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
POSITIV 2/2019 ǀ 83