***NOTE: CONTENTS HAS BEEN EDITED***

He's been called the "Savior of Rock" by some and "one of the most underrated musicians of the new millennium" by others. While I'd agree with both, to me Andrew Wilkes-Krier (Andrew W.K.) can be more simply described as - a friend. His music is fast, intense and thunderous, and his lyrics are fun, uplifting and inspirational. On his road to success in the music industry, he's made a point to give back to his fans, treating them more like loyal friends than paying customers. Andrew W.K. strives to give anyone remotely interested every ounce of energy he has to offer and truly wishes he were able to give even more. In engulfing myself with his music and in appreciating his personality, I've come to realize that my personal experiences with Andrew W.K. and his music have undeniably changed my overall attitude and my outlook on life.

The very first time I heard Andrew W.K. was when the video for "Party Hard" off the "I Get Wet" album premiered on MTV one weekday morning. Like many first time A.W.K. listeners, my initial reaction to the music and to the video was "Is this guy real?" The intensity and the tenacity of the music are so extreme that it, at first, can appear almost staged. Needless to say, Andrew W.K. caught my attention. As I went through that day, the song became more and more engrained in my head. I usually get annoyed when I can't shake tunes out of my mind. But there was no stopping Andrew W.K.'s "Party Hard." And the truth was, I actually didn't mind.

The problem was, that aside from "Party Hard" and a few short clips of a couple songs in the commercials promoting his album, I really didn't know any of the material. And quite honestly, I didn't have the money to go out and buy his CD if I wasn't sure I would enjoy it. So after that initial spark of interest, Andrew W.K. started to fade away. But in 2002, Summerfest, one of the nation's most popular music festivals held in Milwaukee, announced that Andrew W.K. would be the headlining act one of the nights. My interest in Andrew was automatically rekindled. My friends and I bought tickets for the night he was scheduled to perform. Little did I know that I was in for one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had.

The crowd, which was obviously more familiar with the music than I was at that point, was anxious and chanting for Andrew W.K. to come out. I almost felt bad for standing so close to the stage, five rows of bleachers back, when I wasn't nearly as devoted to Andrew as these people were. When the lights went down and the strobes started pounding, the place immediately erupted. People jumped off the bleachers and started dancing and jumping. I looked up and saw Andrew at center stage. He was hunched over, giving high fives to those in the front row as he belted out the words to the songs.

I don't think I've ever laughed so much during a concert. Andrew W.K.'s stage presence is second to none. It was so fun standing there, watching this madman in white running around on stage, flailing his arms, jumping and doing acrobatics in the air. But what happened at the end of the show that night is what would really get me hooked on Andrew W.K. and his music.

During his final song, which happened to be "Party Hard," Andrew disappeared to the back of the stage. Out of nowhere, Andrew came running from the back of the stage and leapt off the platform. Being center stage and five rows back, I was wondering what he was thinking. Everyone was standing on bleachers that were 2-3 feet apart from each other. Time slowed down as I looked up and saw Andrew fall onto the people in the row in front of me, toppling them over. Before he hit the ground, Andrew smashed his head on the metal bleacher I was standing on, not more than half an inch in front of my feet. Time sped back up as the crowd around me started to pounce on Andrew, just trying to get near him.

As I looked down at the chaotic scene, I saw that Andrew was trying to stand back up but he couldn't because so many people were jumping all over him. At that moment, my friends and I started pushing and pulling people away from him. Andrew slowly got back to his feet. We didn't know if he was okay, so a friend and I wrapped his arms around our shoulders and started to help him walk back to the stage. As soon as he was well enough to climb back up on his own, we let him go and turned to walk back to our spots.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp tug on the collar of my shirt, and through the screams of the crowd I heard "Hey! Hey man!" I thought it was a security guard coming to warn me about getting too close to Andrew or the stage. The pull on my shirt got a little tighter. I looked back, and there was Andrew.. I stepped back to him, and he started patting me on the back. "Thanks man, that was really cool!"

That was it. That was the very moment that I became an Andrew W.K. fan. Just the fact that he made a persistent effort to catch my attention so he could say "thanks" really meant something to me. I don't know of any other rock musician who'd do the same.

