Andrew W.K. wants it known that when he and Nelly play the Axe house party at a private Miami mansion March 8th, he'll be available to do whatever it takes to make sure it goes well. "My job is just going to be go there and say, 'You know what, you look great. I really like your dance,' he says. "'Can I get you anything from the bar? Would you like any hors d'oeuvres?' I just want everyone to be comfortable."

Anyone can try to gain entry to the party -- sponsored by Axe men's deodorant -- at axehouseparty.com, where prospective partygoers must test their pickup lines on virtual models. "I was really never very confident talking to women," W.K. says wryly, "but if I knew I smelled a little better than the competition then I felt better about it."

He's even gone ahead and done some of the planning: "We'll definitely play first," W.K. says of his band, "because we have songs that are actually about starting a party. Like 'It's Time to Party.' That would obviously tell people that it's time to party. 'Ready everybody? Now it's time.' And then we'll just hand it over to Nelly, and he'll keep it going. And by that point it will have gotten hot in there."

Andrew W.K. is a guy who's always been passionate about partying, getting damn near misty-eyed when he talks about checking coats at his parents' cocktail nights and how he and his friends used to raise hell -- "newborn hell, just raise it up!" -- when anyone's parents were away for the weekend.

Granted, Miami's usually a little different than W.K.'s native suburban Michigan, but the whole point of this party is, as he says, to "give a normal guy a leg up, a boost in confidence and ability. They're giving people who normally wouldn't even know about this party a chance to go, and that's a good, charitable cause."

Plus, Nelly's going to be there, and W.K. is a big fan, as he displays by flowing on "St. Louie," from Country Grammar. "I can't wait to meet Nelly," he says. "I'm not going to bother him, especially on a night he's playing, but maybe I'll go into the kitchen and bring him a drink or something."

So, what's W.K.'s poison? "If you're going to drink a lot, you have to stick with a clear liquor," he says authoritatively. "It's going to treat you the best the next day. And if you have the money, you might as well get all the best -- Grey Goose instead of Smirnoff. It really is better for you."

AUGUSTIN SEDGEWICK
(January 16, 2003)