Starting Over Again: Robert Schwartzman On Rooney's Sparkling Return

Some people are born to be creative. It’s in their blood and in their bones. Take Robert Schwartzman: actor, director and leader of Californian pop-rockers Rooney. His mother is Talia Shire, star of The Godfather and Rocky, his brother the indie film star Jason Schwartzman. His uncle, meanwhile, is the iconic director Francis Ford Coppola and his grandfather the noted composer Carmine Coppola. It’s unsurprising, then, that he’s a multi-talented artist in his own right.

Schwartzman is fresh from pulling off the tricky task of successfully reactivating his old band as a one man passion project, having recently returned with a thoroughly entertaining new album of sun-soaked songs, ‘Washed Away’. We caught up with him to discuss the record, the original line up’s disintegration and why the group’s UK fans need to harass him on social media.

Why was Rooney put on ice in 2012? What have you been doing since then?

Rooney was put on ice following the ‘Eureka’ album cycle. There were lots of tours and it seemed like there hadn’t been a healthy amount of time taken away. I was also working on new music that I didn’t think was right for Rooney. I wanted to feel what it was like to put out music under my name, to create a completely different project [Starsystem] and to experiment with other creative endeavours, such as making the film Dreamland. 

Why did the original line-up disband and were you ever conflicted about returning to the Rooney name by yourself?

Part of this is hard to explain because bands consist of individual people and people are emotional. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I think bands are complicated and music is a tough world right now. We started this band before we knew what we wanted out of music, out of life, from this experience together. Everyone had their own aspirations and that led to going our separate ways. After a five year hiatus, things were in a different place when I wanted to resume Rooney. 

It’s hard to return to Rooney under different circumstances. It’s easy to second guess yourself and judge this process. I’m trying to take it one step at a time and be open minded about what can happen, where this can go. I really don’t know the answer, but I know two things: I love playing Rooney songs and I love the supporters who have stuck with Rooney all these years. You can’t ask for anything more. 

But are you concerned some fans may feel disappointed that the high school ‘band of brothers’ have broken apart? People love that romantic perception of groups.

Yes, I’m a pleaser so of course I take it hard. As much as I want, I can’t expect everyone to get behind everything and embrace this next phase of Rooney. It’s hard to accept change after so many years, but I think Rooney is more than who is in it, I think it’s what we all make of it. I like to think there’s a lot of time ahead so this is just getting started.

You wrote all the songs and played most of the instruments on ‘Washed Away’. What are the pros and cons of working solo?

The pros are I can do what I want, go with my gut, not have to argue or upset anyone along the way. It’s good to be more open and let things happen naturally without being too set in your ways. With a band, you have specific personalities and people with certain musical habits. When you work alone, or collaborate with many different musicians, it becomes more about what is best for the song, not just what is best for each person in the band.

The cons are that it’s hard to not have a group you can play around with all the time, at any moment, and have that unity creatively. I have that with some of my friends I work with, so that’s nice. It’s all just beginning anew, so I hope to build on these relationships. I’ve worked alone a lot, so I’m used to playing around and experimenting while I record. 

‘Washed Away’ keeps Rooney’s trademark melodic smarts but marries them to a new range of sounds and styles. Was it important to freshen things up if you were going to reactivate the band?

I wasn’t too conscious of the sound and reactivating Rooney. I was more focused on writing good music that made me excited to go out and perform. It’s easy to judge it and spin in circles, but I felt it was just time to get going. I’m proud of this music and happy to get a new album out.
 
All The Beautiful People boasts a very different sound, with new wave influences, synthesisers and a touch of Arcade Fire about it. Then there’s the post-punk agitation of Do You Have To Go? How have fans responded to some of those new flavours?

I’m getting really good feedback. It’s always very cool when people post online that they’re enjoying the new music. Love to hear that. I think people find ‘Washed Away’ captures the Rooney sound and shows a musical progression. It’s good to keep building on the Rooney story musically and to try new things. 

Every band has fans who don’t want them to change and want to hear the debut over and over. How do you handle that?

