Grant Kirkhope

Grant Kirkhope (born 10 July 1962) is a British BAFTA and IFMCA nominated composer, known for writing the soundtracks to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Donkey Kong 64, Perfect Dark, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Viva Piñata, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, CityVille 2, the remake of Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, Civilization: Beyond Earth, and Yooka-Laylee.

Early life and education

Kirkhope was brought up in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire and attended King James's School (like his fellow trumpet player and good friend, Simply Red's Tim Kellett). Kirkhope played in various bands after leaving the Royal Northern College of Music, including Zoot and the Roots along with the saxophonist, Snake Davis. Kirkhope also spent many years as part of "the Big Bad Horns" which were part of UK rock band Little Angels. At the age of 33 he was employed by Rare. Before joining Rare, in October 1995, he played for two bands called Syar and Maineeaxe where he played guitar, and already knew Robin Beanland, another Rare composer. Kirkhope's music featuring an electric guitar is played on an Ernie Ball/Musicman EVH given to him by Eddie Van Halen. Kirkhope's skills on guitar can be heard on Killer Instinct Gold, Perfect Dark, Star Fox Adventures or Grabbed by the Ghoulies.

The Keep

The Keep may refer to:

See also

The Keep (Wilson novel)

The Keep is a horror novel by F. Paul Wilson. It is also the first volume in a series of six novels known as The Adversary Cycle. It appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List and has been adapted for film and as a limited-series of comics.

Plot

German soldiers and SS Einsatzkommandos are being slowly killed off in a mysterious castle (the "keep" of the title) high in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania in April 1941. Theodore Cuza, a Jewish history professor living in Bucharest, and his daughter Magda are brought to the keep by SS Sturmbannfuhrer Eric Kaempffer in a desperate attempt to determine what is murdering his men. Cuza is later tasked with defeating the unknown evil that is wreaking havoc. The professor translates a mysterious message written in blood on a wall that uses a forgotten dialect of Old Romanian or Old Slavonic.

The entity responsible for the deaths calls itself "Molasar," and it finds Professor Cuza useful. Molasar procures his services through deception and false promises, and even puts into remission, the scleroderma from which he suffers, so he could work for him. Molasar is later revealed to be Rasalom, an ancient sorcerer from the "First Age" of humans.

The Keep (Egan novel)

The Keep (2006, ISBN 1-4000-4392-1) is a novel by Jennifer Egan which became a National Bestseller, a New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle Notable Book, and a Chicago Tribune, Kansas City Star, and Rocky Mountain News Best Book of the Year. The Keep is a story about two cousins involved in a haunting business venture that evokes a horrifying tale from their past.

Plot

Danny is an aging hipster in New York City who has fallen on hard times. He doesn't have a real career, and he has a habit of burning bridges with old friends. His cousin Howard presents him with an opportunity to come to Eastern Europe and help convert an old castle into an alternative resort. Danny has a troubled relationship with Howard. Many years before, when they were children, he cruelly left Howard stranded deep in a cave for days, traumatizing him badly, and ruining much of his childhood.

But Danny is desperate for money, so he decides to work for Howard and travels to the castle, severing his relationships with his New York world. He plunges himself into the strange environment of the castle and puts himself at the mercy of the cousin whom he betrayed many years before. It soon becomes clear that this castle is a deeply strange place with a dark history that isn't entirely finished. It has secret passages, bizarre inhabitants, and seems to operate by different rules from the outside world. Danny, cut off from his familiar New York world, is unsure whether the castle is haunted or his own perceptions are becoming increasingly distorted. He thinks that his cousin may be out to get him and that the castle may be a giant trap.