Poland: Interview with Adam Dobrzynski, GV Translator and Heavy Metal Musician · Global Voices
Kasia Odrozek

An interview with Adam Dobrzynski, a member of the heavy metal band Wanderer and a translator for GV Poland.
He lives in Warsaw's district of Praga, will soon graduate with a degree in American Studies and Philology with a focus on teaching. However, from the beginning of his studies, he was thinking of becoming a translator rather than a teacher. And even though his biggest talent is his English proficiency, for the past 10 years it has been music that remained his strongest passion.
Global Voices (GV): Who is Adam Dobrzynski? A musician? A student? A translator?
Adam Dobrzynski (AD): Most of all, I am just myself, music is my passion, translation is something that, besides music, I want to do in life, something that I’m best at. To be honest, studying is just a professional formation. I think one could call me part translator, part musician?
Adam Dobrzynski, photo used with permission of the band Wanderer.
GV: Is your band a good material for an article?
AD: I think we are all fanatics of music, we are very determined to create something on our own – probably because of that we are still looking for our musical identity. We have some of our own material, we can’t complain about inspiration…just pass by one of our upcoming concerts. Despite some rotations in the band, we remain strong and tight, we want to achieve a lot in the world of music.
GV: What are your musical inspirations?
AD: Rock and metal most of all, in all its colours and varieties. Also, classical music, but just occasionally – sometimes I listen to Wagner. For more than 10 years I’ve been fascinated by heavy, fast tones, I think they are a perfect carrier of energy.
GV: How did you end up in the band Wanderer?
AD: Music is my passion, for the last 10 years I’ve been listening to a whole range of rock music, from rather light to very heavy sounds. It’s the music that has shaped my character, the way I perceive the world, et cetera. At some point, I found time to grab the guitar, I wanted to try myself out in creating music that I love and fulfill the dream of playing in a band. Despite initial trouble and a short career of my former band, I did not stop exercising and finally got rewarded. I got a chance to join Wanderer as the second guitar. From the first rehearsals and concerts I felt that this was it, that it was worth sacrificing life for playing. We’ve been playing together for more than one year now and it is, in my opinion, my biggest achievement and pride. Why? Because I live according to the rule that you have to fulfill your dreams without counting on somebody else, without waiting for financial stability, we just have one life, there is nothing to wait for.
GV: And what was your path to GV?
AD: A friend showed me this website in May. I thought: “Why not? To do something I like, something that is meaningful and to gain some experience? Good bargain.” I’ve always wanted to translate and work according to these kind of rules, so I took a look at the offer, I filled out the form… and here I am.
GV: Do you think that GV should write more about music?
AD: Of course, this is something that moves the whole world, that connects millions of people. I think that many people would like to read information, news (or maybe stories?) from the world of music.
Members of the band Wanderer, photo used with permission of the band.
GV: Are you active in social media? Do you have a blog?
AD: No, I’m a bit asocial. And besides that, I don’t even have enough time to start this kind of activity.
GV: What is the role of new technology in your life?
AD: I don’t like changes at all, I’m still using my old Nokia and the only “new technologies” I’m investing in are an iPod and a multi-effect for my guitar.
GV: Are you a bit of an activist? Did you take part in the winter protests against ACTA?
AD: I don’t consider myself an activist, I’m not a part of any group… but I did go to the protest against ACTA. I also remember our first concert in Warsaw, we dedicated it to the fight against ACTA, we have sacrificed our old T-shirts to make protest banners against this bill. We have expressed our “endorsement” for ACTA in the song “Drill” that we played for the first time at this concert [unfortunately, the song is not recorded yet].
GV: Do you think that young people in Poland should get more engaged in “internet politics”?
AD: Sure, Internet is nowadays probably the kind of media that young people feel the closest connection with. Where, if not there, to express your opinions and fight for a better tomorrow? And young people have to get involved in politics – they fight for their future.
GV: In your opinion, how will the world of media look like in 10 years and what will be the role of citizen media?
AD: I think everything will speed up even more, the flow of information will be even bigger, Internet will be king among the mass media. Social media will be the main point of discussion, self-expression and opinion-forming, a platform to exchange opinions.
GV: Would you like to add anything?
AD: I feel proud translating posts for GV. Why? I’m doing something meaningful, I bring the events and stories from the world closer to the Polish public. It’s very important.
You can find the music of the band Wanderer on MySpace, and the GV profile of Adam here.