By snoadmin
The beginning of the semester brings a lot of stress with finding classes, dealing with new professors and finding time to study while juggling a social life and job. Luckily, the Daily 49er sat down with the master of partying, musician Andrew W.K. at Warped Tour in Pomona on Aug. 12, to discuss various techniques to maintain a positive lifestyle.
Daily 49er: You’re famous for partying. What’s your idea of a good party?
Andrew W.K.: Doing what you want as intensely as possible.
49er: How can college students party ‘as intensely as possible’?
Andrew: I don’t recommend anything; just do whatever it is that you enjoy. You want to make sure that when you’re partying, you’re not just thinking, ‘Okay, this is something I’m doing on a regular basis.’ You want to take it to a new level every single time. … To me, that is a fun party. Do your thing, let others do their’s and celebrate the fact that you’re not dead yet. It’s very simple.
49er: It’s the beginning of the semester, which is a very hectic time. What advice would you give to students who are stressed because of school?
Andrew: You have to keep looking at the big picture. … Letting stress get to you is a daily battle. Enjoy life and don’t waste energy on something like worrying, because it’s completely misplaced energy. If you have been freaked out about something, use the energy you spent worrying by actually doing something about the situation.
49er: What are the perfect party clothes? Can they be worn to school?
Andrew: You can wear whatever you want, whenever you want. Of course, you may be going to a school or working at a place that has a dress code, and for that I do apologize because to me, everyone should be able to wear what they want, whenever they want, as long as your having some general standard of decency. … Anyone who tries to tell you how to dress is very confused about partying. You should just feel bad for them because they live with such restrictions; clothes are supposed to be fun.
49er: A lot of times you see kids going down the wrong path because they’re partying too much. It’s not so much your idea of partying and being yourself, but more so drugs and alcohol. Do you think that kind of partying is possible while studying to become successful?
Andrew: Absolutely. Some people are born to do drugs and drink. … I don’t condone people who have pushed themselves to the limit as far as consumption with drugs and alcohol. Then again, it’s not my say. … I’ve never done drugs or drank a lot, but I enjoy it from time to time to keep things fun. Don’t let these things that are meant to be fun control your life and destroy it. I have so much respect for drugs and alcohol, like a God, because they change the way the world is. I think accumulating a large number of experiences before you die is a pretty sensible way to live.
49er: Did you go to college?
Andrew: No, unfortunately I didn’t, at least not yet. I want to go someday. I was accepted to an art school in Chicago but I ended up moving to New York instead. Going back to a curriculum was not fun for me anymore. I graduated from high school a year early because I just wanted to get out, so the thought of going back into basically another institution was not fun. At the same time, I have almost fantasies about college. I think about how much fun it would have been and what experiences I would have had. I still feel like I’m close to high school because I didn’t go to college. I don’t want to feel that way for the rest of my life.
49er: You’ve given many motivational speeches at colleges and universities. What do you talk about in those speeches?
Andrew: We talk about partying. I’ve been fortunate to have been invited to give talks at great schools like Yale and New York University. It’s just been unbelievable. … The point of these lectures is to psych everybody up and be positive. I want to make people feel better than they would otherwise and put them in touch with that excitement about life.
49er: You can party hard, but can you ever party too hard?
Andrew: No. I don’t think you can do anything too much if you enjoy it. Following your passion is the whole point of life and doing things you love to do is the meaning of life.
