GBBP 171: Andrew W.K.

Today, we put on our party hats and embrace the great big beautiful party known as life with Andrew W.K. (See what I did there?)

I’ll be honest, Andrew W.K. was always one of those musicians I was aware of but never really knew much about. I’m not much of a metal guy, and I always equated his music with seriously heavy and dark themes. Man, was I ever wrong. His music and lyrics are uplifting and positive to the extreme.

And now he’s back with You’re Not Alone, his first full-length album of new songs in 12 years. It boasts thick production and a big, sweeping, symphonic sound, which caught me off guard. The songs are catchy in a way I wasn’t expecting, and I’ve found myself listening to it way more than I thought I would. The songs on You’re Not Alone are also interspersed with spoken-word affirmations about life and perseverance. It just makes you feel good.

Plus, he got legendary artists Julie Bell and Boris Vallejo to paint the cover art for the album. It’s amazing.

His relentless positivity hasn’t gone without notice. He was recently named Person of the Year by the American Association of Suicidology, “honoring his life-affirming music and work, which promotes celebrating all life has to offer.”

On this episode, we chat with Andrew about the support he got as a young artist, how he has changed during his career, that epic cover art for You’re Not Alone, the motivational speech segments of the new album, using positivity to fight the encroaching darkness (especially now), and – of course – partying.

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