¶3INTERVIEW WITH BUSTMAN / CRUSADERS! ¶2 By: THE CLASH / ANGELICA. ¶3Q: ¶1I think almost everybody has once heard about your group, but maybe they don't know who you are in person. Please tell me a little bit about yourself. ¶3A: ¶2My real name is Trond, and my age is 19 years. When I first joined Crusaders, I was a mail swapper and I also did some graphics. Mail swapping was kind of hectic, so I stopped after a while. I also stopped making graphics, since I felt I had nothing to contribute with anymore. A few years back I also bought a modem, and that is the only thing I use at the time being. Concerning social status, I study computers (surprise) at the Bergen college of engineering. I have no regular job right now, and it suits me fine really (I am kind of lazy). Obviously I live in Bergen, together with my good old computer friends. ¶3Q: ¶1Please write a couple of lines about your scene-life so far. ¶3A: ¶2When I was 12 I got a C128. A rather good machine at that time, but soon I found it rather dull. I bought an Amiga a little later on, and from then on my life changed totally. I joined a group called The Errors as an artist, but left them a little later to join Crusaders. And that is all I guess. (Last year I also bought a PC, mainly because of the stuff I study at school.) ¶3Q: ¶1Being a member of Crusaders is and must have been a dream to many scene guys growing up today (am I wrong?), but what is it really like? ¶3A: ¶2I would say it depends on how you look at it. Crusaders is perhaps not the group with the most and best releases, but we have lots of humour and do not take ourselves seriously. And we treat people with respect, whatever status they may have. And this could be the thing people like about us. Then you have the guys who admire famous guys, just because they are famous. I do not think too many guys admire us because of that. I do not like to consider ourselves as famous. Everybody can be famous, but for very different reasons. How it actually is like, well, I do not notice too much of it now, neither did I in the past. My friends do not care if I am in a group at all, and I look upon them in the same way. ¶3Q: ¶1The latest production seen from your group is a party-info-intro for The Gathering 93. A couple of years ago, Crusaders was well-known, not only for your awesome productions, but also for your Eurochart. Since then, what has actually happened? It seems like your activity has cooled down a little. ¶3A: ¶2That is true. During the production of the Eurochart, our most famous and active member left us. Yes, I am talking about Dr.Awesome. Things got too much for him, and it almost did for the rest of us. Later, another very active member, El Cubo, became a proud father. Obviously he had to spend more time on his private life as well. At this point we stopped doing the Eurochart. We did not have enough active members to do it. And since then, we released no major productions. During autumn 92 and spring 93, a few new members have joined us though. They are mainly musicians, artists and coders. The people from Deadline, the ones who held The Gathering 92 with us, has also joined us, so The Gathering 93 is a pure Crusaders party. ¶3Q: ¶1Since I, personally, think that you had a great career as an artist, I thought it was very sad when you decided not to draw your awesome graphics anymore. What I want to know is, why did you stop all your graphics activities? (I can really understand that you quitted all swapping-activities, but it really shocked me when you also decided to quit graphics as well!) ¶3A: ¶2First of all, I must say I never had a great career. Perhaps I did well, but I was never great at graphics. I mainly drew with an odd technique, some liked it and the rest did not. The reasons why I stopped, are many. Mainly, I was a bit weak. I quitted because of all the negative response I got. I was also a little tired of graphics. Making graphics usually came along with time pressure. And it could get a little hectic. Also, I felt that I did not improve after having reached a certain point. But nevertheless, I want to thanks those who appreciated my graphics. ¶3Q: ¶2I have very often heard that when Dr.Awesome decided to quit Crusaders and the scene, a great musician had been lost. What do you think about the subject? Do you think Dr.Awesome ever will be forgotten? ¶3A: ¶1I do not think Dr.Awesome left the scene completely. He stopped using his famous alias, but I guess he still has his interests in the scene today. But he did not stop being a musician, he still makes music, both for Amiga and for real. And well, to be honest, I do think those who knew him will forget