I’m probably one of those people who might want that as well. I think the answer is nothing stays the same, it’s not natural. Most artists have a style. Whether they use synths or heavy guitars, maybe there’s still part of their sound in the music. 

Don’t Be A Hero mixes new colours with a classically infectious hook and a cheeky wink towards the Beach Boys. Can you tell me how it was written?

I was introduced to James Blunt at a writing session for his album many years back. He came by my studio in Los Angeles and I played him the opening melody and bassline for Don’t Be A Hero. I wanted to write something different for him that would be a musical departure from his previous releases.  We worked up Don’t Be A Hero and for whatever reason, it didn’t fit his album so the song just sat around. After recording most of ‘Washed Away’ I wanted to spice it up and see if there were any songs I needed to go back and revisit. So I re-recorded and re-worked Don’t Be A Hero.
 
Melodies are a key part of Rooney’s sound. Do they just come to you or do you have to work at crafting them? They seem so effortless.

I just start writing, whether it’s picking up a guitar or sitting at the piano. If I get an idea that I like, I record it into my phone and save it as something to revisit. Or sometimes the song just starts writing itself and I’m along for the ride. I’m a big fan of melody. I think that is where I go right away when I listen to music. That’s where I find a lot of the emotion in the song, the way melody plays off the chords. 

Tell me about the track ‘Washed Away’, with particular reference to the lyric “just a name that had its day”.

The lyric refers to feeling like no one cares anymore, that things are different and it’s all been washed away. The first line is “I’m so washed up”. It plays on the imagery of the beach, the waves, literally being sucked into the ocean and disappearing, and also the idea of the ship sailing away and being left behind.

I think songs are personal, emotional, and imaginary. I feel all of these things and feel positive about the future, so it’s not all self-deprecation. I just like the image of the ship sailing away, the ship representing success, and here you are, this beautiful and complex castle of sand built right up against where the waves were crashing, only to be swept away.

There are numerous mentions about the passage of time on the new record.  Are you happy growing older or is it something you’re wrestling with?

It’s both. I’m happy and I wrestle with it. I think growing older is natural and the way life works. And it’s hard to experience this change. It’s hard to explain the feeling of being a musician, touring, and being wrapped up in songs, but it’s like a timeless experience. 

Sad But True is a lovely end to the album and is also featured in Dreamland, your directorial debut. What can you say about the film and how that song became part of it?

The film is about a young guy trying to find his way in love and in life. He’s a piano teacher and part-time lounge pianist. He gets seduced by a rich married woman and they have a short-lived affair, too much for his innocent heart to handle. While working on the screenplay, I started to write songs on piano for the film and Sad But True was one of them. I tracked it while working on the album and thought it would be a great fit. 

Your family has such an astonishing legacy in the film business.  It’s often considered traditional for kids to rebel and forge their own path, but when you come from that kind of dynasty is there any implicit pressure to follow in their footsteps or is it a calling?

I don’t feel pressure to follow in anyone’s footsteps, that’s not the pressure part of it. The pressure comes from people outside looking in who will compare everyone, or the pressure to stand out within this industry. But that’s what comes with the territory. Even if we were all trumpet players, people will compare. That’s just human nature.

I grew up watching and talking about how the films were made, the actors, the technique, and that goes for music as well. My family has a history in classical music, so music has been a big part of our family. Film industry aside, it’s all about being creative and making something new. That’s the drive. 

Going forwards, will your focus be on music, directing or both - and will Rooney’s next record be a bit quicker now you’re back in the groove?

I’d like to focus on both music and directing. I love both experiences and hope to keep working. Dreamland comes out in November so I’m working to get the release going. And I’d like to make a new Rooney album very soon, so I hope to keep the wheels turning. 
 
Have you any plans to come over and tour the UK?

Yes, that would be awesome and I really want to make that happen. Touring internationally involves a lot of moving parts that are outside my control. I hope there’s enough demand to make a show possible. Anyone reading this, write me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and let me know if you want to come.

'Washed Away' is out now on Superball.

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