An interview with
Brainbug of Alcatraz

Interviewed by El Loco/Talent

   One  of Norway's best, still rather
unknown   musicians,  is  Brainbug  of
Alcatraz  and  Banana Dezigns.  42 got
him  under it's spotlight, in order to
inquire  some  questions regarding his
choice   of   groups,  his  music  and
life/the scene in general.

   How  come  such  an active and very
talented  musician  like yourself stay
åin   a   rather  unactive  group  like
Alcatraz?   Afterall,  there  are ages
since we've seen a production from the
prisoners,   except  from  Compass  of
course.

   Well,  the  last  months  I've been
without a computer, just living on air
and  funky Looms..  Talented??  That's
YOUR  words,  mate!   Alcatraz!   Cool
dudes,  I'm  just  now  working on the
main music for Teamwork'94 (95??), and
that  will  probably  be  the  biggest
production in the scene when released.
(Or  so they say..) Some 14-15 disks I
believe + HD-installer (AGA only).
å   Why  did you join Banana Dezigns as
a   double   member?    Is   it  their
far-fetched,   perhaps  insane  style,
that attracts you?

   BDZ   has  so  darn  cool  members!
Necro, for instance.  He is some weird
guy,  I'll  tell you..  The other guys
are  also  cool,  so I find that group
comfortable.

   Have you ever thought of abandoning
Alcatraz  and  join  a more Norwegian-
centered  group?   Don't you feel sort
of  left  out in nowhere, since you're
basically  Alacatraz' only member in a
country  that does not have a coder to
åsupport you?

   I've  not  thought  of  leaving ATZ
yet,  but  it is a problem with so few
Norwegian  members  (2 guys...) But we
have Postman Pat & AT&T though!

   If  you were to choose a new group,
and  most  of  the  productive "elite"
teams  in  Norway  asked  you to join,
which  one  would  you choose and why?
(Andromeda,  Spaceballs,  Stone  Arts,
Balance or Talent)

   Andromeda  is  too  perfect for me.
Everything  is  so glassy & glamorous.
In addition to that, they already have
åe.g.   Mr.  Man.  Spaceballs...  Nope!
Stone    Arts,    Balance,   Talent...
whatever!  I like it here in ATZ.

On music...

   Many  musicians  tend  to look upon
Heatbeat    and    Dizzy   as   divine
characters.   Do  you share this point
of  view,  that these finish musicians
are  so  extremely  good  that  no one
can't even compete with them?

   They  are  not  divine  characters!
They  are just extraordinary funky and
I  love  the  groove  in  their music!
They are in the top for sure!
å   In  my  eyes,  you've  been  a very
productive  musician  for  quite a few
years  now.  From where do you get the
inspiration,  is  music also your life
beside computer-music as well?

   Without  music, I'd rather be on an
eternal   trip!    But  who  said  you
couldn't  mix  business with pleasure?
Anyway,  I'm  an  ordinary musician as
well   and   I  make  some  music  for
theaters  etc.   I own an Ensoniq SD-1
flY  away  and  an  EKO  Barracuda  VI
Half-acoustic   with  a  little  green
monster   inside   the   f-holes!   In
addition   to  that  I  have  a  flyby
Spectra   Glider   Roland   ShhhHH-09.
åAwesome!    When   it   comes  to  the
inspiration...  None of your business!
OK,  then!   I  get  it from the walls
mostly.   Except  that,  I get it from
what  gets into the ash-tray, my funky
green monster in the f-hole, my funky,
lovely Korean lady, Don-Cato's extreme
sunglasses >B*) and last but not least
real music.

   Even  though you are a musician, we
seldom  hear  anything  else but music
from you.  No articles, no opinons, no
interviews.   Is  the  music  the only
reason  that  you're in the scene, and
do  you  find the demos, diskmagazines
and  intros  in general merely boring?
åWhat  do  you  think of musicians like
MTX  and  TIP who told everyone what's
good and what's not?

