Inteview with Alex

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INTERVIEW WITH

ALEX OF SILENTS

				  by META/BASS

META / Hi Alexandre! Please before beginning this interview, introduce
       yourself; age, function...

ALEX / Well, Ok... who am I ?! Alex, just Alex. French guy of 18 years old,
       as you should know it I am the cooker of my group, it means I stay all
       day long in the kitchen preparing pizzas, drinks and hamburgers for the
       coder, graphician, swapper and musician (they eat a lot), when it
       remains a couple of minutes I use them to draw, so I can say I am also
       graphician (a bit!). After this, there's no much more to add...
       Oh! Yes, I also make the best fried potatoes around ! 

META / We know you have joined Silents, before you were in Alcatraz,
       right? So why have you left?

ALEX / Right, I joined Silents, I explained the reasons a couple of times, just
       know there wasn't any contempt after Alcatraz organizers, I wanted to
       work free hands with Nam (coder who previously was in WilloW and left
       too). Rave gave us the possibility to refound Silents France (HOF
       remaint alone at this time!). So Xann (ex-Willow) joined, I did too.
       Another reason was I felt a bit alone in France during Alcatraz time.

META / What are your next projects?
ALEX / I don't know yet how they'll come to be released. 

META / We can see you make some really nice gfx on computer, but in your
       real life, drawing is a passion?

ALEX / A passion is stealthy, something which doesn't last. Graphism is more
       than a passion, I'll always like to draw in any form. (I hope I'll be
       able to) Something I really appreciate are drawing books with rough
       drawings from artists, to analyse the way they bend the pencil to give
       a fast trace giving the essential for a picture. I mean, I am more
       interested by the making of a picture than the picture itself. Drawing
       on paper is another of my activities.

META / How do you start a draw, have you any tips ?

ALEX / Most of the pictures released in Museum were previously drawn on
       paper (roughly !) then as every graphician I met... (I wasn't too
       surprised to learn they did it this way too!) I draw the main lines
       of the picture on Dpaint. Then I spend a day to find the right tape
       (among a drawer full of craps: Front 242, Shamen, Akira soundtrack...)
       put the earphones on my head, push the volume on the highest position.
       I am ready to go. Play. It is funny how loud and heavy music avoids you
       to see time passing! So I don't really know how long I stay on a
       picture, I don't even know how many times the music replays ! First
       thing to do after the main lines is the palette, but colors change
       during the time the picture is made. On the picture, I color by parts,
       one touch here, "here, it's too boring, let's do here, ..." and so on.
       The progression is made by random over the picture, so it looks like
       a puzzle! Well, I don't have real tips to give since I am not too
       interested in technic analysis, one could be like this: just have fun
       in what you do and you'll get the best from you !

META / Please give us your opinion about the others graphists you
       respect on amiga.

ALEX / I really respect Hof, for the person and for his art, he is according
       to me the cleanest graphician among all and has a perfect technic, I
       wouldn't be able to judge one pixel of a picture he did. His pictures
       are colorful and he succeeds in mixing very nice colors. I have none
       other word than perfect. 

META / Who is the one who has most influenced you?


ALEX / No graphician on the Amiga scene has really influenced me since I
       didn't try to analyse technics from others (which should be the best
       thing to do, but I didn't - too lazy) So I just made my hand the way I
       liked. Today I give more attention on others' technics. But... I think
       I was more influenced by graphicians on paper like Moebius, Loisel,
       french drawers and Simon Bisley, US drawer for the way he uses colors,
       also in paint I made my hand on waterpaint as Loisel does, computer is
       not able to give the water effect, a shame! There's one guy who gave me
       the interest of Dpaint technics, and I thank him, Titan of Anarchy.

META / Do you make a project on paper before drawing on amiga?

ALEX / For all pictures, no, but for a good part of them. Some used models
       from Bisley, Moebius... (Even more, lately, as I was learning some new
       things -light, maps...) but you're right, Museum pictures were
       mostly made on paper before, it is not a developped project, just fast
       lines with black and white light effects. I like to see them being on
       computer, lines take shapes, and colors become brighter.

META / Enough questions about Alex the Graphist, please tell us some
       words about Alex the guy. (hobbyz, girlfriend...)

ALEX / My hobbies are mainly focused around picture universe: Computer,
       Movies, drawing, graphic novels (big comic books), reading, computer
       graphics (the word refers to computer generated animations as we see
       some in the Imagina show, every february, not to Dpaint pictures, he!)
       By the Way, I was quite happy to see on the huge screen at THE PARTY II
       the video of Imagina 1992 ! I have no attached girlfriend at the moment,
       computer takes too much time, hey! But who knows...

META / Wich music are you listening to?

ALEX / Mostly movie sound tracks for real music, like 1492's one (the film),
       Back to the Future, Dune !, Empire of the Sun, Nikita. And among those
       groups: Erasure, Supertramp, Prince, Front 242, but also Vangelis,
       Shamen, and... Kyd/Balle's Concert. In fact real music doesn't mean
       important thing to me, since I don't spend my time listening to new
       albums, and buying some. I just have an old Aiwa walkman and it's enough
       to escape when I want to draw on computer. I am more impressed by
       computer musics and I almost collect them.

META / What do you think about the new style of music Audiomonster
       introduced on amiga, for you what are the best musicians on Amiga.

ALEX / Funny the way, you're introducing this question. In a judgment court, 
       they would say: you bring the answer you want to my mouth! I'm fond of
       Audiomonster's art, that's true, he brought another atmosphere to
       AMIGA music, something which makes them sound more real, he remains
       today (I think) the only composer to use so much Protracker effects.
       Florence is one of the modules I am use to listening nowadays as I
       did the first time I got it. The second music in the SOS demo from
       melon is a piece of art too. 

       Best Musicians on Amiga, according to me, are the one we just talked
       about, and... LizardKing for the most heartreaching melodies I heard
       till now on Amiga, HeatBeat, same reason, Jester, for the unique way
       of composing he has and his quality in melodies, samples, rythms, Monty
       and Zorglub, for their funny chips and for impressive long musics they
       make, Mad Freak for the second tune in 3D Demo I, Brainbug, 4Mat...

META / What do you think about the scene at the moment, and especially the
       about french scene.

ALEX / As I heard someone saying it at "The Party II", (I don't remember who!)
       The French scene would have an even better moral if the "Minitel" didn't
       exist. (who doesn't know the 'RTEL effect'?). That's the latin mind
       to be this way critical, and guys in northern Europe seem to spend more
       of their time on computer (coding, for instance) than complaining about
       problems of others and making troubles as we see French guys doing so.

META / Who are your best friends or contacts in the scene ?

ALEX / They know who they are and they don't really need me to name them
       but I can say Titan/Anarchy is a very good friend of mine, as Jester
       is, Nam, most of the guys in TSB team, Bross, Freddox, Fletch, Monty
       and Zorglub two delirious guys in Analog, and for sure, You, Meta!

META / But do you think there can be a real friendship with guys you
       know just by letters and not directly ?

ALEX / Some friendship can grow through mailing, but I'm sure meetings make 
       friendship be stronger, I personnaly have fine contacts with guys I
       never saw. But if I see closer, I kept more lasting contacts when I
       met once or twice this contact. 

META / Like you are a graphist and a swapper, for you what are the qualities
       you need, for being good in these 2 functions ?

ALEX / I wouldn't say I am a swapper, I don't send letters to get back the
       hot news of the month I just like to keep contacts with friends, and
       to answer to your question, I don't know if being in both of these
       functions needs special skills, maybe some training for graphism,
       maybe some hability to write for swapping but we both know how
       swappers are and how they come quickly to easy '8 words' letters !

META / Your amiga's activities let you enough time to have sum fun with
       your friends on yar week-ends or on the saturday's nights ?

ALEX / I am around 24 hours a day on Computer, so make your count!
       (just kiddin', hey! Only 23 h!)

META / How do you find your money to send your letters ?

ALEX / I am a very rich man (with a cigare in my mouth corner), my petroleum
       company brings me more than satisfactory benefites each month and I can
       buy what I want, even 300000 stamps,... If I want to !

META / So after having well-answered at all these questions, you've got a
       gift, here is an empty place, where you can put what do ya want (he he!)

ALEX / Yeah ? Really? So this place is for me, ... hum, what can I add?
       Usual hellos to Big friends: 
       JESTER, 
       MONTY and ZORGLUB, 
       all TSB team (BROSS, FREDDOX...), 
       PIB/SYNTEX, 
       TMB DesignS, 
       TITAN and SKYNET in ANARCHY, 
       RHAH, MOBY, ELMER, ANTONY in DREAMDEALERS.
       HOF, XANN, 
       all HMD team, 
       REFLEX, SWORD... 
       and to WALT and Audiomonster/Pasteque Design, MOBY, and to all fine
       readers of ETERNAL.

META / Thanx you Alexandre to have answered at all these questions
       continue doing graphics and staying so cool.

ALEX / Thanx to you too, Meta.