An Inspired Chat with Eddie Atom of Los Angeles

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Eddie Atom. Check out our conversation below.

Eddie, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Waking up at 5AM, alternating throughout the week between gym time and making music, going to my 9-5 job, playing with my son after work, dinner with my family, and video games after my son goes to bed. Rinse and repeat 🙂

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Eddie Atom, and I am a guitarist, producer, and musician from Los Angeles. I am inspired by space science, the American desert, cosmology, paranormal phenomena, UFOs, alien life, Native American history, and technology. I learned how to play the drums at age 4 from my dad and then picked up guitar around 11 years old from my uncle (my dad’s twin) in the style of jazz and blues. I played in my high school and college jazz band playing traditional jazz standards. I also studied the Arabic oud and darbouka drum during my years at university and played with the Middle East ensemble performing popular traditional songs of the Middle East. I am fascinated by music and cultures.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
When I was around 8-10 years old, my grandfather gifted me a space science textbook which I still own. I remember opening the book and being fascinated by the first few pages showing Earth floating in space surrounded by different colors of infrared wavelengths that you typically see in astrophotography. And I remember reading the text next to the image on how our planet and life here is so ephemeral on a grand cosmic level. The existence of Earth and humanity is just a fleeting glimpse. That realization was (and is) both scary and beautiful! This textbook was way too advanced for me at the time but I always took it everywhere – it was like my guide to the human world. I think these early experiences and exposure to space science have shaped my interests and taste to who I am today and my music.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Being the center of attention. All my life I have struggled with anxiety and fear of being judged harshly and still do to this day… except these days I have kind of learned how to control it. I realized the my anxieties about performing live or anything that involved being in front of others is really simply because I care. I care about my music, I care about how I’m going to perform live, I care about my craft, and all of those things are a good thing! However because of this intense fear and anxiety in me I used to pass up a lot of very good opportunities, some of which I still kinda regret to this day, so I knew that the only way to get control of this anxiety was to push myself and do the thing I’m most afraid of – if not to overcome it then at least to be able to control it.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe artists or anyone with an artistic vocation operate like a conductor for something higher than ourselves when we are tuned in. I think that is our gift to the world. Obviously I am inspired by what I like – all the guitarists and musicians that have influenced me play a role in my ideas since I am inspired by them; they set my standards and ideas of what music is but to be honest, sometimes I genuinely feel like I am not the one creating my music ideas, that lyric, that guitar melody, that drum rhythm, or that topline – almost feels like they drop into me from somewhere else and I’m just the medium to express it. It’s not that we are special or anything, but I think that’s just how ideas work.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I don’t know about a ‘legacy’ per se, that’s a pretty loaded word and I don’t think I am anywhere near that but I think a lot of people tend to associate musicians or artists as simply an expression of themselves or who they are. I don’t think that about myself or my music at all. I obviously have my limitations as a human being with limited senses but – and going back to my last point about ideas – I don’t make music in order to express myself or use it as therapy or to define myself, ideas come to me and I convert them into a song, a lyric idea. But the point is not about me. When I create music I am trying to get in touch with something that’s not me. And I don’t think the purpose of my music is for it to be about me. I am just the instrument conveying these ideas that I am able to express.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eddieatom/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EddieAtom
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/eddie-atom
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@eddieatom

Image Credits
Elio Yañez