I Get Wet

There hasn’t been a single figure in music history as amazing as Andrew W.K. How does the legendary "jack-of-all-trades" manage to talent the world one solid performance at a time? What does Andrew do? What makes him so special in the music world? More importantly, how is he connected to Cartoon Network’s greatest show ever, "Destroy Build Destroy?" It’ll all start making sense soon.

According to the "MADtv Cartoon Network Fandom" page, Andrew Fetterly Wilkes Krier is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entertainer of all ages, and most importantly, a motivational speaker. Andrew has been obsessed with music since he was a child, learning the piano from childhood into adulthood. The passion seemed to be built in him, with his blood asking for more action and yearning for potential power in the scene. It’s 1998, the iMac has just been released to the public, Mulan has been released to theaters, and President Bill Clinton received a blowjob in the office with a massive scandal, but who cares? Andrew Wilkes-Krier released his official debut single titled "Room to Breathe." It's ironic, given that the track surrounds the listener with nocturnal and nightmarish sounds, leaving me stunned in a state of sleep paralysis. The tracks weren’t an instant success, and even now they remain obscure, but the mysteriousness and cryptic sound only make W.K. an even more interesting figure. It turns out he was super into synth and industrial, with earlier pieces of work containing some experimental and hard-to-grasp concepts, especially for the late 1990s. It’s tough to say what W.K. would’ve sounded like if it wasn’t for his well-deserved label deal. Before becoming widely successful, he would work with over five different bands, one of which was a noise metal group called AAB. Shortly after, he decided to make a major decision and start his first-ever solo venture. For over seven long years, W.K. had been experimenting with new sounds and ideas, taking risks at any corner to see success and comfort, and what did this produce?

After a short EP influenced by hard rock and a few leading singles, he was able to create "I Get Wet." The release for the album is as weird as Andrew. After his EP, Girls Own Juice, a few demos were shown to the record label he was working with, Island Def Jam. W.K. was so charismatic and interesting that the EXECUTIVE of the music group immediately wanted to sign him in, to which he was told not to accept, but of course, Andrew does not listen to rules. More and more attention was being drawn, with an early controversy even starting over the violent album cover. Some publications criticized the cover for depicting cocaine abuse in an offensive and garish manner. Andrew achieved this look by smashing his face with a brick during a photoshoot with Roe Ethridge and injecting himself with animal blood for added party hardness. Similar to the reception and success of the album's sales, the album was extremely fast-paced and energetic. The main goal of the project was clearly to create the most enjoyable album for the band to perform, with catchy lyrics and unforgettable vocal delivery that stuck in everyone's heads. It’s extremely difficult to try to criticize this album without sounding like a dork. W.K.’s sound is so lovable and careless that it’s almost pathetic to even attempt to mock the vocals or production. It’s like going to a party and asking people to turn down the volume so the police don’t come. Somehow you look more stupid than the people who want to get into trouble because you aren’t fun. I fear that the haters are just unaware of the sheer brilliance of the minimalistic lyrics. Sure, it’s stupid and dumb, but it’s more than aware of that, and it’s this brave effort that makes the 35-minute party so hard. Repeated mentions of girls, puking, drugs, and partying may be interpreted as wank, but who cares? It reaches the idea of being so lame that it turns into the coolest thing you’ve ever heard—the sense of not caring so much that it makes you look like the most confident, happy person. See, partying isn’t just a thing you do; it’s a state of mind; it’s transcendent, meditative, and gives meaning to life. In an optimistic nihilistic outlook on life, W.K. presents listeners with a simple outlook on happy things, like partying, girls, and drinking nonstop, because eventually, life will stop. It takes simple things and makes them even more simple, just to show you that things will be better if you just party.

