Andrew W.K. "disappointed and puzzled" by cancellation of his cultural ambassadorship

The Ambassador of Partying releases an official statement.

The recent news that Andrew W.K. had been named a “cultural ambassador” to the Middle East was quickly rescinded by the U.S. Department of State. Apart from upsetting fans both here and abroad, the news upset the man himself, who released a statement via his website.

“I was personally invited to take this trip by The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain over a year ago. They came to me,” he holds, saying that he was first asked to give a motivational lecture in Bahrain over a year ago. “I was overjoyed and accepted their invitation immediately.”

Andrew W.K. and his team then went through all the necessary red tape — background check, travel bookings, phone calls and the like — and were ready to fly to Bahrain to December 1, even receiving an official itinerary as recently as yesterday morning at 5:58am. Just six hours and one PR brouhaha later, the trip was cancelled.

We’ll quote the rest of the statement in full, because it’s classic Andrew W.K.:

“When I was originally invited by our contact, it seemed everyone was aware of what I stand for with my positive attitude. They were aware of how I look and my high-energy rock music. They were excited to bring my message of living life to the fullest to the people in the Middle East. I was thrilled at the opportunity to represent my country and the spirit of inclusive and open-minded freedom that makes our nation so special and inspiring.

“So, for a Department of State representative to say Andrew W.K. ‘doesn’t meet their standards’ after they invited me and planned my trip for a year… well, that doesn’t meet my standards either. You can’t judge a book by its cover. I would’ve done a great job and represented our nation with dignity and pride. Despite all these challenges, I still would love to go and I vow to continue partying, and working everyday to to unite our human race through the power of positive partying.”

Latest

Latest



		
	
Share Tweet