn't cross it off my bucket list back then. It wasn't my favorite music, but it was always stuff I could enjoy when I was around it. To be honest, it just sort of seemed like McDonald's - something that was always around that didn't really seem that complex or unique. That was before I realized there is absolutely nothing like Andrew W.K. in existence, and how it was intentionally created to seem extremely simple, when in fact, it's more complex that just about any other entertainment, including artists who try to outwardly present their work as "complex" or "high-concept". The secret of Andrew W.K. is that it's everything and nothing. See? I told you it was hard to explain.
Back in the early days of my A.W.K. experiences, I'd see an interview or a TV appearance, listen to a bit more of his stuff, and then just go back to my day to day life. If he wasn't in front of me while I was flipping through the TV channels, I just didn't really devote a lot of thought to the guy. That all changed in 2005, but before I get into this crazy rambling examination, I wanted to put a perspective of who I am and my personal history with discovering Andrew W.K. In other words, I couldn't have been a more average and passive casual fan.
Now here's where it starts getting weird. Brace yourself.
Basically, there's this whole on-going rumor that Andrew W.K. is part of the Illuminati or some other cult and that he's a created figure by that organization that's been put out there for some other "top secret" motive.
At first this sounded like a ridiculous idea - people are legitimately questioning if this slacker-looking, motivational rocker is part of some secret society made up of the powers that be? Please!
But IS it really THAT crazy?
I don't know what it is or what happened, but over the years, I just started realizing something was very strange about this person - this whole "Andrew W.K. thing". This is where it gets complicated, confusing, and very hard to explain. But if you want to really understand what Andrew W.K. is about, it's worth your time, energy, and belief.
For the first few years of my familiarity with Andrew W.K., I had always been an enthusiastic supporter, but never went as far as buying an album or seeing the guy live. I had heard he puts on GREAT shows, but I just never went, although I certainly didn't cross it off my bucket list back then. It wasn't my favorite music, but it was always stuff I could enjoy when I was around it. To be honest, it just sort of seemed like McDonald's - something that was always around that didn't really seem that complex or unique. That was before I realized there is absolutely nothing like Andrew W.K. in existence, and how it was intentionally created to seem extremely simple, when in fact, it's more complex that just about any other entertainment, including artists who try to outwardly present their work as "complex" or "high-concept". The secret of Andrew W.K. is that it's everything and nothing. See? I told you it was hard to explain.
Back in the early days of my A.W.K. experiences, I'd see an interview or a TV appearance, listen to a bit more of his stuff, and then just go back to my day to day life. If he wasn't in front of me while I was flipping through the TV channels, I just didn't really devote a lot of thought to the guy. That all changed in 2005, but before I get into this crazy rambling examination, I wanted to put a perspective of who I am and my personal history with discovering Andrew W.K. In other words, I couldn't have been a more average and passive casual fan.
Now here's where it starts getting weird. Brace yourself.
Basically, there's this whole on-going rumor that Andrew W.K. is part of the Illuminati or some other cult and that he's a created figure by that organization that's been put out there for some other "top secret" motive.
At first this sounded like a ridiculous idea - people are legitimately questioning if this slacker-looking, motivational rocker is part of some secret society made up of the powers that be? Please!
But IS it really THAT crazy?
Have you really thought about what Andrew W.K. REALLY IS?
That's when I started to look deeper into everything about Andrew W.K. and realized that all along, there was a lot more going on with this man than I had ever realized or could've even imagined. For starters, there are actually tons of myths and rumors and debate about this guy, and I quickly realized that a lot of the more critical accusations had been around since the start of his career in 1999 -2000. It turns out I was a little late to the game when it came to wondering what was really going on with this whole thing. There are tons of stories out there about this guy that Andrew and his "team" had apparently worked very hard to cover-up, ignore, or spin in some more flattering way.
Not only do some folks think he's part of the Illuminati, but some think that he was actually created by an organization such as the Scientologists or even just plain Satanists. For example, I was watching a 2013 episode of the Artie Lange TV show recently, and John asked Mr. W.K. about his connections to secret groups. At first, I thought it was a joke because W.K. blew it off, but then it clearly got a bit uncomfortable and more than a little weird. That confirmed a lot of the rumors and got my brain wanting for information. So I began my research in earnest, and boy oh boy, did I find a lot of stuff.
