Nardwuar the Human Serviette

John Ruskin (born July 5, 1968), better known as Nardwuar the Human Serviette, is a Canadian celebrity interviewer and musician from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is the lead singer and keyboardist for The Evaporators and plays in Thee Goblins.

When asked to explain his name, Nardwuar has said it is “a dumb, stupid name like Sting or Sinbad;” and that “Human” came from the song "Human Fly" by The Cramps; and “Serviette” came from the fact that “in the U.S.A. they don’t have serviettes, they have napkins”.

He has a bachelor's degree in history from the University of British Columbia.

Early life

Nardwuar was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1968. His mother, Olga Ruskin, was a local journalist, high school history teacher and historian. She published a history of Vancouver historical figure "Gassy Jack" John Deighton. His mother exposed her son to local history by bringing him to historical society meetups. Nardwuar won a public speaking competition while in elementary school, where he was also a long-distance runner.

British Columbia

British Columbia, also commonly referred to by its initials BC, is a province located on the west coast of Canada. British Columbia is also a component of the Pacific Northwest and the Cascadia bioregion, along with the US states of Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska The province's name was chosen in 1858 by members of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada. Its Latin motto is Splendor sine occasu ("Splendour without Diminishment").

The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the fifteenth-largest metropolitan region in Canada, named for the Queen who created the Colony of British Columbia. The largest city is Vancouver, the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada, the largest in Western Canada, and the second-largest in the Pacific Northwest. In October 2013, British Columbia had an estimated population of 4,606,371 (about 2.5 million of whom were in Greater Vancouver). The province is currently governed by the BC Liberal Party, led by Premier Christy Clark, who became leader as a result of a leadership convention vote on February 26, 2011, and who led her party to an election victory on May 14, 2013.

Vancouver

Vancouver (ⁱ/væŋˈkuːvər/ or /vænˈkuːvər/) officially the City of Vancouver, is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada.

The 2011 census recorded 603,502 people in the city, making it the eighth largest Canadian municipality. The Greater Vancouver area of around 2.4 million inhabitants is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country, the second largest city on the United States–Canada border, and the most populous in Western Canada. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Vancouver is classed as a Beta global city. The City of Vancouver encompasses a land area of about 114 square kilometres, giving it a population density of about 5,249 people per square kilometre (13,590 per square mile). Vancouver is the most densely populated Canadian municipality, and the fourth most densely populated city with over 250,000 residents in North America, behind New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City.

The Evaporators

The Evaporators is a Canadian garage rock band formed in 1986 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Nardwuar, its founding member, is known for interviewing musicians and celebrities.

History

The Evaporators often collaborate with other musicians, such as Rodney Graham. John Collins is a member of the band The New Pornographers and David Carswell is in The Smugglers.

As of 2007, the band consists of vocalist/keyboardist Nardwuar the Human Serviette, guitarist David Carswell, bassist John Collins, and drummer Scott Livingstone. The band members also perform as Thee Goblins and other incarnations. Lisa Marr, formerly of Cub, was also formerly a member of The Evaporators.

Members

Current

Former

Release formats

Most of their releases have been available on both compact disc and vinyl, as well as 8-track.

Discography

Singles