Nardwuar
Nardwuar the Human Serviette (born John Ruskin, July 5, 1968), or simply Nardwuar, is a Canadian celebrity journalist and musician. He is the lead singer and keyboardist for the Evaporators.
Nardwuar the Human Serviette | |
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Nardwuar at Rolling Loud in 2019 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | John Ruskin |
Also known as | Nardwuar |
Born | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | July 5, 1968
Genres | Garage rock, punk rock |
Occupations |
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Instruments | Vocals, keyboards |
Years active | 1986–present |
Labels |
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Member of | The Evaporators |
Website | nardwuar |
Nardwuar got his start in media at the University of British Columbia radio station CITR 101.9 FM in Vancouver. His show has been running every Friday afternoon since October 1987. The program features a mix of eclectic music, along with interviews and commentary. Nardwuar's interviews have frequently been shown on MuchMusic's Going Coastal, or printed in Chart. Although Nardwuar's favorite targets are music artists, he has stated that he will interview any celebrity. He also sometimes appears as a guest host and interviewer on CBC Radio 3 and started his own weekly program on freeform radio station WFMU which ran from 2009 to 2013.
Noted for his excitable persona, a typical Nardwuar interview will begin with "Who are you?", followed by "From?" if the subject does not volunteer their affiliations. Each interview ends with "Keep on rockin' in the free world", and the "doot doola doot doo ..." of "Shave and a Haircut", to which the interviewee is expected to reply with the final "doot doo!" before Nardwuar freezes with a wide smile until the camera cuts off. Interviews also often end with Nardwuar asking the interviewee "Why should people care about [interviewee's name]?". When asked to explain his name, Nardwuar has said it is "a dumb, stupid name like Sting or Sinbad"; that "Human" came from the song "Human Fly" by the Cramps; and that "Serviette" came from the fact that "in the U.S.A. they don't have serviettes, they have napkins".