Welcome To My Castle DVD Reviews !

[nardwuar]

from

http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=161090

DISC REVIEW
NARDWUAR "Welcome to My Castle" DVD

JASON KELLER

What kind of sick fuck wants nearly six hours of nasally Nardwuar interviews? Me, sadly. Two discs of amateur ambushes that “prequel” the Serviette’s more pro MuchMusic era, when Vancouver’s premier geek punk wasn’t as well known, thus subjects/victims are way more put off and stupefied by his tactics. Disc 1’s best moments are a PNE clash with Sonic Youth on their disastrous supporting slot for Neil Young. Getting booed every night in stadiums is visible on their faces and Nard only exasperates the situation.

His Kurt and Courtney interviews on Disc 2 are legend. A visibly exhausted (i.e. strung out) Cobain generously entertains all of Nard’s pointless queries backstage, moments after playing his last Canadian concert. A 12-minute chat with Courtney a year earlier shows the haggard singer at her most vulnerable and human. Interviews with prime ministers, porn stars and philosophers aside, if you can get me feeling sympathetic for Courtney Love, you’ve got skills.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://music.sympatico.msn.ca/Nardwuar+the+Human+Serviette+ndash+Welcome+to+My+Castle+DVD/newsandfeatures/contentposting_reviews.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=a64878df-61b2-408a-a062-78df85556733&feedname=MusicReviews&show=True&number=5&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=False

Nardwuar the Human Serviette – Welcome to My Castle! (DVD)


by Kerry Gold
Rating: 3/5

For the uninitiated, Nardwuar the Human Serviette is a Vancouver oddity whose brilliant career has included grilling former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, gaining backstage access to a lengthy and somewhat painful interview with Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, and good-naturedly accepting former Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra's use of his face as a sketch pad.

Anyone who's admired his gonzo journalism on MuchMusic or UBC campus radio station CiTR (this release celebrates his show's 20th year there), will need this 5-hour collection of raw Nardwuar footage for their collection. Nardwuar's demographic tends to be a young one or one that might have actually attended a Dead Kennedys concert back in the day. Nardwuar is do-it-yourself punk rock merged with self-deprecatory performance art, and the tartan-clad, rather hairy backed journalist-musician seems to know no bounds when it comes to being thrown out of civilized functions and treated rudely. It's captured here on this 2-DVD set, and while this is extremely low budget and back to basics in terms of production (it's probably Smugglers' Grant Lawrence behind the camera), it's got some rare, absolutely fascinating footage for the avid student of pop culture who appreciates the irony. Some of the video could use editing, however, such as a segment involving fringe dwellers like Kim Fowley and Alannah Myles.

Unfortunately for Nardwuar, not every musician has understood where he's coming from, but when they do (i.e., Courtney Love, Snoop Dogg), it's a lifelong love affair in weirdsville.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.lmnop.com/2008-Jan-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor2195


Nardwuar The Human Serviette - Welcome To My Castle (Double DVD, Mint, Miscellaneous)

