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| MegaShaun and...wait don't tell me... |
MegaShaun, or Shaun Hatton is a wearer of many different hats, and speaking frankly...all of those hats suit him well. He's the type of guy who is at home and comfortable doing whatever that is placed in front of him. It doesn't seem to take him very long to get good at the next thing that is in store for this artist/musician. I had a chance to chat with this super rad guy and this is what he had to say!
Can you tell me your name and also a little bit about yourself?
My name is Shaun Hatton and I suppose most people know me from being on a TV show called EP Daily where I talked to game developers, comic creators, artists, writers, actors... just about anyone who was doing something creative and fun! I also enjoy making music and talking about things I like, which include 1980s cartoons, video games, music, and technology. I have a mustache that I shaved once but it felt weird so I probably won't shave it off again.
Did you have a favorite toy as a child?
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| AT-AT strolling around the place, looking for rebel scum. |
I did. I was really into my AT-AT Walker from The Empire Strikes Back. I still have it actually and it sits in my studio window sill! It came with a little product catalogue of other Star Wars toys that I sadly no longer have but there was one page depicting the walker in an action situation with the legs posed a certain way. I remember that I wasn't very good at posing the legs so that it would still stand, so I would always ask my dad to pose the legs for me.
Do you have any advice for people out there that don’t know where or how to start in the music business?
I only have the same music advice as I would for advice for anyone looking to break into any sort of creative discipline. Just do it! Do not wait for someone to invite you to do something. If you want to make an album, do it. Now more than any previous time in history the barrier for entry to become a musician is low. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on fancy gear. As long as you have something you can play and a means to record what you're playing, you can start making and sharing your music. Once you have, you need to let people know! That part can be a little annoying and discouraging, especially if you spend a lot of time on something and it doesn't get as many listens or downloads as you would have liked. Really though, the first person I make music for is myself. I do it because I think it's fun, and if there's another person out there who also enjoys my music, then that's great.
You’ve done music across the spectrum, from live to studio, from electronic to even singing! And also you’ve done scoring for video games, so which of them is easier for you, rock or soundtrack scoring?
That's a good question. Sadly none of it is really that easy. Some days it feels like the music comes naturally and I feel more productive. Other days it's a real struggle, like my heart isn't really into it. I might be distracted by something else going on, or I might be too busy to devote time to it. None of it is easy, sadly. But if it was it wouldn't be fun. Once songs are written and practiced they become easier to play. Some songs are very simple and easy to play. But coming up with the music is like fitting pieces of a puzzle together and you don't necessarily have the picture on the box of what it's supposed to look (or in this case sound) like.
I know you’re a PlayStation guy but what about retro stuff? Do you have a favorite retro platform, like Sega or Nintendo of something more obscure?
I think you've got me pegged wrong there! I am more than anything a Nintendo guy if I had to choose but to be honest I love games regardless of what system they're on. I was really into Sega Master System as a kid because that is the system I had growing up. Then I got a Super Nintendo and switched sides in that legendary console war. SNES is still my favourite system ever.
Your logo and album art is instantly iconic without being too busy. Can you give me a peek into your creative process on making such amazing stuff!
Thanks so much for the compliment! I assume you're asking about Laser Destroyer Team? For that process I thought about what the name evoked for me, and it really brought up both 1980s arcade games and 1950s b-movie posters. I don't really have the tools or the patience and skill to draw properly, so all my work is digital with very minimal line work if I can help it. I like to keep the lines clean and use combinations of pretty simple shapes.
Were you equally into art and music when you were a child? Was art and music something at the same time or did one start before the other?
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| Where Shaun sheds his human form and becomes MegaShaun! |
I was primarily into drawing, especially comic heroes that I would make up. I never really got into music until starting a band in college with some high school friends, though I did have small toy synthesizer as a kid that I would play standards like "Happy Birthday" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
Who are your influences in art? Who got you into it?
Ultimately everything I've ever seen has influenced me but artists whose work I really like are Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, and Kevin Eastman. I can't draw even a fraction as well as these folks. It was a combination of my mom and Mr. Dressup who got me into drawing, in addition to some really artistic friends! Shout out to Nuno!
