BRYAN ADAMS ABOUT ANIMAL RIGHTS AND VEGAN LIFESTYLE
Here's an interview from Australia with Bryan Adams, April 2000. Interview by June Bird. Taken with permission from http://www.animal-lib.org.au/interviews/bryan/.
June:
Hi Bryan, I believe you're a vegan ..... when did you cut out all meat
and dairy?
Bryan:
I'm not completely vegan, I will accept tiny amounts of butter and I
normally scrape off cheese when it's on top of pasta or something
... I completely stopped eating dead creatures in 1989.
June:
Any difficulties with said veganism?
Bryan:
Well, there is. Especially when you have to rely on restaurants. It
can be grim. You never know what the soup base is made of or if
they've slipped a little bacon into your sandwich ... I'm the worst
dinner date!
June:
What's the best part of being vegan for you?
Bryan:
The concept that you're not ingesting rotting flesh sort of sums it up
for me.
June:
Why did you decide to go vegan?
Bryan:
I ate a big steak in 1988 and never felt worse. That was it, boom,
over. Never again.
June:
Can you think of any significant events while growing up that
shaped your compassionate thinking towards animals?
Bryan:
Having dogs around us was great, that really shaped my
compassion, but I also ride, and I love horses, so it wasn't hard to
appreciate the beauty and intelligence of other creatures.
June:
Do some people think that this is just a fad? That you'll change your
mind and go back to eating animals?
Bryan:
At first they did, but 11 years later .... no.
June:
What do your parents and siblings think about you being vego?
Bryan:
I have quietly convinced my mum, brother and my band to switch
altho' they are just vegetarians not vegans.
June:
In the future will there be any songs from you that would promote
cruelty-free living?
Bryan:
Never say never!
June:
Do you hope (like I do) that everyone else will soon realise that
there's no need to eat animals to stay healthy?
Bryan:
I don't actively campaign for it, but I'd like to think so. Ultimately you
can't change some people. For example, my dad doesn't want to
know.
June:
Funny that neither does my dad though my mother is 99%
there.
So, exactly what sort of things do you weird vegos eat anyway?!
Bryan:
Pastas, soups, roasted veggies, homemade pizzas, salads,
potatoes ... it's endless.
June:
When you're touring have you found that there's
plenty of good vego fare around? What's the
best and worst country for finding vegan grub?
Bryan:
It's impossible and Germany is the worst, but
then again so are most Far East countries. We
travel with a cook on tour. Our schedule is so
different to other people that we have to have
someone looking after the food. Have you ever
tried eating a full meal before you sing? It's
impossible, you can only eat after the gig. that
means dinner at 11:00 at night. What restaurant
does that in every town ... ? Fuggedaboutit!
June:
Are you a good cook?
Bryan:
Baked potatoes and salad ... the best you've ever had!
June:
Anyone ever make fun of your beliefs?
Bryan:
Never! On the contrary, a lot of them have converted.
June:
What about eating out at picnics etc with friends?
Bryan:
I went out the other night with some Jamaican friends and they ate
chicken ..... while I ate the rice and salad, and it was fine!
June:
How far 'gone' are you with regards to wearing leather and using
other animal by-products?
Bryan:
I sometimes wear leather shoes and I have two different types of
doonas. Admittedly, one still does have feathers.
June:
Zoos, circuses with animals and rodeos your thoughts on these
please.
Bryan:
It really sickens me to see some of the creatures in small pens.
June:
Any comments on factory farming: such as hens in battery cages,
pigs in cramped stalls, and cattle feedlots?
Bryan:
I absolutely hate it, and it's no wonder so many people are ill and
get cancer of the bowel etc. In Britain, they were feeding animals
with their own excrement! Mad cow disease started this way.
June:
Yes, I believe that the animals are definitely fighting back!
Bryan:
Supermarkets. It's too easy for people to just pick up hamburger
and have no idea that it was a living cow at one time. People don't
assimilate the two.
June:
What about vego musician friends are there many of 'em
around?
Bryan:
Loads of them. Chrissie Hynde is the most intense of them all.
June:
Oh yeah she's the person I want to interview
next definitely!
Bryan:
I cured myself of many allergies that I thought
were with me for my whole life. I used to have
excema (skin rash). Within two weeks of eating
fruit in the morning and nothing else, it went
away. I still follow that regime and it has never
returned. Other brilliant things include the fact
that I've never had a weight problem and I
definitely have more energy than most people I
know.
June:
Would you encourage your partner or children to eat a vegan diet?
Bryan:
Without question. I couldn't go out with anyone unless they were
veggie. My last girlfriend of 9 years converted to vegetarianism of
her own will, but she knew I was passionate about it. Could you
imagine kissing someone after a big hamburger? Yuck.
June:
Yeah the thought that someone might have a
chunk of cow stuck in their teeth is absolutely
repulsive!
Bryan:
No but I drink soya powder shakes with fresh
carrot apple and apple juice everyday. You
have to be careful about soya powders, as
some can contain animal products. I use a
product called "Source of life a burst of
energy². You can get it in North America at:
Natural Organics Labs, Amityville, NY, USA Tel:
516 9575600. It's delicious and vegan.
June:
Sounds scrummy. I don't take supplements either why would you
need to?!
Bryan:
Yes, for whales mostly. I successfully campaigned for the southern
Antarctic Whale Sanctuary in the mid 90s. We gave out 500,000
postcards on tour asking people to write to different heads of state
to vote for the sanctuary. It worked!
June:
How many people do you think you've influenced towards a
cruelty-free lifestyle since 'coming out' and informing people of your
beliefs?
Bryan:
A friend of mine just had a baby and she's been bringing him up
totally vegan. I think it could be the greatest gift to have the choice
to eat meat or not. I wish I had had the choice, but I have the
knowledge now. That's what I call it, and once you have the
knowledge, you can never go back. But it would be hard to say
exactly how many people I've influenced over the years.
June:
Last but not least Bryan what do you want people to know about
veganism and animal rights?
Bryan:
Very simply if you love animals; don't eat them. Also I think that
everyone should read "Fit For Life 2".
June:
Thanks for that Bryan and I hope I get invited around some day
for some of them delicious sounding soy shakes, baked potatoes
and salad!
Is there one particular area of animal exploitation that you find
particularly disturbing?
How's your health since you went vego?
Vitamin supplements do you take them?
Protesting for animals rights have you been at the coal face?
Take me back where we started!