Hello again excitable nation! What time is it? Well it’s new fan spotlight time! This week we learn about Adam Frankel!
Sixteen years of age is when Adam first learned of 311. At that time he would play online MUD’s (games where you go north, south, east and west to solve quests and kill monsters). It was a game called Hysteria where some big 311 fans introduced Adam to the music. “This was in the days of Napster and downloading mp3s – so the first song I downloaded and heard was Paradise. Very few people had heard of them in the UK – and my taste in music is really diverse so I was drawn to the different styles that 311 have!”
Show count is at number 21 for Adam. His first show was at age 17 and it was when 311 headlined a show in London in November of 2001. “It was the first proper gig I ever went to and it totally blew my mind. It was in a small club venue (which no longer exists) called Mean Fiddler and I remember hearing Beautiful Disaster and I remember getting knocked down and being picked right back up by a stranger in the pit. Frustratingly the set list doesn’t exist for that show… so I have no idea what else they played!” Aside from this show, Adam says his other favorite event was 311 Day 2010. “It had been my dream to come to a 311 day, and at the time I was a high school Math teacher. In England it is very hard as a teacher to get time off during term time – so I had to threaten to quit my job in order for them to give me a week unpaid leave.
See this article http://www.mtv.com/news/1633698/311-fans-get-hyped-for-311-day-fan-party-in-las-vegas/
As a note, I had been drinking and saw the MTV camera and told my friends – I am going to do an interview… they didn’t even get my name, but it got a story on mtv.com!
The drawback is that a mixture of jet lag and excitement meant that by the time the show came I was so exhausted from a lack of sleep that I had to go find a seat in the arena. This ended up being cool as I found myself sitting with Nick’s friends and family – his wife asked me to take a photo of her with her friends!”
There are quite a few songs that are close to his heart, “Sick Tight” is one of them because of this lyric: “I bet we get the people jumping overseas, and I know why they’re busting MP3’s.” Adam said this line literally describes him. “Ironically enough, when From Chaos came out and I bought the import CD – I used to skip Sick Tight every time as I was not a fan… now it is my favorite song on that album!” Adam also said he might get some hassle for this, but one of his other favorites is “Love Song.” “Yes, I know it isn’t even their song and yes, I know it’s not a popular choice – but I would be happy to hear it every time I saw 311. Back in 2007 I came over for a vacation and tied in my 2nd and 3rd ever 311 shows (in San Fran and Vegas) and when they started playing Love Song I was ecstatic … until Matisyahu came out and spoiled it for me!! No disrespect meant towards Matisyahu – but I had come a long way and was hearing my favorite song live for the first time, so I wanted to hear the whole song!!
There is just one song left on my checklist of songs I most want to hear live which is How Do You Feel.”
As far as favorite lyrics, Adam said he loves “Stay positive and love your life” because he is a teacher and he’s taught his kids to say it. He said when he says it to his kids, it reminds him to live by it himself too.
Adam grew up in Essex, England, which is just outside of London. He moved from there to Minnesota back in 2013, and then most recently to Frisco, Texas in 2015. He runs a small company that sells supplies and parts for big Heidelberg printing presses. “It’s not as exciting as being a teacher, but it pays the bills and is less stressful!” Adam says he pretty much is THE English 311 fan. “I ran the UK 311 MySpace page back in the day and used to long for 311 to announce a UK festival date or European tour (which they never did).”
Aside from loving 311, Adam has a diverse taste in music. Other top artists for him are Muse, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and Bastille. He also said thanks to 311 he has become a big fan of Rebelution and Ballyhoo!
Since Adam is from England, he is of course a huge football fan (as in soccer in case you couldn’t guess that). “West Ham United are my team and I play most weeks with some friends here in Frisco – at 32 my best years are behind me. FC Dallas play 10 minutes from my house so I watch some MLS too as well as playing FIFA on my PlayStation.” When not watching football, Adam is also very involved in his local church.
Adam’s message to 311 is one of thanks: “Thank you for sticking together through good and bad and continuing to play shows and make new music!”
Now to all the other fans:
“Thank you! It was that fan that picked me up at my first 311 show that really showed me what 311 fans are all about. You guys are so generous, making things to hand out at shows and being so kind. I remember when I got to my first 311 day I had been offered a beer before I had even checked into my room!! I have made many friends over the years through 311 – so if you see me at a show come and say hello! I apologize in advance if I don’t remember everyone’s name, in my defense there’s only one British guy so I am easier to remember!”
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Now you have all met Adam, the British 311 fan! Thanks for sharing your story Adam and being a part of this amazing fan community. I hope you all enjoyed it, thanks for reading every week! Until next time, keep being awesome!
Much Love – The Runt