We’ve been playing a few tracks from George Whistler’s new album SONGS here on Phoenix FM, and we caught up with George to talk about his life and music.
Tell us a little bit about your yourself?
Hi! I’m a musician from Prague in the Czech Republic. My name is Jiří Piskač, which translates into English as George Whistler!
When did you first start to develop a passion for music?
When I was about 16. My brother showed me how to play Highway To Hell on an acoustic guitar and from there I started to play guitar and began to write my own songs.
Which artists did you listen to while growing up?
I loved – and I am still loving – The Beatles, John Lennon, Oasis, Blur – and everything from Damon Albarn’s work – and many many others.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard you before?
Post Britpop, Indie pop or indie folk, but I am not tied to any one genre – I make music the way I feel. So just listen, you know …
What music have you recorded and released to date?
So many records so far … I have recorded 4 studio solo albums as George Whistler, 1 collaboration album with poet and painter Michael John Rowland from Liverpool, a few songs for theatre play Angry 13, some 12 or 13 singles with “They Said I’m Guilty”, a live album with the band The Lazy Fuckers and 2 albums with Czech band Cukr (Sugar) as a singer. A Czech solo album Kudrnáč will be out this year too. And on 29th September I’ve be releasing George Whistler’s new album “SONGS”.
Which artists do you enjoy listening to at the moment – and do they influence your work?
At the moment both Gorillaz and The Good The Bad and The Queen. There is some influence in my music there too, I guess.
Who would your dream collaboration be with?
Damon Albarn.
What are your plans for the future?
After these times we are in now, I’m looking forward to playing live to people again.
You can find all of George’s social media and streaming links by clicking on fanlink.to/georgewhistler.