Anyone who is even remotely familiar with Canada's Mint Records has to have seen and/or heard of notorious self-promoter Nardwuar The Human Serviette. In addition to being the lead singer of the band The Evaporators, this young fellow also has the remarkable willpower to pin down and interview lots of famous people. The first DVD in this set features two programs Nardwuar taped for public access cable. Because of the random nature of the material some of it is funny and some is just junk...but it's always worth watching in order to find the laughs. During the first Welcome To My Castle show we enjoyed watching Nardwuar getting kicked out of the Juno Awards (it looked boring and stuffy anyway)...but then got a bit bored as he and his camera man began making their way around Canada trying to locate folks who listed themselves as pen pals in a 1966 issue of Teen Screen magazine (!). The segment began to get a bit dull until...amazingly...he was actually able to find one of the women who had run an ad (and she was still at the same address!). The Sonic Youth interview goes on way too long (the guy with the dark hair and sunglasses--who cares what his name is--showed himself to be a real pretentious dullard). Much more interesting is the segment where Nardwuar and his pals visit millionaire Jimmy Pattison's house (a fellow who proves to be way cooler than the folks in Sonic Youth). To be honest, we were just about to pull the first DVD out of the player (there's so much to take in here...) but when Welcome To My Castle II began...we noticed that not only was Micky Dolenz going to make an appearance...but also Ernest Angley (!!!). So, of course, we had to continue watching. Hearing Dolenz talk we realized something we never realized before. This man has to be a homosexual (not that it matters, of course...). Micky was actually a lot more considerate and polite to Mr. Serviette than most arrogant celebrities. Our favorite tiny segment, of course, is when Nardwuar gets Ernest Angley all heated up. He first asks him if he can cure the summertime blues...and follows up by questioning if he can "cure stupidity" (HAHAHAHAHA...!!!). Ernest gets so mad that he tells Nardwuar to shut up (it's priceless!) and informs him that God is likely to strike him dead. Ain't that just like a Christian...? Everyone with a brain knows what an asshole Angley is...but this video is living proof of the fact. We finally had to stop watching midway through...mainly because there are about five and a half hours of material here (!?!). Included are eight videos from The Evaporators' Gassy Jack and Other Tales album (!) that are great fun to watch. We will end here with a couple of conclusions... Despite all the celebrities that he interviews, the most interesting person is actually Nardwuar himself. He seems to purposely give people the initial impression that he is just another annoying pushy nerd with a weird voice and a microphone. But in actuality...the guy is an extremely well-informed and intelligent individual with a memory that'll blow your mind. It's extremely interesting to see who brushes Nardwuar off...and who is personable enough to speak with him. The segments featuring Jello Biafra are particularly revealing. When he is first interviewed, he would hardly give Nardwuar the time of day. But when he is interviewed the second time (and knows that the guy interviewing him actually is somebody)...he then seems to have all the time in the world to chat. What a jerk. Nardwuar's ability to uncover who is a creep...and who's isn't...is amazing and astounding. (His chats with an almost totally incoherent Courtney Love are a scream.) Nardwuar usually doesn't have to say anything, some celebrities seem as happy as peaches to dig their own graves. But back to the DVD set... We'll certainly be viewing more of this later as time allows. In the meantime, from what we've seen, we can most certainly recommend this for folks who are celebrity hounds and for those who want a good laugh. There are chuckles aplenty here. A great little package full of curiosities. (Rating: 5+)

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.youthink.ca/reviews/localbands/08JanLocal/Nardwuar.html


NARDWUAR
Welcome to My Castle!

*****

By Stefana Fratila – Lord Byng Secondary, Vancouver BC

Our fearless local legend welcomes us to his castle!

Call him whatever you want – the hairy Vancouverite, the Canadian jewel, or just bad in plaid—Nardwuar has done it all. He writes, he interviews and he encourages the crowds at legendary rock shows. Welcome to My Castle! (the prequel to his 2006 DVD Doot Doola Doot Doo…Doot Doo!) is a very unique double-DVD filled with Nardwuar’s ridiculous interviews. Even more exciting are the brand new videos from The Evaporators (Nardwuar’s band) and the rousing bonus material! Catch the lively moments of Nardwuar’s interviews with all those famous folks (Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Pierre Trudeau) on this one-of-a-kind DVD!

[nardwuar]

from:

http://vice.typepad.com/vice_magazine/2008/01/i-want-my-dvds.html

WANT MY DVDS - NEW OLD NARDWUAR



Welcome To My Castle
Mint Records
Nardwuar's been interviewing folks long enough now for subjects to have picked up on the nuances of his style and comport themselves accordingly. But all the videos on this DVD are from the early 90s, back when being asked questions by a stringy-voiced nerd in his childhood toque (before an enraged Sebastian Bach snatched it off his head) could still provoke an unexpected response. Like Thurston Moore and Lee Renaldo going into full-on bully mode and pulling Nardwuar's shirt over his head. Or Tommy Chong talking about James Brown's gay lover. Or Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees turning into such an embarrassingly smarmy asshole that we could only make it through about two minutes of the interview before diving for the remote. All fine watchin'. They even preserve all the little filler bits like zine reviews and clips of arcane 60s novelty acts like Cesar et ses Romains from Nardwuar's original VHS tapes. The only bummer is that this is essentially a time capsule from one of Western culture's ugliest, most goatee-and-velour-flame-shirt-wearingest periods ever. But I was seven at the time, so what the hell do I know?

