Happy belated birthday Andrew W.K and R.I.P. Macho Man

The world was once much bleaker. A hopeless existence. A partyless life. God, taking pity on this depressing world, created an agent of fun. Born into this world as Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier, he would be rechristened as Andrew W.K., one of the coolest people in existence.

PARTY TIP: Stretch your mind past the breaking point.
I'm here to help you pull it all back together. -Andrew W.K.'s twitter.

His twitter describes himself as, "KING OF PARTYING - professional partier, international rock 'n' roller, new age self help motivational speaker, nightclub owner, TV personality." He is more than all of that though. He is a white-jeans wearing spiritual adviser. He's like Yoda, except much more fun to be with. His philosophy is simple. The answer to all of life's questions, no matter how complicated, all boil down to partying. Never has one word meant so much, but Andrew W.K. has boiled the answer to all of life's problems into one simple phrase: Party Hard.

Let's have a banana together! I LOVE TO PARTY! -Andrew W.K.'s twitter.

Sadly, because of finals week, I missed his May 9 birthday. So, in an attempt to make amends, I hope to further extoll his philosophy in my blog. You see, partying is not just an act of having fun. It's a state of mind. It's a way to forget life's troubles and have fun. And who can hate a life-view based on having fun? In his songs he's not just asking for fun, he is demanding it. He is shouting to his party-disciples to forget their lives for a little bit and get lost in the fun. Not only does he sing of this worldview or even preach it on motivational speaker tours. He genuinely lives his life the way he expects others to. And his doing so puts him on a greater plane of existence than the rest of us. It almost makes him angelic, in his white clothes and scruffy beard.

Grant me the strength to party the things I can't party, the courage to party the things I can party,
and then to just party. -Andrew W.K.'s twitter

Yes his singles may all sound the same, but it's not annoying in an AC/DC way. Instead it gives him an earnestness that few artists have. His songs maybe simple in their messages but they are messages he believes in. He wants to party hard and he beseeches all around him to follow suit. He is probably the happiest man alive. And not just because he is a successful musician, a regular television guest, motivational speaker and host of a show of Cartoon Network. His resume is not so diverse because he is a sellout looking for a paycheck. It's the complete opposite. He just loves what he does and it shows whenever he is in the spotlight. He loves what he does and he genuinely loves his fans. One time he played at a funeral of a fan who died. Another instance he spent a whole tour in a wheelchair because he broke his leg yet didn't want to disappoint fans. He even signs autographs while being lead to the ambulance. Those that claim Andrew W.K. has sold out or become deluded are missing the point. He has always been like this. And the world should be so lucky that he is sharing his gospel of partying with the world. God knows we need to hear it.

"I just mailed out $120 worth of party cash to some very worthy partiers.
Let all the money in the world be spent on joy!" -Andrew W.K.'s twitter.

That's why all of these captions have been from his twitter. Because his twitter is so entertaining and thoughtful that I am compelled to read it at least once a week. He really does believe in his message. And why not, it's worked for him so far. He has a lovely wife and a devoted following. He may be known for his songs about partying but that's not even what he is all about. He makes whatever music he damn well pleases. Whether it's Japanese pop-covers or piano rock albums, he just does whatever he thinks is fun. He's like Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. Few people can embrace true freedom. Yet here is Mr. W.K., partying for all us sinners.

PARTY TIP: Do what you want today. By tomorrow, it could be illegal. -Andrew W.K.'s twitter.

In other news, Macho Man Randy Savage died last Friday, in an apparent heart attack, that led to his car crashing into a tree. Savage will forever be remembered as one of the top wrestlers in the 90s. Any man my age would be lying if they claimed to never watch wrestling growing up. We were alive during a renaissance in wrestling. With the Monday night wars between WCW and WWF (I refuse to call it WWE) and WWF's "attitude era," the sport was at its height of popularity. This golden age would last all through the 90s, until the movie Ready to Rumble premiered in 2000 (which I didn't hate, to be completely honest). Savage's Macho Man persona, complete with shades and cowboy hat, defined the wrestling-watching experience for a lot of people. His raspy voice was used for more than just calling out Ric Flair during interviews. He was also the face of Slim Jims, the snack so amazing that you don't even want to know how they make it. Now, whenever I snap into a Slim Jim, I will think of him.

There's gotta be a better way to put that...