Nardwuar The Human Serviette: Welcome To My Castle (DVD)

Although a lot of people out there still have no idea who Nardwuar The Human Serviette is, for the people who do know him, he is someone you will never forget. I remember hearing about this so-called “renegade journalist” in Vancouver who interviewed celebrities and asked ridiculous questions that no one else had the balls to ask. He was known for pissing off such big names as Alice Cooper, Beck and former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. He fronted his own band and ran his own record label, and did it all for the fun of it. To my teenage mind, he seemed like one of the coolest guys in the world.

The spectacle of seeing Nardwuar in action, however, is something else. His high-pitched voice chatters on and on, barely pausing to allow his subjects/victims to answer the questions. He excitedly scampers around in a self-induced panic, thrusting his microphone in people’s faces, while pulling out random gifts to offer and strange historical items to ponder.

You have to remember that this was before the days of YouTube and reality TV and shows like Punk’d and Da Ali G Show. Nardwuar was flying in the face of the establishment, and the fact that so many people found him obnoxious only made him more lovable. He wasn’t strictly a shit disturber either, he truly did his homework for each interview. He always managed to dig up obscure dirt on all of the celebrities he interviewed and boasted an encyclopedic knowledge of music and pop culture. Again, it’s hard to appreciate the research he did nowadays, but keep in mind, he didn’t have the internet to help him out.

Eventually Muchmusic (Canada’s version of MTV) realized the unique talent that Nardwuar had and gave him his own show, but for years prior to that he produced his own DIY video fanzines for broadcast on public access TV. This 2-disc DVD set is a re-release of his two self-produced videos Welcome To My Castle Parts 1 and 2, with plenty of bonus footage tacked on.

I had forgotten just how fresh and exciting these videos were when I had first seen them back in the mid-90’s. This is a direct transfer of the VHS tapes that he was mailing out to people over ten years ago — in other words, the quality of the footage has not been improved. But in a way, it just makes it all seem that much more raw and vital.

Found on these discs are classic interviews with musicians like Sonic Youth, Jello Biafra and Flea, and icons like Gilligan, Mickey Dolenz and yes, even Joey and Spike from Degrassi. Nardwuar is clearly a fan of many of them, and isn’t necessarily there with the sole purpose of harassing them, making for somewhat insightful (if rather chaotic) interviews. The fun thing is seeing the variety of reactions that people have toward him, from mild annoyance (Dolenz) to dead seriousness (Tom Vu) to outright amusement (Sonic Youth).

Make no mistake though, there are some confrontations here too. We witness Nardwuar getting kicked out of the Junos (the Canadian version of the Grammys), and in another clip Nardwuar is “saved” by Christian evangelist Ernest Angley (reminding me now of the church scene from Borat).

There are also some musical performances and strange little oddities mixed in with the interviews. One of my favourite segments involves Nardwuar driving around town looking for people who had put ads in the “Pen Pals” section of a Teen Screen magazine from the 60’s. He goes to their addresses and tries to find the people (who are now all grown up) and ask them if they remember corresponding with anyone. It is completely pointless and doesn’t really go anywhere, yet somehow fascinating.

The real hidden gems on this DVD, however, are the bonus interviews with Nirvana and Courtney Love. The interview that Nardwuar scored with Nirvana in 1994 is crazy because of the fact that they were quite literally the biggest band in the world at that time, and here they were, chatting with this oddball Canadian guy whose only credentials were that he hosted a college radio show. It was one of the last interviews they ever did before Kurt’s death, and it’s fun to see how Nardwuar’s quirky energy and enthusiasm entertains them throughout. On the flip side, an interview he conducted a year later with Courtney finds her almost passing out as she signs autographs for fans (including Drew Barrymore).

There are also audio commentary tracks on both Welcome To My Castle videos, along with some of the bonus interviews, and it’s actually pretty interesting to hear some of the stories behind each segment.

If you’re already a fan of Nardwuar, this DVD obviously is a must buy. On the other hand, if you’re not familiar with his work, it may not be the best starting point. His other DVD does feature more recent interviews with bigger celebrities, but alas, it doesn’t quite capture the same DIY spirit and gritty guerilla journalism that this DVD set does. If you really want to understand what Nardwuar is all about, and where he started, you have to watch this. At the very least, everyone should visit Nardwuar’s website and sample some of the many hilarious moments he has captured over the years. Keep on rocking in the free world, Nardwuar. — Sean

SCORE:

Recommended If You Like: Da Ali G Show, The Awful Truth, The Tom Green Show

Around the Web: