RPM: Outspoken Thinker

She's the tough chick Pink pretends to be. There is no stopping her. She's smart (has a degree in Epic Literature from NYU) and determined to tell her truth and never hold back. Rock artist RPM won't be censored. Her songs contain more "risqué" words than the most rabid gangsta-rapper's work. The young artist isn't popping those expletives for the sake of rebellion but to coax her listeners to think; to not mindlessly accept what is fed to them by government and pop culture. Ya gotta admire that. Whether you think she's gone too far or not, RPM is one interesting artist.

Her independently-produced album "Irrational Anthem" is catchy tune-wise, but each song has a punchy message. Her liner notes contain the dedication "I'd like to un-thank all the people who told me to quit and my "friends" I finally cut off who, not-so-secretly, hoped I'd fail". RPM is also a social activist, supporting education for inner city kids. Check out innercitystruggle.org, a group that the rocker is still trying to aid with a benefit concert after one attempt failed. She's had death threats and attempts at radio censorship but RPM rocks on. We caught up with her during a break in L.A. and found her to be just as refreshingly honest as her music.

TeenMusic: Are you ever going to tell anybody what your actual name is?

RPM: I'm sure it'll come out soon enough but those are my real initials.

TeenMusic: At what point in your life did you first say "I'm not gonna play this game anymore. I'm gonna say what I feel".

RPM: It was going to a music camp between my junior and senior year of high school . It was the first time I was away from home for 6 weeks by myself. I just had time to watch the news, read the newspapers and be around other people my own age and be in a different city. I thought 'wow', a lot of the things going on in my neighborhood, in my house, in my community I really don't agree with and I really feel like I need to say something. Before that, I chose my battles very wisely. The summer I turned 17 I just said 'I have to speak my mind'. My parents came to pick me up and we drove back home from Pittsburgh for about 6-8 hours and the whole way I did not shut up. I told them what I thought about everything. I remember I started off about abortion and by the time we got to Virginia, my parents were just 'Holy S*** what happened to you?'

TeenMusic: Rappers who use risqué lyrics in their music get all kinds of radio play and concert gigs and you don't always. Do you think it's unfair?

RPM: I absolutely think it's the discrimination in the music business and it's completely unfair. I think what I say is a lot more intelligent and a lot more thought provoking than what is "controversial" in the music business today. Usually it's extensive cursing or talking about women in a negative way, and I think largely it's because I'm a pretty little white girl. It's the package that it's being delivered from. I think it puts a lot of people off because they don't want to listen to it. It's kind of 'oh we know we'll be shocked or talked to in a different manner when we put on a rap record or a "Rage Against The Machine" record'. But, there aren't that many young women in mainstream music that come out and stand for anything and I think a lot of people largely don't know what to do with me. I don't fit the box. I don't want to fit the box. I definitely think it's completely unfair and kind of sad and I hope to change it.

TeenMusic: So is there a subject that you still want to rant on?

RPM: Every day there's something new to blast. My most recent rant is about The Passion of the Christ and I just put that up. The good thing is that I have my rants on my website www.rpm.tv.) so I have a forum where I can let my thoughts out as I'm having them with regard to social and political issues. I don't have to wait for the next record and my topics can be more time sensitive. We're already knee deep in writing the second record and there's no shortage of things to rant on.

TeenMusic: When you were a kid were you allowed to listen to music really loud? Were you able to pick what you listened to?

RPM: I got grounded for buying George Michael's "I Want Your Sex". I think I won a gift certificate selling cookies or something crazy and I bought that. I got in so much trouble for that. I remember I had a Divinyls poster and I don't even know how I knew who the Divinyls were. My parents had a heart attack and ripped it down off my wall. I was definitely not allowed to even have a stereo until I was 15 so I was definitely not allowed to listen to anything very loudly. I didn't even own any music. I did most of my listening to music really loud when I snuck out or when I was at my best friend's. I'd go to my friend Lisa's house and just crank the stereo. Now, I have a wonderful relationship with my parents. They are just opposite of me. You just agree to disagree.

TeenMusic: People have said 'take Avril Lavigne, rev her up in about a thousand RPM's' and it's you. How do you respond to that?

RPM: If that equates to equal record sales, I'm fine with that [laughs]. I don't really care. I think it's a little ignorant because it's obviously someone who didn't really listen to the lyrics because even if you revved Avril up 1000% there's still no substance of thought there. I want to sell records largely so I can make people think, get in dialogues and affect some kind of change while still rocking out and having a great time. Avril times 1000 would definitely give me the access I needed.

TeenMusic: Are you out to stir your listeners out of apathy or just to release your own feelings?

RPM: It's really both. But, if I was not able to stir listeners, there wouldn't be any point in the other for me. I don't expect that everyone is going to agree with me. I would be thrilled if people had discussions with me and told me why they thought I was wrong because then, at least then I'd know they were thinking. It would do me no good if it was just releasing my feelings. I don't look at art as therapy like I think a lot of people do. I'll go to a therapist if I need to. (My work) is just really carefully constructed to provoke thought in other people.

TeenMusic: Your liner quotes crack me up. You 'un-thank' friends who told you to quit. Is there one special friend who did stick with you?

RPM: Yes, her name is Lisa Maltz and she has been my best friend forever and she lives in San Francisco. We had braces together. She came to every concert of me singing "Les Miserables" to every rock band I ever tried to be in. She's heard every demo and every song and has always been the one girlfriend that has always believed in me. And actually my sister, maybe even more so than Lisa. She's been there since the beginning, since my first musical at age 8. She's a lawyer, a Catholic Republican Lawyer. [laughs] She definitely didn't have a rebellion. She was always a straight A student and followed in my dad's footsteps.

TeenMusic: You have a BA degree and you wanted to get involved in educating inner-city kids. Can you talk about your involvement in that?

RPM: Unfortunately my involvement is less that I want it to be. There's an organization here in L.A. called Inner City Struggle and I was putting together a benefit concert for them on March 1st and had gotten some larger names involved. We were going to give all the money to that organization and we had to cancel the event because the name act pulled out because they were offered a paying gig. I'm trying to do my part by spreading the word. Hopefully I can do some volunteer work with them. What moves me about that organization so much is that it's kids doing it for themselves.

TeenMusic: Is there something on your website where people can read about it?

RPM; There is www.innercitystruggle.org and there's a link to it under My Links and on the show page.

TeenMusic: On the more personal front, what is the one major quality a guy has to have if you're going to date him?

RPM: Honesty. Actually, brutal honesty. I really need someone that can say to me the absolute truth even if I don't want to hear it and can handle it if I fly off the handle. I prefer to just know it even if it's just horrendous so I can deal with it. I've had experiences with guys and girls alike who are just dishonest and I don't have time for that. Someone who can just call me up and say 'F**k you'. I can deal with that. I can't deal with manipulation, or the lying, or the secrets. It's too time consuming.

TeenMusic: If you were going to kick back on a date with a guy where would you go?

RPM: To my couch [laughs] with a big pizza, a six pack of Budweiser and an action/adventure movie.

TeenMusic: What was the first song you ever wrote and what was it about?

RPM: The first one that I really remember that was totally constructed with lyrics and music would have been 5 years ago and that was called 'Prey'. It was about violence against women.

TeenMusic: Why do you think you're being received so well in the U.K.? Is it because they're less uptight?

RPM: I think they're less uptight. I really don't know because I'm not that well traveled yet. I think I'm going over to Europe next month, I've been to London and I've been to Taiwan and that's about it. The reaction is not that different in terms of people. The people in America seem to really respond to the music and we get the most amazing fans who write me the most amazing letters and really make me feel like I'm making an impact. It's the music industry that seems to be a lot more responsive over there than over here. I think they are less fear based.

TeenMusic: What was your first big break?

RPM: It's been such a long, steady road. It hasn't been a big break. It's just been years of tireless hard work. When I was in New York I made my own demo and shopped around to all the labels and got a pretty good response but they wanted to change this and that and I got on a plane and came out here and met with a lot of people so in terms of the traditional big break I don't think I've had one because I think it's just me working really hard. Working with Frank ( Gryner, her co-writer/producer) has been my biggest artistic break. We met through a mutual friend, with all the hard work and meeting with all the labels we met through someone at a gym [laughs]. We got together he heard my demo, ripped it to shreds and told me everything he thought that was wrong with it but saw what was right and had the tools and the skill set and the creativity to bring it to life for me.

TeenMusic: What is your song writing process? Do you get the lyrics n your head and then the beat or do you think of a tune and then find the lyrics?