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.subba-cultcha.com/article_dvd.php?id=5220

Nardwuar the Human Serviette - Welcome To My Castle 2
Comedy encounters celebrity with occasionally entertaining results

Unless you’re Canadian, or a have an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Canuckian, you may not have a clue who Nardwuar The Human Serviette is. From what I understand of him, he’s like a cross between Dennis Pennis and Avid Merrion, but he stalks rock stars and policticians rather than pop stars and media whores.


As such this, his DVD, is a compilation of celebrity interviews with all sorts of people, including but not limited to Jello Biafra, Gerald Ford, Sonic Youth, Mickey Dolenz (The Monkees), Flea, Krist Novoselic, Courtney Love (several times), Timothy Leary, Tommy Chong, Ron Jeremy and even Nirvana. The results have been broadcast, for the most part, in MuchMusic, the legendary Canadian music channel.


As you’d expect if you know any of the aforementioned celebrity interviewers to which he can be compared, Nardwuar’s style is rather designed to inflame the reactions of his interviewees, which he occasionally does – more often, though, they are able to laugh him off. Nonetheless, he is also something of a music geek, as evidenced by his chats with Nirvana and Sonic Youth. In addition, “Welcome To My Castle” features numerous tracks by his (rather terrible) band The Evaporators.


I can’t really claim his work does all that much for me, but I’m equally sure that others will find his work hilarious. His whiny voice doesn’t help but he occasionally does come through with an entertaining interview… though for my money, it’ll not be the kind of thing most people will want to watch repeatedly.



By: EDDIE THOMAS

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.chalkedup.com/articles/view/nardwuar-the-human-serviette

Nardwuar the Human Serviette
Welcome to My Castle (DVD)
Mint Records
Welcome to my Castle is a collection of 2 of Nardwuar's television specials that aired in the early 1990's along with a pile of bonus Evaporators footage. In the days before Wikipedia and Google made journalistic research a relatively painless affair, Nardwuar was impressing (and sometimes irritating) his subjects with his compulsive questioning. In the early 1990s Nardwuar was still sharpening his act, asking Sonic Youth about the Sonics, hanging out at Canadian media mogul Jimmy Pattison's compound, chatting with Pierre Berton about how he smokes pot with his kids, and pestering 1990s self-help charlatans like Tom Vu, Ernest Angley, and Anthony Robbins.
Welcome to My Castle is by all measures a prequel to Nard's 2006 double DVD Doot Doola Doot Doo... Doot Doo!. Up against the likes of Nirvana, Courtney Love (5 times), Flea, Sonic Youth, Timothy Leary, Jello Biafra, and the Degrassi Kids Nardwuar's interviews are less polished and his personality slightly less convincing than his later material featured on Doot Doola Doot Doo. But it seems to me the DIY aesthetic of the 90s local cable special is the perfect habitat in which to observe Nardwuar at work.

While his interviews for Much Music are always fascinating and the subjects consistently more accessible, Nardwuar shines when he is interviewing the obscure and eccentric-- after all, isn't Nard himself still a bit obscure and eccentric? Many of the subjects in Welcome to My Castle are just that. Nard's interviews with Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees, Gilligan of Gilligan's Island and the random Vancouverites he tracks down through a 1967 issue of Teen Screen magazine are, if only for their potent peculiarity, as entertaining as his encounters with better-knowns such as Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Jello Biafra or Timothy Leary. And no matter who Nardwuar interviews, you will always learn something.
Alongside any other Canadian music journalist or TV personality, Nardwuar stands out not only for his eccentricity but also for the depth of his knowledge and his ability to shock his audience and subjects by playing the idiot savant. I mean I've always thought Strombo was a bit of a turd, and Master T isn't around anymore so who's even left? Ed the Sock? Exactly.

Michael Barrow, 07 Jan 2008

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.theotherpress.ca/view.php?aid=38874

Arts & Entertainment

Meet Nardwuar, Canada’s most irritating, hyperactive celebrity

“Welcome to my castle”

By Ashleigh Mattern, The Sheaf (University of Saskatchewan)

SASKATOON (CUP) -- His voice is high-pitched and irritating, and a moment’s glance at his style of interviewing––a high-energy attack that often features nonsensical questions – leaves one doubting whether or not to take him seriously. But whether you love him or hate him, Nardwuar the Human Serviette is a undeniable Canadian star, and a closer look at Nardwuar and his style of interviewing reveals an intelligent reporter and an extremely interesting person.

