Interviews

V)
Hello and welcome to the interview please introduce yourself to our readers and let them know a little about you and a brief run down on your scene history...

C)
Well hello, and thanks in advance for asking me for this interview. I was a little surprised, I must say. Well, my real name is Joost Kamp, until now I am still the young age of 22 years. Born still in the swinging (?) year 1979.

In my real life I am a fourth year student of media & entertainment business, I am specializing in event management and music business. Besides that I have fun playing my guitar, although my band split up some months ago, we will continue again when our bass player returns form middle-America. We are called Houston 500 and make a mixture of stone-rock and rock 'n' roll. I live in my own apartment together with brother (Phoeba/Slash) and we own our little black cat called OZZY. For pictures check my fatself out on www.slashdesign.tk

In the scene I am known (?) as Celtic. I'm in the scene only since 1992, so I consider myself still a newcomer, missing the "glorious" years. When I started off I actually used a different handle, but being to ashamed of it, I refrain off letting the public know. Only a few remember it, and I hope they will soon forget. I started off my scene career in the then newly formed Xenon after being groupless for sometime. After they kicked me out because of some disagreements with Spectator about Slash, and the fact that Slash Design's leader was a good friend in my city, and my brother’s best friend, I was kicked out from Xenon. But by then I had formed my own crew together with Quartex/Slash. This crew was called "Genlog". I found out that I could pixel a little, and because of that I started to do more and more gfx, mostly ugly ones, to finally become a "little" talented logo graphician. My gfx are ok, though nothing really fancy ever did see the light of existence, as of yet.

The GENLOG crew started growing and growing, and we got some coders in the crew and decided to make our own magazine, completely edited by me.

CONTRAST saw the light of day something I think I am quite known from. Then I also joined No Name as 2nd crew. After a couple of months most of the Genlog members joined No Name, and Contrast ran on as a Genlog magazine. No name also did some nice demos on which I contributed, such as Crazy World 3, Obscene Code, and Holy Refugee. In 1997 I quit the scene as off losing interest, getting a nice girlfriend and intensive studying. Early this year I re-found my love thanks to my brother and the internet, and now I am back, joining my brothers in Slash Design, whom all did a comeback as well.

V)
You are quite often spotted on IRC chatting to other sceners, do you think IRC is important in today's scene? to keep people in touch cheaply and to keep the feeling there or do you think it’s a distraction from producing new releases on the c64 and simply leaves people sitting there lazy doing nothing at all but chat?

C)
Ufff, only when they feel like it. So no, I think it’s not a bad thing, but a most positive thing. Getting to know your fellow sceners, making coming to parties even more interesting. Also swapping for me ended, so this way I know what’s up in the scene and who's alive.


V)
You recently teamed up with the rebuilt Slash Design, and last issue you all gave us a run down on what’s happening and what’s to come from that crew, how are things running there now? Have all the members started getting active yet? and do things still look promising?

C)
Well, it is looking promising. The graphics for the music collection were finished, the demo is on its way, due to a very active Vai, and our promised intro collection will be finished soon. I will give it 2 or 3 months till you see the first Slash Design spread disk. I can honestly say all returned members are active and busy on C64 projects, so it looks very promising.


V)
Onto your other group now. No Name, what does the crew have planned in the future? Any major productions on the horizon? Or can we expect some quiet times from the ones without names?

C)
No Name, well, that's a whole different story. Well, things have cooled down a little here, but still we have productions on the far horizon.

Firstly there is Ghostrider, who is moving from his home in Denmark to go to Japan. He told me he wanted to finish his demo there, making a c64 Japanese demo. Zakk kinda regained activity, and I hope he continues to it. We hope to make a music collection for Zzap, and perhaps a demo, which has a nice, yet not to be told, theme behind it. Cyberbrain will continue work on his amazing Cybertracker, but has his eyes set on new demo parts for the future. Kilroy and Perff are working on the CSDB with much intensity. So, no complete C64 productions for them, but C64 related anyway.

V)
You are heavily involved with the CSDB database, can you tell us a little about this excellent idea and tell the readers how to get involved with it?

C)
Beforehand I must say I stepped in the project when it was already very much finished with basics. The idea is a database in which all C64 productions, people, groups and events can be added. A sort of C64 encyclopaedia, which can include download links for warez, extra information, comments, reviews, etc. To be shorter, a whole bunch of information about anything in the scene. This way people won't be forgotten, and more will be remembered about the C64 scene. To be involved in the adding of information, or joining the nice discussions on the forums, then logon on http://noname.c64.org/csdb and enter yourself as a user of the project. A lot of people have already signed up, and a lot of information is already on it. To give a status update:

Groups: 1117
Productions: 4170
Sceners: 3474
Events: 276


V)
What are you doing in your personal life outside of the scene? Are you working with computers in real life?

C)
I guess I answered this question mostly in the first part of this interview in a sort of lengthy fashion. But, no, I do not work on computers, and to give some extra information, I am starting my own company now. A small booking bureau, where I find places to play live for small bands, and manage them a little.

V)
Have you ever visited any scene parties? if so which ones have you attended and can you remember any funny stories or highlights from those parties the readers might be interested to hear about?