Who are your influences in music? Were your parents musically inclined?
We had a Bontempi air organ when I was younger that my mom would play Christmas carols on. I feel musically I am very inspired by different things depending on what day you ask me this question. Overall I blame the band Sloan for making me make the jump from drawing to playing music. Also, seeing a great band live is always inspirational to me!
Do you have any projects in the near futures that you can talk about?
No. People will hurt me! But look out for the soundtrack to "Sometimes Always Monsters," which should be coming out when the game does.
You’re a regular digital renaissance man, and looking at your credentials, I am impressed! You’ve gotten a lot accomplished so far, so what motivates Shaun to become MegaShaun?
Thank you so much for the kind words! I am motivated by other people constantly. My friends are some of the most creative, caring, and talented people I have ever met and seeing them do great things makes me want to do continue making cool things myself. The name Megashaun was given to me by my friends Jay and Darcy, who were in a band called The Meligrove Band that I would go see all the time. I didn't like it first!
Out of all of your music projects, which one of them is your favorite that you worked on?
This is a tough question but I must say it was really cool and silly of DrinkBox to ask me to write and perform an end credits theme for their amazing game Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack! - I still can't believe I got to do that. It was really fun and they let me get super silly with it. The game is amazing as well. I bought a Vita on launch day just so I could play it!
I see on your instagram that you’re a collector of transformers. Are you interested just in G1 figures or the whole spectrum?
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| SoundWave squad on point! |
I love G1 Transformers the best. People tend to have a skewed perception of the toys though. A lot of times I am in a conversation where someone says how much better the G1 toys were, and it's just that they have really shitty memories. Lots of people have remarked to me that G1 toys were made of metal. They weren't! Many had some die-cast parts but they were mostly plastic. Also, some of the newer figures are amazing and put the originals to shame. I don't care for the toys based on the Michael Bay series of films, however.
Do you have a Holy Grail piece? If so, do you own it already?
I feel like I don't really need anything. Holy grail? I am very fond of my Japanese 16-Special reissue Megatron and its Diaclone-coloured variant.
How did you get into video scoring? Do you have any favorite musicians in that genre? Do you have a musician in mind that you’d like to see try their hand at that kind of thing? Who do you think would be good at it?
I asked the guys at Spooky Squid to listen to my stuff and let me know what they thought. A few months later I got an email from them asking me if I was interested in taking a stab and a few tracks. PS: Spooky Squid rules so hard.
Favourite composers include: Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, Tokuhiko Uwabo ("Bo"), Koji Kondo, Yoko Shimomura, Isao Abe, Syun Nishigaki, Dan Forden, and Virt! So many to list, sorry to all I'm not immediately thinking of.
I think JG Thirlwell would be an amazing videogame composer but that dude is busy enough as it is. He's a legend. Gary Numan would be great, too! Same with Eno.
Do you have a favorite band right now that you wish would get more coverage?
Electric Six! Give all your money to them. Please also send all your space love to TWRP.
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| Electric Six |
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| TWRP. Give them all your money. NOW! |
Your project Laser Destroyer Team is one of those minimalistic beauties that is a real treat for the ears! It has the right amount of brooding atmosphere as well as that nostalgia feel to it? What was your inspiration for that?
I can't take the credit for this project as it is a team effort including amazing musicians Christopher Tait, Keith Thompson, and Chad Thompson. They are incredible at what they do and really know how to create fun atmospheric hooks. I'm inspired by the demos they share and we use some pretty fun sounds that evoke that nostalgic feel. I don't really think about it too much when working on music under that banner, actually! It might be all subconscious.
Thank you Shaun for doing this!
You can find Shaun on the following.
On Instagram @megashaun
On twitter @megashaun
On youtube
https://www.youtube.com/user/channelmegashaunShaun's homepage
http://megashaun.com/
And buy a cool Megashaun shirt at
http://teespring.com/megashaun-the-t-shirt
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