Eric Allaman‘s list of professional composing credits is nothing short of amazing, dating back to the Ridley Scott fantasy Legend (1985), which Mr. Allaman composed alongside Tangerine Dream. The topic of this brief chat with Mr. Allaman is his work on Mutant League (1994-96), a cartoon series from the mid-1990s that most fans remember today for its violence and gore. In October 2022, Eric Allaman answered Brett Homenick’s questions about his work on Mutant League.

Brett Homenick: Please tell us about your younger days. When and where were you born?

Eric Allaman: I was born in Springfield, Missouri, on December 16.

BH: During your childhood, what were your hobbies?

EA: I moved to Dana Point, California, when I was 12 years old. I began to surf and play tennis.

BH: When did you decide to pursue music as a career?

EA: I started studying the piano at age 7. By 18, I decided I was going to make it my career.

BH: Did you attend college?

EA: Yes, I studied theater and music at UCLA.

BH: How did you break into the entertainment industry?

EA: I scored the film Legend (1985), directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise, with Tangerine Dream. I also created a new score to Battleship Potemkin (1925) for the Berlin Film Festival. These two credits catapulted me into the film business.

BH: How did you get hired to compose the music for Mutant League?

EA: I was hired by Franklin/Waterman Productions to score Mutant League. I had already scored Stunt Dawgs, Boogies Diner, High Tide, and Mike Hammer, Private Eye for Franklin/Waterman Productions.

BH: Could you describe your working relationship with director Rob Smiley?

EA: Rob and I worked on several shows together. He’s is very creative and very musical. Very easy guy to work with. A real pleasure.

BH: Did you work with anyone else on the show? If so, who were they, and please talk about what you remember about those interactions.

EA: Terry Wilson, who was my assistant, worked with me on Mutant League and actually wound up doing a majority of the work on the series. At the time, I was scoring High Tide and Boogies Diner along with Mutant League.

BH: Please discuss the process of writing music for Mutant League.

EA: We based it on 20th-century orchestral sound — [a] large orchestra that we recorded with samples.

BH: Did you take inspiration from other sources for writing music on the show? How was the music recorded?

EA: We used the best samples at the time [in] 1995.

BH: Was there anything particularly difficult about composing for Mutant League?

EA: Orchestral music with samples takes a lot of time.

BH: How long did you work on the series?

EA: The show ran for I believe 40 episodes.

BH: What did you think about the violence on the series? Some people have said it was too violent for children. What do you think?

EA: It was a shocking show for the time. Extremely violent. This was a big complaint about the show at the time.

BH: Overall, what did you think about the experience of working on Mutant League?

EA: It was a good experience.

BH: What projects are you pursuing now?

EA: I have just released an album of piano solos entitled What We Whispered.

You can also see four videos that I have just released to support the show. My German musical, Zeitelmoos, had its world premiere this last July at the Luisenburg-Festspiele in Wunsiedel, Germany. You can check out some tracks on my website. It was very successful. Or visit my YouTube channel.