Local celebrity: Andy D.

(Credit: Chelsea Franks / Submitted photo)

Claim to fame: Bloomington-based rocker/rapper. Kitted out in denim cutoffs, a denim vest and fanny pack, with a long flowing rattail, Andy D. is hard to miss. But it’s not just the clothes that  distinguish him from the crowd. It’s also his clever lyrics and laid over fun beats. He’s electroclash meets the Electric Six. With songs like “God Loves Drunk Chicks,” “Party Werewolf,” and “2 Inches from Crazytown,” Andy D’s music is a signal that the party has begun.

In 35 words or fewer, I want the world to know: I’m going to count this out on my hand, hang on. ...That life isn’t a zero-sum game and being awesome is not dependent upon someone else being less awesome. We can all be awesome.

What’s your day job? I work on campus at IU at an academic journal called “Animal Behavior.” I do membership management and membership liaison, along with proofreading.

We heard you’re a linguist — what’s your background? I studied anthropology. I did a thesis on linguistic anthropology. I have another degree in religious studies.

Where did you grow up? Greenwood. I went to Greenwood High School. I moved to New York, and I just moved back to Indiana a year ago.

When did you start performing as Andy D.? The first song I wrote as Andy D. with this style of music, it’s called “Rockslow.” I wrote that in very late 2003-04. I end most shows with it. I didn’t start doing this until 2005 — that’s when I had my first show in New York, and I wrote the album in 2005-06. The album (“Choose Your Perversion”) came out in spring of ’07. I’m working on the second one right now.

How did you come up with your look? It sort of came together. I said, “I think I’m going to try growing a mustache.” I did and I stuck with it — and I put mascara in it to thicken it up. I called it “stachscara.” And then I had kind of long hair. One of my friends was like, “I’m going to give you a rattail.” And I said, “Yes you are.”

How do you describe your sound? I call it party music. I rap, but I’m not hip-hop. I have a song about Vikings that I call prog-hop. Mythical themes and hip-hop. If all else fails, I’ll call my music pop. I’m just trying to play to my influences.

What song do you sing along to when no one else is around? “Crush on You” by The Jets, because I love that song.

If you were mayor of this city, what one thing would you change? Do mayors have the power to give people universal health care? Because that would be awesome.

Who is YOUR favorite local celebrity? Grey Granite — I really like what he’s doing. He’s pretty solid on the hip-hop circuit in Indy.

Indianapolis: Love it or leave it? Love it. Things are getting better here. There’s more people coming together and making stuff happen. 

Meet Andy D.

He’ll be performing during the Broad Ripple Music Festival Oct 17 at the Casba, 6319 Guilford Ave. Info: www.broadripplemusicfest.com.