Artist Spotlight

In this month’s artist spotlight we bring to you Rebecca Tollingworth!

"Who Doesn't Want Some Respect and Admiration?"
An Interview with 'good robot usses'
By Edward Crossman

Connecticut based singer/ songwriter Rebecca Tollingworth isn't new to the scene. Paying her dues early as bassist for a local punk act, she soon struck out on her own as 'good robot usses', creating a vast array of original music from acoustic anti-folk to electronica. A talented writer, poet, and artist Tollingworth once struggled to find her voice, but is gradually coming into her own as a powerful creative force, advocating for the LBGTQ+ community and mental health. Taking the time to correspond with me via email, Rebecca opened up about her music, battles with depression and self identity, and what she hopes to give back to the community she loves so much.


Edward Crossman: Everything has a beginning, including 'good robot usses'. How did this project come about and what do you hope to give and/or gain from it?

Rebecca Tollingworth: I began my musical career in 4th grade. My mother had rented a flute from the school and I was going to learn it. Unfortunately the very first day I had it, before even getting to music class, someone had stolen it from the classroom while I was at lunch. Then in 6th grade I took "Music Survey" which was mostly just teaching the keyboard. I started playing guitar in Music Survey in the 8th grade. Then I took a few guitar classes in high school as well as 'Creating Music With Computers' and AP Music Theory. My uncle is a musician and had lots of CDs and guitars. He inspired me to learn for myself. I'd always been in love with all kinds of music and art. And I loved the way art can make you feel so deeply. I've always wanted to make people feel something, too.

What do I hope to give? I guess just my art, my thoughts, my love, myself. I love sharing my poetry, drawings, music, etc... I want to make people feel, even if it's just a little bit. And what do I hope to gain? In high school I always imagined I'd be a filmmaker, author, and musician. Unfortunately life has thrown me many curve-balls over the years and it never really happened. Mental health issues were probably the biggest problem. I guess I hope to gain experience and knowledge. I hope I gain better understanding of myself and the world. And who doesn't want some respect and admiration?

EC: Would you mind expanding a little about how 'good robot usess', specifically, came about? Like, why start this project? Who or what influences your sound?

RT: Like I said, I’ve always loved music and always wanted to make it. I think it was maybe around 2010-2013 when I started using “good robot usses” for my music releases. Before that I was going by my dead-name on Bandcamp, YouTube, SoundCloud, and other sites. I started writing/recording my own songs (acoustic guitar) around 2004, maybe. I’d been writing poetry since around 2000. And once I was competent enough with guitar I started recording myself playing. I finally put lyrics/vocals to one of my songs in 2006, “A Summer Away From You”. But most of my songs were instrumental for a while. I started the project to be another creative outlet. A way to express my thoughts/emotions and share my words/poetry. To hopefully make others feel what I feel.

I was inspired/influenced by all kinds of musicians. Here’s a smattering of some of them: My uncle, Bright Eyes, The Postal Service, Fiona Apple, Jenny Owen Youngs, Motion City Soundtrack, Saves the Day, Metric, Ratatat, Anamanaguchi, Rocky Votolato, NOFX, The Goo Goo Dolls, Kevin Devine, Dashboard Confessional, Dustin Kensrue, and so many more… It’s mostly indie music, but I listen to a bunch of different stuff and get inspiration from all over the place.

EC: Names are important. It's the thing that people are going to refer to you by forever, so it should be something that means something and you're happy with. How and why did you decide on 'Good Robot Usses' for your musical moniker?

RT: So, first of all, it's "good robot usses" all lowercase because I'm unique like that. The phrase "good robot usses" came from the film 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'. In that film 2 evil robot doubles of the main characters are sent to kill Bill and Ted. They dub them "evil robot usses". After they die they go through Hell and then Heaven. They befriend the Grim Reaper, Socrates, and a super smart alien named Station! Station helps Bill and Ted create good robot versions of themselves dubbed "good robot usses". I just really love that film and concept. I thought it was a funny reference that few people would get. And it's doubly funny because I go by 'good robot usses' but I'm only one person. I was toying with the idea of 'Station!' and some other ideas before settling on 'good robot usses'.

EC: In your introduction to us here at Black Noise you described yourself as "a trans woman musician." How important is that qualifier, compared to being a musician who happens to be a trans woman?

RT: Representation matters! I want young trans people (and just trans people in general) to be able to see that I'm an out and proud trans woman and it’ll be okay for them to come out and live their true, authentic, trans selves! I want to show the community that I am a safe person, someone who understands. I just think it's really important to describe myself that way because that's who I am. Yes, I'm a musician who happens to be trans, but being trans is a huge part of my life. Just being out and proud is a good message to the people who may be ashamed or scared to come out. I want other trans people to be able to listen to my music and relate to my lyrics. I finally came out to myself in 2014 after seeing a lot of positive queer & trans representation in various media, like Laverne Cox in 'Orange is the New Black', Against Me’s album 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues', Elliot Page initially coming out as a lesbian, and various books. Having this representation is so fucking important. They all helped me finally know I wasn’t alone and that it was possible for me to transition.

EC: Your first appearance on the scene was your stint as the bassist for Connecticut punk outfit Social Suicide. Following that, in 2010, you started releasing your own music, which is, mostly, acoustic anti-folk, in the same bracket as The Moldy Peaches. Quite the divergence from the crusty hardcore you were playing. Did your time playing the punk scene influence your later music at all?

