Nardwuar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nardwuar
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Nardwuar at Rolling Loud in 2019
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John Andrew Vernon Ruskin
July 5, 1968 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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| Other names | Nardwuar the Human Serviette |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
| Known for | Interviews with rappers, musicians and non-musicians |
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Nardwuar the Human Serviette (born John Andrew Vernon Ruskin on July 5, 1968), or just Nardwuar, is a famous Canadian journalist and musician. He is known for his amazing interviews with musicians, celebrities, and even politicians. Nardwuar often surprises people with how much he knows about them. He finds forgotten details or secrets they never thought anyone would discover!
Nardwuar started his media career at the University of British Columbia radio station, CITR 101.9 FM. His weekly show began in October 1987 and is still on the air. The program plays a mix of different music and features interviews and commentary. Nardwuar's interviews were also shown on MuchMusic's Going Coastal. He has said he would interview any famous person, not just musicians.
Nardwuar is known for his energetic and unique personality. He does a lot of research for his interviews to surprise his guests. An interview usually starts with him asking, "Who are you?" and "From?" if they don't say where they are from. Each interview ends with him saying, "Keep on rockin' in the free world" and singing "doot doola doot doo..." from "Shave and a Haircut". The person he is interviewing is expected to finish with "doot doo!"
When asked about his name, Nardwuar explained it's "a dumb, stupid name like Sting". He said "Human" came from the song "Human Fly" by the Cramps. "Serviette" came from the fact that in Canada, they use "serviettes" instead of "napkins".
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Nardwuar, whose birth name is John Andrew Vernon Ruskin, was born in Vancouver in 1968. His father was an engineer, and his mother, Olga, was a local journalist and history teacher. His mother helped him learn about local history by taking him to historical events when he was a child. In elementary school, Nardwuar was a good long-distance runner and won a public speaking contest.
Nardwuar went to Hillside Secondary School in West Vancouver. He was part of the student council there. Through the student council, he started booking bands for school events. He also did his very first interview with Art Bergmann from the Young Canadians. He started at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1986, the same year he began using the name Nardwuar. He volunteered at the campus radio station, CITR. He studied history at UBC and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1990.
Nardwuar's Amazing Interviews
Interviews with Musicians
Nardwuar does a lot of research on the people he interviews. He often finds rare items from their past. For example, when he interviewed Pharrell Williams, he showed him an original vinyl record of "Rump Shaker". This was the first song Pharrell ever worked on. 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." He added, "Your research is second-to-none."
In a 2010 interview with rapper Drake, Drake said it was "the best that I've ever done in my entire life."
Sometimes, because of his unique style, Nardwuar has faced challenges. Some people have been verbally upset or even physically threatened him. However, many have also apologized later. For example, Dave Rowntree of Blur apologized to Nardwuar in 2011 for his behavior during a 2003 interview. He called it "bullying" and something he was "ashamed of". Nardwuar accepted the apology.
Interviews with Other Famous People
Nardwuar is also known as a "guerrilla journalist". He sometimes sneaks into press conferences pretending to be a regular reporter. He then asks political leaders or other famous people unusual or confusing questions. He has interviewed former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev and former U.S. President Gerald Ford. He also interviewed actor Crispin Glover.
Interviews with Canadian Politicians
In November 1997, Nardwuar surprised Jean Chrétien, who was the Prime Minister of Canada at the time. Nardwuar asked him about protesters being pepper-sprayed. Chrétien, who didn't seem to know about it, famously replied, "For me, pepper, I put it on my plate."
In June 2004, Nardwuar convinced Paul Martin, who was then the Prime Minister, to play a quick game of "Hip Flip". This happened while Martin was campaigning. After Martin won the election, Nardwuar joked about the game's "predictive power".
In December 2005, Nardwuar interviewed New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton. Layton had promised to practice the "Hip Flip" game. They successfully did the move together at the end of their interview.
The 22nd Prime Minister Stephen Harper was the only major candidate from the 2004 election who never did the "Hip Flip" with Nardwuar. Nardwuar was escorted away by Harper's security 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, Premier John Horgan, and Andrew Weaver all did the Hip Flip.
In the 2019 Canadian federal election, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh was the only head of a political party 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.
In the 2025 Canadian federal election campaign, Liberal Party of Canada leader Mark Carney, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party of Canada leader Elizabeth May completed the Hip Flip.
Nardwuar's Impact
In January 2013, the musician Brother Ali released a song called "Nardwuar". This song celebrated his interview with Nardwuar. The song even used a sample from a record 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 even playfully interviewed Nardwuar right after his own interview, copying Nardwuar's famous style.
September 29, 2019, was named "Nardwuar Day" in Vancouver by the Mayor, Kennedy Stewart.
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.
The artist Lil Uzi Vert used a sample from their 2018 interview with Nardwuar in their song "Futsal Shuffle 2020".
Macklemore's 2022 song "Maniac" features Nardwuar in a small role. He is also mentioned in the song's lyrics.
Nardwuar's ending catchphrase was used by Logic in his 2022 album Vinyl Days.
Health Challenges
On July 10, 1999, Nardwuar had some medical challenges that caused temporary paralysis. He recovered quickly.
On December 6, 2015, Nardwuar had a stroke. He was released from the hospital six days later. On January 25, 2016, he had surgery to fix a small hole in his heart. This hole was likely the cause of his stroke.
Nardwuar's Signature Hat
Nardwuar's famous hat is a tam o' shanter. It has yellow stripes going up and down, and green, red, and blue stripes going across. In an interview, he shared that this special hat was a gift from his late mother.
See also
In Spanish: Nardwuar the Human Serviette para niños
