Beatroute Magazine BC Print Edition - September 2017

NARDWUAR THE HUMAN SERVIETTE
vancouver’s journalism hero reflects on 30 years of campus radio
YASMINE SHEMESH
Nardwuar the Human Serviette is leaning against the doorway of CiTR
Radio drinking out of a water bottle. Adhering to the University of
British Columbia campus station’s “no liquids by the equipment” studio
rule, the beloved, fast-talking journalist — wearing his signature tartan
tam and a yellow sweatsuit with names of bands like the Beatles and Sex
Pistols scattered over it — keeps his distance as he quenches his thirst.
The studio space, now located in the newly built AMS Student Nest,
is bright and airy, with wood panels on big windows that look out to a
foyer and a wall-to-wall bookcase that acts as a digital library. Nardwuar
remembers his first day as a host at CiTR, back in October 1987. The
room looked a lot like this, he describes, with records strewn about
everywhere. It was overwhelming. The following week, he decided he
would do interviews. Much easier, he grins.
Over the next three decades, Nardwuar would interview everyone
from Kurt Cobain to Justin Trudeau. His guerrilla approach and
prodigious knowledge, frequently accompanied by gifts — rare records,
obscure artifacts, often drawing a Canadian connection — make for an
enthusiastic exchange that captures a side seldom seen of his subjects.
He had a regular spot on MuchMusic and, now, has conquered YouTube.
A historian and patriot, Nardwuar’s commitment to journalism,
particularly at a local level, is incomparable. The campus station has
been his home, every Friday, for the last 30 years. He’ll celebrate the
milestone this month, airing a 20-hour marathon of interviews, as well as
with a gig where his band, the Evaporators, will perform.
“The purpose of CiTR is to expose people to thoughts they haven’t
heard before,” Nardwuar says. “There’s nothing wrong with the
traditional media, but what’s the point of us regurgitating back exactly
what they’re going to say? So, we try to provide a different context. The
same thing with interviews, etcetera. The purpose of CiTR is to provide
an alternative to what’s going on and the reason I’m still here, still doing
it, is that I learn something every time I come in here.”
The minute you know everything, Nardwuar adds, is the minute you
should quit. Campus radio keeps him on his toes. He recalls one day, in
1989, when a man called Henry 77 burst through the doors and asked to
speak on air. Nardwuar said yes. “He talked all about Fibonacci numbers
and how familiarity breeds contempt, all this sort of stuff. He came out
to the university to spread the knowledge that he had.”
Nardwuar studied Canadian History at UBC. His mother, Olga Ruskin,
was also a historian and journalist, and an influence on his professional
life. She co-wrote Gastown’s Gassy Jack, the first book published about
the barman, and hosted a public access television show (inspiring the
Evaporators’ first record, Oh God, My Mom’s On Channel 10!) where she
interviewed figures from the North Shore. “She made these people, who
seemed boring to me, very interesting,” Nardwuar says. “So, she taught
me that everybody has a story.”
Nardwuar’s vast expertise is one of the most compelling things
about him. He is a brilliant musicologist and the effort he puts into his
meticulous research is a testament to his professionalism and genuine
interest. The reaction is usually a combination of astonishment and
respect. Questlove was close to tears when he was given a rare issue of
the periodical Roctober, which included an article on Soul Train’s early
days in Chicago.
“There’s some people, like Donald Trump or Kanye West, that I
have files built up on. Every time I think of something, I jot it down,”
Nardwuar says. “It’s continual, it’s a file. For other interviews, usually
once a week [to prepare]. Anybody can do it, but they just can’t be
bothered.”
Interviewing more politicians, like Trump, is underlined on Nardwuar’s
list of goals. It’s a long list. Despite all of his standing achievements, he
humbly insists that he isn’t satisfied. He’s still scrambling, he says, and
feels he has so much more to know and further stories to engage with.
“It’s the interviewer’s job to make the interviewee exciting. In other
words, after an interview, you might go, ‘that person was boring.’ No.
That person wasn’t boring. You were boring in not bringing out that
person’s flavour.”
It’s nearly time for Nardwuar’s show. He begins sorting through
records and picks up his iPhone to post a tweet detailing which
interview he’ll be airing. Today, Lil Wayne.
Apart from the new building, perhaps the biggest change at CiTR is
photo by William R. Jans
“The minute you know everything,” Nardwuar says, “is the minute
you should quit.”
technology. With the rise of the internet, there was fear that the web
would kill the airwaves. The opposite, however, has proved to be true,
especially in terms of accessibility and reach. “Now, I just can’t believe
how amazing it is,” Nardwuar exclaims. “Like, for instance, we just give a
tweet and we’ll tell to the world to tune in. We can send a picture of the
record we’re playing. The show can be archived. People can listen live or
it can be podcast.”
Nardwuar leans forward, scrolling through his phone. He stops at a
photo of the Penthouse Night Club, with ‘Seth Rogan Drinks For Free’
lit up on the landmark strip club’s marquee. “This, to me, is an interview
going well. This is the Penthouse in Vancouver. ‘Seth Rogan Drinks For
Free.’ In other words, they saw my interview and they put this on their
sign. I want this to happen all the time, for every interview.”
Nardwuar gets excited when he has the opportunity to speak with
someone, like Rogan, who was also raised in Vancouver. There’s a kinship
there, in understanding the things that are integrated into the fabric of
local history. His favourite topic. Of course, Narwuar is weaved into it,
too. His is a bright thread, distinguished by passion and sincerity.
“That is amazing, isn’t it? That is from a fucking interview that I did. I
can’t believe that.”
Nardwuar the Human Serviette will play a 20-hour marathon of his
interviews on CiTR 101.9 FM starting at 9 p.m. on September 21. His CiTR
Radio Show 30 Year Anniversary Celebration takes place on September 23
at the Hall.
6
September 2017