Melody: Your new show "Your Friend Andrew W.K." gives advice to your fans. Most of Coolgrrrls' readers are young female musicians who play rock and roll. What advice do you have for young girls who want to make it in this male-dominated industry?

Andrew: Well first I have to say that I couldn't be more supportive of young people learning to play music, that includes young women. Especially the fact that this is a male-dominated business. I think about that all the time. Why, when I walk into a recording studio is it that women are the secretaries and the receptionists, and the men are the engineers. Why is that? There is NO REASON for that. It’s that the precedent has been set and it is followed. Why are women always left out of the spotlight? There is no good reason, it's all crap, bull crap, and it's very frustrating to me. And I don't mean to compare the two, but why are there no handicapped people in these positions? Why are no musicians or actors born handicapped? Precedents have been set and it just doesn't seem to happen. The more women the better. And I’m the first to believe that, in more ways than one, women definitely have superior qualities that will benefit all human kind of they were to have their voice heard in more varied atmospheres. Music is certainly one of them. I say do it. Nothing makes me more angry than when I hear men criticizing the musical abilities of women.

ML: I know you like heavier bands like Obituary, but do you have any favorite girl rockers, heavy or otherwise?

AWK: Melissa Auf Der Maur.

ML: I knew you would say that. She’s great, I just got her new album.

AWK: I’m glad you said that. The band Kittie is a phenomenal band too. I think highly underrated. Amazing drumming. This is one thing people don’t understand about the drumming in that band: people have the misconception that because it's a girl drummer, it’s simple. In fact, on their last album Oracle, which I had the good fortune to hear very, very loud in mastering studio, and I was completely blown away. I’m going to buy it today. The drumming is what really impressed me, how huge and powerful the drummer and the riffs were and how tight and classy it sounded. It was not showing off, it was what it was. I met the drummer or the singer's boyfriend, and he came up to me just to say hi and that they [Kittie] were fans of mine. I never would've imagined that. [I told him] You gotta tell them how big of fans I am of theirs. We gotta tour together. It makes it more exciting because it’s girls. I don’t know if this matters. Should I like them because it's girls in the band? Should I like them, I don’t know if I should? I don't think it’s bad to give credit to that. I'm just proud of them. Another band is Wages of Sin. I think it's just Wage of Sin, that’s an all girl band that is incredibly intense, from the New York area. It's really brutal. Even more brutal than Kittie. Not that that makes it better.

ML: You are a very fan-orientated artist. What is the AWK Fan Convention "Wolf Kult Con" all about? Will you be able to attend this event?

AWK: I’m glad you asked about this. I absolutely am. It shouldn't matter, but how can I miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is the first ever fan-organized Andrew W.K. convention, and I had no part in organizing. The only thing I've done is put it on our website. A very dedicated group of superfans put it together. It's been in the making for two years. They've been trying to do it for real for two years and it’s the perfect time. It happens this Saturday (June 26) in Philadelphia. I think it's going to be a lot of hanging out, they've been working on putting together some bands to play as well as a special convention magazine, and it’s going to be very, very cool. My expectations are low, but very open. Even if one person is there we're going to hang out and talk about music.

ML: Tell us a little bit about this band, To Live and Shave in L.A., that you are playing drums in. Is this band going to tour soon?

AWK: It’s a band that was made up by a guy named Tom Smith about eight years ago, perhaps maybe a bit earlier. This guy is a long-standing crazy music dude who has been making crazy music for 30 years. He’s based somewhere in Georgia, or somewhere in the south, for most of his life. And he’s just a genius. He’s an American original, he's a world original, he’s an original guy. He was very inspirational and influential to me in my earlier years and to this day. I’m so honored I’m going to play drums with his band and on a brief but very intense tour.

ML: Will it come to Detroit?

AWK: I don’t know if it will come to Detroit. Primarily West Cost. The dates will be posted on our website as soon as we confirm. It's the first week in September.

ML: For your fans who don't have access to MTV2, what is the next thing they can expect from you as far as tours, albums, etc.?

AWK: We’re playing a handful of concerts over the next few months in Canada, and a couple of times as well in Taiwan in July, which is completely amazing. Like anybody, you have to be invited by the government. I have no idea what to expect. It's going to be very great. A third album is in the works, in the plan for some time next year I hope. Other than that, who knows? There's so many possibilities, but if you don't get MTV2, download it from the internet, whether legally or illegally, or get it from your friends. It's fine by me. Enjoy it. I do want to say that I have no choice on the videos that are played during that show. If you as a viewer, if you go to MTV2.com -- the Your Friend Andrew W.K. section -- you can write in your own questions and problems, as well as put your comments about the videos, and what videos you would like to see played, or if you don't want any videos at all. I know that we have started making a few episodes without the videos because people have been saying the videos are distracting.

ML: Well that's all the questions I have for you, Andrew. But thanks for talking with me. Oh, and I have to tell you that Anne Coleman says hi.

AWK: Oh yes, tell her and everyone in Detroit I said hi. And good luck with The Sirens.

Check out "Your Friend Andrew W.K." every Saturday night at 9 p.m. on MTV2. Send your advice questions to Andrew W.K. at MTV2.com. Go out today and buy a copy of Andrew's 2003 release "The Wolf" which features the single "Your Rules." Visit www.awkworld.com for more tour dates and other AWK info.

Written and edited by Melody Licious.