When You’re Not Excited, You’re Not a Fan: An Interview with Nardwuar the Human Serviette

Popshifter: I’m not from Canada and I’ve only lived here a few years, but before I moved, I read Have Not Been The Same [The CanRock Renaissance 1985 – 1995 by Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack, and Jason Schneider] by and I thought it was amazing. There was just so much in there, lots of bands I’d heard and didn’t know they were Canadian. And all the different connections and influences of all the bands and I thought it was totally fascinating. In fact, my copy has all kinds of Post-it notes of pages that I wanted to investigate further.

Did you read that and like it? Did you think it was a thorough examination or were there things you felt that should have gotten more attention?

Nardwuar: I loved it; it was absolutely amazing. The only thing I think is kind of strange about it, is that the name of the book is Have Not Been The Same. It’s named after a Slow song, but yet on the cover of the book. . . is it a picture of the rock and roll band Slow?

Popshifter: No.

Nardwuar: No, it’s a picture of the rock and roll band Sloan!

Popshifter: (laughs)

Nardwuar: So it’s kinda funny that here’s this band, this totally underground and legendary band, and a whole book is named after their great song. . . Slow never really achieved much success; just as they broke up the whole Seattle scene started and whose to say they couldn’t have gotten swept up into that? They never got their just due. And here’s this book that comes out with one of their song titles as the name of the actual book, like this is an opportunity for Slow, maybe Slow will be on the cover! And no, it’s a picture of Sloan.

Popshifter: (laughs)

Nardwuar: That being said, I love Sloan and Chris Murphy of Sloan ended up filling in on bass with my band The Evaporators—

Popshifter: I didn’t know that!

Nardwuar: —And he was one of the earlier interviews I did with a Halifax band. I interviewed him in 1991 or 1992—actually, I’d already been on the air for five years but it was one of the first bands I interviewed from Halifax—and he walked out on the interview. He walked out, disgusted with me and all these years later ended up playing bass with The Evaporators—

Popshifter: (cracks up)

Nardwuar: —and hosting my first MuchMusic special, too. So it just kinda shows that when you begin with people they might not be too friendly to you, but if you stick with them long enough maybe they will be your friend.

Popshifter: (laughing) Well, he also dressed up like you for Halloween!

Nardwuar: He did, yes! And it came from all that. So I can’t get too mad with having Sloan on the cover, because I love Sloan! Slow did finally get some recognition when the New Pornographers played on the David Letterman show. Kurt Dahle of the New Pornographers wore a Slow shirt.

Popshifter: Oh, that’s so cool!

Chris Murphy playing bass for
The Evaporators, 2006
Image from Nardwuar’s Gallery

Nardwuar: So! Finally Slow gets some mainstream recognition (laughs) when Kurt wears the T-shirt on the David Letterman show. Now, many mainstream people in the industry do know Slow, and do know their genius, but in my own weird, little, twisted world, it wasn’t until Kurt Dahle wore the shirt on the David Letterman show that I didn’t feel so bad about Slow not getting their photo on the cover of Have Not Been The Same.

Popshifter: (laughing) It’s funny you mention Sloan because that’s the reason that I’m here. I met my husband on their message board of all places and then we got married and I moved up here. So, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Sloan.

Nardwuar: Wow, have you told that to Chris Murphy?

Click to read more from Nardwuar on. . .

Inspirations and approaches to interviews
Music journalists and the early days
Can Rock and Chris Murphy of Sloan
Beck (Hansen) and Bach (Sebastian)
Digging into history and school dances
Redd Kross and Bill Bartell
Nardwuar’s fave fanzines, part one
Nardwuar’s fave fanzines, part two

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