Interview
Handle: Jean
How did you come up with your alias ?
In the secondary school I learned French (besides Russian), and our teacher got the idea that everyone has to have a French name. Thus I translated my name and so I became Jean. After a little while most of my friends called me Jean. I had very silly pseudo names, like Knight-Soft, The Last Knight, Saturnus Band in around 1985/86, so I decided to use my nickname as a handle.
City / Country:
Budapest / Hungary
Born year:
21.05.1971
What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
My first one was a C64, and my father purchased it for me back in 1985. The first computer I've ever seen was a ZX-81, I guess.
How did you get into the scene and what groups have you been a member of ?
As most of us I, too was a beginner, let's face the fact; a true lamer. I had only one so called friend, who supported me with new games. After some time this guy stopped giving me the latest software unless I provided him with little presents. Later the situation got even worse, he wanted to humiliate me, make me feel that he has power. So I got fed up and wrote some letters to elite groups, like Madonna Cracking Group, ACE, Hotline and so on. I sent out about 20 letters. It wasn't very easy as I haven't learned English in school, so I had to start learning myself. It was a hell of work to write the first letters. On the other hand it was forbidden to send floppy disks from Hungary to a western country, so I had to hide them in my packs. Often happened that I got my letters back with a message including the corresponding rules making me totally mad. Needless to say that I got only a few answers, but after all I started to swap with some not so famous groups.
However, I wrote some simple demos representing very basic assembly knowledge, as an independent I didn't have much chance to become known. In 1988 I got in touch with Mr.Wax of FBI and decided to join his group. At that time we were the two best swappers out of four/five people, who made the same job in Hungary. We reformed the group and changed its name to FBI Crew. It was very hard to get some attention from other parts of Europe but somehow we managed to get in contact with most of the famous groups by the year of 1989. I remember getting the first greets from Ikari, that was a marvellous experience. At that time we already had some very talented members, like SKC, Griff, Brain, CPU, Gabriel, Painkiller. Thus we could release some quality productions. Most of our members, including me considered FBI Crew a very childish name, so we decided to change it to Chromance. Later our group got even better and thanks to Mr.Wax and some other active members, Chromance is still on the top nowadays.
In 1989 I bought an Amiga 500 and opened our teams section on this platform too. It wasn't very successful as there was only one coder besides me, so in 1990 I decided to join Cerberos as one of the most active Amiga swappers in Hungary. Later I also became a member of Soc. Brigade. In 1991 I moved to Surprise! Productions (still existing on PC), which was a subgroup of TRSI at that time. I must say that this decision gave a big kick to my career. I got hundreds of contact letters, which I could hardly answer. My dream became reality, I got famous on Amiga (for a swapper anyway). Later S!P got kicked from TRSI and moved to Scoopex. I stayed there a while, until in 1993 with some friends of mine I founded a group called Absolute!. This team represented the Hungarian elite at that time. Absolute! released some kicking demos and a popular discmag called Sledge Hammer. In 1994 I lost interest in scene activity and stopped swapping. Nevertheless, I am still an Absolute! member on Amiga and a Chromance member on C64 and I am always going to be with all of my heart.
What was the proudest moment in your career ?
It's hard to tell, but I was really surprised when I became the most known Amiga dude in Hungary and ranked no. 3 in TRSI in a test pole published in R.A.W. Perhaps because it was voted and ranked by mostly swappers, but at that moment it seemed to be important.
For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
I don't think I am remembered for any specific reason. I believe that besides other Hungarian swappers I took my part in importing software to Hungary, which was essential for Eastern European computer culture.
What would you like to be remembered for ?
My dream is a scene history CD, which I am working on now for a long time. This disk is hopefully going to include most of the legal stuff ever released on the c64 scene and even more. I would like to make a perfect collection, something that could be useful in the coming years and I would like to give it to everyone who is similarly so devoted to Commodore, like me.
What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
I founded a company together with Petroff/Absolute! and got into working. We had a lot to do, so haven't got the time to continue.
Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
Sometimes I was too cruel with beginners or lamers, sometimes I could seem to be too proud of myself, thus making a lot of enemies. My behaviour even provoked an organisation called Anti Jean Association with more than 40 members. Nevertheless, I have a good relationship with most of its ex-founders nowadays. All in all I took it as fun as it was.
What was your favorite
GAME(S)
C64: Archon, Druid, Test Drive, Leaderboard Golf, Lightforce, Terra Cresta
Amiga: Gods, Lotus Esprit, North and South, SWIV
I am not a player though, almost never play computer games.
DEMO(S)
C64: Brainstorm 3, So-Phisticated 2, Triangle 1 year, Think Twice 5, The Cat, HIC Megademo
Amiga: Fairlight-Northstar Megademo 3, Enigma, Red Sector Megademo, Arte, and I could list here a few hundred for both c64 and Amiga
CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
C64: Hotline, Ikari, Talent, Fairlight, Triad
Amiga: Fairlight, Subway, Angels, Quartex, Paradox
Didn't really pay attention to crackers
OVERALL GROUPS :
C64: Crest, Megastyle, Triad, Fairlight, Blackmail, Bonzai, Starion, SSS/Horizon, Oxyron, Reflex
Amiga: Phenomena, Cryptoburners, Anarchy, Fairlight, Northstar, Silents, Crionics, Lemon., Rednex, Andromeda, Spaceballs just to mention a few
COMPOSER(S)
C64: Jeroen Tel, Rob Hubbard, Laxity, Martin Galway, Danko, JCH, Drax, Griff
Amiga: Jesper Kyd, Tip, Lizardking, Mantronix, Romeo Knight, Audiomonster, S.L.L., Uncle Tom, Danko
BEST GRAPHICS
C64: Bob (somehow I don't remember more) Amiga: J.O.E., Peachy, Fairfax, Mack, Balle, UNO, Facet, R.W.O
EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY)
I would say that the Hurricane-Brutal Party'92 in Denmark/Sams0 was the best I've ever been to, although I visited The Party 2-3-4, Assembly'92, Randezvous, Amega Party and a great number of Eastern European/Hungarian conferences. In Sams0 the sun was shining, girls were beautiful and one could meet almost every important person both on Amiga and C64. I also consider The Party 2, 3 and Asm'92 great experiences and The Party 4 a big fiasco due to arrogant and profit oriented organising.
MEMORY(S)
My dearest scene related memory is my residency in Denmark. I had the luck to spend almost 8 moths in Copenhagen and share the same flat with Silents/Crionics members. I am very thankful for them for giving me the opportunity to get to know an other world, language, culture and for not letting me down when I required their help. Although by now we live very far from each other I remember all of them as my friend (Jesper Kyd, Mikael Balle, The Spy, Deftronic, Guzzler, Karsten, Sami, Felix, Ruvan and my dear friend Wolfieman/Balance)
DRINK ?
Home-made raspberry juice, Pills Beer, Wine
What are you doing nowadays ?
I study Informatics in a Polytechnic College, I am interested in graphics and networks.
What are you doing on your spare time?
I like spending time in nature, mountain biking and hiking/climbing. I also like travelling abroad and spend some time on learning my favourite languages, e.g. Swedish. I read a lot if I have the time and I am interested in politics as well. If I go out with my friends I choose cheap pubs.
Is there anything you'd like to say to the public (read: admires)
If you are interested in the scene anthology CD I was talking about, or you would like a copy of it, perhaps want to help me finishing it, then please write to my e-mail acc.
What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is different for every individuals in my opinion, but somehow it is all the same; to find the way to the meaning of life.