Hi guys this is AxE with a interview with JOKER OF SILENTS done on SKULL BUGGERY LSD WHQ (Call It) Letz Start ...

ST is Scene Talk's Questions
JO is Jokers Answers


ST : Hi joker ... tell us something more about you like where you live
     and how old you are and so on ...

JO : Well, the usual stuff... I started with the whole computer business in
     1983 or so, when I first got my VIC20 and my first Commodore 64... 
     The Amiga came in 1986 or so... Im right now 22 years old, I live
     around Nuernberg, and I just hate this scene...

ST : Why do you hate it ? How long are you now a part of it ?
     In what groups where you before ? How did all started ?

JO : It all started on the C64, as I was in some crews like AFL, GCF, 
     WANDERER GROUP, ELITE and so on... In those days, a real cool scene 
     existed,not many assholes there and lots of great parties and
     stuff.. But since I started on Amiga about 5 years ago (about 1 year
     in the modem 'scene' now!),Ive just met millions of people I
     just cant stand... Only a few guys out there which I call 'Friends'...

ST : How did you got in the so called 'Scene' ? Did you know other
     dudes in you city who where in or how did all started ?
     Did you started as swapper like a lot of new dudes nowadays do ?

JO : Well, I got into the scene as I bought my first modem, and asked 
     MRC of Ministry (who I know for some years now from the old C64, where he
     was buying software from me!) about some board numbers and how to phreak
     via MCI ... Right after I figured that shit out, I just hopped from board
     to board an spread tons of software, and wrote millions of mail to other 
     people... Thats the main reason why Im in the scene: TO MEET SOME COOL
     DUDES WHO KNOW THAT THERE ARE STILL MORE THINGS IN LIFE THAN JUST 'STUPID
     COMPUTER SHIT' ... After a while, I became quite known (And that really
     wasnt hard to accomplish!) and joined SILENTS... I was in LSD for a few
     days too, but the members support there wasnt quite allright with me...
     So I left them again... I did not do much under my Joker-handle before,
     because Ive used a different one on the C64, but Ive also coded some
     games under my C64-handle, so I thought it wouldnt be bad to change it..
     Anyway, I was to known under my old one since the cops busted me once a
     few years ago... so Ive saved that one for legal stuff...

ST : What handle ? hehe ... what did happen to after the cops busted you ?
     Did you had to pay ?

JO : Well, I dont want to write my old handle here, but all guys who knew
     me on C64 will know me now again if I write the secret phrase:
     BAZOLLO BORA! Hehehhe... The cops didnt do anything to me, coz they
     found no software (I was swapping with some of them at the time...)
     ...So they had to cancel all steps taken against me...

ST : When we are talking about this topic - what do you think of
     Gravenreuth ?

JO : Well, actually I know Gravenreuth very well since a few years, met him
     on a few parties (the old Radwar ones) and talked to him quite a couple
     of times... I dont have anything against him, coz hes only doing his 
     job, as I do mine...

ST : What other things are you doing in your freetime ??
     How long are you trading everyday ?? Don't cheat me I know your
     busy phoneline hehe

JO : Hehehe ... Well, actually I have taken some kind of holiday right
     now... As normally I have to lead my own Software house and have to
     care about the stuff people send me to check if its distributable...
     Besides I code myself some games and write articles for some german
     newspapers like JOM and 64er...

ST : Are you coding the games alone or are you coding in coperation with
     another coder ? and who is doing the music and graphics ? also
     wellknown guys from the scene ??

JO : Yeah , of course! I code together with one guy from former 711/Warriors
     of Darkness, who has also done some quite nice stuff on his own... We
     mostly use freelancers for graphics and sound, amongst them are X-Ample
     and Lords of Sonics...

ST : So all known C64 dudes ... and whats about games on The Amiga ? 
     What freelancers do you have there ? 

JO : Well, only one of our games came out on Amiga so far, it was 
     distributed by Starbyte and we didnt make the conversion... It was 
     quite lousy! Right now, we are working on our first roleplaying game
     for the Amiga,which should set some new standarts! We dont know yet, who
     will do the sound and graphics stuff, but I already have some very nice
     offers from several guys, which I will have to check out first...

ST : What do you think of Software-Piracy ? How much does a coder, graphican
     or musician get per hour or so ... do you get a standart amount of money
     or a percentual of the sold originals ??

