interviews
Andrew Wilkow
Detail:
An interview with Andrew Wilkow. Conservative talker on Sirius Satellite Radio and co-founder of conservativepunk.com
Article:
Working on a blog using a pro-wrestling analogy to deconstruct
punditry, part of what I do is identify archetypes. Passion for a cause
is a pre requisite. So is an engaging persona that hooks viewers in and
commands attention. Conservative Radio Talker Andrew Wilkow is all these
things, but he also doesn’t fit the usual molds.
I first heard Andrew filling in for Mark Levin. I was immediately drawn
to his championing of conservative principle from a youth perspective,
information coupled with logic and philosophy. The hook that drew me in
was his glowing praise for Metal band ‘Avenged Sevenfold’
and his suggestion that conservatives begin to explore art as an avenue
for furthering and promoting conservative thought. These were my first
impressions.
With hip shows like the Daily Show and The Colbert Report providing a
gateway for younger audiences to be engaged in Political discussion I
pictured Andrew as the conservative antidote. At 35, Andrew is one of
the youngest radio talkers you’ll find of any stripe. Although you’ll
hear him in a tone that reflects a connection with the youth, you won’t
hear him dumbing things down or patronizing his audience. Andrew isn’t
interested in competing for the youth by being cool at the expense of
rational thought and mature discussion, “That type of sarcasm as
a stand in for intellectual thought and good debating is gonna run its
course eventually.”
Andrew spends a majority of his show explaining and rationalizing liberal
thinking.
The non-commercial format of his show on Sirius Satellite Radio works
to Andrew’s advantage as it allows him to expand on his ideas providing
a fuller more pure experience, “My program is designed to not be
condescending, not be esoteric…I can take an argument, I can break
it down, build a new foundation then build a house on top of it, dust
my hands and say See that’s how it works”
Andrew Wilkow is also known for being co-founder of conservativepunk.com.
He formed it with his now-producer Nick Razutto. Nick had sent an email
after hearing Andrew talk about how “the politics began to take
over the music” A friendship was formed and after some “beers
and burgers cooked up Conservative Punk” Andrew continues “within
a day or two of launching we had 1000 members and the BBC flew a crew
out from the UK to interview us.” Many would know Conservative Punk
as the counterweight to Punkvoter.org - a high profile campaign organized
by ‘Fat Mike’ of legendary punk band NOFX. An initiative which
enlisted fellow punkers, mainstream rock acts like Green Day and Foo Fighters
and their fans to oust George W Bush in the 2004 presidential elections.
Punk is often regarded as being anti-establishment, likewise Punk is
also synonymous with being contrarian, asking questions and fighting against
groupthink, something the South Park guys have made a living off. Conservative
Punk isn’t an exercise at just being contrarian, Andrew is quick
to remind that “Johnny Ramone was a Reagan Republican” though
ultimately it’s a moot point “I go to a music event to listen
to music, I don’t really care about the opinions held by the band
one way or another… nobody owns the music”
You won’t find Andrew making his name from dissing his fellow talkers.
There is a graciousness and respect for his competition, be it left or
right because he knows “the road to talk radio is really, really
hard”. You could sum up Andrew’s career as the collision of
passion, hard work and opportunity. His first major break came from a
“risktaker” that saw talent and found him “compelling”.
A young woman heard Andrew as a Rock DJ and recommended it to her father.
That man happened to be Philip Boyce, the Program Director who revitalized
NewsTalkRadio WABC (AM) in New York City and the man responsible for giving
Sean Hannity and Mark Levin their big breaks. Andrew began his talk career
as a trial fill-in for Mark Levin, eventually inheriting the weekend timeslot
as Mark moved up. Andrew was later enlisted by Sirius Satellite Radio,
adding him to their conservative roster on the ‘Sirius Patriot’
channel. The young woman who first took notice of Andrew would later become
his wife.
Mark enjoys a camaraderie with Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Andrew is
one of the privileged few “Mark allows to fill in for him”
and one of the few people Hannity allows to broadcast from his ‘Freedom
Concert. It’s no surprise that the Sirius have programmed Andrew
with his colleagues, kicking off a formidable 8 hour block from noon which
continues with Hannity then Levin.
With the support of influential friends and a cutting edge media in Sirius
Satellite Radio, you can expect big things from Andrew Wilkow. Quoting
from his website, “Now is the time for the new school of conservative
voices with a whole new style and passion – moving to SIRIUS lets
me take that style and passion nationwide."
Download and Listen to my conversation with Andrew
Listen to Andrew by signing up to Sirius
Satellite Radio
Go to Andrew’s official
page on the Sirius site
Go to Andrew Wilkow’s
myspace page
Go to ConservativePunk.com