So apparently here's the short take on it. Andrew W.K. is a creation! He's a corporate creation! He's a big publicity stunt promoting certain ideas about life that other people might not want the public to know about. He is a Scientologist and quite possibly a Mason. He's worked with a lot of the same industry executives as Lady Gaga, who many people think is the later effort by the same team to make a female version of Andrew W.K. It's also a common theory that Dave Grohl and other members of the Nirvana team were involved in the early conceptual phases of crafting "the ultimate rock star". While he's not a robot, "Andrew W.K." has been built from the ground up as an idea, which required an actor to play him, leading to auditions and castings and an eventual person taking on the role.
Not only do some folks think he's part of the Illuminati, but some think that he was actually created by an organization such as the Scientologists or even just plain Satanists. For example, I was watching a 2013 episode of the Artie Lange TV show recently, and John asked Mr. W.K. about his connections to secret groups. At first, I thought it was a joke because W.K. blew it off, but then it clearly got a bit uncomfortable and more than a little weird. That confirmed a lot of the rumors and got my brain wanting for information. So I began my research in earnest, and boy oh boy, did I find a lot of stuff.
So apparently here's the short take on it. Andrew W.K. is a creation! He's a corporate creation! He's a big publicity stunt promoting certain ideas about life that other people might not want the public to know about. He is a Scientologist and quite possibly a Mason. He's worked with a lot of the same industry executives as Lady Gaga, who many people think is the later effort by the same team to make a female version of Andrew W.K. It's also a common theory that Dave Grohl and other members of the Nirvana team were involved in the early conceptual phases of crafting "the ultimate rock star". While he's not a robot, "Andrew W.K." has been built from the ground up as an idea, which required an actor to play him, leading to auditions and castings and an eventual person taking on the role.
PART TWO: Why not just ask Andrew for the truth?
Andrew W.K. has been asked about this stuff over the years, but he always seems a bit vague or awkward in his responses. In a 2007 interview with the UK press, when asked if he worked with secret teams of people, one of his more direct and seemingly honest answers explained:
"Yeah, well, umm, I don't think any of the groups mentioned are bad groups. You know, the whole problem with a lot of this stuff and the reason why we've been trying and I've been trying to deal with it in different ways is that a lot of these things that people have run with were based initially on some kind of truth. And that's what makes them harder to either completely deny or turn away. But it's never been anything, what's the word… 'malevolent.'"
Yep. He's not even real. Yep. That's what we have to ultimately take from all of this.
It's been said that "Andrew W.K." is not a person, but rather a created brand name. Who is behind it is still a mystery, but there is supposedly a few people putting their heads together to create this very amazing performance art piece. When you think about it as a performance art piece it adds a whole new level of "WTF" to the spectrum that is Andrew W.K.
There is something about a guy named "Steev Mike". Is this the actual name of the original guy? Or is it, as Andrew has often said, just a "collection of people" using the Steev Mike name? Or is Steev Mike an alter ego that Dave Grohl uses to pull the strings from behind the scenes? This is another aspect that's not all that clear.
But it gets even weirder.
Everyone who has been a wrestling fan for a long time know the stupid rumors about how the WWF had two "Undertakers"(not the fake one, but two different people) or two "Ultimate Warriors". Hell, I think I've even heard nonsense about there being two Kane's.
I guess you could say that Andrew W.K. is more like Sin Cara. If you're not a wrestler loser, then let me explain. The alleged story goes that in 2005 the actor who was playing the "Andrew W.K." character was SWITCHED. There are even pictures out there comparing both sides. The early pictures don't look like the same Andrew W.K. I am used to seeing. Unless I was brainwashed, I feel like this theory is a little hokey.
But let's explore the idea some more. The party rocker, is actually played by Andrew Fetterly, or Michael Stephens. He's a performer who is playing himself. It's said that he wanted to create this image and then at a certain point dismantle it. One big performance art project. He was just a dude in Michigan with this elaborate idea and plan who created the ultimate poppy-metal rockstar goofball persona. Then, by utilizing the media, the television, and just getting the word out there in the right way, he created a monster. The hype was there and people were rocking out to his message in droves.
There is also a big theory that he's not the only person behind it. Some even go as far as saying Tom Cruise and other Scientology and Hollywood film executives are involved, but it's mainly said Andrew's own father was the mastermind who hooked him up with some marketing and art people. The machine then started up and never shut off.
Now, how different would this really be from a Justin Bieber? Was Bieber really just "discovered" from a homemade video and then was signed up based on his voice and looks? That's what they want us to think, because it seems like such a nice story. But then they wanted to turn him "cool" so his handlers actually hired him a "swagger coach". What's the difference between that and what Andrew's handlers have done to him over the years? The same can even be said for politicians, actors, and other public figures. It's all a prefabricated image to put out whatever message they want to put out. The more troubling question is exactly what is that "message" supposed to be? In the case of Andrew W.K., it's deeply disturbing when you let your mind really ponder the core ideas behind his seemingly innocent "party" messages.
On a certain level, the idea that "Andrew W.K." is a satire or parody or even just an artistic participant of the whole world of celebrity is just a fun and amazingly entertaining idea to consider. And perhaps that's the point of all this. Maybe the very idea of Andrew W.K. being fake is fake itself! It's like the Andy Kaufman of rock music and the biggest "fuck you" to the traditional show business industry. If you allow your thought process to get into this area, the idea his whole persona is a "piece of work" is great. The character has been on major tours, major TV shows, major radio shows, major magazines, and even in advertisements - Andrew W.K. has pretty much saturated every facet of mainstream and subculture media.
But what if it's NOT just a performance art concept? What if it's actually a true conspiracy that is trying to make the light hearted fun-metal of Andrew W.K. seem like it has more depth or substance than it really does? The fact it's being questioned is art within itself.
If you've made it this far, I think you need to see this:
"Yeah, well, umm, I don't think any of the groups mentioned are bad groups. You know, the whole problem with a lot of this stuff and the reason why we've been trying and I've been trying to deal with it in different ways is that a lot of these things that people have run with were based initially on some kind of truth. And that's what makes them harder to either completely deny or turn away. But it's never been anything, what's the word… 'malevolent.'"
Yep. He's not even real. Yep. That's what we have to ultimately take from all of this.
It's been said that "Andrew W.K." is not a person, but rather a created brand name. Who is behind it is still a mystery, but there is supposedly a few people putting their heads together to create this very amazing performance art piece. When you think about it as a performance art piece it adds a whole new level of "WTF" to the spectrum that is Andrew W.K.
There is something about a guy named "Steev Mike". Is this the actual name of the original guy? Or is it, as Andrew has often said, just a "collection of people" using the Steev Mike name? Or is Steev Mike an alter ego that Dave Grohl uses to pull the strings from behind the scenes? This is another aspect that's not all that clear.
But it gets even weirder.
Everyone who has been a wrestling fan for a long time know the stupid rumors about how the WWF had two "Undertakers"(not the fake one, but two different people) or two "Ultimate Warriors". Hell, I think I've even heard nonsense about there being two Kane's.
I guess you could say that Andrew W.K. is more like Sin Cara. If you're not a wrestler loser, then let me explain. The alleged story goes that in 2005 the actor who was playing the "Andrew W.K." character was SWITCHED. There are even pictures out there comparing both sides. The early pictures don't look like the same Andrew W.K. I am used to seeing. Unless I was brainwashed, I feel like this theory is a little hokey.
But let's explore the idea some more. The party rocker, is actually played by Andrew Fetterly, or Michael Stephens. He's a performer who is playing himself. It's said that he wanted to create this image and then at a certain point dismantle it. One big performance art project. He was just a dude in Michigan with this elaborate idea and plan who created the ultimate poppy-metal rockstar goofball persona. Then, by utilizing the media, the television, and just getting the word out there in the right way, he created a monster. The hype was there and people were rocking out to his message in droves.
There is also a big theory that he's not the only person behind it. Some even go as far as saying Tom Cruise and other Scientology and Hollywood film executives are involved, but it's mainly said Andrew's own father was the mastermind who hooked him up with some marketing and art people. The machine then started up and never shut off.
