I thought it would be cool to go back in time to the Andrew of 2002 by reading these two interviews.
Allan Kemler from Crud Magazine circa 2002. Related articles one and two
Some highlights:
Once in New York, he managed to circulate a few early demos among record labels and then promptly went on a tour of the East Coast where he assailed audiences with nothing more than a CD player, a keyboard and a microphone
Despite his utterly inexhaustible drive, the former gumball-machine salesman’s path to success hasn’t been a direct one.
After spending a few months in 1999 taking his one-man show to every Starbucks that would have him, W.K.s big break came when a friend of Dave Grohl’s forwarded the former Nirvana stickman a tape of the muscle bound Michigan-er.
Grohl fell instantly in love with W.K.s glam, arena rock anthems and straightaway offered him the chance to open two gigs for the Foo Fighters at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. (This is probably what led to the rumour that W.K. was merely a beta-tester for Grohl’s new tunes.)
English audiences, meanwhile, received their first taste of W.K. via his Girls Own Juice and Party Til You Puke EPs on Bulb Records, released in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Around the same time, Island/Def Jam signed W.K. to a contract and he turned his attention toward putting together a full band.
In order to create the hammer-of-the-gods sound he longed to hear, W.K. enlisted death metal drummer, Donald D.T. Tardy, formerly of Obituary. To complete the line up, he added guitarist Jimmy Coup, formerly of Coup de Grace, bassist Gregg R. and guitarists E. Payne and Sergeant Frank.
Chris Nieraktos Interview also 2002.
Highlights: You just have to read it.