Grant Kirkhope is an interviewer’s dream, and never simply because he is accountable for some all-time nice online game soundtracks. He’s nice firm — frank, humorous, and loquacious.
We spoke to him most lately for our Nintendo Life VGM Fest again in 2021 and solely ended up publishing a small fraction of our chat in our Fast Beats collection. Since then, we have been ready for the fitting time to publish extra of our dialog, and the arrival of the twenty fifth anniversary of Banjo-Kazooie — a recreation which means an terrible lot to many a Nintendo fan, and this author particularly — looks like the right event to lastly delve into the story of our favorite ‘massive noise maker’.
In actual fact, we have determined to separate this substantial, career-spanning interview throughout two components. In Half One, he discusses his musical journey from enjoying a recorder at college by means of excursions with among the largest names of steel and rock within the ‘80s and ‘90s — and past all that trivial success into the fantastic world of video video games as much as his resolution to depart Uncommon…
So, seize a tasty beverage and sit again as we delve into the tales and influences that led to a few of our most treasured musical reminiscences in gaming. Please benefit from the firm of Mr. Grant ‘Clanker’ Kirkhope…
Nintendo Life: To start out, I wished to go over the way you started composing music basically. You began enjoying the trumpet. Is that appropriate?
Grant Kirkhope: I did recorder once I was 4. I went to junior faculty in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. They introduced round recorders and mentioned, ‘Anybody need to play recorder?’. I purchased my recorder for 15 shillings and performed that for a couple of years. I went to the following faculty and somebody introduced a cornet in a procuring bag. They mentioned, ‘Who desires to play this?’ I put my hand up first, so I acquired the cornet. I did the correct Related Board exams within the UK, did that proper the way in which by means of faculty.
I began enjoying guitar about 12. A mate of mine [who] had a crappy little band mentioned, ‘Do you need to come up play guitar?’ and taught me a few chords. I began getting higher than them as a result of I practised actually laborious. That was my faculty years, actually. I did the recorder. I finished enjoying that after some time, then simply did trumpet. Joined the native Harrogate and Skipton Faculties Symphony Orchestra on a Saturday morning. Then I acquired into the North Yorkshire Faculty Symphony Orchestra, which, to me, was just like the LSO. We did two programs, one week every, at Scarborough. One at Easter, one within the Summer time. You stayed away for an entire week and simply did the orchestra. I actually couldn’t imagine how improbable it was, you already know, enjoying music all day lengthy, and then you definitely used to go and tit about down Scarborough on the amusements within the afternoons, which was good.
I used to be good at music. It was all I used to be good at actually. I did all [UK school exams] O Ranges and A Ranges, and [when it got to] school time my instructor mentioned to me, ‘You need to actually attempt going to music school.’ So, I went off to the Royal Faculty of Music and did a four-year course there – classical trumpet and also you needed to do piano as properly. On a regular basis I had lengthy hair, enjoying in steel bands. I didn’t need to play trumpet actually, however I simply went as a result of it was 4 extra years of not getting job, proper?
It was a way to an finish then, the trumpet.
Completely. I simply wished to be in Judas Priest or Iron Maiden – that’s what I wished to do. I had no real interest in doing trumpet in any respect actually.
However you had means.
Yeah, I used to be good at it. I had a pure means for trumpet, bizarrely sufficient. So, I completed that and went spherical to Knaresborough to stay with my mom and simply signed on the dole right away. I ended up enjoying in plenty of native bands over the following 11 years, till about 32. A number of the bands did properly. A number of the bands did crap. I performed in band in referred to as Zoot and the Roots, who have been fairly a preferred form of uni band on trumpet. They have been like a soul funk form of band. We did some fairly cool stuff, like we performed Saturday Stay when Ben Elton was doing it and stuff like that. We performed the Palladium when Ben E. King was primary with Stand by Me; we have been his backing band for the evening. We performed Europe rather a lot. You understand, they have been extremely popular.
You’re type of [self-deprecating and] ‘Oh yeah, it was alright’, however these appear to be fairly massive issues.
They have been. Zoot have been the type of band that everyone favored. We have been enjoying three or 4 nights every week without end — six, seven years — a correct working band. A lot of instances bands would flip as much as help us who turned well-known later. Like Curiosity Killed the Cat supported us a few instances. File firms knew we’d pull the group, so that they put the brand new bands out with us that nobody had heard of, so they may be taught to play in entrance of a crowd with out anyone figuring out who they’re. There are a couple of bands like that who turned up. Deacon Blue, I feel, have been one other one. The La’s, bear in mind There She Goes? They’d have a great deal of new gear and [we would think], ‘Oh yeah, report firm band’.
Zoot actually by no means ‘made it’. Nice stay band, we did plenty of large gigs in all places. We acquired provided a deal as soon as from IRS Data. That’s Miles Copeland, Stewart Copeland’s brother. And so they’d simply performed a success, Physician and the Medics had a primary hit with Spirit within the Sky. They wished to signal us, however the those that ran the band – two type of principal guys – didn’t need to do it so that they by no means acquired signed.
I used to be trapped enjoying [with] bands on a regular basis. I saved considering that it’s all very properly being in a working band earning profits, as a result of I used to be, however I wished to be in a steel band. That’s all I wished to do. I attempted with my very own steel bands, however by no means actually acquired anyplace. I had a band referred to as Syar. We had an album out referred to as Dying Earlier than Dishonour on a bit Belgium label. That did alright. Then I joined a band referred to as Maineeaxe – a correct ‘80s steel band. We had a few albums out that did alright. We did a tour with a band referred to as Magnum. That was it.
However then I joined a band referred to as Little Angels, who have been fairly a giant UK rock band within the late ‘80s, early ‘90s. A buddy of mine managed the band. I knew the band from years earlier than, I used to play trumpet for them. That they had correct success. They [had a] primary album within the UK, so we did some fairly gigantic excursions. We opened up for Bon Jovi on the I’ll Sleep After I’m Lifeless tour six weeks round Europe. That was improbable. Performed open air, like 90,000 individuals, loopy stuff.
How outdated have been you when this was occurring?
I will need to have been 30-ish. It was us, Billy Idol, and Bon Jovi. Are you able to imagine that? Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Then we additionally acquired a Van Halen tour. We did six weeks with Van Halen round Europe. That was the Proper Right here, Proper Now tour. Clearly, as a guitar participant Eddie Van Halen was my hero. He was completely the nicest man on this planet. Actually, six weeks with him, I talked to him on daily basis and I simply thought, ‘I’d by no means ever, ever meet him ever once more in my life.’ He gave me this [points to a guitar]. His signature guitar that he designed on the time. That’s the one he performed. Completely unbelievable to get to try this with them!
We did the Bryan Adams tour when he was primary with The whole lot I Do (I Do it for You), when that was primary for 16 weeks. We performed Wembley Stadium, the outdated Wembley Stadium to 77,000 individuals. It was us, Squeeze, Excessive, and Bryan Adams. We did, I feel, six soccer stadiums within the UK. Cardiff Arms Park, Ipswich, Man Metropolis, Wembley, and the Glasgow one. Milton Keynes Bowl for 2 nights with Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. Two days with Bon Jovi on the Milton Keynes Bowl bought out 80,000 individuals! These are correct large gigs, so to try this was simply improbable. I couldn’t imagine it. We had a fantastic chortle as a result of I knew the band, we have been mates. To tit about Europe for six weeks in a rock band enjoying these gigantic reveals was fairly spectacular.
You would’ve fairly fortunately simply stopped there and gone, ‘Yeah okay, now I’ll go and work on a [construction] web site’ or do something and also you’d have already ‘made it’, however you’ve gone on a lot past that.
That got here to an finish. Little Angels cut up up, so I used to be again to enjoying in pubs once more, punk rock like covers bands. I used to be doing it on a regular basis in-between happening tour with them anyway. I’d signal on the dole, go on tour, come again, signal on the dole. It was at all times like that over that 11-year interval from 22 to 33.
I had a mate referred to as Robin Beanland, who performed in one of many native bands that I performed for. He’s a keyboard participant and sooner or later he introduced he’d acquired a job. Nobody that I knew had acquired a job. He mentioned, “Yeah I’m going to take a look at a spot referred to as Uncommon and write music for video video games.” I used to be like, ‘Wow!’, couldn’t imagine it.