Now, how different would this really be from a Justin Bieber? Was Bieber really just "discovered" from a homemade video and then was signed up based on his voice and looks? That's what they want us to think, because it seems like such a nice story. But then they wanted to turn him "cool" so his handlers actually hired him a "swagger coach". What's the difference between that and what Andrew's handlers have done to him over the years? The same can even be said for politicians, actors, and other public figures. It's all a prefabricated image to put out whatever message they want to put out. The more troubling question is exactly what is that "message" supposed to be? In the case of Andrew W.K., it's deeply disturbing when you let your mind really ponder the core ideas behind his seemingly innocent "party" messages.
On a certain level, the idea that "Andrew W.K." is a satire or parody or even just an artistic participant of the whole world of celebrity is just a fun and amazingly entertaining idea to consider. And perhaps that's the point of all this. Maybe the very idea of Andrew W.K. being fake is fake itself! It's like the Andy Kaufman of rock music and the biggest "fuck you" to the traditional show business industry. If you allow your thought process to get into this area, the idea his whole persona is a "piece of work" is great. The character has been on major tours, major TV shows, major radio shows, major magazines, and even in advertisements - Andrew W.K. has pretty much saturated every facet of mainstream and subculture media.
But what if it's NOT just a performance art concept? What if it's actually a true conspiracy that is trying to make the light hearted fun-metal of Andrew W.K. seem like it has more depth or substance than it really does? The fact it's being questioned is art within itself.
If you've made it this far, I think you need to see this:
To be honest, even after all the research I've done so far, I still really don't know what to believe. I just know I'm going to keep looking further into this, and that even if I get sucked into a circle of conspiracy, it will be worth it to know the truth.
So, the rest of this website is dedicated to showcasing the results of my research so far. Is Andrew W.K. a creation or is the actual mystery the creation? I leave it to you to ponder. At this point, I'd like to think that Andrew W.K. is a person who actually exists and doesn't just come from corporations or the evil groups of the world. Unfortunately, after all I've learned so far, it would make just as much sense to find out that he isn't a real person. The idea of him being real is an amazing thought, but at this point, I think he might not really exist. As you can tell, I myself am still deeply confused - maybe even more confused than I was when I was first inspired to dive into this mess. The point is, I hope to get to the core of this and who knows, maybe some day Andrew or somebody from the inside circle will come out and stop hiding what's really going on. At the end of the day, any person that can make us think about life and the very nature of reality has accomplished something. For me personally, my entire experience with Andrew W.K. has been life changing already, despite not really having any answers. If anything, I have more questions and confusion about everything - even my own life and existence in many ways makes less sense now. But I can safely say that all of this isn't ultimately going to make me rock out any less to Andrew W.K.'s music, in fact I'm undoubtedly a bigger fan of his than ever before. So...
What's YOUR take on the Andrew W.K. conspiracy?
Read on to the next pages... if you dare.
NEXT: AWK and Steev Mike - The Basics
So, the rest of this website is dedicated to showcasing the results of my research so far. Is Andrew W.K. a creation or is the actual mystery the creation? I leave it to you to ponder. At this point, I'd like to think that Andrew W.K. is a person who actually exists and doesn't just come from corporations or the evil groups of the world. Unfortunately, after all I've learned so far, it would make just as much sense to find out that he isn't a real person. The idea of him being real is an amazing thought, but at this point, I think he might not really exist. As you can tell, I myself am still deeply confused - maybe even more confused than I was when I was first inspired to dive into this mess. The point is, I hope to get to the core of this and who knows, maybe some day Andrew or somebody from the inside circle will come out and stop hiding what's really going on. At the end of the day, any person that can make us think about life and the very nature of reality has accomplished something. For me personally, my entire experience with Andrew W.K. has been life changing already, despite not really having any answers. If anything, I have more questions and confusion about everything - even my own life and existence in many ways makes less sense now. But I can safely say that all of this isn't ultimately going to make me rock out any less to Andrew W.K.'s music, in fact I'm undoubtedly a bigger fan of his than ever before. So...
What's YOUR take on the Andrew W.K. conspiracy?
Read on to the next pages... if you dare.
NEXT: AWK and Steev Mike - The Basics