Back to People main page.

August 8th, 2007 -- George "The Fat Man" Sanger sings Gigantor and recalls wild times at E3 

George Sanger worked with Matt at Anime Songwriting Workshop at ConnectiCon. Back at the ranch, George reflects on the Anime Songwriting Workshop experience with his unique blend of.humor and wisdom.

ASW: So, you’re one of the biggest names in interactive audio. Anything you’d like to say to introduce yourself to non-industry folks checking out this interview?

Fat Man: Hi non-industy folks, I'm The Fat Man!

ASW: What’s your current favorite anime? Any anime theme song you like in particular?

Fat Man: I'm gonna lead more toward the manga in this. My current favorite manga is Death Note, and I'm also very excited as I make my way though my current manga, which is Full Metal Alchemist. 

ASW: Any anime theme song you like in particular?

Fat Man: As far as anime theme songs, my taste goes so far back - I'd say Gigantor and Kimba.. (Listen to him in the MP3 singing the Gigantor song. ^_^)

ASW: Do you feel there are any important qualities in anime and Japanese pop music that are missing in today's American popular music?

Fat Man: I don't think it's that different, nothing we can't do here. There's an emphasis on cheerfulness, the slack to allow silliness and the chords are a little more complex. Anime producers seem more inclined to take a chance with music than game producers. It makes me happy to discover that there's someone out there who is willing to take chances.

ASW: You were also cool enough to cosplay to ConnectiCon and even enter the masquerade with your kids! Are you able to relate to your kids when you talk about music in anime and games?

Fat Man: Yes. My son has a lot to say about game design theory and is an aspiring game designer. He makes suggestions as to what I might consider doing, and tends to have pretty good ideas. I think he's just being lucky! As for my daughter, we relate about the plots to anime and manga.

ASW: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at a convention – be it an industry convention or an anime con?

Fat Man: I once saved a guy's life at E3. He was choking on a piece of chicken and I did the heimlich maneuver. I was also dressed like General George Custer. Another time, also at E3 I saw a booth babe on a pay phone in tears saying "I just don't know who I am anymore!"And I think that's awesome. It's so poignant. I saw 100 game developers throwing frisbees together in a circle. They were such nerds that that they were hitting each other in the nose and giving each other nosebleeds. These stories and other true stories and legends are available here on my website. (The recording goes into much more detail too.)

ASW: : Now to put you on the spot! What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done a convention – be it an industry convention or an anime con as a fan?

Fat Man: That must be a typo.

ASW: Anime Songwriting Workshop was designed as a game about writing pop songs, with a low barrier to entry. What lessons about producing music do the game mechanics highlight? What were the elements you found to be fun? What direction would you like to explore further in terms of the songwriting and production process?

Fat Man: The lessons about producing music are that it's a very positive thing. If you’re given X amount of time and a safe environment, you can produce a tune! Yeah, it can be done.  The song "The Blood Aisle" was ridiculous -shopping for blood at the grocery store in the blood aisle to feed the vampire. The combination of guidance with a lack of guidance. Steering by using inclusive vocabulary and never saying "this sucks." For me, the fun on a basic level was to have these creative people saying whatever came to their minds and acting it out. On a less basic level, exchanging chordal ideas and saying things like "let's make this bridge meaningful. Oh and the further direction? North by northwest!

ASW: If you could do this exercise again with better organization, more time and a higher budget, what changes would you make? What would you like to see done with the songs once they’re recorded?

Fat Man: First off, the sound system sucked! $10,000 worth of equipment and 3 people, and the sound improves when you stop using it! I'd like to try it in a smaller room with less sophisticated equipment. I'd also like to stretch out the production schedule: 1 hour of work and an hour break, another hour of work and another hour break. Then an hour of work and a 2 hour break. Then a 3 hour break, then a concert. We could actually piece together musical backgrounds that could allow recording to keep up with shape of song. It would be extremely gratifying to hear amazing production value at same time. As for after the recording, I'd like to see cd’s and hung around the necks of anyone who did work on them, perhaps with a soft green ribbon. I don’t like the idea of making music for money. I do like making music for making music. 

ASW: Anything else you'd like to talk about wrapping up?

Fat Man: Check out my nerd band Captains Of The Chess Team. Also, I've been put in charge of entertainment at Richard Garriott's house to raise money for the Video Game Archive. This mean's trouble! God bless you all... Or Flying Spagetti Monster bless you all. Notice the miracles, which is a silly thing, because I have yet to see anything that isnt a miracle. 

Back to People main page.

 "The Matt Man" (left) with "The Fat Man" (right) at ConnectiCon 2007.

George and the Amazing Technicolor Game Coat.