7. He Was Asked To Perform At A Fans Funeral. So He Did
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K94zvwF3CWY In 2008, Dominic Owen Mallary and his band, Last Lights, performed a gig at Boston University. As he did at just about every show, Mallary whipped his microphone cable around his neck as part of his performance. Unfortunately, on this particular occasion, it was pulled awkwardly and shortly after the band had finished their gig, he complained of being unable to feel his legs and having tunnel vision. He died the next day at Boston Medical Center, from a blood clot which he had sustained on stage and had moved into his brain. As his friends and family mourned the loss of the 24-year-old, they remembered something he had told them in happier times: his last wish was to have Andrew W.K. play at his funeral. So they decided to try and make this come true, and started bombarding W.K. and his representatives with requests. Unexpectedly, they got a response from his manager, Pete Galli, sending his and Andrews deepest condolences, and saying that they had both been very moved by Mallarys passing. Then came the tear-jerker - W.K. had cleared his schedule in order to fulfil the last wish. He would perform at the funeral. Deciding that playing his party-themed rock songs might be a tad inappropriate, Andrew W.K. paid his respects to Mallary, and then performed understated classical piano for the rest of the service. This is just one in a long list of times W.K. has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help his fans out. He has offered one the money to pay a final electricity bill, given his camera to another who wanted a photo with him, and in Japan once spent a full 24 hours signing things for fans. Its a cliché to say that an artist really cares about his fans, but its clear that for Andrew W.K. its genuinely true.