BETTER THAN REST! – The ROBERT TEPPER Interview!

Robert Tepper has had a great career. He is having his song No Easy Way out on the Rocky 4 movie to the soundtrack to coming out with a new album Better than rest. The album is an 11 song collection of an album that we can say is his best album yet, and it won’t disappoint any of his fans.

AA: No easy way out is about your divorce back in the ’80s. What do you remember about writing that song?

RT: I REMEMBER WRITING THAT SONG IN MY APARTMENT ON 94TH ST. IN NYC. I EVEN REMEMBER WRITING THE LYRIC AT THE KITCHEN COUNTER WHO KNEW. HAD AN OBERHEIM KEYBOARD AND I WAS BANGING OUT THE CHORDS ON THAT.

AA: What made you decide to move to Los Angeles?

RT: I MOVED TO LA BECAUSE I FELT IT WAS EASIER TO GET TO THE RECORD COMPANY’S OUT THERE. NEW YORK CITY WITH ALL IT’S SKY SCRAPPERS. IT ALL JUST SEEMED SO INTIMIDATING SO LOS ANGELES HERE I COME. I WOULD GO INTO THE A&R OFFICE IN LA AND JUMP ON THE DESK AND START SINGING LIVE. SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF SOME PEOPLE. SOME PEOPLE CALLED SECURITY ONE GUY RITCHIE WISE SIGNED ME. YOU NEVER KNOW

AA: How did Sylvester Stallone end up hearing your song?

RT: STALLONE HEARD THE SONG THRU SCOTTI BROTHERS, I WASN’T IN ON THAT MEETING. I WAS TO BUSY WORKING ON THE FIRST RECORD. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I COULD NOT RELEASE MY RECORD UNTIL THE SOUNDTRACK RAN IT’S COURSE. SO BY THE TIME, THE RECORD HAD CLIMBED UP THE CHARTS SCOTTI BROS WERE OVER IT. THEY DID RELEASE ANOTHER SINGLE BUT THE WRONG ONE.

AA: Were you able to see Rocky 4 film before it was released?

RT: IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT. THE OPENING WAS IN WESTWOOD THEATRES HERE IN LA. IT WAS STAR-STUDDED, AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY WHEN I SAW IT UP ON THE SCREEN. AFTERWARD, STALLONE POINTED AT ME AND SAID YOUR NEXT. CHANGED MY LIFE.

AA: The new album sounds very timeless. What was the approach to making the new album?

RT: THE APPROACH WAS TO ASK THE QUESTION WHAT IF THE 80’S STYLE OF MUSIC NEVER WENT OUT OF FAVOR. WHAT WOULD A RECORD LIKE THAT SOUND LIKE TODAY. WITH EVERYTHING WE KNOW NOW. AND THAT WAS ALWAYS THE STANDARD OF HOW WE DID THIS RECORD. WHAT WERE THE TIMELESS ELEMENTS OF THAT ERA.

AA: Your voice still sounds amazing; is there anything you do to maintain your voice?

RT: I DO WORK ON IT BECAUSE I SING REAL HARD AND I WANT THAT POWER. SO VOCALS FOR ME ARE LIKE AN ATHLETIC EVENT. SO I TRAIN. PLAY A LOT OF TENNIS AND WARM UP AND STRETCH. YOU KNOW NOT GONNA FEEL THIS YOUNG FOREVER I DON’T THINK

AA: How did you come up with the name of the record?

RT: IT WAS A VERY CONTEMPORARY PLAY ON RAPPERS HOW THERE ALWAYS AS RICH AS FUCK AND AS POPULAR AS FUCK AND HAVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ETC. BUT IN REALITY, IT’S A RELATIONSHIP SONG. AND IT DID GET PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT IT.

AA: How did the song show me where the light is going to come together?

RT: LIKE MOST OF THE SONGS WRITTEN FOR THIS RECORD PABLO AND I IN A ROOM JUST WRITING OUR HEARTS OUT. WE WOULD GET TOGETHER ONCE TWICE A WEEK AND JUST START PUTTING SONG IDEAS DOWN. THE LYRIC CAME WITH THE MUSIC. IT’S ABOUT WANTING THE TURER THINGS IN LIFE INSTEAD OF ALL THE FLUFF. ANIT NO DRUG IN THE WORLD THAT CAN GIVE ME LOVIN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYCH-o9KVbU

AA: How did the song I don’t want to make you love me?

RT: I DON’T WANT TO MAKE YOU LOVE ME WAS A SIMILAR PROCESS. I LOVED THE HOOK RIGHT AWAY IT JUST FELT KIND OF INDICATIVE OF THAT TIME.

AA: Which songs were the toughest to write?

RT: THE WRITING WAS NOT THAT DIFFICULT. WE WERE VISITED MANY TIMES BY THE VIBE GODS. THE MIXING TOOK AWHILE. JUST HAD TO FEEL A CERTAIN WAY

AA: How is it writing songs with someone else on this album you wrote all of the songs with Pablo Padilla?

RT: PABLO, AND I VIBE GREAT. WE ARE ALWAYS REACHING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE AND ARE VERY MUCH ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN IT COMES TO ALMOST ALL MUSICAL THINGS

AA: Are there any leftover songs from the album?

RT: THERE ARE ONE OR TWO, BUT WHEN IT’S TIME TO WRITE A NEW RECORD WE WILL DIVE DOWN INTO THE BUCKET AND SEE WHAT’S SHAKING

AA: Will you be doing any live shows to promote the album?

RT: JUST WENT WITH ADRIENNE HAW MUSIC MANAGEMENT THEY ARE BOOKING SHOWS AS WE SPEAK

AA: Are you always writing songs?

RT: YES, I AM. IF YOU WERE TO ASK ME WHAT AM I FIRST AN RECORDING ARTIST SINGER OR AN ENGINEER OR A MIXER I WOULD SAY WRITER FIRST. THEN EVERYTHING ELSE AFTER

AA: Are you one of those songwriters that have a lot of songs that have never been released?

RT: I AM BECAUSE IM USUALLY SITTING ON A BUNCH OF SONGS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT’S A GREAT SOURCE OF ANXIETY TO ME HOW I WILL EVER BE ABLE TO RELEASE WHAT I WANT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE