Nardwuar the Human Serviette

This comprehensive retrospective of Canada's number one guerrilla journalist is an awe-inspiring omnibus that proves many things about our beloved Nardwuar: he is a credited Canadian institution (check out the props by Michael Moore and David Cross on the case), an unforgettable character, an obsessive music lover and an encyclopaedia filled with an abundance of arbitrary and obscure facts. But most of all, Nardwuar is a true showman who puts his audience first by going where no other journalist dares to go. Over five hours of footage finds Nard interacting with well-known personalities whom he either rubs shoulders with or rubs the wrong way, unintentionally, I think. A nicely edited two-part MuchMusic special titled Nard Wars organises his interrogations into tidy subcategories like "Diva," "Metal" and the most entertaining one, "Danger," where our cheese cutter-clad hero is unjustly threatened by the bullying likes of Sonic Youth, Blur and Stephen Harper's bodyguards. Highlights are aplenty, but an annoyed Henry Rollins, an unruffled Ian MacKaye, the bloody Gwar (whose Oderus proclaims Nardwuar "the most annoying human I've ever met") and the chilled, yet thieving Snoop Dogg, who makes three appearances (including the 30-minute special where we see Nardwuar brought down to earth as he struggles to secure some time with the rapper), show the BC native at his best. A plethora of extras, such as uncut interviews, news/lifestyle pieces on Nardwuar and a vast assortment of music from his bands, are also available. I honestly cannot imagine living without this. (Nardwuar, www.nardwuar.com)