Andrew W.K., like other amazing musicians, can bring brilliance to his music with layered intentions. At first glance, you might listen to I Get Wet and think of it as merely a dumb project made for losers that talks about nothing but useless topics, but the more you listen, the more you realize it’s an actual satire. I believe that some of these tracks have amazing lyrics deep down that many people don’t pay attention to because they’re so quick to judge. Track 3, "Girls Own Love," at first might seem like a failure’s concept of what masculinity is, but it’s a parody of how people treat women at parties. W.K. can make fun of many common partying issues, such as creepy men sexually harassing drunk women, and think it's a great execution. The concept of "pushing the pedal until you crash and explode" is present in lyrics like "She just disappoints you, even though you give it everything you can, all that you can, you’ve got to make her understand that you are a man." This then progresses to the chorus, which is "You don’t stop, she gets what she wants." Creepily and cleverly, W.K. is able to accurately portray how these scenarios go down. While you’re too busy bopping your head to the amazing riffs and catchy lyrics, you end up missing the somewhat dark concepts that are right under your nose. "She is Beautiful" is an ironically insecure track with the album's most pumped-up vocal performance; it's literally Andrew being too scared to talk to a girl, and somehow, I'm not sure how it ends up sounding fun. This doesn’t take effort. The last track I wanna take a look at is "I Love New York," which seems a little out of place, especially once you remember the fact that the album was released in 2001. The verses are a bit strange, describing the city as a busy corporate family that never stops fighting. It also talks about the violence, but it’s done in such a playful way that you also come to appreciate the brute force in New York City. It’s such a cliche, such a dumb project, that one comes to wonder: is he serious with any of this? It’s incredibly interesting because even with multiple listens, I can’t conclude, and neither can W.K.

I feel almost stupid for looking so far into such a simple album. Is it me who is the real loser in this situation because I want to know the messages from a stupid experience like a guy thinking a stripper is into him? At the same time, I feel like I have to do this to fully respect the piece because no other album has stumped me like I Get Wet. Even outside of his debut album, he continues to amaze me with some of the strangest behavior ever seen in the mainstream. It really reads like a guy who just loves the chaos of having so many eyes on him and loves to do whatever he can to anyone who’s watching. In a random FOX interview, Andrew W.K. was told about infidelity, and he just made a weird face and left the cast shocked. In an interview with Kerrang! Radio, Andrew W.K. arrives in the least serious tone ever. Andrew appears in a muddy outfit and claims to have animal waste all over him BECAUSE HE CAN, despite never showering or pissing on himself to clean himself. In an interview with Conan O’Brien, he was able to show the wildness of his character, which left even the goofiest talk show host crazy. It’s impossible to understand what is a joke and what isn’t; part of me feels like it’s all-natural, the talent of air-drumming and shimmying of the shoulders with the odd diet of eating nothing but candy and chips and puking. But another part of me just thinks this is some genius who can stay in character and make fun of the party lifestyle while fooling the mainstream. He’s denied before that it’s a character, but he’s also said that it’s a character, so it’s truly an enigma.

Andrew W.K.'s influence through this careless lifestyle shook the new millennium and culturally changed America and partying. In the 2000s, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing the weirdo's voice and face everywhere. The craziness continues with his second commercial release, "The Wolf," which is 100% Andrew, it’s him playing all the instruments and overdubbing them in an orchestral way, and this made him a successful hit in Japan of all places, and in 2010, he was able to release a Japan exclusive album called "Gundam Rock." The madman continued this unorthodox way of promoting music by attending a fan convention for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. He didn’t even release a new album or anything; he just went there to talk to fans and talk about what he’s up to. Andrew W.K. worked with Cartoon Network when they were having their anti-animation era (this happened), where W.K. briefly BECAME THE MASCOT OF THE COMPANY. He had a show called Destroy Build Destroy, which follows the brilliant philosophy of doing something fun just because you can and not caring about the consequences because, who cares, enjoy life.

It's a little depressing to learn that his label has come to torment the blissful soul. It eventually got so bad that Andrew started having hallucinations and was ill because of all the stress and lack of control. It hurts to see someone so lively be punched down for living the musical dream, but fortunately, he has signed to Napalm Records, where he can release new music happily and freely. His lovable mindset and enjoyable presence made him a motivational figure as well, with one of the performances being him just playing the piano alone until it starts a massive party with audience members joining in on the fun and having a blast; it’s the same feeling I got when watching Little Miss Sunshine, where the entire family comes to show support. These unnatural human notions are so uncommon now, and it’s beautiful to have someone like Andrew just influence others to be themselves and party with all the self-confidence and power they’ve got. I Get Wet is a must-listen for influencers and an eye-opener for all music listeners. I don’t care if you’re super serious about what you’re listening to or if you just want to put it in the background, simply give it a chance and accept the beauty presented by one of the most charming figures in music.