STYLE Albert, you come from culturally-diverse Třinec, where Czech and Polish people live among another. How did this environment affect you as an artist? The fact that Třinec is so far away from Prague, the cultural capital of the CZ, was very motivating for me. The Polish cultural scene affected me a lot in particular, as it was my teacher, Mr.Cieślar, at my Polish secondary school that handed me a microphone and sent me off to sing at school festivals all over the region. Thanks to that, I began realizing that being on stage turned me into a showman. How does one from Třinec make music that speaks to the diverse European audience? How would you describe Třinec to foreigners? Good infrastructure, a rising economy, and the beautiful countryside provided by the Beskid Mountains. Honestly, however, it means a lot of

traveling, not only to Prague, but cities like London as well. You are a polyglot even in education. What does the knowledge of two different languages mean to you, and in how many languages do you write lyrics? The saying that the number of languages you speak determines the number of times you are a person is really true. I speak Czech, Polish, English and German, but I miss Spanish, French and Russian. Maybe I will get back to those eventually. I really enjoy it. If I wasn’t making music, I would be a tour guide at some coastal tourist location. I wrote a couple songs in Czech and Polish, but I don’t yet dare to write in German, although I do listen to German bands. How did the band Lake Malawi come together, and what does its name mean? After Charlie Straight fell apart, I wanted my new band to be named after a lake, like the songs on Calgary by Bon Iver are all named after places, but I didn’t know which one to pick. Then I saw it on a world map once, and I was sure that was going to be it. It also sounds nice and soft when you pronounce it in English. Let’s go back to Třinec. How, personally, do you present your roots, and the place you come from? It’s probably most obvious in our music videos. I am really proud of the clip for “Coco” by Charlie Straight, because it’s set in the Třinec ironworks. Another one that stands out is the unknown song “Not My Street” by Lake Malawi, which was filmed at the aquapark in Třinec, Podlesí. What I value the most is probably the ability to begin understanding Polish culture, and being able to listen to Polish and Slovakian radio stations in the car; I don’t think that’s possible in Prague. The regions of Moravia and Silesia are very interesting, not only for sightseeing, but also cuisine. Could you recommend our readers an interesting place to visit, a regional meal, or a recipe? I love the peaks Čantoryji and Ostrý, and the Beskids in general. I would like to get to know them better and go on more hikes. When it comes to food, Třinec is slowly becoming a gourmet city. Viťa Mrázek is my good friend from high school, and he started a business called “Eko-burgery.” Another good place to get food is also the “Pochutnej si” bistro, or Vitality Hotel. Whenever I am home, however, I like to visit my grandma on Beskydská street. She always makes pea soup and dumplings filled with plums. I then look out at the view from the eigth floor, where I can see the Sosna hospital, and Jablunkov and Jovor pass all the way on the right. That view is something that I took with me from childhood, and it will always give me inspiration. Thank you very much for the interview. Editorial of Magazine.

Text: redakce Foto: archiv Lake Malawi www.lakemalawi.cz

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