RPM: It happens different ways for every song. Sometimes we'll sit down and the tune will come and we'll write lyrics to it and sometimes it's the exact opposite. It might just be literally a word and then a note and a word and then a note. Frank and I sit on his couch with two beers and the TV on and two guitars and whichever comes first. It really varies song to song.

TeenMusic: What is the weirdest object you've ever written lyrics down on?

RPM: I am really anal retentive when it comes to my writing and I will only write in notebooks. I always have a notebook and a pen. I'm just really organized. That's from the army, the upbringing of being on time. My dad was in the army. It would freak me out to write lyrics down on strange stuff.

TeenMusic: Your album is obviously produced without manufactured sounds. Are you happy music is moving away from manufactured pop and turning to the singer/songwriter again?

RPM: Yeah it's good that people can sing and actually play their own instruments. For me, if there's still no message then it's all the same animal in a lot of ways. Whether it's John Meyer strumming his guitar singing about being in love or it's a girl lip-synching about being in love it's still kind of about the same s***. I don't like to sit in a coffee shop strumming my guitar and wane and wax so for me until there's a resurgence of what Rock means and that rebellion and that raw energy, I won't be happy.

TeenMusic: So if you're not that thrilled with everybody's music, what singer or band are you listening to?

RPM: I've been listening to Incubus, OTEP and I actually kind of like the way Maroon 5 sounds. I always have my standards like AC/DC and Guns n' Roses but those are the people that are more modern that I listen to.

TeenMusic: What is a typical day like for you?

RPM: My typical day, when I'm in the writing and recording mode, would be to wake up, work out, eat something go to Frank's and then be on a couch for about 12 hours until we get something out or until we go 's**** it. This isn't going to happen' and then we'll watch a movie. It's certainly not glamorous. On show days if there's a rehearsal at night or there's a show it's a little different but that's the writing and recording of it.

TeenMusic: What has been your most touching fan encounter so far?

RPM: I've had lots of those. I've had a lot of girls come up to me and say 'I was thinking about suicide and I listened to "Talk You Down" and I realized that I wasn't taking control of my own life. The critics who listen to the song say that I endorse suicide but they don't get it, they don't listen to it. But the people who are actually in that state of mind and are younger than 50, they get it. They don't think I'm telling them to kill themselves. I had one girl come up to me and she's a practicing Satanist and we had a really interesting conversation, really amazing and mind opening.

TeenMusic: Are there things you wouldn't write about?

RPM: There are things in my life that I keep for myself and wouldn't really feel the need to write about because they wouldn't necessarily do anything for anyone else. I think it's important as an artist to always keep something for yourself because if you give everything then you're not going to be a complete person and you're always going to be the person who walks off stage and needs to take drugs. So there are things in my life that I keep really private and really personal and I don't need to write about them or talk about them.

TeenMusic: Other than singing what do you think you do pretty well and what pretty badly?

RPM: I would say what I do pretty well is give directions. What I do really badly is...I don't do anything badly [laughs]. I'm a great cook. I'm an amazing cleaner. I'm not perfect, I just avoid things that I wouldn't be good at.

TeenMusic: If this career hadn't worked out what do you think you'd be doing?

RPM: I would be an archaeologist. Hands down, I'm completely obsessed with ancient civilizations and cultures. That's why I studied epic literature. Both of my tattoos are cuneiform. I would definitely be an archaeologist and I don't know maybe later in my life I might still do that. When I'm like 45 and no one wants to see me jumping up and down on stage anymore. I can see myself getting a Ph D and being an archaeologist.

TeenMusic: What's coming up next for you?

RPM: Oh it's all so up in the air. We're doing the radio campaign right now, doing some promo dates and some in store appearances and I think I'm going over to Europe to do some performances and have some meetings and try to lock down the summer tour thing.

TeenMusic: What would you like to say to fans or potential fans?

I would just like to say to think and not accept what's told to you and not become indoctrinated and always examine and not just blindly follow. Also, realize that anything that's actually worth doing does take a lot of work even though it's a cliché. Don't expect to go into the arts and not work as hard as somebody who's trying to become a doctor. You don't necessarily have to go to school to be in music but you definitely have to put in the same amount of time and work. Everyone thinks it's a free ride and if you want to do quality work it's not. If you want to be a sell out it's probably a little easier.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.