Nardwuar has achieved great success since his debut as a reporter for the UBC college radio station CiTR in 1987, but not just for his interviews. His achievements include owning his own record label, playing in two bands – The Evaporators and Thee Goblins – and doing interviews for MuchMusic and a variety of music magazines. In his spare time, he promotes shows in Vancouver, releases DVD compilations of his interviews, and runs a website with transcripts and videos of his interviews.

From a quick perusal of this list, it seems Nardwuar has interviewed every influential musician from almost every genre. Surely there is no one else in the world who has interviewed both Hilary Duff and Slayer. The list is literally the ABCs of music superstars: from Alice Cooper and Arcade Fire, to Bright Eyes and Broken Social Scene, to Classified and Courtney Love… the list goes on.

Nardwuar, often considered a guerrilla journalist, is known for sneaking into press conferences disguised as a normal journalist, and then asking scandalous questions. One of his more famous moments was when he asked Jean Chrétien at the Vancouver 1997 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference if the Prime Minister approved of RCMP officers pepper spraying protesters outside. Chrétien, evidently confused, replied, “for me, pepper, I put it on my plate.”

One of the outcomes of Nardwuar’s over-the-top style of interviewing is his ability to draw out unconventional answers. Although some stars have appreciated his interesting style, such as Michael Moore and Marilyn Manson, sometimes his personality is too much for the stars he interviews, and many of them react with anger. In one infamous scenario, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row physically attacked Nardwuar and stole his signature toque. Other times his persistence and penchant for going places he’s not supposed to be gets him ultra-exclusive interviews, like his interview with Kurt Cobain––the last Canadian interview before Cobain’s death.

After a recent scare with a cerebral hemorrhage it seemed as though the days of Nardwuar’s highly entertaining interviews might come to an end. Luckily he recovered, and fans of Nardwuar can look forward to many more years of his unique approach to journalism.

From the moment you encounter his new DVD compilation, Welcome to My Castle, Nardwuar manages to annoy you. The front of the DVD features a shirtless Nardwuar, a sight no one should have to see. During the DVD menu, a woman repeatedly sings his name so you’re forced to press play immediately, or go insane.

The beginning of the DVD features an awful song performed by Nardwuar and his band The Evaporators called “Welcome to My Castle” in which he repeatedly sings the words, “welcome to my castle.”

When watching Nardwuar’s newest DVD, remember that the skip button is your friend. With so much footage, it’s hard to feel bad skipping past some of the less interesting interviews, or any of the songs by Nardwuar’s band.

Welcome to My Castle is a prequel to his last DVD, Doola Doot Doo... Doot Doo! Aside from the interviews, his newest DVD is interesting just for all the awesome 90s fashion. The camera shots are unconventional, showing more than just Nardwuar and his interviewees.

The DVD also comes with a 16-page booklet featuring articles written about and by Nardwuar, including a copy of a signed letter from Jello Biafra (man, that guy has a crazy signature).

If it weren’t for his unique personality, Nardwuar would never have interviewed so many famous artists, but he also takes a lot of shit from some of them. In one interview with Jello Biafra (the DVD features two), Biafra takes a permanent marker and starts drawing all over Nardwuar’s face. Unfazed, Nardwuar continues to ask his planned questions, which is fairly commendable.

Sonic Youth also takes Nardwuar’s approach the wrong way, and seems to think it’s a joke of some sort. They make fun of him, and refuse to answer any of his questions, even the serious ones, with a truthful answer. The result is a long, hardly entertaining interview that offers no information about the group, although they do say some pretty funny stuff.

The interview with Cobain is surreal. A very casual Cobain is backstage eating pizza after a show as a very collected Nardwuar chats with him about nothing in particular.

Welcome to My Castle is an interesting DVD, and definitely worth watching. Even if you’re not a fan of Nardwuar, the interviews are entertaining. Who doesn’t like to see politicians and B-list actors taken a little off-balance by a zany question? And with more than five hours of interviews, it will keep you busy for a while. The Royal City Cafe is open from 11 am to 8 pm, and is closed on Tuesdays.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.filmjunk.com/2008/02/13/nardwuar-the-human-serviette-welcome-to-my-castle-dvd-review/

Nardwuar The Human Serviette: Welcome To My Castle DVD Review
Posted by Sean on February 13th, 2008

Filed under: DVD Review, Movie Review

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: 3 out of 4 stars


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

[nardwuar]

from:

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Showbiz/2008/02/17/pf-4853803.html

February 17, 2008
Music on DVD
By DARRYL STERDAN


NARDWUAR

Welcome to My Castle!

