Somebody Cool.
Rob Muller
musician, composer, man of letters.
Rob Muller is one of the most versatile musicians working today. He is
a gifted drummer, a fantastic vocalist, as well as a composer with credits
in both film and television, but for Rob these accomplishments weren’t
enough. So he sought out a new direction, and has also become a much in-demand
clinician for the use of guitar synthesizers. And lest you think music
is his only interest, Rob is about to embark on a second career, this
time in journalism. And you thought James Brown was the hardest working
man in show business...
Twenty Questions: ROB MULLER
1. What do you like most about what you do?
Learning from others.
2. What do you wish you could change about yourself?
I wish I could unlearn all the bad technique that
I've picked up over the years.
3. Do you think others perceive you the way you perceive yourself?
I would like to think so, but if anyone truly believes they know the answer
to this question, they're kidding themselves.
4. If you could only have access to a total of 5 items, whether they be books, albums, movies, sculptures or paintings-- which 5 would you choose, and why?
i. the Bible
ii. the Collected Short Stories of Nikolai Gogol (for "the Terrible Vengeance")
iii. The album "Laughing Stock" by Talk Talk
iv. Symphony #3 by Henryk Goreki (the Electra/Nonesuch recording with Dawn Upshaw, soprano)
v. "Works of Love" by Soren Kierkegaard
5. What, as opposed to who, has influenced you most?
My Mid-West upbringing, for better or worse.
6. Do you do your best work when you’re happy or not so happy?
In other words, do you think there’s any validity to the old saw
about an artist having to suffer in order to successfully create?
For me, I believe that that is true, but not for everyone. When I write
happy things, they all sound like "Disney on Ice" songs.
7. When you are not working, what do you do for fun?
Play with my daughter, Sydney. Read classic literature
and listen to some good classical or jazz.
8. When you are working, describe a typical work day (or night)?
Hmmm... I'm not 100% sure I can. That would assume rhyme and reason, thus
something to describe. Uh... ...I got nuthin'.
9. If you weren’t a musician/journalism student, what would you
most certainly NOT have become?
An accountant: numbers scare the hell out of me.
10. Where do you see yourself two years from now?
Finally graduating. Owning a recording studio.
11. If you were cloned, what would you want to write on the blank slate
of your new self? Or put another way, if you had been your own parent,
what would you have taught or exposed yourself to during the course of
your upbringing that you were not?
Man. I'm not sure I would change anything for fear
my life would be different than it is now, or even has been. It's been
a great ride.
12. If you had the power to put together the greatest band of all time,
who would the members of that band be?
...and then his head exploded. The only person I know for sure is Manu
Katche on drums. And that would even change from time to time.
13. Limited to these two choices, would you rather be the fastest runner
in the world, or be able to run the longest distance?
Long distance runner is what sprung to mind first, although I'm not completely
certain why. I think when you're sprinting you don't have time to think
about anything but running your ass off. What fun is that?
14. What’s the best song you’ve heard so far, and why?
I think it would have to be "After the Flood" by Talk Talk off
of "Laughing Stock." It is just a perfect piece. The lyrics
just kill me, the song is about as deep as anything I've ever heard anywhere,
and there isn't a single hint of pretense. An amazing work. That whole
album is...
15. What’s the worst pain in the world?
Saying goodbye, when you know it's for good.
16. What’s the best smell in the world?
Coffee brewing... Oh wait! Coffee brewing in a
bread store... MMmmmmmmm.
17. What’s the saddest song of all time?
"Ghost in this House" by Alison Krauss
and Union Station.
18. What’s the greatest thing that ever happened to you?
My wife and daughter.
19. What’s your LEAST favorite swear word?
Fuck. So over-used, it has lost its punch and meaning.
It's like a common conjunction anymore.
20. What should I have asked you?
If I really wanted to do a 20 question interview.
