In Praise of Andrew WK


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Jakprints blowout

If Andrew WK's "I Get Wet" doesn't get your attention, what will?

For all your printing needs, I recommend the Ohio-based Jakprints. Their technology-based approach makes design very convenient and the prices are good too.

I was excited to receive a recent eblast for a Jakprints poster sale which had my pal Andrew W.K.’s first album cover as an example. The really funny part about it is how normal the person putting up the poster looks.  It sure does get your attention, and it’s no accident it’s on the left either.

The cover to “I Get Wet” was offensive to a lot of people and it was actually shipped with a black rectangular sticker covering the blood (not Andrew’s). I promoted this album to college and metal radio with mixed results, which is unfortunate considering what an icon AWK has become over the past few years. He had the same exuberance at that time and the label was not able to convey his message effectively on a mass basis. Sure, we had pockets of folks who “got it,” but “I Get Wet” didn’t dominate in any area.

As it turns out, Andrew is the message, and not the music. His renaissance has been mostly from his persona and not his singing/songwriting. Who cares? He represents a different, new type of artist that can easily conform to a variety of contexts. The triumph of Andrew W.K. to have his career grow after leaving Island Records is impressive and informative – he is better known for his personality than his music. We were in a race to get people to love Andrew as a person before rejecting that album’s music. Social media would’ve helped — look how huge the kid is on Twitter these days (58k followers – more than bought both Island albums combined probably).

But as Jakprints’ eblast reminds us, the kid makes an amazing spokesperson.

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