When you work, you don’t feel all right. No, you won’t feel all right ’til you get a party goin’.

I say we all start the summer in the spirit of Andrew W.K. – the spirit of dumb rock and greaseball party anthems. This guy, who I’m sure we’ll all be thoroughly sick of in, say, a couple months’ worth of beer commercials, just wants everybody to party and be happy. Seriously. Just check his Web site (www.andrewwk.com).

Because I just can’t seem to get “Party Hard” out of my head – and in our cultural crappy-music-saturated state, I’m not sure I want to – I think you should get it in your head too. So I implore you, in the name of summer fun, to check out the Northern Star Web site (www.northernstar.info) and listen to the tune. While you’re there, you also can check out some of the possibilities for summer entertainment.

So, about that summer fun. You could be in the same boat with me – graduating and facing the harsh reality of no more summer breaks. Hey, I might win the lottery. Yeah, it could happen.

You could be one of those lucky punks who still has some careless summers left. I must acknowledge that some people actually use their summers to get a head-start on their careers with internships, or to take summer school classes so they can actually make it out in four years.

Good for them. But I tend to favor the lazy summer route – use it while you’ve got it. Take some crappy job for a few hours a day (or eight), go home while there’s still some sun but the air has cooled a bit and, dammit, party hard.

What exactly is involved in this “party hard” business? “Duh,” some would say, envisioning copious amounts of various inebriating substances.

A-ha! This is where they’re wrong, because there is no party without friends, and music is your friend. Just ask W.K.:

“The music is your best friend, and it will never turn its back on you or let you down,” he states on his Web site. “It loves you unconditionally and thinks that you’re great. It wants to do whatever it can to make you smile and feel good. You can do no wrong … THIS IS OUR TIME. I LOVE YOU.”

Hey man, I love you too.

That’s only a couple of lines from his lengthy happiness essay, which seems to be induced by some special substances of his own. Did you get all that? The music loves you unconditionally. Wow, that’s one happy guy.

You can’t read what he has to say and not catch yourself grinning or even laughing out loud.

That grin, compliments of this happy, sweaty, grimy rock dude, will prove to be the essence of summer. It has been foretold. Thou shalt party hard.

Take it from me … summer hasn’t even started and I already miss it. You only get so many summer breaks. After graduating, weekends are the only refuge from “The Job.” Suddenly that one-week-a-year vacation sounds pretty juicy.

While visions (OK, let’s say “blurry visions”) of backyard barbecues and late-night keggers dance through our heads, the “thud” of work is imminent, just waiting for the cheesy valedictorian speech to end.

But Andrew W.K. says it’s never too late. Note his unrelenting positivity:

“In my life I want to feel as good as possible and help as many people as I can to feel the same,” his Web statement reads. “I want to do everything and I want to help as many people do everything too. Everyone is invited. No one is turned away here. This music is about freedom and this music is much bigger than just me.”

When Andrew invites you to his kegger, will you answer the call? Will you?