Christofer Drew -- also known as Nevershoutnever -- is amazing. Dude took the haphazard combination of Minnie Mouse sweater, wooden rosary beads, cheap bracelets, a bandana, and a pack of Camels -- and, of course, his signature Goldie Hawn/ Carol Brady shag -- and made it look 100% cool. That's not easy. But then again, he made the ukulele cool, so I shouldn't be surprised.
Christofer Drew also made winning a Woodie look super cool, as he kept his acceptance speech for the Breaking Woodie four words long: "Power to the people," channeling either Public Enemy or John Lennon, or probably both.
+ Check out more photos of Christofer Drew at the mtvU Woodie Awards after the jump, see who else won a Woodie, and watch the 2009 mtvU Woodies Friday, December 4, at 10 p.m. ET on mtvU, MTV, MTV2 and Palladia.
Read more...
The most interesting thing to be learned about Christofer Drew, aka Never Shout Never, is not one of the points he mentions in his interview on "The 5."
Sure, it's cool to know that he's a vegan who grew up in the Midwest. Definitely sweet to hear him tell the thrilling story of going very quickly from touring alone in a car packed with merch, to having his own sleeping compartment on an air-conditioned bus. And yes, it's fascinating to ponder the fact that Drew -- an animal lover -- has two cats and two dogs, but none of them live with him.
But the most interesting thing about each of Drew's five fun facts, is the humble way in which he describes them. This dude is 19, and he's a bona fide Internet sensation. Nobody who isn't taking off their clothes gets more attention on MySpace. He has every reason to be a raving egomaniac.
On the other hand, given the quirkiness of his music, he also has license to be a spaced-out weirdo. How many other bands on the Bamboozle Roadshow play the ukulele? Try zero. Is Christofer Drew just flying a freak flag to rake in as much attention as he can get?
Nope. Guess what? Christofer Drew is just a nice, normal dude who happens to be extraordinarily talented, and wants you to listen to his music. That's it. He's not trying to be a millionaire or a tabloid icon or a contestant on the next season of Knitting With The Stars or freaking out over dry shampoo. All he wants to do is spread a little happiness the best way he knows how. By writing a song every day.
Here he is, Christofer Drew.
(Credit: Brian Appio)
Christofer Drew, aka Never Shout Never, posted a new photo to his MySpace yesterday afternoon. That's less than 24 hours ago. At last count, the photo had accumulated 3,084 comments (I've had to go back and adjust that number three times since I started writing because it keeps going up). That's just plain mental.
In the photo, Drew stands barefoot on a stool, in a nautical tank top, with his decorated wings spread. He has a peace symbol tattooed on his left foot, but you already knew that. You know because Christofer Drew is a big deal. His Internet popularity is off the charts -- the 283,867 friends and 18,659,515 profile views he's amassed on MySpace have put him among the most buzzed-about bands of 2009. Oh, and his heart-breakingly charming songs don't hurt, either.
What you may not know, is that the MySpace photo that's generating all the comments came from an exclusive MTV shoot with our buddy Brian Appio. Something tells me you might be interested in seeing the rest of the set... Am I right? Why don't you go ahead and do that, and wash it down with a viewing of "Bigcitycreams" below!
+ Exclusive MTV Never Shout Never Photo Shoot
+ Find out more about Never Shout Never.
Don't be fooled by the exclamation point, the quirky spelling, or the Rod Stewart haircut. Never Shout Never, aka Christofer Drew, isn't the next electrified Cali-punk neon band. His songs are constructed of the same chords and patterns as your usual Warped Tour fare, but Ingle strums many of them on a ukulele, often with very little accompaniment. And while he does have some faster songs, Never Shout Never sounds more like a folk-pop troubadour than a pop-punk troublemaker.
Of course that hasn't stopped Missouri-native Ingle from filling out bills with The Honorary Title, Forever The Sickest Kids, The Cab and Mercy Mercedes. Whether it's those connections or his irresistible heartsick yodel that won him a coveted slot at two of this year's Bamboozles, I can't say. But I can say that 2009 is gonna be a major year for this quirky up-and-comer.
Watch Never Shout Never's "Bigcitydreams" video below, and get acquainted with the most charming folk-popper on the punk circuit.
