56-year-old Nardwuar the Human Serviette is a journalist, musician, and radio host, widely known for his eccentric personality and his trademark terrifyingly specific questions during iconic celebrity interviews.
Throughout his 38-year career in journalism, Nardwuar has captivated audiences across the globe with his notorious YouTube interviews and uncanny ability to connect, almost creepily, with stars, leaving them speechless, wondering one thing: “How does he know that?” On YouTube, he has racked up nearly 600 million views, with celebrities like “Schnoop Doggy Dog,” Tyler, The Creator, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Beabadoobee being subject to his unique journalism.
Throughout November, Nardwuar conducted a live tour of California, giving his fans an inside look at his inspirations, childhood, health struggles, and some of his secrets through a lens of lively stand-up comedy. With each show, fans lined up to get a glimpse into the methods that have made Nardwuar the Human Serviette one of the most iconic and intriguing modern journalists.
On November 15th, hundreds of people wound around the Fonda theatre, eager to learn the secrets of Nardwuar’s genius. The venue buzzed with excitement, people filling every corner of the venue, anticipating the moment Nardwuar would step on stage… and when he finally did set foot into the bright spot light illuminating the center of the stage, the theater erupted with deafening cheers. Within seconds, he was running around the stage with an infectious grin recounting joke after joke about his childhood experience, specifically about his failed high school cross country career, where, despite being dead last, at least twenty minutes behind the person in front of him, he “just kept running!”
But soon this energetic comedy bit was over, and with a dramatic flick of the lights and dark tone, he announced it was time for “Nardwuar’s Video Vault.” This was a segment that he intermixed with his comedy for the rest of the night and featured never-before-seen footage from his career and a lot of famous memes that were spawned by it. He lightheartedly talked about his experiences with meme culture, his love for alternative media, and inspiration from his mother, but slowly delved deeper into his personal life.
A turning point in the show came when Nardwuar revealed his mostly unknown health struggles. In 1999, Nardwuar suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, followed 16 years later by a stroke in 2015. Accompanying his explanation of these events were videos of him in the hospital… Smiling. Always smiling. Despite the severity of these potentially life altering instances, he was always smiling, displaying the resilience that has helped him rise to be one of the best in his field. Nardwuar explained that it was the hundreds of letters of support he received at this time that brought an unremovable smile to his face and fueled his drive to become the best journalist out there.
As the show came to a close, the audience and Nardwuar were comfortable with each other, and the show became a sort of interactive concert-like experience. Phrases like “Nardwuar’s Video Vault” and “Schnoop Doggy Dog” became call and response chants throughout the theater. As time ran out, he gave the one last message which he had been building up to throughout the show with stories of failures and health struggles. No matter the circumstances, the only path to success is to follow what he did during his cross country years: “TO JUST KEEP RUNNING!”
The lights came back on and Nardwuar hopped off the stage, diving into an exclusive Q&A, answering questions ranging from his journalistic techniques to his favorite ice cream flavor. Of course, the question that came up numerous times was “How do you uncover everyone’s secrets?” But Nardwuar, a master of mystery, made sure to never completely reveal his secrets, giving the audience only a taste of the question that filled the mind of every attendee.
Although many left the venue with their questions still not fully answered, Nardwuar sent his audience off with hearts filled with curiosity and inspiration.
Be sure to check out Nardwuar the Human Serviette’s notorious celebrity interviews at “NardwuarServiette” on YouTube.
