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                        Interview with SPEX of ESCAPE
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UCM  -  Meuh Spex, even if you  told me that you were already interviewed by the
        ALiVE Team I'll go to torment you with another one, for UCM, again.
        I hope that you'll not be bored to death with the following questions...

Spex -  As long as you are not bored with getting the same answers again:-)



UCM  -  What about some  facts at first? Whats your real name, how old  are you,
        where are you coming from and what are you doing in your "real life"?

Spex -  In the otherworld  I'm called Robert Wetzel  and running towards the age
        of 26. My study is  almost at it's end. That means  looking for a job in
        the next future (or beginning just another study? ;-)



UCM  -  What the hell  means "Spex duplex"? A very  strange  nickname. Are there
        deeper meanings?

Spex -  (Knew it... shouldn't  have  used  IRC... ;-)  "Spex" is  a  shortcut of
        "Speculator", which  is  a  latin  word  (milit. [scout , spy]; in  gen.
        [observer,  investigator]).  "Duplex"... it's  a  MUD  related  surname,
        because I once apeared  there with two heads. Since then I kept the name
        while I lost the second head in the meantime.



UCM  -  The UCM readers  know about the  following question. Just tell us  a bit
        from your  computing history. When  do you  started  computing? What was
        your first machine and  what equipment are you using today? What are you
        doing with your machines?

Spex -  I can't  really  remember  at the  first  contact. It  was at a computer
        center of the GDR train... around 1989/90.
        There we  were  told  how  to  use  Turbo Pascal (Version 3.0 *g*) at PC
        clones  (PC 1715  for those  interested, google  for "PC 1715" or have a
        look  at  http://www.robotron-net.de/ (german  page  as  many  of  those
        describing  the PC 1715 :-/ )). After playing at C64s and Amigas (not my
        own :-), I got  a 286 someday. Maybe  you will crush me now, but I never
        rued this descision (which was not taken easily).

        Today I'm using  a PC with GNU/Linux for  working purposes. For gaming I
        have Wintendo and  a Dreamcast. My STF and Falcon are more or less  used
        for watching  and hacking  demos *g*  And there is a Risc PC 600 waiting
        impatiently for being used...



UCM  -  As you  already  told me  you have  some  background  in scene computing
        already, and esp. that it isn't Atari related.
        So please tell  us something about your roots and why did you choose the
        Atari now to create something.

Spex -  Computers are  crying for being programmed... so did my 286, too.  Don't
        ask me for when I've seen my first demo (maybe it wasn't even on PC).
        The demo-virus  was spread on me with all symptoms it brings with it. So
        I tried  myself at  demo coding... I did  some weird  screens and showed
        them  to  my  friends. These  screens  were  never  released  officially
        (fortunately *g*).

        In october 1995 I started to study in Dresden and got lost in Muds. But,
        as you may imagine, I never _played_ a lot, though...

        Creating stuff there was more interesting for me :-)  Caused by problems
        with a guy in the Mud I lost more and more interest in it. Fortunately I
        met Norman and  after being on  the EIL2 there  was only one solution...
        get a grip on an ATARI as fast as possible and start demo coding!



UCM  -  You joined  ESCAPE last  year as  coder. How long do you know Norman and
        maybe the  others and why  do you joined their band? As known your first
        release was a  ST screen  while ESCAPE itself is more Falcon related, so
        maybe Checkpoint  could give you a home as well as ST related demo band.
        What do you think?

Spex -  Hum... to be  honest I met  Defjam years  before I  met Norman the first
        time. But I never really talked with Defjam at this time... Years later,
        maybe 1999 (don't know it really) I had the first contact with Norman.

        After a certain  time I became  a member of Escape. Don't ask me why, it
        simply happened (fate? *g*). I see Escape  as a ATARI-related demo crew,
        which means we are not doing Falcon-only stuff.



UCM  -  Your screen was  fairly nice  for a  newcomer. Did you coded it alone or
        with the help of Norman?

