Upclose with Mamas Gun

HK Magazine: Why did you choose the title of an Erykah Badu album as the name of your band?
Andy Platts: Simply because I liked it. It’s short, it’s catchy, it’s warm and vibrant and I’m pretty sure that whether you’re from Hong Kong, Germany or Argentina you’ll be able to say “Mamas Gun” pretty easily! There’s also a bit of a history of bands taking the names of other artists’ records as their band name—“Radiohead” is a Talking Heads song, for example.

HK: Did you grow up in a very musical family?
AP: My grandmother was a keen opera enthusiast and my mother played guitar when she was younger. My grandfather’s uncle was also a very good portraitist. I grew up on a diet of The Beatles, Queen, ELO, Elton John, ABBA—it wasn’t till much later that I became influenced by the music of people like Prince, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Shuggie Otis, which underpins my writing style for sure. But the work of great artists like Radiohead, Scott Walker and Joni Mitchell continue to amaze me as well as contemporary artists like multi-talented Canadian artist k-os.

HK: People compare you to many bands and artists, from Stevie Wonder to Average White Band. What do you think of that?
AP: We don’t compare ourselves to anyone. But in terms of a band that maintains an incredibly high level and standard of creativity, it’s hard not to aspire to join the ranks of people like Queen, The Beatles, Tom Waits or Prince. These artists have incredibly rich, wide-ranging catalogues of work that reflect who they are, their talent and their ambition.

HK: Can you tell us something about your debut album, “Routes to Riches”?
AP: Yeah. It was completed and mixed in Los Angeles on the day that Barack Obama won the US Presidential election—November 4, 2008!

HK: The album has become quite a success in Japan and Hong Kong. Did you expect this?
AP: I think you’re destined to fail if you expect success. I never expect anything of anyone regarding the music of MG except that people listen to it with an open mind. It astounds me daily to think that the music of MG resonates with one person let alone thousands! It humbles me to the core every time I think about it.

HK: You were born in Hong Kong. When did you leave?
AP: I left Hong Kong in 1989. It is the place I associate with my early childhood. I remember Kowloon and the New Territories very clearly. I remember holidays to Lantau Island. I remember playing rugby near Kai Tak. I remember yum cha and char siu bau! I remember seeing helicopters putting fires out fetching the water from the sea. I remember the smell in the air as typhoons approached. I remember TVB Pearl and ATV Diamond! [Laughs.] All my memories of this city are of happy times in a very busy, humid climate. Memories that seem quite distant now but I’m sure will seem all the more vivid once I return to Hong Kong.