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c1*** INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS OF l:music/unswerving.tp3GODSle ***
ac
c3BY ZEROX/GODS
as
c1Chris is one of the few sceners that have been at the scene from the
start, and been very active during these years. c4The D.I.S.C. Team
c1wanted to take a closer look at this scener and find out who he is and
what he has done.

c2Before we start this interview Chris, could I get you something to drink?

c5CH: well, a cup of coffee... but, real "caf" and not the terrible drink
that you can find in so many countries !

c2Will French Roast do?

c5CH: fine !

c2Please tell the D.I.S.C. readers some words about yourself and about
your first meeting with the scene.

c5CH: I joined the scene about 15 years ago, it was with the Amstrad Computer.
No, the C64 was not my first one... then, I decided to buy an Amiga, it
was an Amiga 1000. After watching and using a few productions from
sceners, I decided to contribute to it and with a few friends, we
created Iris, it was in 1987.

c2You founded IRIS: Illi Recentes ImperatoreS 
13 years ago and the group is still very much alive. How was it to build
up such a team, plan productions, organize it and get fresh members?
What do you think of those IRIS years?

c5CH: Well, it was as difficult as nowadays... the most skillfull ones are the
ones who have not enough time (or you can say, lazy) and when you recrute, 
for example, 10 new members, only one or two are really good and active. 
Nothing changed !!! But, at the beginning, we had a few ones who was living 
close to my place, I was able to motivate them enough to release regulary 
some new productions.

And I guess, the best way to motivate them was that I was organizing Iris
meetings in my parents place... two times a year, about 10 young guys
was coming to my place... we had about three or four computers and we
were building what make Iris wellknown for, real friendship !

c2You have been making some productions yourself when being in IRIS, which
was that?

c5CH: Nothing very serious... the most interresting stuff was my contribution
to several disk magazines (DISC, Bad Tongue, Zine,...).

c2You're being very modest. There got to be at least 100 issues of your various
packs.

c5CH: Well, I can't consider those packs as real work.

c2IRIS have really been one of the most productive groups of all time.
Which is your favourite IRIS productions and why?

c5CH: Well,... it can be the second demo that we released... it was supposed
to compete to a party but, unfortunately, there was no party but some police
men checking all our disks and taking our identity.

c2Which demo was that? The Marseilles demo? Workbench demo? Or perhaps Artefact?

c5CH: I think it was the Artefact one.

And the other production that I prefer is the vectorball demo, it was
released in 1992, I think, and was a real big succes.

c2Is this the famous Spacedepths demo which got good critics in the leadings
mags at that time?

c5CH: Yes, it is.

c2What do you remember best of all the years you spent in IRIS, and who were
the main people behind this crew in those years?

c5CH: The best thing that I remember is that we can build something great
with people from a whole planet !! There was not really some main people
in Iris, everybody was important... even the ones that we kept a few
weeks !!!

c2The 10th of August 1994 a new group got founded under the name of Gods. You
left your IRIS crew and became the organiser of Gods. You fast built up a
very strong force with a lot of productions. Please tell more about it. Is
there anything special about Gods compared to other teams, for example IRIS? 

c5CH: With Iris, we gave a chance to everybody... with gOds, we decided to make
something great and fast. All gOds members were sceners with an experience
of the scene.

c2In Gods you have also made a few productions. Which productions are we
talking about

c5CH: Well, the productions I was involved was the ones where I was able to
use my both passions of music and writing... nothing serious at all.

c2What are your favourite Gods productions and why?

c5CH: If I give you my fav. productions, it will make a long list. I love
all of them and especially the Toys demo.

c2Gods have also moved over to PC and released some demos at various parties
and won. What is the future of Gods? Amiga? PC? Internet?

c5CH: gOds is now a mainly sleeping crew... but, if somebody want to bring
the light which will wake it up... you're welcome.... just email me !
The future is for me on Internet, but Amiga has also many things to bring
and the PC, too.

c2Why do you think Gods more or less turned inactive?

c5CH: Well, for many of us, we find some time for the scene as long as we are
student. Then, one day, we join the "real life"... job, overtime, girlfriend
which become a wife (or a longtime gf)... and the scene, well... it starts
to be a part of the past. We are getting older !

c2What is it that is so facinating with the scene since you have been here
for so many  years? What is your motivation?

c5CH: Well, I have to admit that I am away from it since 2 or 3 years. You
can not consider me as a real scener.