I didn't even wait until the next day to go out and buy "I Get Wet"; I got it that very night. The first time I listened to it, the raw energy of the album hit me head-on. It was like something lit a fire beneath me. I know it may sound cheesy, but a strange sense of consideration for others and an appreciation for fun and excitement filled me at that very moment and has stuck with me ever since.

While many of the songs' titles would suggest that Andrew W.K. is all about partying, getting wasted, and defying authority, the lyrics of "I Get Wet" are a lot deeper than that. They're emotionally uplifting and stir a feeling of anxiety to get out there and do whatever it takes to help others have fun and to enjoy yourself. That is, in essence, what Andrew W.K. and his music are all about. It's what I've learned I need to be all about myself.

But with Andrew, it goes much deeper than that. After officially declaring myself a fan, I became more involved with www.AWKworld.com, Andrew's official Web site. On his site, Andrew personally answers questions from fans, often helping them cope with emotional issues or finding out more about him personally. He posts pictures of himself with fans at shows and elsewhere and always remembers to leave an occasional inspirational message or a news update. The biggest thing he has done to connect to me personally, however, was to give his e-mail address and his office phone number.

I decided to e-mail him. I heard that he responds to his fans, and I thought it was worth a shot. I wrote to him about the experience I had in Milwaukee and how great I thought his music was. I honestly wasn't expecting a response, but the next day when I checked my e-mail I saw an awesome surprise:

"Dear Spaulding: Hi man! This is Andrew W.K. getting back to you! Thank you for writing! I'm so glad that you've discovered this music, and that now you're here we get to do it all together! I'm really glad that you love the new album. I love it too, and as long as we keep on loving it, that's the most important thing! (edited) …We must stand for what we believe in, and we must fight for what we love. This is music that really loves you and wants you to feel wonderful as often as possible. The music is here to dig you up and get you the strength that you have inside. This is your life and this music wants to be with you to live it up!!! Awesome!"

And to close his letter, he signed off with: "Your Friend, Andrew W.K."

Wow. I couldn't believe my eyes. I instantly called Andrew and left a message thanking him for writing back. That was probably one of the happiest, most exciting times in my life. As weird as that may sound to some, it was true. My happiness was only lifted the next day when I checked my voicemail and saw that Andrew left me a message.

"Hello Spaulding, this is Andrew W.K. calling. I got your message, just wanted to call back. I hope everything's going all right, everything's okay. You just gotta keep on doin' what you're doing and you'll come out on top. You gotta stay on top and stay on strong! Okay?" Click.

I was speechless. I couldn't believe the type of personal interaction I was making with an artist I was now becoming one of the biggest fans of. That said to me that no matter how much money you have, no matter how popular you are, and no matter how busy you are, there's always time to give back. There's never an excuse for not keeping in touch with the people who mean the most to you. For Andrew, his fans matter most.

In realizing that, I too gained a much greater appreciation for my friends and family. I started to look at the type of person I was and how I could make myself a better person. I focused on how I could be nicer, someone who other people could look up to and someone who more people could trust. Andrew W.K. made me realize that there was a lot more I could be doing to be living my life to the fullest. I was so elated and felt a huge burden lifted off my shoulders because of these kind, inspirational words. It's really hard to communicate exactly what I was thinking because the feeling I got from the first time I heard Andrew up until this point was just… priceless.

About a month later, when Andrew's second album, "The Wolf", was released, I got the chance to correspond with Andrew some more. I e-mailed him letting him know how much I was going to try to be a better, less selfish person and how much I loved "The Wolf" (the name his fans have now taken on as "Wolves") and how motivating the album was. His response was:

"Dear Andrew: O.K. flat out... YOU RULE!!! I APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH that you're fighting for this music every step of the way! THANK YOU SO MUCH for believing and pushing and like you said, ALWAYS TRYING!!! That's so nice of you and the music really loves you EVEN MORE for it! Hang in there and never give up and NEVER LET DOWN!!! You are a true WOLF and you've always been and it was only a matter of time until this music found you and you found it! I mean, do you feel how great this feels? THIS IS YOUR TRUTH!!! Never forget this good feeling you have - IT IS YOURS! You can do anything with it and you will never loose it!"