Had been you a giant gamer at the moment?
I used to be. I’d performed numerous video games at that time. I performed the SNES quite a bit, so I used to be simply astonished. We stayed in contact. He’d been there a few 12 months and a half and he mentioned, “You understand, Grant, when you’ve been on and off the dole for 11 years. Don’t you suppose it’s time you bought a job?” I mentioned Robin, what the bloody hell can I do? All I can do is play this bloody guitar and play this trumpet, and that was about it.
And enjoying with Bon Jovi and all of the…
Properly, I do know but it surely’s not a profession. It’s not going to final the remainder of your life. It’s nice enjoyable, but it surely’s not massively well-paid or something like that. He mentioned, “Why don’t you attempt what I’m doing, writing music for video video games?” I used to be like, “Properly, I don’t suppose I may do it.” As a result of once I was in school we needed to cross the concord examination sooner or later. I failed it three years out of 4 and I solely simply scraped by within the final 12 months by the pores and skin of my enamel. I used to be horrible at concord. Understanding music, I used to be horrible at it. I simply didn’t get it in any respect. I wrote songs for the steel band that I performed for. However that was it, so serious about being a composer by no means as soon as entered my head. Not as soon as. It was like a mystic artwork.
So I mentioned, “Alright I’ll have a go. I’ve acquired bugger all else to do.” He advisable I purchase an Atari ST and possibly Cubase, which is a sequencing program. I purchased a bit synth module that had sounds in it and I sat in my bed room in my mum’s home in Knaresborough writing some tunes that I believed have been acceptable for video video games.
I despatched Uncommon 5 cassette tapes over the course of that 12 months. By no means acquired a reply. That will need to have been 1994. Then out of the blue I acquired a letter saying, ‘Please come and interview’ and I couldn’t imagine it. So, I went all the way down to Uncommon within the Midlands, in Twycross, center of nowhere. Dave Smart and Simon Farmer, who was the final supervisor, interviewed me on the Friday. And I acquired a letter saying I acquired the job on the Monday. I couldn’t imagine it, completely astonished. So, off I went. I began with Uncommon October fifteenth, 1995. Full fluke.
So that you didn’t go there filled with confidence going, ‘Okay, properly I’ve performed these stadiums, I’ve performed this, I’ve performed that — I can do that.’?
No means. None of that issues in any respect. I feel you’re solely nearly as good as the following factor you do. You might need performed a fantastic gig yesterday, however you may do a s**t gig any further till the day you die and also you’re garbage. It’s acquired to maintain a profession. You’ve acquired to be persistently good. I’d performed all these massive gigs and performed in bands for years, and so I used to be a very good musician, however a billion individuals do this.
I needed to write three tracks to take down on cassette. I needed to get a Batman-style orchestral piece, a guitar-based combating piece as a result of they have been doing Killer Intuition on the time, and a platform-y Mario-style piece — I wrote these within the week between getting the letter and the interview. However I used to be in contact with Robin on a regular basis he was there, so I knew they have been engaged on Killer Intuition 2 as a result of they’d performed the arcade machine. And so they’d made the information at Uncommon, as a result of the Donkey Kong had performed amazingly properly, like 10 million gross sales and Nintendo purchased it. I keep in mind that made the Information at 10 within the UK. It was a spectacular factor. I felt like I used to be going to royalty. I actually felt like, ‘What likelihood do I stand? Actually none in any respect.’ And I actually didn’t know who Dave Smart was. I knew he was the boss, he was the pinnacle of music on the time, however I didn’t know a lot about him. And I simply sat there probably not figuring out what’s happening on this mad farmhouse the place Uncommon have been on the time in Twycross.
And I acquired the job on the Monday. Couldn’t imagine it. So I packed my stuff, went to stay in Coalville simply off the M1, and began working at Uncommon. If Robin had not performed it, I’d by no means have performed it. If he hadn’t had the forethought to suppose I may do this and say to me, ‘Why don’t you’ve got a go?’, I’d by no means have performed it. It might by no means have entered my head. It was an absolute fluke.