My motivation is just... friendship !

c2What does the frienship in the scene mean to you?

c5CH: It means a lot of things... with trust, with faith between each other,
we can build the stairs which will lead us to a better world.

c2What is the difference between the scene when you started and the scene
today you think?

c5CH: Well, I really don't know how is the scene nowadays on Amiga nor on Pc,
but I know that I find the similar scene on Internet that on my beginning
on Amiga.

c2You were one of the mega swappers of the scene. Why did you swap instead
of code, pixell or make music? With the introduction of internet,
is swapping definately out?

c5CH: A long time ago, I was coding a little... but swapping is boring,
swapping is expensive and nobody want to swap... so, as I was in charge
of the group, I had to do what nobody wanted to do. That is the job
of the boss !! And in another way, it was the best way to know what
happen everywhere.

c2Hehe...  so you just had to do what noone else wanted too? ;)

c5CH: At the beginning, yes... after a few years, it was too late for
me, I got the bad habbit to swap and couldn't stay a day without a
letter and some new stuffs !

c2You have been writing for several mags in the past. Which ones? We must
not forget that the reason why YOU dear reader is able to read D.I.S.C.
is because of Chris was one of the main persons behind D.I.S.C. in the
very beginning. Please tell more about the D.I.S.C. project and your
mag projects.

c5CH: Well, I wrote for the several mags... the ones that I remember are:

- Disc, 
- Zine,
- the Bad Tongue,
and some others.

I was also making a paper magazine that I was sending to all my contacts !

The first reason of DISC was to make a mag for computer-freaks. It was
set-up by a german contact of mine from Level4.

c2What do you guess he would think if he knew the D.I.S.C. project was still
alive 11 years after he started it?

c5CH: I am sure he won't believe it !!!

c2You have been writing many scene reports during your time in the scene,
and especially about the French scene. What do you think of todays scene
and especially the French scene? 

c5CH: Well, I am away from it since a too long time to be able to say something
right.

c2Now lets check out your favourite sceners of all time.

c4Favourite Coder: c6Chaos

c4Favourite Graphician: c6Made

c4Favourite Musician: c6Heatbeat
 
c4Favourite Editor: c6Macno

c4Favourite Demo: c6World of Vodka :)

c4Favourite Mag: c6Bad Tongue

c2When you look back on this 13 year period. If you could use only 3 words
to describe it, what would it be?

c5CH: It was fun !

c2Please tell your opinion about the future of the scene:

c4OPTIMISTIC: c6the new amiga will come back and reign forever !

c4REALISTIC: c6my kids will have their own crew !!

c4PESIMISTIC: c6The amiga sceners will move, all of them, to PC with MS Windows !

c2The latest years you have been very active on the internet. What is
so interesting with internet and what does it mean to you?

c5CH: The Internet scene is so similar to the demo scene that I am like
a fish in the ocean of computer world !

c2In April 1997 you started your first firm called Digiweb France. And ever 
since you've been busy building up several internet-based firms. Please tell
the readers about that.

c2What's the future of internet?

c5CH: Some serious people say that it will end soon... well, just leave me
enough time that I sell before my participations in the different companies.

Just to be serious a few second, I will say that I find on the Internet scene
all the things which make me love the Amiga scene with a little "plus". You
can earn money with it and so, you can live with your passion.

c2What are your future plans... on internet, PC/Amiga scene and life
in general?

c5CH: My future plans on :

Internet : set up a new site, a community of repertories... A developper is
making the Php script for it.

Pc / Amiga scene : well, this is definitely a part of my past.

Life in general: well... time to think to retire soon !

c2At last, ask yourself a question and answer it.

c5CH: why did you reply to this interview ?

Because I know that the interviewer will make his own interview soon !!

c2With those words we end this interview. But now Chris can write
whatever he wants (send greets etc).

c5CH: For those who think that they can bring something more to gOds, just
write me to chris@idf.net


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