Chappell Roan Discovers Orville Peck’s Punk Drummer Past: “He Changed My Whole Life”

Before he became the masked country crooner Orville Peck, he was a punk drummer in Vancouver’s underground music scene—something his friend, singer Chappell Roan, didn’t know until her recent interview with Nardwuar the Human Serviette.

During the interview, Nardwuar gifted Chappell a vinyl compilation from Vancouver’s legendary venue, The Emergency Room. Inside the album’s booklet was a photo of the band Nü Sensae. The image showed singer-bassist Andrea Lukic front and center, but in the background, a drummer with his head down was barely visible. Nardwuar asked Roan if she recognized the mysterious figure.

Roan, unaware of the connection, was stunned when Nardwuar revealed it was none other than Orville Peck himself (whose real name was briefly mentioned). Her reaction? Pure surprise: “Wait, shut up! What!? That’s so sick—I didn’t know he played drums. That’s so cool. I was just talking to him.”

She went on to share how transformative Peck’s influence has been on her own journey as a performer. Reflecting on his live show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, Roan explained, “It changed my whole life. It changed how I do shows. He had local drag queens open for him—Meatball was one of them. I told myself from that show, ‘If I ever perform my own headline shows, I’m going to have local drag queens open up for me too.’ So he changed my life, and now we’re friends.”

The interview highlights both Peck’s unique history and his impact on artists like Roan. You can watch the full Nardwuar interview below.