Andrew W.K. - Biography - "Steev Mike" Accusation

"Steev Mike" Accusation

Rumors suggest that another person, known as "Steev Mike", is behind Andrew W.K.'s music. The rumors began in late 2001 with the release of Andrew's first album, I Get Wet, when music critics and industry insiders like Gary Mullholand (of the Guardian) and Ryan Schreiber (of Pitchfork) accused Andrew W.K. of being a corporate construction.

In late 2000, an article in UK magazine Dazed & Confused featured a full-page story on "Steev Mike", but showed a photo and discography of "Andrew W.K.". In April 2001, Bulb records (who had released the first AWK record), made a page with lots of references to Steev Mike where it would later be changed to "Andrew WK". The name, "Steev Mike" was listed as "Executive Producer" on Andrew's first album I Get Wet in 2001, and again in 2006 on Andrew's DVD Who Knows and third album, Close Calls With Brick Walls. Steev Mike was not credited on the second album, "The Wolf", released in 2003.

A series of websites appeared in November 2004, supposedly created by someone calling himself "Steev Mike", consisting of easily decipherable coded messages. These messages included references to the Creative Artists Agency, a casting agency, and promises to reveal something. In the final message, a letter addressed directly to Andrew W.K., "Steev Mike" stated: "You know how much I believe in you and all that you stand for, because I stood for it first. You know how much I love your music, because I created it. You know that I love the way you look and act and talk and sing and dance because it was born in my brain." The message goes on to say: "Your recent efforts to exclude me from the 3rd album material will not be tolerated. I did not work for the last year on these new songs in order to have you break promises." and later: "If you refuse to comply, I will have no choice but to let the world know that you’re a backstabbing fraud."

Andrew W.K.'s official website also appeared to have been hacked during the same period, with someone leaving the same coded messages, taunting and insulting users.

It is unclear who was behind these messages, but they provoked a statement by Andrew himself, addressing the confusion, posted on his official website. In the statement, addressed "Dear everyone", he wrote, "PLEASE DON'T BELIEVE STEEV MIKE. I USED TO CALL MYSELF STEEV MIKE A LONG TIME AGO AND IT'S NOTHING NOW. Someone is trying to confuse you and make me look bad."

In May 2009 Andrew discussed the "Steev Mike" rumors once in an interview with British magazine, Front. In the interview he stated, "Steev Mike is the executive producer on my first album. The nature of how we presented my initial offerings caused some confusion, even though I tried to make it as straightforward as possible". He also added, "most of what you've heard is exaggerated but the parts that are true may be more disturbing than you'd hoped".

According to corporate records filed with the Secretary of State of Michigan, "Andrew W.K. Inc." filed a certificate of assumed name on May 28, 2010 to transact business under the name "Steev Mike." Also according to corporate filings in Michigan, Andrew Wilkes-Krier is the president and sole officer of "Andrew W.K. Inc." and has been since the corporation's first annual report was filed in April 2000 if not earlier. "Andrew W.K. Inc." was formed in December 1999.

In an interview with MTV in January 2010, Andrew WK did his best to explain who "Steev Mike" is, noting that legal restraints prevent him from revealing everything: "The best way I can answer is a name given to a group of people who don't want to be named."