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