The Whipping Post presents...

Robert Sweet Interview - Added 12/04/00

The Whipping Post: So what led you to do a solo album this time around instead of something in more of a band setting? 

Robert: I've always been a team player, but this time around, I didn't have a band, it was only me. That being the case, I just went ahead and did it all myself. I must admit, it was a blast. 

WP: Do you plan on another solo album in the future? If so, will it still be just you and Larry Worley or will you look for some other band members? 

RS: In all honesty, I'm not sure yet. As I do this interview with you, I am working on songs for the next one, but I haven't figured out who I'll be working with yet. 

WP: I used to be a big Fear Not fan. I love Larry Worley's singing. What's he been up to since his Fear Not days? 

RS: I have to say Larry Worley has quite a vocal talent. Believe it or not, he didn't know any of the songs on "Love Trash" prior to recording them. He learned them on the spot in the recording studio. Yes, he is good! I would like to see Larry on the next record though. 

WP: I think you touched on a lot of interesting subjects on "Love Trash". Regarding the song "The F-Word", you seem to be saying that Forgive is more of a dirty word than the other F-word is. What is your reasoning behind this? 

RS: What I was trying to say is that some people treat forgiveness like it is a dirty word, forgiveness is something we all need. It is a must-have! 

WP: A lot of the song titles on this album seem to be "attention grabbers". ("The F-Word", "Love Trash", "I'm ?@#$%&!", etc...) Was this kinda an intentional thing to get listeners to pay more attention to what you were saying and to dig into the lyrics a little more than they usually would? 

RS: Absolutely! That has always been my thought process. If you can grab peoples attention with the title, I believe that they are more likely to read the lyrics to find out just what you are saying. 

WP: Do you have a personal favorite song on the album? One that maybe has special meaning to you. 

RS: I would say that I have two. It would be "Help Me To Help Myself" and "The F Word", but of course, they all have special meaning to me. I like the drum groove in the "The F Word" and of course, the title and the fact that it is about forgiveness and with "Help Me To Help Myself", I like lyrically the "realness" it represents when someone is crying out to God. 

WP: So, what do you spend your spare time doing when you're not playing music? Any interesting hobbies? 

RS: I love muscle cars. I'm into pinball machines and I love spending as much time with my family as possible. You could say that I am a hot wheel collector and I also collect a lot of military items. (tanks, jets, flame-throwers, that type of thing! 

WP: Well, we can't have an interview with one of the Sweet brothers without questions about Stryper. You've recently had the first Styper-expo, with another one coming next year. How did this first one go and are you guys planning on making this an even bigger event next time? 

RS: The first one was spectacular and yes, I do believe that the second one will be much bigger and I am so looking forward to it. Visit stryperexpo.com and robertsweet.com for periodic updates. 

WP: In past interviews I've read, you seem to be the one member who has the most interest in seeing Stryper re-unite. Why is this so, and what do you think are the chances of this happening? 

RS: Well, I would have to agree with you. Maybe it's because I started Stryper, gave it it's name and it's image. It's just something that I've always felt strongly about. About Stryper reuniting, I believe that it is possible, but it's something that I can't do all by myself. So far, the other guys have not felt as strongly about it as I have, so until they do, it won't happen. I'm just going into my future and asking God to put me in the right place, where He's like me to be. Of course, if all goes well, there may be a real shocker in my future, more about that later though. 

WP: Who is the Shark Chicken? 

RS: That would be my beloved tan and white 12 lb taco bell chichuahua dog. She's a princess, but she won't let anyone mess with me. 

WP: Thank you very much for taking a few minutes to visit with The Whipping Post. Any final comments you'd like to make? 

RS: Yes, thanks for asking me to do this interview. I want to thank all of the fans for their support through the years, I wouldn't have made it without them and the Lord to help bring me through some of the tough times. If all goes well, I will be making a very big announcement very soon. Please visit robertsweet.com and read updates on what is happening with me and Stryper.