Who are you and what do you do:
Gregory Pepper. I’m mainly known for the singer / songwriter thing, but i also work on other people’s records and make art.
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Why do you do what you do:
I guess mainly to stave off boredom, but there’s also that sense of contentment you get from creating something new, be it a loaf of bread or a popsicle stick mausoleum.
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Current obsessions:
We’re pretty into that “Tattoo Age” documentary series on VBS.TV now. The episodes about Dan Santoro and Grime were awesome. There’s also this comic called “Forming” by Jesse Moynihan which is fucking epic and wonderfully drawn. http://jessemoynihan.com/
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Go-to album on a rainy day:
“She’s So Unusual”, nonstop.
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Most played track on your itunes:
Apparently it’s “Atlantic City” by the Boss…
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Most cherished musical object:
Probably this old Heintzman upright piano in the living room. I do all my writing and arranging on that thing.
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Proudest moment:
I tend to relish the little victories: A sweet parallel parking job, correctly predicting the weather or winning small sums of money at poker.
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Most vulnerable moment:
The first one that comes to mind was the annual ‘Christmas Assembly’ at highschool, which was a sort of talent show. You could either attend the assembly and get to leave school a couple hours early, or sit in the library and read or something. So the whole student body is packed in this auditorium, jeering and booing. I distinctly remember this heavy-set girl doing a choreographed dance routine to that “Mortal Kombat” techno jam. Anyways, I had this garage band and we’d never performed in public. I was about 15 and couldn’t sing or write a song to save my life. it was a wannabe-Pavement-type number, and halfway through the first verse i broke a string. My guitar had a floating bridge so the instrument instantly went grotesquely out of tune. The song kind of grinded to a stop and the entire audience erupted in depraved laughter. At this point, I experienced what therapists call the “fight or fight” response. Blinded by panic, we clumsily finished the song. Pretty great start to a musical career, nowhere to go but up.
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Are you most influenced by your surroundings or your inner monologue:
It’s tough to ignore either one of those things, but the little guy inside the diorama gets final say.
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Favourite venue to play in and why:
Does my basement count if Kitty and Tito are watching? Playing live still feels like a formality, but i’m doing my best to enjoy myself and give people something worthwhile.
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Dream venue to play in and why:
Do they still mime along to pre-recorded backing tracks on ‘Top of the Pops’? That sounds like a sweet gig, no pressure to hit the right notes, plus a bunch of british teenagers loosing their shit.
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Top album released this year:
The SMiLE sessions box set is supposedly being released on November 1st. No brainer!
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First band t-shirt you ever purchased from a merch table:
I’m pretty sure it was a Stomp Records t-shirt. Old ladies used to come up and talk to me because they thought i was into some lame-ass musical that was big in the 90′s.
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Band you’d leave your bandmates for:
It sounds selfish, but I really don’t get much out of playing other people’s music. Besides, it’s enough of a struggle to keep my bandmates from leaving me.
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Album you wish your parents exposed you to in the womb:
My earliest memories start around five years old, so i’m dubious as to how much of an impression it would have had. Just to be clever though, i’ll go with 4’33” by John Cage.
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Album you want to expose your kin to whilst in the womb:
“Tomb of the Mutilated” by Cannibal Corpse. Just so the kid comes out totally brutal!
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Last record you purchased:
“Gravestone Rock” by The Skeletones Four. And it fucking rules, by the way.
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If for some reason you lost the ability to make and play music, what would fill that gap:
I’d be perfectly happy drawing and painting full time. Plus I would make just as little money as I do playing music, so it would be a smooth transition!
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