Adam Green Declares Himself Nardwuar's Enemy

Horseshoe Tavern

Toronto, ON

on Jun 7 2008

Jessica Lewis (CHARTattack)

06/09/2008 1:00pm

Adam Green hates our trusty friend, Nardwuar The Human Serviette. Green doesn't visit Canada often, so he was excited to return to Toronto on Saturday night ("Man, I'm so glad we played here!"), but couldn't hold his distaste for Chart's elite interviewer.

"Do you guys have a Canadian Mr. Rogers?" he asked the crowd. "No, I know, you guys have Nardwuar, the human fuckface!"

It turns out that Nardwuar once interviewed Green's old band, The Moldy Peaches. Green testified that he and partner in crime Kimya Dawson "did the doo doos" quicker than their interviewer and since then, the interview has never been put online.

"We won!" yelled Green, before he launched into some more expletives.

Besides cursing the Nard, the concert was, if anything, hilarious. Opener Tim Fite and friend Dr. Leisure from Brooklyn appeared a little terrifying in their baggy pastel-coloured dress clothes. Fite's stage presence is one of eyes bugged open, mouth hanging wide as if he just survived a seizure, all coupled with a swagger. Disturbing, yes, but he actually grew on me. His multimedia presentation helped. He had video screens set up, did a slideshow presentation called "What Dogs Eat" and his renditions of "Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes," actually had the crowd "touching themselves." But my favourite, was his "It's All Right Here" rap about consumerism teamed with a video of a shopping cart going through a cereal aisle in a grocery store. "If you ain't got the cash, use credit!"

As much as Fite was the entertainer, Green was the night's strange heartthrob. He wore an outfit with sleeves that would've impressed Stevie Nicks, and was supported by a terribly normal and sober looking rock band. It showed that he has in some respect grown up, but hasn't forgotten to have fun. Though he dropped most of his completely crude lyrics of the past on latest album Sixes & Sevens, Green made up for it with his Little Miss Sunshine-esque dance moves, a swagger to rival Fite's, a fair balance of old and new material, and heaps of audience interaction.

Some doting fans brought large trophies with them to the front and handed one to Green. "Fucking stupid kung fu fans," he joked. "I've always wanted to say that. I can't even lift my own guitar man. Yeah, I have a guy to do that."

Green used his mumbled baritone to power through the crowd-pleasing newer tracks "Broadcast Beach," "Be My Man" and "Grandma Shirley And Papa" as well as oldies but goodies "Emily," "Her Father And Her," "Novotel" and "Jessica." New single "Morning After Midnight" and the jazzed-up "Dance With Me" were particular room-shakers.

For a night that I expected would only be crazy and weird, both Fite and Green proved they can be gross, creative and good musicians at the same time. I always thought Green survived because of his off-the-wall lyrics, but he can rock out with the best of them. It's a shame he can't understand a Canadian treasure like Nardwuar.