What I learned about music is that it can have nothing to do with words, instrumentation, image, message, or meaning. The meaning is the melody, the notes, the rhythm - music for the sake of its own beauty, with nothing more required to express itself.
— Andrew W.K.
In general, I feel like when I've associated with someone, the association has elevated me and perhaps lowered the other person.
I've always had something about parking lots at night. They have a special appeal I think many people can relate to.
I was very fortunate to take piano lessons from a young age, and the only times that we were able to play on Steinways was at our recitals, which were really nerve-wracking. Partly because we got to play on a Steinway.
'You're not alone' can be a great thing to hear when you're feeling quite despondent and alienated from the world and yourself. But if you're someone who's been completely overwrought with the intensity of life and the world, getting some space to be alone can be one of the things you crave most.
Kids' shows appeal to a fun-loving mentality that I hope all humans, no matter how old they are, have some ability to relate to.
You just have to set a goal and go for it.
I always try to find a less frustrating way to look at things.
Greenpoint was where I had my first apartment on my own without roommates or sleeping on someone's couch. It was a really important time for me.
When you do something that maybe wasn't the best thing to do at the time, you don't want to hold onto those feelings of guilt, shame or embarrassment, as much as you'd like to learn from them.
I have been accused of having people design my image, tell me what to say in interviews, design my clothes, the way I look and talk, and, of course, my music. It's true I do work with people, but not to accomplish anything bad: just the basics that any person does in this business and with this opportunity to live out my dreams.
Andrew W.K. is about partying and doing what you want!
Starting in junior high school, through high school, I was very into metal or black metal and death metal specifically.
Usually, two or three hours after getting offstage, I'll begin the eating process: usually carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
I think the secret of the world lies in the C major scale. The universe opens its doors when a major scale is played. There's stuff going on in a major scale that is a direct connection to divine, universal hugeness.
Music is about truth, and truth contains the ugliness and the dark and evil and hate and sadness as well as the happiness and beauty and everything in between. Having all those extremes is itself a satisfying, positive thing.
How could you not let your life affect your work? That's all it is. Unless you have a very specific, isolated version of what you're doing.
I've played piano since I was 4 years old, and I've always loved songs by J. S. Bach.
I'm not proud of this at all, but I'm someone who has relied on business managers and accountants and career managers to run the whole bureaucratic side of my life for the last 16 years, so anything, from filing tax returns to paying credit card statements, is something that I feel rather fortunate to have been out of the loop on.
I don't have tattoos other than lines.
Life changes, and thus, partying changes, and what it means to party evolves as well.
You can't want an amazing life and then resent it when it happens to you. Destiny has very little to do with what you think and what you want to do and even what you might like.
I wash my hair maybe once every four or five months. But whenever I touch my hair, I wash my hands. I think since I wash my hands a lot and then touch my hair, maybe I'm washing my hair each time. But also, I sweat a lot, and sweat is like a natural shower built into your body.
You can magically alter your life if you believe hard enough and then take actual physical action in the world outside your brain to make it happen.
Out of all the things I could imagine spending my time doing, I figure if I was going to devote myself to a mission or dedicate my life to a cause, it should be an enjoyable one. And partying was the most fun thing I could think of and also that other people could relate to.
I worked at Bergdorf Goodman doing interior decoration.
To me, life is huge and thrilling and exciting and explosive and loud. If I can make music that communicates that and reflects that, then that's an achievement.
I take responsibility for everything in my life, including who I work for and what happens to me because of it.
Most people tell you there are certain moments you should celebrate in life: for example, the weekend coming, so you should party on a Friday. Or your birthday or New Year's Eve. But what if you're excited about being alive every day? Can't you be in that celebratory state every moment you're not dead?
I think all of our concerts, really, as parties. It's a performance for sure. It's not a recital. It's a celebration of that music.
I really love Indian food, especially if you can get it spicy. Any food you can get spicy I really love, and Indian food is just so flavorful: a lot of onion, a lot of garlic.
Being OK means you're not sad, and you're not incredibly happy. You're content. You're OK. And that's the ideal place to be, to be able to say, 'I'm OK.'
The entertainment industry is so vast; that's why I got into it the first place.
I've collected comics for many, many years, but I've usually collected older ones for whatever reason.
The more we focus on what everyone else is doing wrong, the less energy we have to fix what we're doing wrong.
I don't think I'd really talked about politics - governmental politics specifically - very often, and it was a bit of a stretch for me to do so for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I'm not that well-versed or educated in politics.
The bloody nose was the album cover for my first album, but it's since become my logo.
I try to imagine what the greatest song I could ever write would sound like, and then try to do it.
Reading counts as partying, even if you're not enjoying it! Even if someone's forcing you to read, you can find a way to make it into a party if you party hard enough. It just takes more effort and a more advanced approach.
There's basically filth everywhere, and there's no way to escape it.
I want to be able to party for as long as possible.
I never thought I would be a role model for anything. But a role model for fun, I can do that.
I worked very hard not to have average days. I never do the same thing twice.
For me, music, in the truest sense of the word, is about making people happy.
No one controlled Frank Sinatra or told him how to sing. No secret group of managers has been telling someone like Jay-Z what to do or how to look. And no one tells me what to do except me and the people who believe in me.
It's not that I will die, but if I stop partying, it will lead to extreme complications in my wellbeing.
Food is a party; it's exciting. It should be a source of entertainment and nourishment. And just do everything you can to not let food become anything but fun. Let it be a source of pleasure, not anxiety or neuroses or stress.
I have not been a big fan of very sweet drinks, although the Manhattan cocktail is a favorite of mine.
It's my responsibility to show people that this music is something they can trust in and believe in, and it's not a joke. It's not anything but 100 percent from my heart.
As someone that really likes painting and visual art but also likes video and movies and also music and recording and style and clothes, it was hard to pick what to do with my life.
