John Ruskin, better known as Nardwuar the Human Serviette, or simply Nardwuar, is a Canadian interviewer and musician from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As for what makes Nardwuar so interesting, his 30-year career has seen him become one of the most iconic interviewers around, a consequence of his unique personality and incredibly well-researched approach.
Specifically, Nardwuar has interviewed a range of artists, musicians and even politicians such as Kurt Cobain, the ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Tyler, The Creator, Jay Z, Eric Andre, Seth Rogan and many more, all of which have been impressed with his far-from-normal persona – with Lil Uzi Vert even running away due to fear.
The foundation of his career was built via pure determination and having the confidence to be who he is no matter who he is interviewing. This realness is often appreciated by the interviewee, with one example of this visible below.
Nardwuar interviewing Nirvana in January 1994, just a few months before Kurt’s death.
Nardwuar asking Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union, “Who had the biggest pants?”
These videos are just a fraction of the hundreds that Nardwuar have published online, however, these begin to justify why Nardwuar the Human Serviette’s hometown of Vancouver, B.C. honoured his service by officially proclaiming the 29th of September as Nardwuar Day. As well as this, the 51-year-old music-industry personality was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame.
