MB:  I started playing music at the age of 7 and studied music intensely in college. It took me 3 years after graduation to make a living as a composer/sound designer. I started working for a company called Paragon then went to Microprose. From there I freelanced and worked on a number of games. I've also worked on commercials and film. Oh yeah, I played in a number of bands, too.

MB:  Musically ... Stravinsky, Sibelius, Chopin, Miles Davis, Brian Eno, Jon Hassell. These musicians were/are unique and innovative along with creating inspiring, masterful work.
Some non-musical influences... writers Denis Johnson and Charles Bukowski; artist Jackson Pollock, Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dali; and filmmakers Ethan and Joel Coen.

MB:  It wasn't something that I initially set out to do. Back in 1991, I was interested in being a songwriter and also a composer for film. Composing for games had never entered my mind. Then one weekend, by chance, I picked up a Sunday newspaper and saw an ad from a company looking for a composer to write music for games. I sent in a resume and tape. They picked me out of 150 applicants. The rest is history.
Why Oddworld? Well, Oddworld is a perfect fit for me. The values and goals of the company are in line with mine. They give me a fair amount of independence. I like that. They trust me. I trust them. It works out well.

MB: Spending time with my wife. Reading. Working on my own music in my home studio. Hiking. I write short stories (mainly fiction) but only do that on and off. Drinking good wine, eating good food. Sleeping (I love power naps).

MB:   I just picked up the soundtrack for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." I've been reading a twisted novel by Peter Carey called "The Tax Collector".

MB:  A lot of excellent talent is here. Everyone has been great to work with. Other companies I had worked for or with always had at least one person who was really crazy or impossible to deal with. I haven't encountered that here. It makes it much easier to concentrate on the important aspects of my work as opposed to maneuvering through treacherous political landmines.

MB: There's no typical day, really. It's always something different. Today I'll be working on music for an area of the game. Maybe recording some djembe and a guitar for a track. Tomorrow I'll be working on sound design for another area. At the same time, Lorne might walk in at any minute and want to record some dialogue.

MB:   I live close enough to walk to work and at some point during that walk every morning I think about how fortunate I am to be actually making a living doing what I love to do.

MB:   This is a trick question, right? You can't fool me! I obviously have the coolest job here so why would I want to trade with anyone?

MB:  The work I'm doing right now.

MB:  We want to make great games so that people can have great gaming experiences. I've seen some good games on the PS2 but because the Xbox has more power, it allows us to create better, more inspiring games that you the fan would like to play. We're doing it for you.

MB:  Wanting to be a great composer or sound designer is like being a zen monk. You have to devote your life to it. It takes years of hard work, sacrifice and discipline. Success almost never comes overnight. You have to really love it.
Educational background? Well, a music degree always looks good on a resume. I'd suggest studying music composition and theory. Listen to tons of music. All styles. It pays to be a diverse composer.

MB:  Munch. I suspect he'd be nice enough to let me borrow his head implant so that I could go out and zap a few things.