Atom Willard (far right) and Against Me! (photo: Ryan Russell)
Interview by Jason Schreurs
Atom Willard has an impressive drumming resume (Rocket from the Crypt, The Offspring, Social Distortion, Angels and Airwaves… ahem) but, judging by how quickly he’s adapted to his new gig in Against Me! and how much fun he’s having, he might be able to file that resume away for awhile. We recently talked to Willard about his wife’s amazing cooking, trying to find quality foods on the road and letting the good times rock and roll in Against Me!
Willard: Hold up, you’re a foodie music magazine. Really?! I’m all about it. Let’s talk about food!
Let’s do it.
Hey, did you hear about the suicidal salad?
No.
Yeah, he said he was going to kale himself.
That’s a great start!
[Against Me! tour mate] Jenny Owen Youngs also just said this interview is off to a great start, and she just wants you to know that she endorses it.
Nice. So, are you a foodie yourself? Do you like to cook at home?
You know what? I’m terrible. I am the worst at and I get no joy from cooking, which is horrible because I love to eat. But I really love my wife’s cooking; she makes everything awesome, all the time. And I get to eat it.
Is it hard to find the same quality of food when you’re on the road?
Well, absolutely. To the point where things are prepared in such a specific way at home… we are really into these crazy, big salads and, actually, the kale joke is very appropriate because it’s my favourite base for a salad. But she’ll make these kale salads that have sun-dried tomatoes, a little bit of corn, a little bit of black beans, carnitas, brown rice and all of this different stuff, and for me it’s fucking the best meal ever. I eat a huge bowl and it’s my massive dinner.
So road food pales in comparison?
Yeah, yesterday I tried to get a kale salad and a turkey burger and I was going to cut up the turkey burger and put it in the kale salad, but then they couldn’t do it without the blue cheese, and I can’t eat dairy, and it all went sideways. So I just got the turkey burger.
What are some other dishes that your wife makes that you really like?
She does this other thing where it’s a huge thing of spinach and squash, and the brown rice. She made these incredible shrimp tacos the other day. Being in Los Angeles, we have amazing access to fresh corn tortillas. And she actually has this family secret recipe for white sauce, which I think is what ranch dressing was supposed to be before it got totally bastardized. But it’s very lemon-centric and tangy and, oh my god, it’s the best thing. You’re going to make me freak out for home food right now. You’re totally fucking me! So, yeah, the white sauce is… and it’s a secret recipe, I can’t even give you that because I don’t know it. But that stuff over some shrimp tacos; it was just incredible.
Mrs. Willard’s signature kale and carnitas salad.
Do the members of Against Me! tend to eat meals together?
Yeah, we try to do kind of a family dinner every day after soundcheck. We get together and go to whatever restaurant in each town. We do have one vegan, we have a few vegetarians, so we try to make it something that everyone can get in to. And usually if it’s a good vegan restaurant, there’s something that everyone’s excited about. I’m all about whatever; I don’t need to have meat at all times. I just like the protein. We do a lot of Thai food on the road. They seem to eat a lot of veggie burgers, but I’m not so much for the veggie burger. They’re usually frozen and weird. Unless it’s a fresh-made, mushroom-based veggie burger, or something special like that, then I’ll definitely do it.
It sounds like you’ve settled in to the band pretty fast. Was it an easy adjustment to join Against Me!?
My initial shows with the band were in Australia and just going and hanging out with everyone in Florida and seeing where they lived, and meeting their respective spouses and everything like that, you really got a feel for who everybody was. And we had a great time in Australia after that, for the six or seven shows out there. Because that went as well as it did and we were getting along, on and off stage, [vocalist/guitarist] Laura [Jane Grace] asked if I wanted to record the album and subsequently join the band. It was an easy choice because it was natural. So, in terms of how long it’s taken to fall in with everyone, it’s taken no time at all. We’ve become fast friends. And I’ve known them for a long time, but never worked with them. I was playing with another band that did an entire Warped Tour with Against Me! and I watched them every day, but it’s much different when you’re in the band. But, really, we’re just having a great time going through the cycle of this record, because everything’s been so positive and great about it.
I noticed that you said you were playing with “another band,” so I’m not sure if that means Rocket from the Crypt, or Angels and Airwaves, or whatever it means, but you seem like a very humble guy.
[Laughs] No, actually, I’m a stumble guy. I can’t walk more than five feet without falling over myself. It’s terribly awkward. No, seriously, whatever that band is, they’re not part of the story, you know what I mean? The reason I’m talking about the Warped Tour is because I was in a band, but which band isn’t integral to the story. I’m proud of what I’ve done, I’m happy with what I’ve done, and I have no regrets and wouldn’t want to change anything, because it got me to where I am today. Who knows if you had picked a different path if you’d be where you are, and since I’m happier now than I’ve arguably ever been, I wouldn’t want to change that trajectory. Ooh, how’s that for a word? Trajectory!
Before you were approached by Laura and Against Me!, how were you feeling about your career and the direction it was going? You say that now you’re happier than you’ve ever been, but there must have been some uncertain times?
Well, the music business is full of uncertainty. There’s no formula to getting a job in this business, or keeping a job, or starting a band that’s able to support you. I’ve done a lot of different things in a lot of different ways, and ultimately you have to keep having faith that if you continue following what makes you happy, and you work hard at it, it’s going to work. So there’s definitely a certain amount of blind optimism in my life, but it’s always pulled me through.
You’ve been in bands with a lot of amazing leaders. How does Laura compare to some of the other people you’ve played with over the years?
She is definitely a lead singer and there are definitely some comparable elements to many of the different people I’ve worked with. In contrast, she’s also very, very open to ideas and creative input, almost to a level where she’ll plead with us to take on more responsibility, making the setlist, doing this, changing that, being involved on every level. It really is that’s she’s very comfortable with herself to let go of some of those things. A lot of people are very constricting and controlling of different elements of a band, or their band, or whatever, because I don’t think they want to lose control, or power, or whatever you want to call it. Laura’s sincerely open to ideas and collaboration. So, in a nutshell, that’s why it’s fun, because we work together to achieve everything. It’s really a good time.
Who’s your drumming hero? Who do you look up to?
There’s a few. It’s hard to say one specific person because there’s so many different aspects to drumming that are important to me. There’s the physical part; guys that hit hard, like Dale Crover from The Melvins. He was one of my early heroes. I was like, “That guy’s insane! His drums are so big! Oh my god, he’s hitting so hard!” And Dave Grohl is another one, just smashing things. That is definitely part of it. But then there’s guys like Zach Lind from Jimmy Eat World and the parts he writes, and Pat Wilson from Weezer, and those guys play completely opposite to the other guys I mentioned. And then there’s Brendan Canty from Fugazi. He’s a huge influence to me in the way that they would combine songs and segue between things on their records and live, and just the whole aesthetic of Fugazi is a big thing for me.
Yeah, big fan over here, too. I love the bell that he uses.
Yeah, it’s funny that you bring that up, because I’ve got a bell that I’ve made out of a car part and it’s basically my tribute to Brendan. I first made it when I was in Angels and Airwaves and I just kept it with me. And I’ve made a few of them and they’re all over the world now, because they’re really heavy [laughs].
So, getting back to food, what’s the best meal that your wife’s ever made for you?
The best meal she’s ever made… Dammit. That’s such a huge thing. Um, dang, I’m going to have to think about it. I don’t want to just say that same kale salad, but the reality is I fucking love that so much. I can’t even tell you how much I look forward to having that when I get home. The fact is, she’s so bored of it that when I get home and I just want it every night, she’s like, “Come on, let’s do something else.” And another thing is, I have a terrible memory. I do remember her name and we’ve been married 13 years, so I remember that much, but I can’t remember fucking anything, so I’ll be like, “Babe, what’s that thing that you do that I love so much?” and she’ll say, “Oh, the so and so,” and I’ll be like, “Oh, that!” and then I’ll remember.
Against Me!‘s Transgender Dysphoria Blues is out now on Total Treble Music.
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