21 November 2011 A punk, a guru, a Catholic – Budzyński in the latest issue of Wprost
“He used to be radical in everything he did. He performed in the punk band Siekiera (the Axe), then became a rock star, promoted New Age and went through an epiphany. Finally, he grew up and published his autobiography. Soul Side Story by Tomasz Budzyński, front man of the band Armia, is a look into the future of a guy with a past,” reads the latest issue of the Wprost weekly. Don’t forget that Tomasz Budzyński was a guest of this year’s edition of the Conrad Festival.
“However, he manages quite well in the present. He is recording an album with Armia and is involved in several other projects. He gives concerts and paints. He recently directed a film called Podróż na wschód (A Journey to the East), and intends to write a novel. (…) Is there anything more fascinating than art? It is an ocean of possibilities, you can explore this world forever,” writes the author of the article in Wprost.
“Today, he is 49 and as he says, he has recently started feeling mature. Soul Side Story was supposed to be written by his wife, but Budzyński discovered that writing was a new passion for him. In the book, full of stories about punks, hippies, loons, mystics and converts, he recalls the most minute details, presenting the last decade of Communist Poland in a new light, different from what we are accustomed to in the historical-political narrative of the generation of Solidarity. For him, those were colourful times, when people knew how to be happy despite martial law, repressions and empty shop shelves. He recounts in detail the events and describes people from that time, emphasising that he is not trying to live in the past,” reads Wprost.
Tomasz Budzyński is a rock singer, painter, graphic artist and poet. He graduated from high school in Nałęczów, and later studied history of art at the Catholic University in Lublin. He made his debut in 1984 as the vocalist in Siekiera, which was very successful at the Jarocin Festival. A year later, together with Robert Brylewski and Sławek Gołaszewski, he established Armia, a band he has been performing with ever since. Since 1996 he has also been part of 2Tm2,3, a band he created with Darek Malejonek and Robert Friedrich. 2004 then saw the beginning of Trupia Czaszka, a band where he sings and plays the bass. He has also completed the solo projects Taniec Szkieletów (2002), Luna (2008) and Osobliwości (2011) for which he wrote the lyrics himself. He has also composed music for Iuvenilium Permanens, a show staged in Krakow’s Juliusz Słowacki Theatre. Often, his painting exhibitions accompany his solo concerts. Budzyński’s poems have been printed in such magazines as Tylko Rock and Czas Kultury. In May 2011 he was distinguished by Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski with the Bronze Gloria Artis Medal of Merit for Culture.
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