Interview

TR/ST

Phone Interview by Koen van Bommel
Photos shot by Ryan Lowry in Chicago, USA

TR/ST’s Robert Alfons doesn’t have to think about the future. If he wants to know what’s in store for him, he visits a lady who reads cards. And she’s never wrong. This way, he can focus his thoughts and think about the past. Could that be why TR/ST’s new album, Joyland, sounds even more nostalgic and strangely familiar than their debut? Or maybe it’s because Alfons makes music primarily for himself. Like, he’d still make music if he was the sole survivor in a post-apocalyptic world. Now that’s something we’d love to see.

trust31Hi Robert! Let’s start with the near future. What are you doing after this interview?

I’m just getting some things together for the set this evening; we have a show in Warsaw tonight.

Does touring change your perception of time? Does time move slower or quicker when you’re on tour?

It moves a lot slower, because you don’t sleep. It’s kind of brilliant, because you can get so much done if you don’t sleep! No, it’s not good. You can go through a week and it feels like a month. And you’re moving so often. It’s definitely a weird thing to travel through so many time zones as well. I just flew from Canada yesterday. I don’t really know what time it is.

Do you think it’s constructive to think about the future?

I think I’m the kind of person who usually thinks about the past. And then maybe about what’s next and how do I get there. But very little about the present. It’s constructive to think about the future because, if you have aspirations and things you want to achieve, it’s productive to think and plan ahead. I don’t know if my balance is healthy, but, well…

trust11How did you envision your future self back when you were a child?

I think it changed. I wanted to be a construction worker or a hockey player or a musician. That’s probably what I imagined I would be when I grew up.

How did that play out? Musician worked out, so is construction work something you do on the side, as a hobby?

No. I’m useless like that. It’s definitely something I’d be interested in, but I’m useless.

Where do you see yourself in 25 years?

Goodness… Hopefully I’ll still be making music. Other than that, I think I’d like to make a movie. I also want to become a better gardener. I’d just be good at it. My garden would have tons and tons of food. It’s fascinating, because I’ve lived in cities so much, you get removed from that stuff.

trust2

trust13Are you scared of growing old?

I think I’m coming to terms with it. I don’t know if I’m scared, but it’s definitely a weird thing. I don’t know. I feel like I just hit a period in my life where time is more real. It doesn’t feel like I’m suspended in this… fantasyland. Like, each day feels more real to me now. I can feel that time happens and passes and it’s becoming clearer that everything happens only once.

Have you ever consulted a fortune teller?

Sort of. I’ve definitely seen a card reader. I’ve seen the same one four times in the past five years.

Have any of the predictions come true?

Absolutely! They have all come to light. It’s really freaky. I think she’s a really intuitive person and I really respect her energy. On the other hand, I’m kind of on the fence about these things. I’m a super pragmatic and logical person. At the same time, I’m also the opposite and I believe in these things. I think I was kind of sceptical when I went to her, but she won me over with really intuitive and specific readings. It freaked me out. That being said, I can still talk about it in a very pragmatic and sceptical way. I think I’ll go see her again at the end of this year. I feel like it’s time again.

trust14

trust1

I used to have this fantasy that I would wake up one day in a post-apocalyptic world. If that happened to you, what would you do?

Are we talking, like, no one is left? And I can still roam the world and breathe and stuff? I would just explore. If the natural world is still there, I think that’s what I’d do. I would just explore the entire natural world that I have yet to see.

You could probably still do that with people around, though.

I know! But there are so many different factors right now. And that is definitely a question of how we spend our time and where we decide to put our energy.

Would you still make music if there was no one left to hear it?

Well, absolutely! I make music for myself. It would be sad if I made an album that I didn’t really enjoy myself. So, yeah, I think even if no one was around, I would still have the urge to sing or make music somehow.

trust34

TR/ST plays on 31 January at WORM, Rotterdam with Victim, Victim. The show is free for Subbacultcha members.