Does ANDREW W.K. Own More Than One T-Shirt?

ANDREW W.K. recently answered a question via the "Q&A" section of his web site regarding his bathing habits and his seeming insistence on wearing the same t-shirt at every concert. A fan named "Echo" wrote in with the following: "My brother jumped on stage with you in Colorado, and said that you smelled pretty bad! You should consider bathing more often, and how come you don't change your clothes? Why? Don't you care about your physical appearance? Do you really attract the girlies? I wouldn't want to snuggle up to that, but that's me. You're like one of those really super intelligent people who have no common sense. Where do you come up with the stuff you talk about? It's way out there! It doesn't make sense half of the time. You just ramble on and on about stuff that doesn't make any sense - kinda manic. Come on, really! I also heard you were a pervert. Is that true?"

In response, Andrew wrote: "Dear Echo, I don't believe myself to perverted sexually in anyway. In fact, maybe my only perversion is that I'm not perverted. It seems like it would be fun to have some sort of deviant sexual desire, however I'm pretty limited in my desires, and even more limited in my actions - and that's fine for me. It gives me more energy to spend on music and other pursuits, other than false reproduction. Tell your brother I said hello! Was he at the Denver concert? That was an awesome time! It was SO crazy and totally wonderful. I really, really enjoyed it! I hope he did too. So, you asked about me smelling bad etc... well, maybe you can think about it this way: Let's imagine that your brother had gone to a live NBA basketball game. Let's say he was watching from the crowd and then all of a sudden in the 4th quarter, he decided to jump onto the court. Let's say he went right up next to one of the players. My guess is that since that basketball player had been playing all out, and giving his full physical effort for the whole game, he would probably be pretty sweaty. In fact, he would probably be soaked and dripping with sweat. Because of that, he would probably smell pretty strong. Also, I imagine that your brother would then get tackled by security and thrown out of the game - and then he would probably get arrested and taken to jail. If you ask me, it's a lot better to jump on our stage and get hugged - even if it's a sweaty smelly hug. When we play this music, the last thing I'm thinking about is smells. I'm focusing only trying to give all of my effort and to keep all my energy pounding out at full blast. I'm thinking about how hard I can bang on the piano and how loud I can scream. I'm thinking about how much fun we're all having and how happy I am. I'm not thinking about sweat, or if my clothes are clean and I'm not thinking about 'attracting the girlies'. I'm trying to make sure that I give my life to the music, right in the moment that it's pounding out. That's what this music is about, and that's what I care about. I do care about my physical appearance, but I care about a lot of other things more. I like the way I look, but if it suffers from the physical and mental demands of this music, then that's O.K. with me - there's a price to pay, I'm willing to sacrifice the way I look or smell. The world is full of very important things to think about and to worry about. For example: a lot of companies can make lots of money if they CAN make people worry about their clothes and their smell. I personally don't want to worry about those things. I enjoy worrying about a lot of other stuff instead. I do respect your desire to be clean and pretty and I'm sure you are! That's great for you. You know? It's important to do what's important to you. Regarding your comment that I 'have no common sense'. It's hard for me to say, but I do believe that I possess a good amount of common sense. Although it might not make sense to you, most of the writing on this website is based on common sense, universal thought, and undeniable human truths. Here's an example: someday (any day) we are all going to die. It's a natural fact of life. In the time we have to live, we can decide what to do and how to feel and what to think about. While we might not be able to control all of our thoughts and emotions, it's certainly possible to focus on certain personal priorities. Therefore, with our limited time to think, I choose to make worrying about smell, clothes and 'attracting girlies' less of a priority than happiness, physical effort, energy expenditure, and confidence of mind. Again, it's up to each individual to decide what they want to worry about, and I respect the different things people focus on... that's actually what makes people interesting. If everyone thought the exact same way, it would make life pretty dull. Think for yourself. Do what matters to you, and allow others the same freedom. FREEDOM: the right to pursue that which brings you happiness, as long as that pursuit does not infringe upon the rights of other to pursue their own happiness. As far as my writing goes, I enjoy rambling and letting my brain go where ever it wants to. That's the fun thing about thinking: you never know what you'll think of next! No matter what people tell you think about, it's still up to you. And no matter people tell me to write, I still get to write what I choose. It's fun that way! I encourage you, Echo, to allow your brain to think about all kinds of stuff, even if it feels crazy! There is no set order or law in your brain - it's a free place where you get to think about whatever you want! Enjoy it!"

In other news, an audio recording of Andrew's June 17 appearance on the
"Loveline" radio show has been posted online in MP3 format at this location.