by Chester of Brainstorm
JPN/LEVEL FOUR was interviewed by CHESTER/BRS.
1. LEVEL 4 is a big'n old name in the AMIGA-scene. Just tell the story about your group.
-Thanx for your appreciation but I don't think that we are very known in scene. Our group was founded on January 1986. We were 4 members from whom I am the only one who is still a member of our group. Our intention was to built a group with some creative computer-freaks and to help each other in case there are problems. The capability of the AMIGA required to have freaks who are specialized on one subject like music/graphics etc. so we watched out for people who did their job very well and asked them to join our group. But still the most important thing is a good understanding wich guarantees steadiness. In 1989 we were members of AFL for three months but quit after we found out that there were no others who could support our code-work (that time we were mainly coders and only one GFX-Art.) (for further informations about our history refer to DISC #2 'the 80s').
2. What's your opinion about the whole AMIGA-scene especially the German?
-The scene is getting more and more lame because the majority of the AMIGA-freaks that proclaim to be part of the scene just use their computer to become famous by 'cool' swapping. They do not realize that a computer can be used in a more creative way. Especially in Germany '''freaks''' tend to judge people by superficial attributes like: new stuff, famous name, cool letters etc. Human qualities are no longer demanded. For many of these 'would be no. 1-freaks' their activities in scene are a parallel to real life where they try to make career (Often people that are predestinated to fail in real life). This craving for recognition makes people becoming more and more arrogant and makes them trying to be like other freaks expect them to be refering to their position in scene.
3. The biggest problems in Germany, and some other countries, are the police and the phonebill. Tell us your experiences with'em.
-In April 1989 I was visited by police while I was in school and they confiscated the whole software available in my room. I was terribly frightened but later on they stopped their investigations and I even got some of my disks back (though important source-codes were missing !). The result of the police action was that I stopped all my illegal activities and I just kept the contacts for whom stuff just played a secondary importance (I really love megalong letters from nice contacts!!!). I often have quarrels with my mum because the phonebill sometimes does not harmonize with our monetary situation. The advantage is that I am prevented from talking unimportant bull-shit because I think twice before phoning someone.
4. What do you think about the GDR? Perhaps a new scene will start with the Eastern-countries?
-I don't think that a scene in the GDR will develope in near future because pupils there are not yet taught the handling of computer. Furthermore the introduction of products made in western coutries will last for a while. A cool swapperscene will be soon possible because swappers needn't have knowledge about coding - they just have to be cool and able to use a copy-program. Maybe all upcoming parties which are organized by germans will be held in the GDRinstead of the netherlends?
This article originally appeared in the Amiga diskmagazine "Zine #4" by Brainstorm 1990.
Some content may refer to activities that are illegal in some countries. BitFellas does not support such activity.
Addresses and other contact information were only valid when this magazine was originally published, in april of 1990.
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