Nardwuar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nardwuar the Human Serviette
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Nardwuar at Rolling Loud in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Andrew Vernon Ruskin |
| Also known as | Nardwuar |
| Born | July 5, 1968 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
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Nardwuar the Human Serviette (born John Andrew Vernon Ruskin, July 5, 1968), known simply as Nardwuar, is a famous Canadian interviewer and musician. He started a Vancouver-based band called the Evaporators in 1986. In this band, he is the lead singer and plays the keyboards.
Nardwuar began his media career at the University of British Columbia radio station, CITR 101.9 FM. His radio show has been on air every Friday afternoon since October 1987. The program plays many different kinds of music and includes interviews and comments. Nardwuar's interviews have often been shown on MuchMusic's Going Coastal and printed in Chart magazine. While he mostly interviews musicians, he has said he can interview any famous person. He also appears as a guest interviewer on CBC Radio 3. From 2009 to 2013, he had his own weekly show on WFMU radio.
Nardwuar is known for his very energetic and unique personality. He does a lot of research on the people he interviews to surprise them with cool facts. A typical Nardwuar interview starts with him asking, "Who are you?" If the person doesn't say where they are from, he then asks, "From?" Every interview ends with him saying, "Keep on rockin' in the free world" and singing the "doot doola doot doo..." part of "Shave and a Haircut". The person being interviewed is expected to sing the final "doot doo!" to finish the interview. Nardwuar also often freezes in place with a surprised look. Interviews often end with Nardwuar asking, "Why should people care about [interviewee's name]?" When asked about his name, Nardwuar said it's "a dumb, stupid name like Sting or Sinbad." He explained that "Human" came from a song called "Human Fly" by the Cramps. "Serviette" came from the fact that in the U.S.A., they use "napkins" instead of "serviettes."
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Early Life and Education
Nardwuar was born John Ruskin in Vancouver in 1968. His mother, Olga Ruskin, was a local journalist and history teacher. She taught him about local history by taking him to historical society meetings. In elementary school, Nardwuar won a public speaking contest and was a long-distance runner.
Nardwuar went to Hillside Secondary School in West Vancouver. He was part of the student council. Through the council, he started booking bands for school events. He also did his first interview with Art Bergmann of the Young Canadians. In 1986, he was accepted into the University of British Columbia (UBC). This was the same year he started using the name Nardwuar. He began volunteering at the campus radio station, CITR. While studying history at UBC, Nardwuar wrote papers about Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He earned his history degree in 1990.
Career Highlights
Interviews with Musicians
Nardwuar does a lot of research on the guests he interviews. For example, during an interview with Pharrell Williams, Nardwuar showed him a vinyl record. It had the first song Pharrell ever worked on, "Rump Shaker." Pharrell was so surprised he said, "This is... this is... This is one of the most impressive interviews I've ever experienced in my life. Seriously." Later in the same interview, Pharrell added, "Your research is second-to-none."
In a 2010 interview with rapper Drake and his producer 40, Drake called Nardwuar's interview the "best that I've ever done in my entire life."
Because of his unique style, some people have reacted negatively. Dave Rowntree of Blur once bothered and attacked Nardwuar. Other artists like Sonic Youth, Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins, Travis Barker, Lydia Lunch, Harlan Ellison, Beck, and Nas have ended interviews or argued with him. Dave Rowntree later apologized to Nardwuar in 2011 for his behavior in a 2003 interview. He said it was "one of the things I'm ashamed of" and called his actions "bullying." Nardwuar accepted the apology.
Interviews with Other Famous People
Nardwuar is also known as a "guerrilla journalist." He often sneaks into press conferences by pretending to be a regular reporter. There, he asks political leaders or other famous non-musicians strange or confusing questions. He has interviewed former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev, former U.S. President Gerald Ford, and former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle. Nardwuar has also interviewed actor Crispin Glover and faith healer Ernest Angley. He once asked Angley if there was a cure for "the Summertime Blues." Angley angrily replied, "Oh I wish you would shut up, man. You know you're not even funny. You're lucky God don't strike you dead."
Interviews with Canadian Politicians
In November 1997, Nardwuar cut his hair short to sneak into a meeting. He asked Jean Chrétien, who was then the Prime Minister of Canada, if he supported the use of pepper spray on protesters. Chrétien seemed unaware of the event and didn't know what "pepper spray" meant. He famously replied, "For me, pepper, I put it on my plate."
In June 2004, Nardwuar convinced Paul Martin, who was also Prime Minister at the time, to play a quick game of "Hip Flip" during his election campaign. After Martin won the election, Nardwuar joked about the game's "predictive power." The other two candidates had not played the game. In December 2005, Nardwuar interviewed New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton. Layton had promised to practice the "Hip Flip" game. They successfully did the coordinated hip swing together. Stephen Harper, who became the 22nd Prime Minister, is the only major candidate from the 2004 election who never did a "Hip Flip" with Nardwuar. Harper's security stopped Nardwuar when he tried to start the game. In the 2015 Canadian federal election, Justin Trudeau was the first federal leader to complete the Hip Flip game. He did it on September 10, 2015, after a press conference in Vancouver.
During the 2017 British Columbia general election, Premier Christy Clark (Liberal), Premier John Horgan (NDP), and Andrew Weaver (Green) all did the Hip Flip. In the 2019 Canadian federal election, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh was the only party leader to try the Hip Flip. In the 2021 Canadian federal election campaign, both New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party of Canada leader Annamie Paul completed the Hip Flip.
Legacy and Recognition
In January 2013, the musician Brother Ali released a song called "Nardwuar." It was to celebrate his interview with Nardwuar. The song used music from one of the records Nardwuar had given Ali as a gift.
At the 2013 South by Southwest Festival, film director Brent Hodge and producer Chris Kelly looked back at Nardwuar's career for Time magazine. Pharrell Williams playfully turned the tables and interviewed Nardwuar right after his own interview. He copied Nardwuar's famous style.
September 29, 2019, was named "Nardwuar Day" in Vancouver by Kennedy Stewart, the Mayor of Vancouver. In 2019, Nardwuar was added to the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame. He has a star on their walk on Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver.
Lil Uzi Vert used parts of their 2018 interview with Nardwuar in their song "Futsal Shuffle 2020." Macklemore's 2022 song "Maniac" features Nardwuar. He is also mentioned in the song's lyrics.
Health Challenges
On July 10, 1999, Nardwuar had seizures and temporary paralysis because of a cerebral hemorrhage. This stopped his planned interview with Courtney Love, but he quickly got better.
On December 6, 2015, Nardwuar had a stroke. He was released from the hospital six days later. On January 25, 2016, Nardwuar had surgery to fix a patent foramen ovale. This is a small hole between two chambers of the heart, which was likely the cause of his stroke.
Nardwuar's Signature Hat
Nardwuar's famous hat is a Scottish golf cap with a pom pom. It has yellow stripes going up and down, and green, red, and blue stripes going across. In his interview with Eric André, he said that his late mother gave him this hat as a gift. Nardwuar's Hat can be seen in most of his videos, making it a key part of his look.
