Over the weekend, jaws dropped when rocker Andrew W.K. announced he had become the U.S. Cultural Ambassador to the Middle East and was heading to Bahrain "to promote partying and positive power." As it turns out, this won't be the case at all, as the State Department have cancelled the diplomatic hopeful's trip altogether.
According to the DCist [via Stereogum], a State Department representative weighed in on W.K.'s announcement and revealed that the wild and wet rock figure was never actually designated a "cultural ambassador." The rep did, however, add that artists and cultural figures are routinely invited to embassies around the world to make appearances.
Regretfully, W.K. won't even be able to make his proposed trip to the embassy in Manama, Bahrain, with the representative noting, "The embassy determined that was probably not a best choice and didn't meet our standards."
It's too bad; we were hoping W.K.'s first mission would have had all sorts of higher-ups going crazy in the name of unity and partying till they puked.
UPDATE: On Twitter, W.K. said, "I'm just blown away. After a year of planning, the US State Dept. just canceled my Middle East trip because I'm too party."
According to the DCist [via Stereogum], a State Department representative weighed in on W.K.'s announcement and revealed that the wild and wet rock figure was never actually designated a "cultural ambassador." The rep did, however, add that artists and cultural figures are routinely invited to embassies around the world to make appearances.
Regretfully, W.K. won't even be able to make his proposed trip to the embassy in Manama, Bahrain, with the representative noting, "The embassy determined that was probably not a best choice and didn't meet our standards."
It's too bad; we were hoping W.K.'s first mission would have had all sorts of higher-ups going crazy in the name of unity and partying till they puked.
UPDATE: On Twitter, W.K. said, "I'm just blown away. After a year of planning, the US State Dept. just canceled my Middle East trip because I'm too party."