Interviews

Sun Rating: 3 stars

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the DVD store, along comes CanRock nerd Nardwuar with more of his inimitable weirdness. This two-DVD set has over five freaking hours of the Nard in action, gleefully harassing everyone from Kurt Cobain to Gerald Ford, playing with The Evaporators and making a doot-doola-doot-doot doofus of himself. You have been warned.

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.thecoast.ca/Elist-1725.112113-5068.113118-p17560.112113_Welcome_To_My_Castle.html

Welcome To My Castle!
Directed by: Nardwuar The Human Serviette
(Nardwuar/Mint Records)

The plaid suit, the man, the mouth that is Nardwuar releases a two-DVD set (five-and-a-half hours!) that consists of videos from his band The Evaporators' new CD Gassy Jack and Other Tales, and his guerrilla-style interviews with various B-list stars (Ron Jeremy, Tommy Chong, Bob Denver), musicians (Kurt and Courtney, Sonic Youth, Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees, Flea, Jello Biafra) and various other random personalities (Pierre Trudeau, Tony Robbins, Tom Vu, Gerald Ford). With Nardwuar you get part ego, part cartoon character and, most of all, a great interviewer. At times his high energy, in-your face interview-style rubs the interviewee the wrong way (like with Timothy Leary). Unless the interviewee has been tipped off or has met Nardwuar before, there is no way to prepare for this character.Those that "get" Nardwuar play along and answer most questions because they know there will be something that Nardwuar pulls out of his hat that will stun or sometimes stump them. You can see this look from the interviewee that says, "Where did you get that information?" It's clear Nardwuar does his homework: He's Brian Linehan with a squeaky voice. And that's the pay-off---that's why you want to watch him. Nardwuar is a character, but the interview is the charm.-Aaron Hartling

[nardwuar]

from:

http://www.imposemagazine.com/mag/index.php/2008/03/31/nardwuar-the-human-serviette-welcome-to-my-castle-nardwuar-recordsmint-records/

NardWuar: The Human Serviette
Welcome To My Castle
NardWuar Records/Mint Records



By Jim Jacka

I knew what to expect when I cut the plastic wrap off of Welcome To My Castle from NardWuar. Some time ago I had the choice experience of watching his first DVD collection of interviews, Doot Doola Doot Doo…Doot Doo!, and acquired the taste for this unique Canadian export. Whereas that collection was from more recent times, [italics]Welcome To My Castle is an eclectic assembling of early- and mid-90s dalliances with the famous, like Bob Denver, Tom Vu, Anthony Robbins, Flea, Timothy Leary, President Ford and some Canadian PMs or Kurt Cobain at the height of Nirvana’s fame.

Although quite a few years before he became an interviewing name, NardWuar’s style was intact in the 90s. It’s his quirky, rapid fire questioning that makes the interviewees stay concentrated. Questions are pulled from vast reaches of astonishing musical knowledge and minutia which generally perplex the guest. Watching a NardWuar interview is akin to standing on a cliff, on toe tips, with a bowling ball in each hand. You’re waiting to plummet, but gravity sways the kinder way.

By taking the marker to face the abuse of Jello Biafra or the nonsensical answering of Sonic Youth, NardWuar proves he’ll sit through humiliation and disruption to get his answers. Hidden within awkwardness is a master interviewer. Who wants to keep hearing about plight and feelings from a millionaire? Questions about Jello’s belt buckle and no less than five about Iggy Pop’s cock break the monotony.

There are too many interviews to list, but each has its own intricacies and gold nuggets. A routine Ron Jeremy quizzing about spurting is just downright funny as hell. NardWuar is your annoying friend who talks too much and has too much information, but that’s why you love him

Posted by david in reviews on Mon Mar 31, 2008 | Permalink |

[nardwuar]

From:

http://picassoblueyo.blogspot.com/2008/07/nardwuar-human-serviette-welcome-to-my.html

Nardwuar the Human Serviette - 'Welcome to My Castle'

“Why does the United States of America… take an interest in Canada?�; “Would it be right to suck up to little reporters, and lick them?�; “Is Sonic Youth a logical extension of Yes, Gentle Giant, and Crimson?�; “Don’t you feel bad at the bank taking property from people who have nowhere to live?�; “Is there a cure for the summertime blues?�; “Do you really love drugs?�; “How can anybody top the Snoop hotdog?�; “Doot doola doot doo…�

Find the answers to all these questions and more, true believers, in Welcome to My Castle, the latest Nardwuar the Human Serviette DVD and thrilling follow-up to Doot Doola Doot Doo…Doot Doo!. Boasting five-and-a-half hours of footage split between two DVDs, Welcome to My Castle is a wickedly funny film for pop culture junkies. Nardwuar’s interviews tend to either go one of two ways; either folks can roll with his elaborately interconnecting questions and shrill voice (Courtney Love, Ron Jeremy, and, oddly enough, former Canadian Prime Minister John Turner) and those who can’t (Sadly, Sonic Youth and Jello Biafra are dicks here). Either way can be entertaining, although Sonic Youth’s responses are awfully asinine.

Nardwuar’s better interviews tend to be the ones that blindside his subjects, like his meetings with Turner, former President Gerald Ford, and a variety of folks at the Junos, but his ability to shine is dependant on cooperation. So while Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic can’t get a grip on how Nard works, Courtney Love’s series of interviews are all great, whether she be drugged out of her gourd (post-Kurt Cobain’s death) or happily married. Nardwuar is addicted to pop culture of all kinds, so much so that at one point he even tracks down pen pals listed in teen magazines, and it is because of Love’s similar interests and attention to details that the two make such great conversationalists, whether they're arguing, falling over, or just talking straight. Also, there is a deeply, deeply weird sexual chemistry going on. Regardless of whether or not I'm imagining that, Nardwuar somehow captures her at her most human.

Another choice interview comes courtesy of porn star Ron Jeremy. Willing to mock everyone in the room, including himself, Jeremy responds to Nard’s queries honestly and humorously. It’s also the only time Nardwuar actually seems out of his depth, as one question about the “unsung legends of porn� prompts Jeremy to scoff the reporter’s picks. It’s like watching two music snobs go at it in a record store… only they’re talking about fucking instead of Lou Reed and Robert Johnson.

Viewers, like some of Nardwuar’s interviewees, may find the shtick tiresome after a while, though. While I can honestly say I dig the guy’s thorough research, guerilla reporting, and bait-and-hook hard-hitting journalism, five-and-a-half hours is a lot of time to dedicate to inane questioning. Sometimes, the people just run out of steam; other times, you just wish they’d shut up (The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz is a real ass-hat on disc 1). But when spread out over multiple viewings, there’s plenty of wit and information to behold. Also included are bonus videos ranging from Nardwuar getting spat on to performances from his band, The Evaporators. Also included is preview interview with Snoop Dogg from Doot Doola Doot Doo…Doot Doo!, and it is hilarious. Sonic Youth might not get Nardwuar, but somehow a hip-hop heavy like Snoop is totally locked in, and it’s these random, odd connections that make Welcome to My Castle such a joy to watch.

[nardwuar]

from:
http://www.razorcake.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15640

Nardwuar the Human Serviette: Welcome to My Castle: 2 x DVD
Nardwuar is a quirky celebrity interviewer from Vancouver, BC. He has a high, grating voice, and he catches his subjects off guard by asking rapid-fire, esoteric questions about their careers, their lives, or about things that he knows that they’re interested in (specific questions about obscure music, for example). He also asks a lot of questions about Canada. It seems that he often operates without a press pass, and just bum rushes the people that he wants to talk to.
The main attraction is seeing people react as he approaches with a microphone and a barrage of questions. Some think he’s insulting or disrespectful; others seem flattered that he took the time to learn the weird little things that he asks, some try not to crack up, and others humor Nardwuar until they begin to run out of patience.
That last one is how I feel about this double-DVD set. I appreciated his zany energy at first, but, man, did it start to grate after about ten minutes. That doesn’t bode well for a package containing over five hours of material. That’s longer than I sleep some nights!
In snippets, or out of context on a cable access show, this could work, but edited together, it just chafes. The fact that a lot of this was filmed with a shaky handheld camera makes it even harder to take in.
So, if you’re a fan, this is a treasure trove. If it’s not up your alley, then this is torture. –CT Terry (Mint Records, Inc., PO Box 3613, Vancouver, BC, CanadaV6B 3Y6)