C)
Yes. I have been to several parties, if I remember I went to two parties in Denmark (1995 and 1996), I went to the X-95, X-96 and X-97.The X parties were always great fun, getting totally stoned and thrashed, and then taking a train and be
home in 2 hours. But the parties in Denmark were sort of like small adventures. The first time I went in a small van with
several people, including my pal Maestro/No Name. While we stoners were waiting for the small van to pick us up from a train station, he got robbed and lost all the disks he owned, including 4 or 5 new demo parts. The second time I went I travelled with 5 people in a small Ford Fiesta. Seeming this impossible, figure that I weigh 100 kilos and 2 guys were 2 meters or longer. I was fucked up after travelling to the party, and the way back was even worse, taking us more than 24 hours because of the fact that we drove into this huge blizzard, going only 20kmph along the highway at a certain point, because anything faster would kill us.


V)
Are you living close to any other sceners? that might be close family or friends of yours? That you see on a regular basis? Or are you just doing the c64 hobbies by yourself in your free time?

C)
Like I said before, my home town Haarleem in Holland features a few sceners. Poeba of Slash Design, who lives only a few blocks away from me and my brother. We have been friends for a long time, and have been seeing each other after quitting the scene. A funny fact is that AXE and POEBA played together in a band, and even though Poeba quit it, Axe is still in the band. Poeba now does gfx design for them, Candy For Suzy, and I am the one responsible for management. I just booked there first CD single presentation in one and a half months from now.


V)
What are you currently working on yourself on the C64 at the moment? any products on the horizon in the near future? what can we expect graphically from you?

C)
Well I kinda explained that in a few questions back, but I will take this opportunity to tell you even more. I am currently doing all gfx I make together with my brother Poeba. We work together, fight over which colour something has to be, and design everything differently, so everything has to be done quite a times always. I'm currently working on several gfx for the Slash demos, and also some stuff for No Name.


V)
Are there any old friends in the scene you may not have had contact with in along time you might wanna say a few words to, who may read this and be able to recontact you?

C)
Hmmm... This is a tough one. I dunno I guess. Well, I guess there are some people I haven’t spoken to yet, and invite you to meet me on #c-64 on IRC. I have a message for some ex-sceners though, if perhaps they are reading this. I especially like to be in contact with Maestro/No Name, Madmat/No Name, and a few of my old contacts. Write me an e-mail on dopeshownrl@nospam.hotmail.com


V)
Why do you think it’s important to stay involved in the scene in the year 2002? Any real reason? or do you just simply concentrate your efforts on the C64 for pure fun and personal satisfaction?

C)
I can be quite short on this one. I do it for the personal satisfaction. Because it will always be a part of me, and I guess of anyone else who has been involved in the scene. I like it, its fun, so why not?


V)
What do you think of magazines in today’s scene? Do you think there’s still a place for them? Are mags important in this day and age? and why?

C)
I love mags! I used to love ‘em when there were many, and now I love it when there aren't many. But I must say my disgust that most magazines quite suck at the moment. I do not reckon much of them are interesting. Still I think it is important, coz it is always nice to read something on c64 actually done on a c64 and not on a web page.

V)
Ever had any scene wars or arguments? with any other scener or groups? if you did tell us a little about them :)

C)
Eeeerhhhm, Well , Eerhhmm. I was kinda the nice guy in the scene. No, now I am lying, I was actually quite the arrogant mag editor, reading back now, slagging off a lot of people. But actually no one took anything the wrong way, well almost no one. I got in sort of an argument with Spiders Crew when I reviewed there mag quite badly. but hey, the deserved, especially now that I found out that they used 2 unfinished parts of VAI in their quite lame demo WE HATE PC!. Vai was also quite upset, since he never gave his permission. So perhaps a new war :) Well, we will see about that, but I reckon them lame anyways, releasing the ugliest 2 sided demo ever.

Hope I didn’t offend too much people now. :)


V)
Have you ever had a modem and called the boards back in the day? or ever been involved with cracking and the cracker scene? what do you think of cracking today and the oldie cracking groups?

C)
Nope, no modem in my place, so I am not into the cool board scene. Ah well, I never really cared for cracking anyway. I like recrackers, but no one has delivered a one sided jewel version of PIRATES, so I guess after 4 years of absence they still disappoint me! Do a good crack or pirates please!


V)
Do you think the modern 'friendly' scene should maybe fire up a bit like in the old days? Some people share the opinion that wars and competitiveness aggressively caused more activity.

C)
Look back 2 questions. And yes be more competitive. If you do not like someone, do not be afraid to say so. I have laughed my ass of when groups like AVT and LEGEND were 'in war' or everybody suddenly wrote OnsLAUGHt. It is funny, and people know its all part of the scene. Start a war on me for all I care ??? And I, well, kick the Spiders-crew arse :) And everyone who fucks with my crewmates fucks with me :) !!!!


V)
What people or groups in the scene do you think are unsung heroes?

C)
Yeah there are a few I guess, who remain unnoticed to the real "FAME". But then again, who really deserves it gets it. I personally like to give some extra 'credit' to the swappers of the scene. People who used to do the megaswap thing, like Nightshade, Violator, or Baze. Those guys did 'The Work' because without them, there wouldn't be any scene in the first place. Also I give my deepest respect to someone (who just sprung to mind for their work, and not very much sung  about) : Zyron,
Topaz Beerline, Cupid, Noice crew, and well all other C64 sceners that did something for this scene.


V)
Well that’s about it for this time, if you have any last words or messages to the scene, leave them now and really, don’t forget to leave us with some famous last words.

C)
Well all I can say is : Do not ask what this scene can do for you, but you can do for this scene. hahaha. Later folks, nice to be back!