Post by Benoît Assou-Ekotto on Oct 28, 2011 11:48:48 GMT
Is anyone up on this shit?
I've just done a little reading up on it and it appears that Andrew WK is a brand owned by Universal Music and they employed an actor from a very big Hollywood agency to fufil the role. I think that's a normal conspiracy tbh but it gets quite confusing.
This was suspected in 2003 when there were rumours after his third album he was going to reveal it had all been fake all along then in 2005 his websites were hacked with various codes that suggested he was a fake by a 'STEEV MIKE' (who may or may not be "Andrew WK") who may or may not have written all the music and created the image. Steev Mike might also be a women called Diane Warren. That's a pretty normal conspiracy too but the amount of hacking that went on and the amount of theories (this is only one) is fucking mad. I gave up reading after about 10 minutes because it just went on and on and on and on (http://awilkeskrier.homestead.com/)
What's most perculiar is he's never been that big, has he? I understand conspiracies attract weirdos and probably money (can you confirm HEHE?) but surely he/universal have never made any real money. He was signed to them for about 10 years (and may still be?)
Why go to all the hassle? At the very least there is a human/actor in the centre of it leading a very strange life.
The music was obviously shit throughout.
Andrew WK writing in The Gaurdian in 2009:
Hello! I hope you're well. I recently released an album called 55 CADILLAC. The Guardian asked me to write about it here. They requested I explain why I made the album and why it contains only improvised piano pieces. That's somewhat of a tall order for me at the moment (I just had a gag order put on me – really!), but I will do my best to type some words and hope they cover some of the desired bases.
Why and how I made this album is somewhat difficult for me to write about. Allow me to state the following: Over the past 10 years, I've had personal and professional issues with several people involved in my career, and due to formal agreements, I'm partially forbidden from going into detail regarding certain aspects of my recent work and, as a result, the making of the 55 CADILLAC album.
Here's what I am able to say: At the end of 2004, an old friend of mind got in some business trouble and basically decided to take it out on me. To cut a long story short, this person is someone I worked very closely with and had a formal and family business relationship with. Due to various complaints this person had with me, they were able to turn my life and career upside down. I wasn't allowed to use my own name within certain areas of the US entertainment industry and we were in a debate about who owned the rights to my image, and who should get credit for "inventing" it. This made my life complicated and intense for a few years, but I kept working and doing whatever I could to keep moving forward.
By 2008, and after a lot of negotiating, my new business team and I had come to an agreement with my opponent, and I was finally in the clear. That's how this new 55 CADILLAC album became possible – we based the new record label in the UK, so there were no issues within the US. However, as of last week, we've been partially pulled back into the thick of it and I'm getting hourly updates from my lawyer as I type this. I really don't know how to feel about it – it's beyond frustrating – it almost feels like a hallucination. It inspires so much rage inside me that my mind has to seek other outlets for that energy and I start to feel dizzy and see stars. Fortunately, I don't have to deal with anyone directly. Thank goodness my lawyers do all the real work.
Anyway, I wanted this new 55 CADILLAC album to sound like freedom. The sound of a piano being played by a free man – nothing more, nothing less. This was the first chance in almost 10 years where I was allowed to simply play and record an instrument – no songwriters, no lyrics to learn, no overdubs, no slow fixes, no remixes, no video shoots or interview practice – just the sound of someone sitting in room playing piano for the sake of it. No one telling me what to play, or how to play it. And no masterplans, high-concept visions, worldwide goals with roll-out schedules. No style consultants or acting coaches. No more meetings with sponsors or computerized yelling. No more threats.
Just a huge black piano. And a huge black car.
I've just done a little reading up on it and it appears that Andrew WK is a brand owned by Universal Music and they employed an actor from a very big Hollywood agency to fufil the role. I think that's a normal conspiracy tbh but it gets quite confusing.
This was suspected in 2003 when there were rumours after his third album he was going to reveal it had all been fake all along then in 2005 his websites were hacked with various codes that suggested he was a fake by a 'STEEV MIKE' (who may or may not be "Andrew WK") who may or may not have written all the music and created the image. Steev Mike might also be a women called Diane Warren. That's a pretty normal conspiracy too but the amount of hacking that went on and the amount of theories (this is only one) is fucking mad. I gave up reading after about 10 minutes because it just went on and on and on and on (http://awilkeskrier.homestead.com/)
What's most perculiar is he's never been that big, has he? I understand conspiracies attract weirdos and probably money (can you confirm HEHE?) but surely he/universal have never made any real money. He was signed to them for about 10 years (and may still be?)
Why go to all the hassle? At the very least there is a human/actor in the centre of it leading a very strange life.
The music was obviously shit throughout.
Andrew WK writing in The Gaurdian in 2009:
Hello! I hope you're well. I recently released an album called 55 CADILLAC. The Guardian asked me to write about it here. They requested I explain why I made the album and why it contains only improvised piano pieces. That's somewhat of a tall order for me at the moment (I just had a gag order put on me – really!), but I will do my best to type some words and hope they cover some of the desired bases.
Why and how I made this album is somewhat difficult for me to write about. Allow me to state the following: Over the past 10 years, I've had personal and professional issues with several people involved in my career, and due to formal agreements, I'm partially forbidden from going into detail regarding certain aspects of my recent work and, as a result, the making of the 55 CADILLAC album.
Here's what I am able to say: At the end of 2004, an old friend of mind got in some business trouble and basically decided to take it out on me. To cut a long story short, this person is someone I worked very closely with and had a formal and family business relationship with. Due to various complaints this person had with me, they were able to turn my life and career upside down. I wasn't allowed to use my own name within certain areas of the US entertainment industry and we were in a debate about who owned the rights to my image, and who should get credit for "inventing" it. This made my life complicated and intense for a few years, but I kept working and doing whatever I could to keep moving forward.
By 2008, and after a lot of negotiating, my new business team and I had come to an agreement with my opponent, and I was finally in the clear. That's how this new 55 CADILLAC album became possible – we based the new record label in the UK, so there were no issues within the US. However, as of last week, we've been partially pulled back into the thick of it and I'm getting hourly updates from my lawyer as I type this. I really don't know how to feel about it – it's beyond frustrating – it almost feels like a hallucination. It inspires so much rage inside me that my mind has to seek other outlets for that energy and I start to feel dizzy and see stars. Fortunately, I don't have to deal with anyone directly. Thank goodness my lawyers do all the real work.
Anyway, I wanted this new 55 CADILLAC album to sound like freedom. The sound of a piano being played by a free man – nothing more, nothing less. This was the first chance in almost 10 years where I was allowed to simply play and record an instrument – no songwriters, no lyrics to learn, no overdubs, no slow fixes, no remixes, no video shoots or interview practice – just the sound of someone sitting in room playing piano for the sake of it. No one telling me what to play, or how to play it. And no masterplans, high-concept visions, worldwide goals with roll-out schedules. No style consultants or acting coaches. No more meetings with sponsors or computerized yelling. No more threats.
Just a huge black piano. And a huge black car.
I'm sure it's on Bitjunkie or something.
