INTERVIEW WITH ALEX OF THE SILENTS
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THe  interview  was  made by Fester of
Absolute!   but  without  Archibald of
Absolute!  it couldn't have been done.
He is the guy related to the 'target'.

          SH - Sledge Hammer
           A - Alex of TSL

SH  -  OK,  let's get down to business
with   a   standard,   but   important
question:  who the hell are you?!

A - Who am I?  Maybe some kind of life
form  belonging  to  the  human  race.
(Well,  ...  I think!) and living on a
small  part  of  the  earth  ground so
called as France.  I was given a name:
Stephen King, but it didn't sound like
a   French  name  and  I  changed  for
Alexander  Garnier,  Alex  is  better!
According  to  the tempus continuum of
our  dimension  I  am 18 and beside my
amiga  activities  I  spend  my (lost)
time  on  the  seats of a math/physics
university.

SH - Tell us your scene career!

A  -  I could tell you the usual story
that  once  upon  a time I fell on the
famous  Dpaint  and  started  to  make
something  else  than  playing with my
AMIGA.   In  fact, I never relly liked
to play games with a computer.  If you
want   to  play,  you  buy  a  console
(Nintendo,  you  know?)  and the Amiga
was  a  way  to change my pencil for a
mouse.   In other words, before having
this  need  of drawing with a mouse, I
drew  on  paper  and  I still do (less
than  before).   So  after  a while on
learning how to work on a computer, (I
already  knew  it  because I worked on
the poor MacPaint on Macintosh before)
I  drew fast.  My scene career started
really  when  I left CYCLONE (a french
crew  which  had a very good coder but
so lazy...) and joined ALCATRAZ thanks
to  the  German section.  (dec.  1991)
after  this  time I actively took part
in  some  productions  -  ATZ ones and
beside WilloW ones -

SH - It's beyond doubts that you are a
master    of   this   japanese   style
graphics.   It looks very nice, but in
some dudes' opinion it is very easy to
draw.   What  are  your comments about
it?

A - STOOP!  No, sorry, my first desire
has  never  been  to  use the japanese
style  of  drawing.  My way of drawing
took   this  direction,  but  I  never
really  tried  to copy this 'big eyes'
style  and light colors...  In fact, I
understand   that  those  persons  who
watched MUSEUM could think that I used
japanese  models  I  DIDN'T.  The most
japanese   of  my  pictures  could  be
ILLIAN, but try to find an original in
a  jap.  movie and you won't.  Because
the  original  was firstly handmade on
paper   and   just   inspired  from  a
japanese girl.
  Nothing  from  CITY HUNTER or else I
heard in ETERNAL.  About pictures like
LITTLE  SLEEPY,  SHANOWER  ...   Well,
there's a big mistake about these ones
too,  if  you  compare  them to the so
known  Japanese  style.   SHANOWER  is
inspired  from  a  bodyposition  (seat
knees  apart)  rough  drawn  by the so
fabulous  MOEBIUS  (see  Mc  DISK 4- I
wrote  an  article  about  his  art) I
invented  the  face  of  the  boy  and
colored  it.   LITTLE SLEEPY is a try:
I  wanted  to  draw  in LOISEL's style
(Regis   LOISEL,   another   fantastic
french  drawer)  when others just copy
the  so  famous  BORIS  VALLEJO I just
preferred  using a style like drawings
on  paper.  BUT, for those who thought
it is easy to make, I agree, what else
to  say...   Just  try to do the same,
without  taking  a model.  I invented,
THERE  was  the difficulty.  Anyway, I
wasn't  a  Dpaint 'technician' at this
time,   my   way  of  drawing  got  an
evolution  (I guess so ) and for those
who  could  have  a  look  at  my last
pictures,  they  would tell you that I
left  a bit this cartoonlike style.  I
made  some  new experiences lately, on
photolike  pictures.   I also improved
my antialiase and traming (Hope so!).
  By   the   way,  an  info  for  your
readers:   the last picture in MUSEUM,
STARR  PIEDRA  is  an error, it should
have never been released.  Unfinished,
it  was  a missed try on global forms.
But  I  told  it too late to the slide
makers.   Don't  blame  me  under this
one!    (You're  right  :   a  release
picture is a released picture, Ok,Ok!)

SH   -   From   where   do   you   get
inspiration?

A  -  Sure,  I  would  say that I have
unusual  sources of inspirations (Most
of the time, I don't copy them, I just
take  a  posture,  the  main  lines or
textures:  I use them as experiences.)
  I  gave  some  names  before,  but I
changed.   Last  year,  my inspiration
for fast rough on paper was taken from
my  master:   MOEBIUS  and  a bit from
Regis  LOISEL,  try to find their art,
it could be interesting.  And lately I
used   photos,  and  worked  on  light
effects.   I  also like a lot SIUDMACK
pictures  (his art looks like a dream,
strange  colors,  transformed  bodies,
stone   effects)   MACK  used  one  of
SIUDMACK's picture in his slide PRISM.
And he was right, because this picture
is  really nice, and MACK knew to give
the best of it on computer.
  And   I   learnt  to  like  American
drawers   (I  didn't  before)  through
BISLEY's fantastic art.  The colors he
uses   make   very   nice  effects  on
backgrounds.   He's  today  the second
comic  drawer  the  most  copied after
VALLEJO.
  Among   the  US  drawers,  ther's  a
marvellous   one:    GIMENEZ,  not  so
known, I guess!  But he uses paint and
his   comic  books  look  like  photos
(mainly  colored with white, blue-grey
tints )!

SH  -  Do  you use models?  Do you use
"helping-hardware"?

A  -  'Helping-hardware'?  Do you mean
scanners  or  something?   No.   If my
released pictures were said to be easy
to  make  I  wonder  why I would use a
scanner, eh!  The pictures I made were
totally  made  with  a little mouse of
plastic  and  without  help,  whatever
could  be  this help.  About models, I
do.   As everybody.  Nearly half of my
production  of  the  last  months  was
taken  from models.  But I really feel
annoyed  when I redraw a picture which
is   not   mine.   I  just  do  it  by
experience  to  learn  new technics to
make  light  effects for instance.  It
is useful to use a real representation
of  the  light on a face and trying to
make another invented representation.

SH - Can you draw in other styles?

A  -  Eyh!   Tricky question.  MOEBIUS
draws  in  about  ten different styles
from  ancient and heavy to more modern
and  light  styles.  I am in perpetual
search of innovation.  Most of you who
have  seen  MUSEUM  saw my first tries
not   too  differents  one  from  each
other.    Today   I  work  in  a  more
realistic style.  I work more carefuly
some   important  parts,  the  eyes...
Well,  you  see  that bodies and faces
were my last point of research.  But I
also try to refind in some of the last
pictures,  a  funny  touch  I gave one
year ago, to BIG BITTEN for instance.

SH  -  What  do  you think about these
persons, teams and productions:

A -
Mack  of Melon Dezign:  Among the last
slides  I saw, Mack's one was the best
and you have in it the perfect example
of  an  evolution through years, for a
graphician.   Mack went from a comical
style  through  a  painting style to a
realistic  style.   I love to see well
drawn  women  bodies (it is so unusual
to  see some good graphicians on Amiga
interested   in   other   things  than
dragons...    I  thank  MACK  for  his
fantastic  MEDUSA  women  and  for the
little   Black  and  White  beauty  he
offered  to  us with I SEE YOU.  (BTW:
the  great  green monster in the PRISM
menu is inspired from MOEBIUS.  That's
a strange pic as I love them)

Deja  Vu  by Anarchy Uk:  Hope to know
him soon!?

Hof of TSL:  Hello Steph!
HOF   is   today   the   most  perfect
graphician   (according   to   me)  he
improved   his   technic  to  give  us
awesome  pictures  (And you didn't see
the  last  ones!)  Hope someone in TSL
could  wake  up  and use his pictures!
Hey XANN!  Alors Koi!
No,   no,  just  forget  what  I  said
before,  otherwise HOF is going to get
the   'Big  Head'HOF  he's  the  worst
graphician ever, hey!

Mikael  Balle  of TSL:  THE EUROCHARTS
should open a new chart for him:
         the BEST DESIGNERS!
Mikael  Balle is a professional, and I
hate  him  because  he  can touch to a
paintbox,  I am terribly jealous about
that!  Seriously I am impatient to see
some  new production from him & JESPER
KYD - As everybody I guess!

Kefrens:    King   of  precalculating!
LAXITY   amazed   me  in  music!   RWO
DOESN'T amaze me.

Eurochart  by  Static Bytes:  It is an
important  thing  for a healthy scene.
It  is  only  representative as far as
you  consider who voted (if the voters
are  balanced  between  the 4 casts of
the   AMIGA:    Graphicians,   coders,
musicians, swappers/watchers it can be
representative of a common feeling.

Phenomena:   I miss the GREAT FIREFOX.
ENIGMA gave me mice moments.

Odyssey   by  Alcatraz:   That  was  a
production!   Anybody can say whatever
he  wants,  HORNET  innovated  totally
with  ODYSSEY.   You  like, you don't.
It   doesn't  matter.   We  won't  see
several  movies  like  this  one as it
takes  too  much  time  to make.  GREG
gave  the  perfect atmosphere with his
instrumental  musics.  Just one think:
Why  PGCS  always  signs his pictures,
when this pictures are used in a movie
demo?   (Imagine a real film signed in
each   plane  with  the  name  of  the
director.)

ABSOLUTE!:    I   was  ABSOLUTEly  and
pleasantly  amazed by the clean design
they  used  in  their first production
AABSOLUTE!   (the  first  I  received)
Soft  colors, geometric shapes used in
nice  effects  (many shades effects) I
wish  them  to  keep this attention on
the design and a big success with this
new mag.

SH  -  Why  did  you left Alcatraz and
joined TSL?

A - Everything was and is OK with ATZ.
I just felt a bit alone in France, and
the   second   thing,   and  the  most
important  is  that  I  meet  daily  a
friend  in  my town:  NAM (who founded
WilloW).   We  wanted  to launch a new
design  with  this  team  (even if the
name  wasn't  so  good, and NAM worked
hard  on  code,  we had ideas and made
some  intros,  ATZ  wasn't too pleased
about  that!   One  of  the  very good
coders  of  WilloW -XANN- was asked to
join  SILENTS  and asked me and NAM to
come  with him.  These changes allowed
us to work easily together.
  Today  I am in TSL with friends near
me  (each  TSL  France dude knows each
other) and we have more talks and same
ideas  about the design we want than I
had before with ATZ.
  German  dudes  (HEAD and CONTROL) of
ATZ   made   a   good   work   in  the
organization   but  when  members  are
spread  over  the  world  how  can you
imagine  that  a  poor  graphician can
give  his  vision and ideas for a demo
which is made 2000 km far away.
  Expect astonishing art from ATZ they
have     3     fantastic    musicians!
LIZARDKING, BRAINBUG And GREG.

SH  - Are there organizing problems in
such a big group as TSL?

A   -  I  don't  know  anything  about
SILENTS  internal  organization.   The
only think I wonder is if we will have
the  pleasure  to  read a new issue of
the   internal   letter  in  the  near
future!

SH   -  How  do  you  manage  to  keep
friendship  with  other divisions?  Or
isn't that important in TSL?

A  - Well, I am sorry to say that I am
not in contact with other divisions of
SILENTS.   You  could tell me I didn't
try  to  and  you  would be right.  In
fact  I  have  less  and  less time to
write  to  contacts and I feel ashamed
about it.
  But  if  some TSL dudes have time to
write me, they can do it.  Hey, men...
DO  IT!   I'd  be fine to receive some
news  from  other divisions.  It could
be important to have such contacts but
I didn't test it till now.

SH  - Whose computer and real music do
you like?

A  -  In computer music I am addict of
LIZARDKING's   art.    This   musician
didn't  reveal  the full height of his
talent!   Some  unreleased  tunes  are
masterpieces  and I stand by JACKIE D.
to code the awaited musicdisk.
  The second 3D DEMO music composed by
MadFreak  makes  me  fly  each  time I
listen  to  it  (around  1  789 450,32
times) and Audiomonster makes me dream
with his FLORENCE!  (Don't know her, I
talk about the module!)
  The  real  musics  I  listen  to are
mostly movie soundtracks which make me
live  again  the  best  moments of the
movies I see.  At the moment it is the
one   composed   by  VANGELIS:   1492,
CHRISTOPHER COLOMBUS.  Also DUNE, BACK
TO  THE FUTURE, RAINMAN PRINCESS BRIDE
(composed  by Mark Knopfler) EMPIRE OF
THE SUN.  But I also like FRONT 242 (I
heard   that  this  music  helps  many
coders  to  code  faster,  it seems to
work   for  graphicians)  ERASURE,  in
modern style.
  And  SUPERTRAMP,  PINK  FLOYD, among
not  so old ones.  The last album from
PRINCE  wasn't too bad too!  His music
is  very different one from the other,
and  he  uses  strange  compositions I
like.   It  brings  a change among the
formalised  commercial  music  we  can
hear today.

SH  -  Tell us about France in general
and the French scene.

A  -  France in general is a very nice
country  etc...   Sorry  I  don't know
what  to  tell  you  about France else
than:   Don't  go to PARIS only to see
the  EIFFEL  TOWER  or EURODYSNEYLAND,
there is so much more to see!
  The  French  scene  can be judged by
foreigners,  I  am  inside  France and
can't  say  many  things.   I think we
have  skilled dudes like Audiomonster,
HOF, REFLEX, RHAH/DRD, a legend:  MOBY
and  innovative  ones  as WALT,...  me
and NAM (Oops Sorry!)


SH  -  What education are you/will you
be under?

A  - I can understand your question in
several   ways...    and   that's   an
interesting  question...   I  have  no
idea about that!

SH  -  What  projects  TSL  France are
working on?

A  -  Can  I  talk  to  you  about our
projects...?   (If  there  are some...
Who  knows!) NAM and me are quite busy
on  a possible trackmo we should bring
you  this year:  The last name I heard
was  BLUE  SUN,  but  it's  my  little
pocket  Golem  (see  his photo in CHIT
CHAT  -  his name is Yaourt - vote for
him!   )  who  told me it and we can't
really trust him!
  From  XANN,  should  come an awesome
intro with a totally new routine.  But
he's  not too satisfied of the result,
WE  are  more  than  satisfied, we are
full eyes on the screen!

SH  -  If  you want to write something
else, here's your chance:

A   -   Yeah?    I  really  can  write
something?  This place is only for me?
Only me?  Oh, well!  I talked too much
before  and  I  am  in lack of breath.
Just a few hellos to my great friends,
see  in  LIVE  or  other messy box for
messages!    ZLOGGY  HELLOS  to  these
mighty guys:

MONTY and ZORGLUB, both  in  ANALOG
JESTER/SANITY
BROSS, FLETCH/TSB
REVERSE and GENGIS/DIGITAL
SPOCKY, NICO/HMD
Mr   KEEL,   BLACKY,   MENTAL,   HIRO,
CONTROL,  HEAD,  MOP, GREG, JACKIE D.,
QUEDEX, LIZARDKING/ATZ
TITAN, SKYNET, SUNY/ANARCHY
REFLEX/REBELS
All fine dudes in SILENTS woldwide!

Thanx for this interview.  Bye!!

I'm  the  one  who should say thank to
you - Archie.