And again, "Your friend, Andrew W.K

"The Wolf" really is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. "I Get Wet" was really fun, but "The Wolf" really plucked at a few of my heartstrings and made a direct connection with my outlook on life. The lyrics are that much deeper, that much more invigorating and refreshing.

In "Long Live the Party" Andrew sings, "The more that you can give it then the more it will be. And if you do not have it you can take it from me! All we ever wanted was a thing to believe. And now that we have found it we have all that we need!" The message is clear: We can believe in Andrew. We can believe in his music. And if we're ever in a bind, there is always someone there we can count on. Because of Andrew W.K., I've been striving to be the person he speaks of, someone to be counted on.

In "Never Let Down", Andrew sings, "And I'm never going to leave you out if you ever lose your way. Not alone or betrayed. I'm always going to be around! You can never let down!"

And finally, in "Totally Stupid", a song that means so much to me because of the impact it's had on my personality, Andrew says "If we wait until tomorrow, will tomorrow ever come? This is where we're coming from, and we're not the only ones. When we find ourselves in trouble, we can find ourselves a way. You can find a place to stay. And that place is always safe. If you have a heart that's in pain, don't be afraid. You're not to blame. There's a better world inside of us, where we always thought it was. You don't need to hide. You can open up your eyes and you'll discover that there is another world!"

I can sit here and write these lyrics out and tell you how much they mean to me, but to fully understand, you just have to hear it. The music behind the words is just as important to the message and Andrew's goal of creating the best, most exciting music he can.

By now, hopefully you're able to tell what kind of person Andrew W.K. really is and how his personality is capable of truly changing people. But if there is any doubt left in your mind- there's his T.V. show.

Hearing about Andrew and learning about how close he was with his fanbase, MTV2 helped Andrew produce a show called "Your Friend, Andrew W.K." In it, Andrew received letters from fans in need of advice or who just wanted a chance to get say hello. He would travel to these people's homes and help them with whatever they needed. In one episode, he babysat for a fan's baby, so that the father could go out and enjoy himself. In another episode, he helped a fan by guiding him through an Andrew W.K.-style makeover. While I was never blessed with a visit from Andrew myself, I could just imagine how much of a life-changing experience it would be. Thinking about it, I knew that I needed more. I needed to have another shot at getting close to Andrew, to let him know how greatly he's affected my lifestyle.

In May of 2004, Andrew started "The Never Ending Spring Break Party Tour". I bought three tickets for the show at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago. It was my goal to get on stage and let him know I was there, and to thank him for everything he's done for me. I brought along my friends Sarah and Heide, who had recently become fans because of "Never Let Down." I even made a shirt for the concert. I printed in big, black, bold letters Andrew's slogan and a title of a song he recorded for his Girls Own Juice EP on Bulb Records, "Music or Die."

It was during the song "Your Rules" that I got my chance. Of course, there were tons of diehard fans getting onstage to dance and sing with him. I was on the far left side of the stage, and the only way up was to crowdsurf. So, I made my way to the middle of the crowd and asked to be hoisted up. As soon as I got up on stage, "Your Rules" had just ended. I was the only fan on stage. I was pumped. Andrew was just looking at me for a second. Then, I walked over to him and gave him a high five. He looked ay my shirt and I made out a smile through the soaked hair that covered his face. He turned me around to face the crowd. He put an arm over my shoulders and pointed my shirt out to the crowd. Then his band started playing the next song. With a pat on the back and a thumbs up from Andrew, I ran towards the edge of the stage and did a flip back into the crowd. I knew then that Andrew had gotten my message and that I had accomplished my goal

Since that concert, I've been doing my best to live life like a party and to help as many people out along the way as I possibly can. I'm not nearly as selfish anymore, and I don't hold grudges. It's 2005 and Andrew is currently working on his third album. I can't even wrap my head around how much more I'll be able to take in. It will continue to help make me a better person. Andrew W.K. and his music have been a positive force in my life and in the lives of all his fans. If you're feeling down and out, if you're stressed out, and if you're looking for someone to relate to, there's no way I wouldn't tell you to check out Andrew W.K... I did, and it's most definitely proven to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.

-AS