him. I guess he is a legend in his own ways. ¶3Q: ¶2Since I was unlucky and got sick at The Gathering 92, I can't describe what it really was like. What do you as one of the organizers think about that party, and can you give us a little clue on what it's going to be like this year? ¶3A: ¶1The Gathering 92 was great in some ways, but bad at other things. All in all I think it was a good party, and I had the impression most other present people felt the same. But I must say, that we majorly screwed up a few places. Like for instance the competitions. But other events, like the video room, were well performed. About The Gathering 93, well, it is too much to write what will happen. Just be there! ¶3Q: ¶2I've also heard rumours that it will be organized a similar party, maybe The Gathering 94, next year. Do you have anything to say on this? ¶3A: ¶1I have no information about this, so actually I do not know myself. ¶3Q: ¶2I know that you have been to atleast three parties so far, how many have you actually been to, and which of them would you rank highest? ¶3A: ¶1Hmm, I think I have attended to five parties, I am not sure. But the best one was the Silents and Red Sector conference in Denmark, summer 1990 I think. It was a well arranged party, and I had fun also travelling there. ¶3Q: ¶2Today's scene has certainly changed a lot lately. Both up (such as new demo routines), and down (such as bad behaviour). What do you, as an old scene member, personally think about the development on the Amiga so far? What is good and bad? ¶3A: ¶1Yes, the scene has changed a whole lot since I first took part in it. I must admit that I am perhaps not the right person to judge it, since I am not neutral. But anyway, development on the demo and programming side is very positive. Competition between scene members is also very healty. But the competition is not always fair, many people try to slag each other off and so on. This mainy goes for cracking groups. And since I own a modem, I know quite well what goes on, also on the modem side. I guess it is here one can find the most arrogant computer freaks. All in all I must say that the Amiga still has a great scene. But some people are certainly trying to destroy it. ¶3Q: ¶2There is lots of experienced coders, musicians and artists in the scene today. Who would you advice to stick together to make 'the best demo ever made', and why them? ¶3A: ¶1Well, if I was so lucky to organize such a demo, I would put together all the people behind the good old classics. Just think about a demo, with guys from Phenomena, Scoopex, Silents and Anarchy. Would be great. But not a reality I think. ¶3Q: ¶2Coming up is a little list of well known groups through Amiga history. Please give the readers the first name that appears in your mind when you read the groups, and explain why. (NB! This is NOT a chart!) ¶3A: ¶11.Andromeda William. Because he is a great pal. 2.Pure Metal Coders Lord Helmet. Because he is nuts. 3.The Silents Barock. Flipped out dude. 4.Phenomena Tip and Mantronix. Swell guys. 5.Anarchy Trix and Facet. Can not forget them. 6.Melon Dezign Walt. Great graphics. 7.Absence Goofy. Great buddy. 8.Rebels Omega. Former letter friend. 9.Cryptoburners Trixal. No comment. 10.Sanity Jester. Excellent music. 11:Dual Crew Snuskebuske. Extremely generous. 12.Brainstorm Chester and Axel. Remember Zine? ¶3Q: ¶2Here's your opportunity to tell us all about your favourites. Give us a little chart on each subject. (Use three on each.) ¶3A: ¶1In 'real' life. 1.Food A - Spaghetti B - Homemade pizza C - Pancakes 2.Drink A - Beer B - Vodka C - Hjemmebrent (yuck) 3.Car A - Lada B - Lamborghini C - Ferrari 4.Music A, B, C - Everything 5.Movie A - Braindead B - Bad Taste C - All other splatter movies In the Amiga scene. 6.Coder A, B, C - All of them 7.Graphician A - Facet B - Walt C - Fairfax 8.Musician A, B, C - All of them 9.BBS A, B, C - Guru's Dream 10.Diskmags A - Raw (great humour) B - Grapevine (very good) C - Stolen Data 11.Group A - Andromeda B - Anarchy C - Silents ¶3Q: ¶2Tell me, and the readers, the best joke you can come up with! ¶3A: ¶1The best joke? Hey, that's me! ¶3Q: ¶2Here's some space to greet who ever you may want to. ¶3A: ¶1Everybody I know! Including all guys I have been in touch with, even only for minor reasons. ¶3Q: ¶2Finally, you can say whatever you may want. ¶3A: ¶1Not much really. Just that anybody with access to email, go ahead and mail me at db16@hp825.bih.no at any time you like. I am around every day a week (almost). ¶3Q: ¶2Thanks a lot for the interview! ¶3A: ¶1What interview? Hahaha. Anyway, when did I let down my friends? Never! Thanks for the time as well, Are!