   I'm  to  lazy for things like that.
If  I  spend  time with my computer, I
make  music.   I  love  a  good  demo,
though!   Magazines  too.   Especially
when  people  can  put a bit of humour
and  fun into it.  (I really liked the
recipe   on   the   Hash-cake   Lemon.
brought  us.   (Mine  was too slack!).
When  it  comes to MTX+TIP (We two are
One  (Ref.   Crystal  Symphonies 2)) I
must   say   they   are  (were?)  some
*******!   I  was  a pen-pal once with
TIP, but he was so arrogant.  I do not
ålike it when that happens.
   Please  mention  your  favorite all
time amiga module, and what is it that
grasps you with it?

   "Just  For  The  Blues" by Dizzy of
CNCD!   It's  the  most awesome module
I've  ever  heard  on  a computer yet!
The  guitars  and  the  funky  Hammond
makes   a   groove  no-one  have  ever
managed yet, except Dizzy of course!

   A  fair characterization of quite a
few  of your modules, is that it seems
you  prefer  guitar  and  blues music.
Are  you also one of those who despise
the mainstream techno and disco style?
å   I hate techno & the new disco!  The
late   60's   and  the  70's  has  the
greatest  music and musicians.  Jethro
Tull,  Deep  Purple,  Pink  Floyd, old
Mike  Oldfield,  Marley, Doors and Tom
Waits.   The  newer  music I prefer is
Jamiroquai,  new  CD-recordings of old
Jazz,   especially  Bop-Jazz  and  Tom
Waits  once  again.  I listen to every
weird  form of good music, but most of
the  late  80's  and  the  90's sucks!
(Music  that can take me far up & away
as  I  take my bottle with the hole is
nice too!)

   Does  it  annoy  you, somehow, when
people  use/rip your samples?  Are you
åripping  samples?  Could you give us a
statement when it comes to the more or
less  known "WOTW-case"?  Do you think
the   accusations   against   him  are
relevant,  or  do you find it silly to
discuss whether he ripped some samples
or not?

   I  don't  get  annoyed  that  easy.
Rippers   just   make   fools  out  of
themselves.   I have my synths, my EKO
and  a coffe-cup with my lovely Korean
girlfriends funky signature on it, and
I  am  happy with that.  The WOTW-Case
is  probably  less known to me.  Is it
something that I can smoKe?  (ed.  you
might try...)
å   Please   describe   Brainbug  as  a
Amiga-musician.     (E.g.    are   you
considering  yourself  to be among the
very  best,  do you feel neglected and
and  somehow  underrated,  do you miss
being ranked in the charts etc..)

   I  as  an  Amiga-musician? I do not
feel neglected nor underrated, because
I  haven't released so darn much.  The
majority  has  probably not even heard
of  me  yet!   But  it would have been
cool  to be in a chart or two..  Maybe
after "Teamwork" by ATZ??

   Which  one of your numerous modules
are you most pleased with?
å   Hmm..   I'm not really pleased with
anyone  of  them anymore.  I never get
really  satisfied  with  my  mods.   I
always  find  some errors, a bad lead,
bad  drums  etc.  But I think "Left In
space",   "Old   Movie   Tribute"  and
"Sincerly  Yours" (Too darn short!) is
quite OK..

On drugs...

   What  is  your  view upon drugs and
liqour/alcohol?   Please  explain your
attitude.

   HAH!   I  won't  tell ya!  Nah..  I
have  nothing against easy drugs.  But
åthat  darn heavy stuff like Heroin and
"shit"  is  no  good!   Fucks a man up
badly!  Stay away from it!  But, would
the world spin as it does if we didn't
consume  a  bit  alcohol.   The  worst
thing   I   know   are  those  freaked
2-feet-wide-glasses computer "experts"
who  you  find coding or something all
friday  &  saturday  night.  Have they
ever  had  a beer?  A loom? SEX?  Nah!
They watch porno pictures on the Amiga
instead. A messy to  everyone  in  the
end:for Christ sake,don't rot in front
of your computers  trying  to  be  the
best  swapper,  modemtrader  coder  or
whatever you are doing. Suck  some fun
and pleasure out of life mates!
å   That's all for tonight, my friends.
Brainbug   of  ATZ,  BDZ,  Max  Design
Software Inc., Commodore ADSPE signing
off!

ATH+++

NO CARRIER

   42 would like to thank Brainbug for
giving us all these psychotic answers,
and  add  that  it was a shame that he
didn't manage to finish off his module
for  us this time!  Anyway, we hope to
bring you one of his excellent modules
in a future issue of 42!