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iNTERVIEW WITH (eIVIND sOMMERSTEN) eIVIND OF sHAPE
wHAT IS YOUR ALIAS? iF YOU FIND THE STORY INTERESTING, THEN LET US KNOW HOW YOU CAME UP WITH IT? aT FIRST, AROUND 1988-89 MY ALIAS WAS mIX mASTER, WHEN i WAS IN fULL fORCE. i THOUGHT THAT SOUNDED PRETTY FUNNY, AT LEAST WITH THE COMBINATION: mIX mASTER - fULL fORCE. bUT WHEN fULL fORCE JOINED shape, i CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT YEAR, WE DECIDED NOT TO USE HANDLES, SINCE AFTER ALL, WHAT WAS THE POINT? wE HAD NO NEED TO KEEP OUR REAL NAMES SECRET, AS WE WEREN'T CRACKING OR ANYTHING ANYMORE. sO SINCE THEN, i HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS eIVIND/shape. wHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW? i WAS BORN IN bERGEN, nORWAY ON THE 4TH OF jULY (YES!) 1975 AND i STILL LIVE HERE. wHEN DID YOU GET YOUR FIRST COMPUTER AND WHICH COMPUTERS DO/DID YOU OWN? wHEN DID YOU GET YOUR c64? mY FATHER BOUGHT A COMPUTER IN 1979 OR 1980 i THINK, AND THAT WAS A sharp mz-710 OR SOMETHING. a REALLY FUNNY MACHINE. tHE os (WHICH WAS basic, GO FIGURE) HAD TO BE LOADED WITH TAPE EVERY TIME THE COMPUTER WAS RESTARTED. i DON'T KNOW ANY SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE MACHINE, ALTHOUGH IT WOULD BE FUNNY TO KNOW. i GUESS IT WAS ABOUT AS FAST AS YOUR AVERAGE CALCULATOR. bUT IN 1982 MY FATHER SOLD THE sharp AND INSTEAD BOUGHT A C-64. wOW, THOSE WERE GREAT DAYS - WHAT AN INCREDIBLE MACHINE, i THOUGHT (AND STILL THINK). i'M NOT SURE IF i'M RIGHT ABOUT THIS, BUT i BELEIVE THE C-64 WAS FIRST SOLD IN 1981. sO i'VE BEEN USING IT FOR JUST ABOUT AS LONG AS IT IT POSSIBLE, AND i'M QUITE PROUD OF THAT. aFTER SOME YEARS i GOT THE WONDERFUL MACHINE FOR MYSELF. aFTER THAT ONE, i'VE HAD ABOUT 6 1/2 OTHER 64'S. i STILL HAVE FOUR OF THEM IN A CLOSET IN THE BASEMENT. hOW DID YOU GET TO KNOW THE SCENE? wHO WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT (PERSON YOU KNEW) ON THE SCENE? i GOT HOLD OF SOME DEMOS, i THINK IN 1984, FROM A FRIEND WHO WAS NOT IN THE SCENE (THE SCENE WASN'T SO BIG THOSE DAYS), AND i REALLY LOVED WATCHING THEM AND THOUGHT THEY WERE AMAZING. tHEN, SOME 2-3 YEARS LATER, i SPOKE TO A FRIEND WITH WHOM i WAS PLAYING SOCCER, AND HE SAID HE HAD JOINED A GROUP. i MET WITH THE OTHER GUYS, GOT TO KNOW THEM AND JOINED TOO. tHEY ALL LIVED HERE IN bERGEN, nORWAY. sVENTY/fULL fORCE TAUGHT ME HOW TO CODE, AND FROM THERE ON IT WAS ALL FUN. wHICH SCENE DO/DID YOU CONSIDER BEST AND WHY? iF YOU HAVE BEEN ONLY ON THE c64, THEN GIVE US THE REASON(S)! i HAVE ONLY BEEN ON 'THE SCENE' WITH THE 64, BUT IN 1993 i BOUGHT AN aMIGA, AND THOUGH i NEVER LEARNT HOW TO PROGRAM ON THAT, AND NEVER SWAPPED OR ANYTHING, i HAD SOME KNOWLEDGE TO THE SCENE THERE. aND NOW OF COURSE i HAVE SUCCUMBED TO THE pc, AND THESE DAYS 'THE SCENE' IS LIKE 30 MILLION PEOPLE. nOTHING CAN EVER BEAT THE 64-SCENE, BUT PERHAPS THAT IS PARTLY BECAUSE THOSE DAYS ARE GONE. i'M SURE THERE MUST HAVE BEEN NEGATIVE SIDES TO IT, i JUST CAN'T REMEMBER THEM. wHAT DO YOU THINK YOU GAINED BY BEING A MEMBER OF THE SCENE? fIRST i THINK IT *GAVE* ME SOME THINGS: FRIENDS, A LOT OF FUN, SELF-CONFIDENCE, LOTS OF GOOD. sECOND, WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT i *LEARNED* FROM IT, i THINK THAT IS MORE SPARSE. i LEARNED HOW A COMPUTER WORKS. bUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, i STARTED MAKING MUSIC ON THE C-64, AND THAT SPURRED ME TO CONTINUE THIS ACTIVITY ON BOTH THE AMIGA AND THE PC (THE aMIGA IS STILL *CLEARLY* SUPERIOR FOR MAKING MUSIC). oTHER THAN THAT, IT WAS AN ERA. i WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN WITHOUT IT. wHAT DO YOU CONSIDER LOST, WASTED OR MEANINGLESS DURING THE YEARS YOU HAVE SPENT ON THE SCENE? aLL MY UNRELEASED (AND