US officials halt 'Party Hard' Bahrain outreach

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US State Department was forced to deny on Monday that it had invited a notorious rock star behind such classics as Party Til You Puke to represent America in the conservative Gulf state of Bahrain.

Musician, DJ, motivational speaker and self-styled "King of Partying" Andrew W.K. had earlier claimed to have been named a US "cultural ambassador" to the troubled Arab kingdom, a close US ally beset by sectarian tension.

"We will unite the human race with love and partying," he declared. But, in a set-back for this bold plan, State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters that there had been a misunderstanding.

"We had a Bahraini entity who approached the embassy about co-sponsoring a visit by this guy who I take it is pretty popular there in Bahrain," she said.