Chappell Roan Aces, The Nardwuar Interview

Photo-Illustration: NardwuarServiette via YouTube

Nardwuar’s appeal is not only that he does crazy research on the artists he interviews, but that even the artists in question are shocked by the depth. It’s enough of a trope that he has a canned response when artists ask how he knows something: “You’re ____, we need to know!” Not Chappell Roan. In his latest interview, published on December 16, Roan is completely unfazed by Nardwuar’s research. “Battlefield Mall,” he says as a prompt, naming a childhood favorite mall of Roan’s. “What do you want to know?” she asks. “That’s where I spent all my time.” Honestly, it’s a good vibe they get going, even if it’s not as bombastic as when he asked the ugly god of the young hermit crab. Roan answers her questions directly and calmly, admitting that she was unique as a teenager, for example, and never stole from the aforementioned mall. She just sips tea and vibes and talks about camp (as in drag queen, Susan Sontag camp) and camp (like Interlochen, the summer camp she went to as a teenager).