It’s an unexpected, unanticipated pleasure for me to announce that Kanye West is going to continue giving crazy, epic interviews to promote his new album, Yeezus. I thought Kanye’s New York Times interview was a one-off, I thought it would be the only exhaustive, crazy interview Kanye would give to promote the album. It wasn’t. Kanye also sat down for an EPIC profile with W Magazine – you can read the exhaustive piece here. This sums it up perfectly: “West goes even further, favorably comparing himself to Le Corbusier, the Beatles, Marlon Brando, Tiger Woods, Azzedine Alaïa, Kate Moss, and the Soup Nazi, among others.” God bless Yeezus. What did I learn from this piece? He’s working with renowned architects and interior designers to baby-proof his homes. That’s my favorite detail. Here are some highlights:

His exile in Paris: “In Paris, you’re as far as possible from the land of pleasant smiles. You can just trip on inspiration—there are so many people here who dedicate their lives to excellence.”

His self-acknowledged deficiency in the eloquence department: “God’s little practical joke on me—as an intellect who doesn’t like to read a lot—is like, I’ll say some superphilosophical s–t, but I’ll say it the wrong way,” he says, laughing. “I’ll use the wrong word, so it goes from being really special to completely retarded.”

His fashion lines: “The first collection was way better than the second,” he says. “It was more artful. It was 30 collections in one. It just takes time for me to slow down and think like a normal person.” Established designers, West notes, are already “in a position to go crazy. I tried to come out of the gate going crazy. And it didn’t work. So now I have to somehow put out something that says, ‘I look sensible!’ ” That might be accomplished by his new men’s capsule collection of jeans, T-shirts, and hoodies for a hip French brand, to be unveiled in July.

Whether he styles Kim: “Nobody can tell my girl what to do,” he says. “She just needed to be given some platforms of information to work from.” Since virtually everything Kardashian wears is instantly broadcast around the globe, West adds, “one beautiful thing is that as she discovers it, the world discovers it.” This includes Kardashian’s inevitable stumbles. “For her to take that risk in front of the world, it just shows you how much she loves me. And how much she actually loves the opportunity to learn. You got, like, a million companies saying, ‘This is impacting your brand! This is impacting your fans! And blah blah blah.’ But she still sees this light of beauty.”

On the paparazzi & tabloid media: Last year, when someone threatened to go public with a recording he’d made of himself and an unidentified woman in a hotel room, West was on the verge of releasing his own copy of it, to neutralize any threat of extortion. “For the most part, I’d rather people have one of those home videos than some of the paparazzi photos that get published,” he says. “At least I recorded the s–t myself. That tape couldn’t have hurt me in any way if it came out—it could only have helped.” He finally decided against releasing it, but don’t be surprised if he changes his mind. “Now, I just do exactly what I want, whenever I want, how the f–k I want.  ‘F–k you’ is my message.”

Being difficult: “I’m not comfortable with comfort. I’m only comfortable when I’m in a place where I’m constantly learning and growing.”

Getting more Grammys: “I care. I care about everything. Sometimes not giving a f–k is caring the most.”

Trying something new: “People say, ‘Why do you want to destroy your name?’ But I don’t care about my name as much as I care about my ideas. I could do something completely wrong, and people could hate it, but then someone else could see it and do it completely right. And it’s a push forward for civilization.”

On his own narcissism: “On one end, I try to scale it back. Because I don’t want to close any of the doors needed to create the best product possible. But my ego is my drug. My drug is, ‘I’m better than all you other mother–kers. Kiss my ass!’ ”

He is a God: “I made that song because I am a god,” he says finally. He laughs for a second, then stops. “I don’t think there’s much more explanation. I’m not going to sit here and defend s–t. That s–t is rock ’n’ roll, man. That s–t is rap music. I am a god. Now what?”

[From W Magazine]

There’s also a lengthy exchange about what “I am a God” is really about – it’s apparently a diss track about some Paris designer who wanted Kanye to come to his show, but ONLY his show. Also: I’m guessing Kanye gets some heat about using the word “retarded”. Again, in this day and age, there really is no need to say that. As I previewed yesterday, the article also includes a hilarious exchange between Kanye and Kris Jenner. Here you go:

Kim’s mother, Kris Jenner, drops by and looks around the apartment, which she’s seeing for the first time. “This is amazing!” she says as West shows her some of his favorite objects, including a new set of ceramic cups by Frances Palmer. Jenner’s rapport with West evinces equal parts jokey affection and in-law awkwardness. He plays her some of his unfinished songs, including “Awesome,” which is clearly about Kim. When she exclaims, “Great job!” West doesn’t find it as flattering as Jenner evidently intended. He raises his eyebrows. “Great job?” he says and sets off on a comic riff that cracks up everyone in the room.

Toasting with his champagne glass, he says, “Great job, Baccarat, for making a glass that can hold liquid!” He looks down at his waist. “Great job, belt loops, for keeping my pants up!” Jenner laughs off the mockery but soon is ready to leave. Hugging West goodbye, she tells him, “I love you. You know where to find us, at the George V. Call us tomorrow, if you want.” It seems apparent to everyone, including Jenner, that West will not call.

[From W Magazine]

Perfection. And you know what? I’m going to steal this: “Sometimes not giving a f–k is caring the most.” I love him. Crazy, narcissistic genius-monster.

Photos courtesy of WENN.