Laura si prošla trnitou cestou. Dnes je šťastnější než kdy jindy, říká Atom z Against Me!

How was your tour with Green Day? Was there anything special about touring with such a popular band?

Yeah, that was super fun! They are super nice people. Everybody’s really really nice and easy to get along with. And it was fun to play like such a big, crazy places. It’s amazing to see how connected they get with crowd and that was kind of inspiring to see it and to try some of that too. For us, as an opening band, it’s an opportunity to make a lot of new fans and just have a good time, so it was rad and really cool.

Was there ever anything you said no to that you regret now, as a band?

I don’t know, I don’t think so… We say yes to a lot of things (laugh)… But yes, sometimes people ask „Hey do you want a day off?“ during 11 shows in a row and I say No! And then I regret that. Because after six or seven shows, you’re really tired but you had said no, no days off, so I regret that.

Do you ever think that you need a break from music?

No! I never need a break from music. Sometimes you need a break from being away from home. I love music and i love playing music but everything around the show is difficult. The show is never a problem. It’s just the travel and being gone from home for extended period of time.

Are terrorist attacks in Europe affecting you as a band somehow?

You know, you try not to fixate on that stuff. It’s a scary thing and it’s a scary time in the world but being a band that can make people come out and enjoy the night, maybe even forget about these things and the fear, is something that i try to focus on more than the fear. It is a very negative thing that can make you so scared and upset that you can’t go out, you can’t play your music…

How did you join Against Me!?

You know, they had an issue when their drummer quit just a couple weeks before a tour in Australia and they had already booked and they had already all lined up to go to Australia and it just worked out that I was available and I was so excited to do it. I mean I was such a fan of the band for so long and I was just like „Absolutely! I will fucking totally do that!“. So we practiced a little bit and we had, i don’t know, maybe six or seven, eight shows or something and it went really well and it was a fun trip and the shows were really good and that kind of stuff . So then, during that trip, Laura had asked if I would want to play on Transgender Dysphoria blues and i said yes. And so right after Australia we just went straight into the studio and did the drum tracks for that. That was in January and by September, we were playing shows as a band, we had a new bass player and that was that.

What do you mean to each other after all these years?

Well, i mean it’s your family. There are many months, where i spend more time with the band than i spend with my wife and that’s just the reality of it. We work with each other and help each other and we really are a team. And it’s not like they are rechangable pieces. It‘s like this is who we’re doing this with.

Laura has published autobiography last year, how do you like it?

Well, it’s a difficult thing to read because there’s so much pain with it. You’re just watching someone go through so many struggles. It’s been a really rocky road, it’s been tough for her to get where she is today and I’m so happy that she’s here now, you know, and she’s happier than she’s ever been. But it really is a tough thing and it’s really hard to see all those little details and all those instances of hate, judgement or self-doubt and all those things. It’s a heartwrentching read.

What were the first things you were listening to?

I was into heavy metal and rock, you know. As a kid, you’re into Kiss and The Beatles. That’s because you‘re listening to things what you’re around. My parents listened to The Beatles and other stuff but Kiss was just so over the top. There was so much excitement with the fire and blood and costumes and and everything’s like „Whoah! I don’t know what this is but i like it.“… And then your tastes change a little bit and I got into Iron Maiden and i loved that AC/DC record, the Dirty Deeds record and Van Halen and Rush and all that kind of stuff with lots of drumming, all the drum heavy things. And in the middle school somebody exposed me to different stuff and that let me into the punk rock world and everything kinda shifted there because it just made more sense for me to start playing with people in that way and it just seemed that’s the kind of stuff we were playing. I had done an Iron Maiden cover band when I was really young, like eleven years old. We didn’t do any shows or anything so my first shows and parties were with my punk rock bands.

How do you think that technology has change making new music?

It’s an incredible time for new musicians. You can make music on your home computer and show it to the world instantly, on the internet. Yeah, it’s really different. It’s a whole new element that didn’t exist when my first bands were starting.

What media format do you personally prefer to listen music?

I have a iPod. I don’t really use my phone but i do have iPod with tons of music and that’s kind of the deal. I don’t collect vinyl or anything like that.. I collect motorcycles. (laugh)

Have you checked your supporting band in Prague, Burning Steps?

You know, I haven’t spend too much time with it. I actually heard a little bit o fit but it seem cool. Do you like that band?

Yeah, i kinda like them.

Cool… Are you in the band? (laugh)

No, no. I am not. (laugh) … And how about Tim Vantol?

Tim is with us right now. He is playing tonight in Dresden and he’s been great. He’s really got an incredible voice. You think that someone with acoustic guitar is gonna be, you know, mellow thing and it’s not. He really has a great set and it’s really a fun show.