Michael Ende, author
The Neverending Story has been my obsession since childhood, starting with the movies and moving onto the book when I was old enough to comprehend.
There are so many emotions and lessons distilled within the book, many of which I’m still trying to learn: the perfect description of being terrified when standing at the precipice of everything you’ve ever wanted, the motif of losing more and more of yourself when you get everything you wish for. The beautiful imagery of Perilin, The Night Forest still fills my dreams at night – truly a fantasy classic.
Hideo Kojima, video game auteur
Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series was my companion as I grew from a young boy into a young adult, but it is his most divisive game Metal Gear Solid V that has stuck with me the most. My time with the game coincided with some personal hardship, and despite the disjointed narrative and the feeling of incompleteness the story left me with (alluded to in the game’s subtitle: The Phantom Pain), the central theme of carving out your own identity and becoming a legend has been a defining inspiration for my own story. The game helped lift me from depression and return me back to my love for music.
Air, electronic music duo
Since I started making music (and before), Air has been my personal yardstick for the quality of music I want to create. I’ve seen them twice, both times at the Sydney Opera House, both times the most surreal, engaging, overwhelming musical experience I’ve ever had. Moon Safari will likely go down as my favourite album of all time.
Shoji Meguro, composer
Meguro is best known for his work scoring the Persona video games, and while I LOVE the games, the music is what I come back to again and again. An eclectic mix of rock, classical-inspired pieces and acid jazz, Meguro’s work has such a unique identity and is something that I hope to find through my own work. It’s the soundtrack to my life!
George Lucas, creator of Star Wars
Of course, there can be no Young Anakin without Mr. Star Wars himself. I grew up with Star Wars and was OBSESSED – I got way too deep into the expanded universe and read almost all of the books before they decided they were no longer canon.
While it’s hard to argue that the prequels were any good, the Anakin character has always stuck with me, in particular the portrayal of his anger and fear of loss and what it drove him to do. I’m very much aware of the dark parts of myself, and sometimes I need to stare right at them to make sure I don’t go down the wrong path, and that’s very much a central theme of the stories that I’ve shared over the course of the EP.
projects (Jerkstore and 4Fins), Joey Maker is an artist you will want to keep your eye on.
