plus Nardwuar鈥檚 Video Vault, The Evaporators, Nardwuar Meet 鈥榥鈥� Greet, Commodore Ballroom, Sunday, Sept. 29 鈥� Doors: Noon / Show: 1 p.m. Free admission.
A conversation with Nardwuar is like getting to chat with a historian of stuff nobody else bothers to dig into.
A maestro of the extensively-researched interview, Nardwuar simultaneously dazzles, impresses, disarms and scares his subjects when he presents them with meaningful gifts, precious ephemera from their past, or dishes out obscure facts about the individual鈥檚 former life before stardom struck. When he interviewed Questlove in 2013 and gave him an old poster from the musician鈥檚 formative days, . 鈥淲here did you find this?鈥� Questlove asked, before trailing off, lost in the poster鈥檚 nostalgic glow.聽聽
Sometimes the questions are charmingly irreverent, silly, but always somehow forge a higher, hilarious purpose. When Nardwuar interviewed rapper Travis Scott in 2015, he asked the hip-hop star: 鈥淗ow do you keep your pants up when you鈥檙e performing? It鈥檚 incredible.鈥� Scott鈥檚 drawn out, monosyllabic response (鈥淏elt鈥�), , has since become the stuff of meme and internet legend 鈥� so popular in fact that scores of young and extremely online teens have taken to mimicking the interaction on the popular TikTok app, which allows people to make short music and lip-sync videos.
鈥淭hat totally blows me away. I love that,鈥� Nardwuar 鈥� also known as Nardwuar the Human Serviette 鈥� tells the North Shore News recently from a booth at his beloved Tomahawk Restaurant, as he swipes through his phone and shows off some of the creations people have made in his honour on the video platform. People signal their admiration for Nardwuar in other ways too 鈥� it can range from the photographs people take and post online of their costumes imitating Nardwuar鈥檚 signature red-checkered pants and askew tartan tam every Halloween, or even those who encounter him out in the wild and tell him they鈥檝e followed in his footsteps by seeking their own gigs at CiTR radio station, where he has hosted a weekly show since 1987. 鈥淚f I can do it, anyone can do it,鈥� he says.
After 32 years of 鈥渢rying,鈥� as he puts it, the honours keep coming. Nardwuar is being inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame. For someone who has spent the last three-plus decades meeting and interviewing some of the biggest names in music 鈥� not to mention startling plenty of politicians along the way鈥� his mother is the main one who comes to mind in relation to his induction.
鈥淚 immediately thought I have to dedicate this to my mom, who鈥檚 unfortunately no longer here, but I know she鈥檇 be very stoked,鈥� he says. 鈥淪he actually inspired me by taking me to the North Shore Historical Society when I was younger, so she instilled this sense of history 鈥� and she wrote a book about Gastown鈥檚 Gassy Jack!鈥�
A campaign was led by friend and fellow West 麻豆传媒映画musical maven Grant Lawrence to assemble Nardwuar鈥檚 closest friends and confidantes, including Tomahawk owner Chuck Chamberlain, to secretly nominate him. In addition to a shiny new bronze star on Granville Street baring Nardwuar鈥檚 name, the local media icon is also organizing a celebratory all-ages show, called Nard Gets A Star!, on Sept. 29. The free event, which kicks off at 1 p.m. at Commodore Ballroom, will feature a video vault showcasing a compilation of some of Nardwuar鈥檚 most notable interviews, a live performance featuring Nardwuar and his band, the Evaporators, as well as a meet-and-greet with the man himself.
Nardwuar, a graduate of Hillside Secondary in West Vancouver, organized his first all-ages gig in 1987, when he was 19 years old. Described in an August 鈥�87 edition of the North Shore News as a 鈥渟ix-band blowout鈥� called Barbarella Psycadella, the concert wouldn鈥檛 have been so far removed from the type of live performance Nardwuar strives to organize or promote today. 鈥淚鈥檓 still doing it to inspire people,鈥� he says.
And while his star status is literally cemented due to the Hall of Fame induction, Nardwuar still wants more. 鈥淚鈥檓 still trying. I鈥檓 still trying to win the Juno, I鈥檓 still trying to win the Emmy, the Academy Award. I鈥檓 still trying, just in life.鈥�
He reflects just as much on the big fish he hasn鈥檛 landed yet as he does on the amazing interviews 鈥� Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga, former prime minister Jean Chr茅tien 鈥� he鈥檚 already pulled off.
鈥淚鈥檓 still no closer to that Paul McCartney interview, or Kanye West interview, or Little Richard interview, or Barack Obama interview,鈥� he says, stopping to note that Questlove was 鈥渢his close鈥� to getting him connected with Obama鈥檚 people.
On possibly nabbing McCartney for an interview, a Fab Four member who has been interviewed 鈥渕any, many times,鈥� Nardwuar promises he鈥檇 be himself. Like a historian leafing through the back pages of history, he would do his best to snuff out the stuff that most might never think to ask Sir Paul.
鈥淚 would like to ask him about some of the 78 records that inspired him,鈥� he says. 鈥淛ohn Lennon鈥檚 dad made a record and I would love to bring him that record and say, 鈥榃hat do you think of this?鈥欌��
But as Nardwuar, now 51, looks ahead following his Hall of Fame induction and towards the future as a performer, organizer, promoter and interviewer, he notes it鈥檚 not celebrity that matters 鈥� his own or anyone else鈥檚. He keeps striving for more, but as long as he can continue to inspire and delight others, he鈥檒l stay happy, he says.
鈥淢y mom instilled in me that the next door neighbour has just as many interesting stories as Paul McCartney,鈥� he says. 鈥淓verybody has a story. It鈥檚 up to the interviewer to bring that person out.鈥�
