Canadians are already well aware of Nardwuar the Human Serviette and now so are many of our American brethren. His recent journalistic performance stint at South by South West with A$AP Rocky, Action Bronson, Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown and Machine Gun Kelly have catapulted the tartan beret, gift bearing interviewer to a new level of celebrity. With over 27 years in the interview game Nardwuar is definitely unique. The man does his research and for the most part artists respect him for that. His most notable interviews have been with rapper and part time Vancouverite (hmmm… I wonder why) Snoop Dogg.
He’s been all over the internet lately with interviews on Hypebeast and GQ. Here is a snippet from his GQ interview:
Nardwuar the Human Serviette, born John Ruskin, is a wide-eyed, over-enunciating Vancouver native. For years, the Canadian punk musician and longtime public access fixture has interviewed—in a tweaking, impossibly exuberant tone—pop, rock, and metal musicians (He’s also chatted with Mikhail Gorbachev and Crispin Glover). But it wasn’t until he discovered rap that Nardwuar became an Internet phenomenon. Nardwuar’s strategy is a clever one—he comes bearing gifts, typically items that somehow relate to the life and art of his interviewees. Pharrell, after being presented with a rare copy of his first recording, called the interview “one of the most impressive I’ve ever experienced.”
See the rest of the interview at GQ.
Some may find his style annoying, others, like myself find it refreshing.