[Exclusive Interview] A Little Bit On: Matt Schulz of Smear Attack // TRON Arcade Stick
This is Part I of our EXCLUSIVE! interview with Matt Schulz from "Smear Attack." Matt is a Bronx-born Graphic Designer currently residing in Minneapolis, MN doing creative work for a t-shirt company. We at ALBOTAS love all things related to fighting games and that includes arcade sticks so we wanted to feature Matt's modified Hori Real Arcade Pro that employs the use of an illuminated panel and TRON-inspired design to create a beautiful and remarkably unique arcade stick.
ALBOTAS: Tell us a little bit more about this particular arcade stick!
Matt: The artwork is printed on backlit film, and under that is a paper-thin illuminated sheet called "Electroluminescent Panel". It runs on a 9V battery; that was the easiest way to go. I also made the top panel removable, and installed a power switch in back. Finally, I designed the plexiglass top cover and had it manufactured. This was before they were readily available, so I had to make a large batch and sell the extras. This project was so difficult that I'll probably never do it again. There's only one chance to cut the button holes in the electric sheet (by hand). Being a perfectionist can be a curse, but it served me well this time.
A: Obviously customizing joysticks has enjoyed an increase in popularity thanks to the resurgence of the fighting game genre and in part to HORI & Mad Catz releasing affordable, quality, highly modifiable Japanese-styled arcade sticks. Give ALBOTAS and its readers a rundown on your passion for modifying sticks and how it came about.
M: I collected joysticks since the Sega Saturn days, and greatly admired the modding community, fully intending to join their ranks one day. Obviously, I was caught up in the fever of two years ago, when SFIV created a renaissance of arcade-style gaming and joystick shortages. It was time for me to jump in hard, because I finally had some ideas to contribute. I started with the laser-etched "Astro City" and followed up with the TRON stick.
A: Tell us what the inspiration was for your TRON stick and were you thinking "OH, a TRON theme would be awesome!" before or after you discovered you could employ the use of an illuminated panel? Give or take how long did it take you to complete this particular project?
M: Everyone knows the old TRON arcade cabinet, with beautiful line artwork shining under a blue light. I came across one again, and the "light up" feature provoked me. I had seen LEDs stuck inside sticks to illuminate buttons, but I wanted my ARTWORK to light up. That seemed impossible, until the E.L. Panel came to my attention. It was then that I decided on a pure TRON throwback since it's a natural fit with illumination. I took reference photos of the cabinet, drew new artwork from scratch, making sure to create my own version that also fit the HORI panel. Roughly, it took up my summer of '09, working on and off about 3 months.
A: What has the overall reaction or response been to your HRAP within the modding community?
M: The loving joystick community has showered me with positivity and great comments. I'm grateful for that; it's been a very satisfying project.
A: What is “Smear Attack?”
M: Smear Attack is my new line of screen printed t-shirts. The streetwear and t-shirt industries in large part do not speak to my sensibilities, so I have formed a response to that. Hopefully some people will get what I'm doing. Please watch smearattack.com in the coming weeks.
A: Smear Attack has already collaborated with Nick Rox on a shirt paying homage to an obscure arcade stick from 1996 that was never even released Stateside - The Konami HyperStick. How did this shirt idea come to fruition?
M: Nick Rox showed off his HyperStick, a forgotten piece of 1990s hardware. Like many such products, its logo design was pure beauty; far too good than it had any right to be. It conveys certain notions, even if you don't know what a HyperStick is. We both felt this logo was perfect for a t-shirt, where most lookers would be clueless, yet somehow struck by it. This spirit of “lost & found” is one key element of Smear Attack.(HyperStick Shirt on eBay)
A: In regards to your creative works or outlets where do you draw inspiration from?
M: I've been drawing since I could hold a pen (thanks mom & dad). Star Wars was my first movie in the theater at age 2. I thought it was real, my jaw hit the floor and it did some major damage. Then I was placed in front of my dad's PONG machine, so I've been a lifelong gamer. I also grew up with Shogun Warriors, Micronauts and Kung-Fu movies. Those are the baseline experiences in my bloodstream. Later influences are world cinema, 80's graffiti, Japanese design, shopping malls, Polish movie posters, and Chinese VCR instructions.
In Part II of our interview with Matt we’ll continue to delve further into “Smear Attack” and preview some of the shirts and designs he has in store. Keep it locked!
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