UNFINISHED) DEMOPARTS AND MUSIC. nOTHING ELSE. wHAT IS/ARE/WAS/WERE YOUR MAIN INTEREST(S)/FUNCTION(S)? lIKE MENTIONED, i CODED AND COMPOSED MUSIC. fOR A PERIOD i ALSO SWAPPED, BUT i GAVE IT UP. tOO MUCH WORK... wHAT ARE/WERE YOUR GREATEST SUCCESSES/FIASCOS? hMM. i THINK WHEN WE WON THE 2ND PLACE WITH OUR MUSIC IN A PARTY IN dENMARK (CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH), WAS A GREAT FEAT. aND EVERY TIME WE RELEASED A DEMO OF COURSE. tHERE WERE A LOT OF FIASCOS TOO. i TRY NOT TO REMEMBER THEM. wAS THERE ANY SPECIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN YOU/YOUR GROUP AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE/GROUPS ON THE SCENE (CO-OPERATION, WAR, FRIENDSHIP ETC.)? iF SO, WHAT MADE IT START AND STOP? aH, WE WERE ALWAYS AT WAR WITH fLASH iNC. tHEY WERE JUST GENERALLY IRRITATING, AND SO DAMN FUN TO HATE. tHEY HAD ONE OF THE MOST AWESOME CODERS THE 64-SCENE EVER SAW, zODIAC, BUT THAT DIDN'T HELP THE FACT THAT THEIR DEMOS WERE ALWAYS UGLY. aND THEY WERE ALWAYS SO EASILY PROVOKED. iT HAS NEVER STOPPED. i WONDER IF THEY'RE STILL ANGRY. wE WERE ALWAYS GREAT FRIENDS WITH pANORAMIC AND wAR dEAL lAMERS. hAVE YOU ATTENDED PARTIES? tELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE CONFERENCES? yOU CAN EVEN MENTION SOME FIASCOS. i HAVE BEEN TO 5 OR 6 PARTIES. wE ARRANGED A PARTY HERE IN bERGEN IN HMM... 1991 i THINK. iS/WAS THERE ANY SPECIAL FEELING IN YOUR CREW, SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST BEING IN A GROUP? oF COURSE. oNCE A shape'ER, ALWAYS A shape'ER. iF i WAS A CORPORATE EXECUTIVE AND AN OLD shape'ER CAME FOR A JOB INTERVIEW, HE WOULD HAVE TO BE PRETTY BADLY QUALIFIED IF i WERE TO NOT GIVE HIM THE JOB. iF YOU ARE NOT A c64 SCENER ANYMORE, WHEN AND WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE SCENE? i LEFT THE SCENE PERMANENTLY IN 1994/95. pARTLY BECAUSE i DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME ANYMORE, PARTLY BECUASE IT WASN'T SO MUCH FUN ANYMORE, AND PARTLY BECAUSE i MOVED FOR MYSELF IN A SMALL APARTMENT WHERE THERE WAS ONLY ROOM FOR MY SYNTH AND MY aMIGA. wHAT WERE YOUR FAVOURITE GROUPS/ARTISTS/CODERS/PRODUCTIONS? wHY DO/DID YOU LIKE THEIR WORK/THESE PROGRAMS? i ALWAYS ADMIRED uPfRONT. tHEY HAD GREAT CODERS, GOOD DESIGN (FOR THEIR TIME), AND WERE FRIENDS WITH jch, WHOSE MUSIC i ADMIRE. gREAT CODERS: zODIAC, cROSSBOW, oLAV m{$f8}RKRID. gREAT mUSICIANS: (FROM THE SCENE) rICHARD/pANORAMIC, jch, jOHANNES bJERREGAARD. wHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION? wHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING? dOES IT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING WITH COMPUTERS? iS THERE ANYTHING YOU DO IN REAL-LIFE THAT IS SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING ON THE SCENE? tHESE DAYS i AM A LAW STUDENT. bUT STILL SPENDING LOTS AND LOTS OF TIME IN FRONT OF MY COMPUTER. hOW DID YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS COMPUTERS CHANGE DURING THE YEARS? i DON' THINK IT HAS. wHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING IN YOUR SPARE-TIME WHEN NOT COMPUTING? wHAT IS/ARE YOUR HOBBY(IES)? i LIKE PLAYING SOCCER, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A DECLINE IN THAT ACTIVITY. i ALSO GREATLY ENJOY ROLEPLAYING. aRE THERE MOMENTS WHEN YOU FEEL NOSTALGIC THINKING BACK TO THE PAST YEARS OF THE SCENE? iF SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN IT HAPPENS? oH YES. i DON'T DO MUCH ABOUT IT. mAYBE RUN AN EMULATOR, OR GO ON #C-64 ON IRC OR SOMETHING. wHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEAR/FAR FUTURE? sTUDY, STUDY STUDY. wHAT IS YOUR GOAL IN LIFE? wHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACHIEVE? bECOME RICH, i GUESS. bE HAPPY. mAKE FRIENDS, MEET WOMEN. hAVE GENERAL FUN. |