Spex -  I forced Norman to code this! ;-)

        To be real: I did  all the  coding, err, almost. There  are a  couple of
        lines by  Norman. He played  around with  the behaviour  of the  cycling
        while I  was in a  coma like  stasis after  hours  of coding. His  final
        result looked much better than my own routine for this, so I kept it.

        A lot of  help I got  from IntE. It was  a program of him I borrowed the
        idea  of  a 'circling chessboard' from. He  did  also  the  calculations
        necessary to have a real ellipse in the midst of the screen.



UCM  -  Do you have some idols in the scene? Just tell us which coders and demos
        impressed  you most  so far, if  you have  deeper  experiences  in Atari
        demo'ing.

Spex -  I don't have any idols. But there are a lot of people I respect
        (exception: these so called "young multimedia artists" ...)



UCM  -  Do you have  more plans in  making demos on ST, maybe  some bigger stuff
        next time? Or will you explore the depths of the Falcon next?

Spex -  If you treat  this 'Or' as a  mathematical one  you are  probably on the
        right way :-)  So, there  will be  releases for ST and Falcon. Don't ask
        me, when or what, i don't know either :-)



UCM  -  As you told me you  were infected  with the  Atari virus  since EIL 2k1.
        What impressed  you most on  this Party? What  do you thought about the
        Atari scene before meeting all those Atari freaks on EIL 2k1?

Spex -  To be honest, I never had  any contact to  the ATARI scene before that.
        Norman told me about  the EIL 1 and it matched my maginations of a demo
        party. So I attended the EIL 2 ...

        I can't say, what  impressed me most. I think, it was every tiny detail
        up to  the general  feeling... a  lot of  people  from all  over europe
        together, doing so much different and interesting things...



UCM  -  Are you going to  release something on the forthcoming  Mekka/Symposium
        party? Will you go to this event as well or will you ignore it?

Spex -  At this  time I  have  a class  reunion (the  first one  ever *g*). And
        paying 40 Euro for  having  all these "young multimedia artists" around
        me... doesn't sound good neither.



UCM  -  That's it  for the  first part... now comes some UCM special, maybe you
        know about it? It's  called "Brainstorming". I'll  give you  some words
        and you  just have to  write down the first words that  are coming into
        your mind about them... Oki...

A.tari          - f*** interleaved bitplanes, but great machines anyway!

C.hessboards    - havn't played  chess since years. Interestingly they were used
                  in a lot of effects...

D.emocoding     - It's fun and a welcome variety to the things I normally do...

E.scape         - Wrong direction! There is the exit!

F.eske Brothers - Cool guys :-)

H.mmm?          - Hmmm!

I.nternet       - Very useful and partially very unpleasant...

M.egademos      - Creating such one is  rather time  consuming, but if they look
                  great they are worth the effort! (And I love watching them :-)

N.icknames      - Imagine we would not have them...

O.oh Crickey... - Google said it's a demo. Have to watch it!

P.c-Scene       - The old one  in the beginning of the 90es was very good... the
                  actual one... let them do their 'art'...

R.ecords        - You should  record  all your  effect  ideas, so  they wont get
                  lost... probably some lead to new records *g*

S.cene          - Somehow I don't  like this  word. Maybe it has something to do
                  with the PC-Scene? Anyway, I like the ATARI-Scene :-)

W.hip           - (Killing monsters! ;-)  On  some  days this  program  runs for
                  hours and displays the music I hear...



UCM  -  At next another  special feature... just ask yourself a question about a
        topic you always wanted to speak about but you were never asked for.. ;)

Spex -  Hmmm? Hmmm!  (Really i don't know anything to ask myself *g*)



UCM  -  Oki, I think  this is enough  for the first time and be sure, if we will
        see more from you  in the future we will surely find time to squeeze you
        out a bit more... If there are  some things you want to say to the crowd
        you have the possibility to do so now...

Spex -  "Never give up, never surrender!" (taken from Galaxy Quest *g*)



UCM  -  Ok, then  we hope  you will  share much  more time  with  your new Atari
        friends and we hope to see more from you soon! Thanx a lot!



                                                             moondog . o2-o3/2k2
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