RT: Yes, my very brief stint as bassist for Social Suicide. That was a fun time. Yeah, I think, just like with everything you experience in life, it can influence your art. I definitely learned a lot playing with Social Suicide. It was my first time in a band and they helped make me feel comfortable and part of the band. I even helped with writing a couple songs. Playing with Social Suicide helped me get over my stage fright, helped me learn how to play guitar and sing at the same time, and just made me a better musician.

A lot of the music off my self-titled first release was recorded before my time with Social Suicide, but it definitely did influence my song writing and performance a bit going forward. I don't think the punk aspect had any real relevance to the influence, though.

EC: You're a pretty multifaceted artist. You don't limit yourself to being just a sing/ songwriter. You have expanded 'good robot usses' into, along with other genres, electronica, beginning with the 2021 EP 'Experimentation' and leading to the very polished 2025 release 'Higher Level Anathematics', which is a concept album with the idea being it's the soundtrack to a fictional video-game. I would love to hear the story about this particular release. Did you have the whole game planned out? What was the inspiration behind this idea?

RT: Thank you! That's very kind of you to say! I was quite proud of 'Higher Level Anathematics'. I'd always been interested in creating music with computers but was only ever really able to do it on school computers. I'd only ever used Audacity at home and never really tried hard enough to find a free (or cheap) music software. I only recently got Ableton Live back in like 2023 and my mom bought me a MIDI keyboard controller in 2024. 'Experimentation' was just that - it was me experimenting with Ableton Live for the first time. With 'Higher Level Anathematics' I wanted to try to see if I could make video-game music. No, I didn't have the whole game planned out. I just really like video-games and wanted to see if I could do it. Honestly, there wasn't much of the game fleshed out at all. I kind of just went by vibes and only after the songs were made did I name them. In one I imagined the character running through a forest, and in another they're ambling in a field. I just named them based on the vibes of each song. I tend to do that a lot with my instrumental stuff.

EC: Since the release of your self titled in 2015 you've put out an album, on average, every 2 years, mainly EPs made up of demos and covers. Polished up and recorded, you could have at least 2 great LPs out in the world. Is this something we could look forward to soon?

RT: I wish I could polish up and rerecord my older stuff. Especially now that I'm 10 years into my transition. A lot of my older songs were written pre-transition. Rerecording always pops up in my head, but unfortunately I struggle with various mental health issues that make it hard to focus or get motivation. But it is something I hope to do at some point! I really wish I knew someone who could take my rough drafts and turn them into songs. I think I'm talented with lyrics and vibes of songs, but I haven't quite mastered how to really play any better since I started learning guitar.

EC: In 2024 you put out the EP 'Let's Mash it Up', which, along with your Bandcamp, can also be found on your YouTube channel, @hawkingbishop. You take two, sometimes three, songs and layer them into each other to create something new. Some of your choices have been Lemon Demon and Oingo Boingo; Korn and Linkin Park; and Matchbox 20, A-Ha, and The Black Keys. How do you decide what to merge? And what do you hope the fans take away from this project?

RT: First of all, thank you for thinking I have any fans. Seriously, though, I think I just want people to enjoy the fun of the mashups. There were a few different factors to what I chose to merge. Some songs I just thought they would sound good together. But mostly I think I just looked up which songs had matching BPM and keys and decided to mash those up.

EC: You take on some tough subjects in your songs, including, but not limited to, self identity, anxiety, and depression. Have these been personal struggles for yourself over the years? Do you care to share a bit of your story and gift any words of advice or solace to others that might be in a similar situation?

RT: Oh yeah. Like I mentioned earlier, I suffer from a bunch of mental health issues and I struggled with my identity my whole life. I always knew deep down that I was a woman, but I didn't have the knowledge, resources, or bravery to come out until I was 30. I've struggle with self harm and suicidal thoughts. I've attempted suicide multiple times. But I am glad I failed each time. No matter how shitty my life has been, I'm glad I'm here now. I have a girlfriend who loves and supports me and is amazing. I have a bunch of really great friends and family. I'm so happy that I've been able to share my various art with the world over the years, and I hope to keep sharing it for many more years to come!

EC: Are you open to adding other musicians, or do you prefer to stay a one woman outfit?

RT: I’d love to add other musicians. But I have trouble playing with others because I’m not really all that good of a musician. That’s why I quit Social Suicide. So I’ll probably remain a solo act for the foreseeable future. But I’m definitely not opposed to adding new members. I would love to try contributing lyrics for other musicians to add music to, though. Think that’s more of my strong suit than the music. - Just don’t know how to connect with other musicians.

EC: Will you be playing live anywhere anytime soon? Would love to plug your gigs.

RT: Nope! I’ve never played a gig as 'good robot usses'. But I used to perform my songs at open mics near weekly back in like 2018-2019. I’ve been itching to play open mics again, but I have no vehicle so I can’t really go anywhere. I don’t really imagine myself playing any shows any time soon. Maybe if I get other members who are more competent than me.

EC: Can we look forward to any new releases in the near future?

RT: I'm currently working on my own comic series! It's very queer and diverse and pretty cool, if I do say so myself. No art yet, but a ton of lore and world-building. Hope to share it at some point! I have a few unreleased electronic songs that I hope to release soon! Gonna try coming up with some more to fill out an EP or album. And I really want to figure out how to publish a book of my poetry. I have THOUSANDS of poems and I want to share it with the world.


Follow Rebecca Tollingworth!