Vegan Rock Star Tanya O’Callaghan On Activism, Optimism, And Touring

Vegan rock star Tanya O’Callaghan has said she doesn’t think she would be able to do what she does without following a healthy plant-based diet.

She spoke with Plant Based News (PBN) earlier this month about her experiences touring as a vegan, her work for animals, and why she’s an optimist.

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‘Violence out of sight is no less violent’

O’Callaghan is an accomplished bass player best known for her work with Whitesnake, Dee Snider (Twister Sister), and Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden).

She told PBN that she has been vegan for “basically” her “whole life,” though she didn’t have the word for it when she was growing up. O’Callaghan already didn’t eat any dairy products, and once she realized the connection between the local cows, whom she thought of as her friends, and the meat on the dinner table, she gave it up.

“It made so much sense to me, even at four, that I love animals,” O’Callaghan said. “Why would I be okay with them being killed to be on the plate? And it was just very instantaneous for me. And removing that disconnect at an early age was like what set me off on my entire life path.”

She said that she began working at a rescue shelter in her hometown by the time she was eight years old, and did “10 straight years” there, including as the head volunteer, carrying out rescues, undercover investigations, and other “hands-on” work.

“Violence out of sight is no less violent, but it’s like nobody wants to look. Nobody wants to look, but it’s there. It’s all there,” O’Callaghan said of undercover work.

“Then I picked up a bass guitar and did a 180,” she added. “But that is a huge, huge chapter of my life that laid the foundation for everything advocacy.”

‘My backstage rider is the most un-rock and roll thing you’ve ever seen’

O’Callaghan noted that it’s “easy to be an unhealthy vegan. She said that to her, veganism is about “morals and ethics,” but that whole, plant-based foods – such as tofu, tempeh, and fresh vegetables – are what she chooses to eat day-to-day.

“No matter where I go in the world, from Brazil to Romania, Ireland, North America, Australia, Africa, I have never found it hard to eat because I know that there are some vegetables, some whole grains, some beans… Bring healthy snacks, and that’s it,” she said. “What we eat as whole foods plant-based people is actually really simple.”

In 2020, O’Callaghan launched the plant-based YouTube show Derrick & Tanya’s Highway to Health with Derrick Green, the frontman of Sepultura.

Highway to Health saw the pair explore food, health, and sustainability from the perspective of two vegan touring musicians, with guest appearances from Moby, Kat Von D, Steven Adler, Devin Townsend, William DuVall, Kevin Smith, and many others.

“My backstage rider is the most un-rock and roll thing you’ve ever seen. It’s blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sparkling water, herbal tea, hot food,” O’Callaghan added. “Always some veggies, always some grains, some healthy snacks, because then I know that’s always there.”

Read more: Vegan Metal Icon Derrick Green On The End Of Sepultura And Why He Stopped Eating Meat

‘I’m currently working on my very first cookbook’

O’Callaghan’s love for nutritious vegan food and her years spent touring the world with bands are coming together in her next project: a plant-based recipe book.

“I’m currently working on my very first cookbook, which is terrifying and exciting,” O’Callaghan said. “I decided to do a cookbook that is obviously a plant-based cookbook, but it’s also a tour memoir. So it’s because of my love of food going around the world. I’ve picked 10 countries, which was really hard because I’ve been to over 60, and taken three recipes from each country and made them plant-based.”

She added, “It was really hard to get it down to 10 countries because I’ve had, like I said, no problem eating plant-based no matter where I am in the world.”

O’Callaghan said that she has tried to keep the recipes “pretty simple,” because she likes to show people that it’s possible to make a “remarkable meal” in 10-15 minutes. “I’m pushing myself to learn more about cooking for different cuisines,” she said.

‘In my entire life of searching for a reason not to be vegan, I have been unsuccessful’

O’Callaghan talked about how “taking animals out of the equation” would result in a better, more sustainable food system, benefiting everyone, including farmers. She also described a vegan diet as being more “ethically aligned” with who she believes humans to be deep down; an “otherwise kind people,” meat-eating aside.

“I’ll forever be the optimist on this because you can’t not be,” O’Callaghan said. “I think it’s really exciting that in all the things we cannot control in this world, we can control what we consume because we buy it with our hard-earned money.

“Every day, even if it’s just one meal a day or stop consuming so much or just knowing where the things that you consume come from, that actually is a really exciting thing that we can do collectively as the human race to help each other.”

She added, “You can influence a few people around you, and then that ripples out […] In my entire life of searching for a reason not to be vegan, I have been unsuccessful.”

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