Se7en Questions with Musician, Composer and Filmmaker
Rusty Apper
Who are some of the
artists or some of the works that inspired you to get started in your field? Of today’s current artists, who do you draw inspiration from?
For me it all started with a strict diet of Hammer Horror and The Beatles and The Who LPs courtesy of my parents! I had a strong interest in the arts, but knew I wanted to act and perform. Those seemed to go hand in hand. There’s a lot of brilliant and up and coming artists that I really respect as well. I try to draw inspiration from everywhere, my peers included.
What have thus far been some of the negatives of being an indie artist in your field?
Being an indie artist can be tough because you never know how far your reach will go. The lack of funds often means you can work hard for little payoff. But it is also surprising sometimes how much support you do get. I think there’s a universal feeling for an indie artist that sometimes can be perceived as ‘you’re on your own’. You’re not, but it can feel that way sometimes. Success breeds success and major outlets really only want to talk about big stars. Regardless of how good or bad your work ethic is. As an indie artist you’re can never be ‘flavor of the month’, you just have to keep slogging, and hustling.
What have thus far been the positives of being an indie artist in your field?
Personally, I enjoy the freedom. I can literally do what I want and turn it into something cool. When you’re not bound by mainstream ties and big conglomerate backers and hedge funds, you can take more risks, you can be a more “naughty” and you can have that opportunity to not be afraid if you turn some heads or make some eyes roll. As an indie artist, you have to take your successes but also embrace failure… Because, with low budgets, it’s a lot easier to put a spin on something that hasn’t quite worked out, than it is if you’re playing with millions of dollars.
What have been your favorite completed projects to work on up to this point? Can you tell us a little bit about them?
Before I took a big break from directing for music, my movie The Whistler was released in 2010 and although its essentially a handbook of college style filmmaking, it taught me a lot. You don’t need a huge crew and you don’t have to do things ‘the right way’… There is no one ‘right way’ and I learned that. I was pushing a big action thriller and it was very difficult. Too many cooks, too much money. The Whistler was born out of a near-nervous breakdown and it ended up being what Shock Horror Magazine called ‘an instant cult classic’. I’m happy with all of my projects, but I’m also very proud of my composing work for film. I just released a 3-volume collection of my film music from 2004 onwards, titled Music for Film. You can check that out on all streaming services (playlist for Spotify users, HERE).
What projects are you currently working on or have planned for the near future?
I have a brand new album, my first since 2016 called The Devil’s Work, which will be out in winter 2021. Also I’m finishing up a feature film, a horror anthology called Artifacts of Fear, which will be released next year. Aside from that I’m out on tour with my band Famous Monsters and I’m planning a solo tour sometime next year to support the new album.
Where do you see yourself in a few years and what would it take for you to consider your career a success?
Success is subjective. My 2016 album Infinity Pool had pretty lukewarm success and I probably alienated a lot of my hard rock following because I sort of said “hey, I’m just going to do what I want”, so there’s a lot of cross genre in there. For me it was a personal success. Commercially? not so much. I just want to be happy and produce good projects and content that people will enjoy. I don’t do anything to win any races but I also don’t do anything ‘just for me’ as I feel that half of the enjoyment when you present a product to someone, or play a show, or present a movie, etc… is when the audience enjoys it, too. Whomever they may be. I hope to still be healthy, making people happy, helping others where I can and still making great music and hopefully still making movies 🙂
If you couldn’t do this anymore, what career path do you think you would have followed and why?
I always wanted to be a chef. I like to be creative. Something like that. I love cooking. So maybe something along that line. Either that or maybe a truck driver. I’m a born extrovert but I’m introverted also, so I love my own space and time on my own. I feel I need that, to perform as a true extrovert. I like the idea of hours to myself on the road. I like to be with my thoughts. After all, to me… they are all that really matters.
