INTERVIEW WITH ATOM GOREN FOR THE EIY HANDBOOK

“I want happiness for good people and nothingness for bad ones.”

ATOM GOREN, 35 (Philadelphia, PA)
MUSICIAN (Atom and His Package)
YEARS IN MUSIC: 20
ON THE WEB: atomandhispackage.com
CURRENT PROJECTS: Armalite, TV Casualty, Atom and His Package
ROLES: Guitar player, yelper, and song-ripper-offer

WHO FIRST GOT YOU INTERESTED IN MUSIC AS MORE THAN JUST SOMETHING ON THE RADIO?  My friend’s older brother.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?  It is three years in the future, so I am not able to remember it yet.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU ON A DAILY BASIS?  ‘Inspires’ sounds more dramatic than I feel.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SUCCESS HAS COME FROM LUCK? TALENT? HARD WORK?  29.9% luck, 1,000,000% talent & 14% hard work

HOW HAVE YOU MEASURED YOUR SUCCESS THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?  I haven’t thought about it… It was fun to play music and I met a lot of wonderful people and got to see places all over the world that I otherwise would not have had an opportunity to see. That feels good.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?  Being down three games to zero and winning the best of seven series!

IF YOU’RE NO LONGER INVOLVED WITH MUSIC THE WAY YOU ONCE WERE, WHAT MADE YOU STOP?  I got tired of touring. It was really fun, but I had played a gabillion shows and it started to feel like I could play shows and while I was playing, completely think about other stuff. It felt like I was just going through the motions. Also, my wife and I wanted kids and I needed health insurance because someone (not naming any names) inoculated me with diabetes.

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO NOW?  I teach high school now… ’tis fun.

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS SO FAR?  I was a jerk to some nice teachers when I was in middle school.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE (as-of-yet) UNDISCOVERED BANDS?  They’re pretty discovered, but I think that Good Luck and Future of the Left are awesome.

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Read Atom’s answers to select questions about music and the music business in the EIY HANDBOOK, available in print or eBook version at www.earnityourself.com

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