In this feature from our latest Issue No. 24, Paramore’s Zac Farro gives us a preview of his upcoming zine, Souvenir: A European Summer.
“There are many reasons to know, love, and follow Zac Farro. He is a striking photographer and a world-renowned musician. He is a tastemaker, being one of the original members of the Grammy-winning alternative rock band Paramore, and the founder of Congrats, a record label Farro built from the ground up, which supports indie artists in his creative orbit and beyond. He has a wry sense of humor and impeccable style, with undeniably one of the best hat collections in the industry.” -Anna Zanes for Alternative Press
By Zac Farro
I love tennis almost as much as I love music these days. I play as many times a week as I can. I think it’s good for artists to have a period of time during the week to turn off the “creation” part of their brain and move into a competitive and active mindset.
One of my favorite things about playing tennis on tour, and especially in Europe, is that you see a different side of a city you wouldn’t normally see. There’s a common ground on a tennis court that’s very different from a city center or a hotel lobby.
When I was younger, I used to want to see the most notorious monument or tourist attraction only, and I thought that would feel like I was getting some sort of special experience in a place.
But there’s nothing quite like the feeling of someone explaining how to prepare a clay court in a foreign language or the anticipation of finding directions to a brand new court you’ve never been to before. Once you’re there, the familiarity returns and you play tennis. That’s something you can’t buy at a souvenir shop.
Courts photographed: Colombes Tennis Club -Paris, France. Hellas Tennisklubb -Stockholm, Sweden. Haga Tennis -Stockholm, Sweden. Lisbon, Portugal. Photos of me by Brian O’Connor.
Zac Farro spends his free time on tour photographing friends, finding each city’s best restaurants, and more recently, searching for some white clothes before stepping out onto the hallowed grass courts at Wimbledon.
