Rising Stars: Meet Morat

Today we’d like to introduce you to  Morat. 

Hi Morat, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born at a very young age and didn’t really do much for the first few years, so I guess it all starts when I ran away to London as a kid. I was homeless for a few years, living in squats, but somehow, I managed to join a punk rock band, Soldiers Of Destruction, with a couple of weeks of living there. We never recorded anything at the time but ended up headlining decent-sized venues. That lasted a couple of years and then our bass player was murdered, so it all fell apart. Not that it wasn’t falling apart already. 

After that, I drifted into work as a motorcycle messenger for about eight years, until I discovered that the life expectancy was two years, then accidentally became a music journalist, which led to photographing bands. 

I moved to LA in October 2001, without really knowing why. I’d been through a bad break up and I think I just wanted to go somewhere sunny that was 6,000 miles away. I’d been there a few times for work, but I had no idea of the vast scale of the place, and I just had a suitcase and didn’t really know anyone. Then, in 2006, I met my wife in the Burgundy Room in Hollywood, and we got married to weeks later. She’s a fetish/pinup model, among other things, so that got me into shooting that kind of thing as well as bands. 

I was getting bored and disillusioned with the rock stuff, having to work with bands I wasn’t into, so she said, ‘Why don’t you just quit and write a book? That’s what you want to do!’ Last time I spoke to Voyage, I think my second book, The Road To Roo Inn was nearly finished. Since then, the first one, The Road To Fero City, has been optioned for a TV series and we’ve just filmed the pilot. I also released a punk book called Punk Snot Dead, which has recently been optioned for a movie. 

Oh, and last but not least, I got the band back together with a new line up and we finally put out our debut album Cause And Affect. 

That’s the short version! ha ha 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Road? I think I strayed from that a long time ago. It’s been bumpy to say the least, but I’m sure most of it’s my own fault for being stubborn and doing everything the hard way. For instance, when I put the first book out, I was far too impatient to send it off to publishers and wait around for someone to read it…or not. So, I just put it out myself. It took two years just to recoup the cost! But it’s gradually picked up kind of a cult following and like I said, the series option. 

It was the same when we got the band back together; we got offered all these big deals, because of our past reputation, but they were all just interfering or offering things we could do for ourselves. One label had the audacity to say they’d only own our music rights for 10 years! Yeah, right! You’re not getting 10 minutes. We put it out on our own label instead, full rights and full control. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I really have no idea how to answer that! I guess what I’m known for depends on who you ask. To some I’m a punk rock singer, to others I’m a photographer or author. I try not to indulge in pride too much, but I’m proud of the fact that some people seem to really enjoy my work, whichever aspect of it they’re into. There’s people who are constantly hassling my about the next book. Hey, I’m working on it! And we’re working on a new album. Both of which should be out next year. As far as what sets me apart from others, I guess that would be having no clue what I’m doing but doing it anyway. 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
That would depend which industry we’re talking about, but it’s impossible to second-guess any of it. There was a time when photography was specialized, but now everyone’s got a camera on their phone, and you can get great shots just using that. Obviously, print magazines have taken a big hit, and standards of journalism have plummeted. It’s mostly just clickbait now. Thankfully, music and books will be around forever in some form or another. 

Contact Info:

• Website: morat.rocks
• Instagram: @morat666
• Twitter: @morat666
• Other: sodpunk.com

Image Credits
Masuimi Max
Alex’s Bar
Kristina Markovich
Morat