JO : Wew! Hard question! Well, I personally think piracy has to exist, as 
     long as there are overprized shitty games coming out to make some quick 
     dough... The payment for the graphicans and so on vary from game to game, but 
     normally it's like this: (for a C64-adventure):
     Overall money: about 15000 DM to 25000 DM
     Graphic: about 3000 to 5000DM
     Sound: between 300 to 1000DM
     So there isnt a lot of money earned for the coders, if we need about 
     three to six month to program a good game... And as it goes for percentual 
     payment... Well, I never liked it... The software companies usually dont
     make a fair cut for the coders there... Lot of cheating going on with
     this...

ST : Well and lets go back to your 'Scene-Life' ... well so do you have 
     good contact to most of the dudes in silents ...?? and did you spreaded
     the cracked version of Pinball Dreams and Pinball Fantasies ?? as it was
     a production from members ?? hehe

JO : Well, I have quite good contacts to all of the important members 
     there... Most of them are really nice dudes! And of course I 
     didnt spread the PD and PF releases, because I usually dont touch stuff
     coded by friends of mine... Its some kind of codex I have...

ST : Well so do you know about any new releases of Silents or
     something like new courses for Pinball Fantasies ???

JO : Well, as far as I know, they dont code on courses right now, but they
     should still do some of them in the near future... At the moment they are
     working on a couple of new games, which should have great playability!

ST : Yes just like PD and PF had .. so any new Trackmo or something
     like that coming soon ?

JO : Well, since a few days we dont have a french division anymore, so
     its up to the guys in Sweden and germany to do some nice shit... Ill
     have to talk to them, whats coming up soon... But it should be the usual
     great quality like the Demon Download demo or the old NOSOUL-Productions...

ST : Yeah, can you tell us some stuff about Silents Germany ?
     Lots of known guys in like WOTW, LYNXX and D-SIGN ...

JO : Yeah, we have some great guys there, like LYNXX, hes a very talented
     coder, WOTW is good also and a new coder called Stef joined
     us too these days... So there should be some cool stuff coming out soon!

ST : Do you read diskmags like this one ??

JO : Yes, of course! I like Scene Talk pretty well, but my all time faves
     are Grapevine and Suicide Mag...

ST : Where did you got you phone answer text from ?? Local church or what ???

JO : Heheheh.... Usually I do them myself... Like it? You should have
     heard all the others over the years...

ST : Yeah I like it maybe we should include your number so that all guys can
     here your satanic-phone-answering-machine (cool word or ?) =:)

JO : Laugh! No, better not...hehehe, but I can do a sample of it someday...

ST : Ok something other - Did you ever coded a Intro or something like
     that for TSL ??

JO : No, I did not code anything for TSL yet, but maybe in the 
     future... I have a lot of other thing to do, you know... And we
     have much better coders than I am! Im still specialised in
     coding games...

ST : Well a game for silents would also be no that bad hehehe ... btw who is 
     the one you share your life with ?

JO : Well, this is my girlie named MIRJAM, i live with her since about one 
     year together and it seems to be that way in the future too... Shes
     also on some boards under the handle MARY JANE... We also have a BEO
     (a crazy bird that drives me crazy someday!) and a sweet little DACKEL
     (dunno the english word for that creature) who is permanently getting
     on my nerves by jumping around in our bed while we try to sleep or do
     different things...

ST : Well don't want to go too deep maybe there are some childrens reading
     this hehe ... 'Dein Dackel ist also der Hoellenhund ?' (for INSIDER only
     hehe) and what is your girlfriend saying about the Scene ? Does she never
     has to say 'Turn The Machine Off' ?

JO : Rarely... As long as there are Zmodem upload windows, Ill always have 
     plenty of time for her... And I even turn off my computer sometimes!
     Like on official celebrity days like X-mas or Easter....

ST : Where you at the PARTY II ??

JO : No, at that time I was busy doing some manuals for some games which had
     to be delivered to our printer studio...

ST : Ok do you have anything more to tell ?? Like a commercial for your
     company ?

JO : Well, my company is about to get well known soon, so no need for 
     commercials her, but Id like to greet some very good friends of mine:
     Delta, Mr. Zeropage, Mr. Cursor, MRC, Electro, ZAZ, D-Man, the whole 
     TSL bunch, Tin Man, Mozart, Mr. Hell, RAT, Reaktors, Kitaro, MCI, Bub
     Andy of SP, MWS, all the old guys from the c64 scene, Madness, Mary Jane
     Ladykiller, Dr. Grell, Jazzytech, Skylark and the rest...

ST : Ok finally it's done - a cool and long live interview hehe ok thx for it
     and support Scene Talk ... So if You Out There Want To do a interview
     with a cool dude you is known in the scene just send your interviews to

     PARADISE POSTLAGERND
     W-7887 LAUFENBURG 04
           GERMANY        [AxE]