21 questions

Andrew W.K. Keeps His Money in a Mutual Fund

Name: Andrew W.K.
Age: 31
Neighborhood: Midtown Manhattan

Occupation: Entertainer, nightclub proprietor. He’s currently hosting the Dos Equis Most Interesting Show in the World, on tour through November 3.

Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
I don’t pick favorites because it’s stressful and unnecessary, but if I had to pick one of my many favorite New Yorkers to talk about right now it would be Big Nick. He owns many restaurants in the city, specifically Big Nick’s Burger and Pizza Joint. His face is on the menu as a cartoon, and you can find many photos of him around. Occasionally you would see him and he still looks the same as the cartoon drawings. You can tell he is extraordinarily invested in his business in that he has become his business, and his business has become him.

What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
The whole reason you move to New York is to try many different meals. One of the great meals I’ve have was at this place called Piano Due, an Italian restaurant, on New Year’s Eve. They have an incredible bar when you walk in and upstairs there are no windows. It was very formal, very fancy, fine dining but not only was the food good but the experience as well.

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
It’s never consistent. There is nothing that would be consistent of what I do, whether it is traveling with Dos Equis’’s Most Interesting Show in the World or performing with my band. It changes every day.

What was your first job in New York?
My first job in New York was working in Comme des Garçons.

What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
It was Hair and it was fantastic.

Do you give money to panhandlers?
Yes, on a case-by-case basis. What I have noticed a few times in New York are people who don’t appear to be panhandlers asking for money and don’t ask for it nicely. One time I said no and they were genuinely blown away and irritated that I didn’t give them money. Which reconfirmed why I didn’t. I just trust my instincts.

What’s your drink?
I like all types of alcohol, but usually room-temperature vodka.

How often do you prepare your own meals?
Very rarely, but buttered bread has been the meal I’m best at making.

What’s your favorite medication?
Is that assuming I take medication on a regular basis? I have not taken medication in years and years and years. The last time I took any medication was amoxicillin, which gave me a rash when I was in high school, and ever since then I was allergic to it and I’ve tried to stay far from medication.

What’s hanging above your sofa?
A portrait of my dad that my brother did when he was 3 years old. It looks exactly like my dad in the way that only a son can produce of his own father, no matter the age.

How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
I don’t think there is any amount that is too much. For me, no more than $300-$400. But it could be more and could be less, depending on the situation.

When’s bedtime?
6 a.m.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
New Times Square because that is what exists.

What do you think of Donald Trump?
I think he is fantastic and I’m glad that he exists.

What do you hate most about living in New York?
I hate being a visitor in New York when I live here.

Who is your mortal enemy?
I don’t have one, but I guess it would be me.

When’s the last time you drove a car?
Yesterday.

How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
The value of my mutual fund went down, but I try not to let it affect me.

Times, Post, or Daily News?
Post.

Where do you go to be alone?
Hotels, or at home in my apartment.

What makes someone a New Yorker?
Someone who loves New York very, very much, to the point where it becomes a part of them.

Andrew W.K. Keeps His Money in a Mutual Fund