Interview
Handle: Paninaro or just -Pan- No one can even pronounce Paninaro!
Anthrox Homepage
How did you come up with your alias ?
I thought it was original. It's a song from a Pet Shop Boys album and it's actually some Italian word that had to do with some style. I've heard it's a loose translation of "Sandwich Eater". Now you know I go by -Pan-!
City / Country:
New York City, USA - Home of Rats!
Born year:
I was born on September 13, 1972. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th and if you don't include my middle name, I have 13 letters in my name!
What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
Actually I never wanted a computer.. I wanted a Coleco Vision.. but the salesman did a run-around on my parents and I ended up getting a Texas Instruments 99/4a 16k computer. 2 weeks later TI dumped the machine. 3 years later (1986) I conned my father into get a C64 for me. It was the best thing that ever happened! Since then I've had 3 C64's, 3 A500s, an A4000/040, a 286 640k laptop, and a Pentium 75 PC.
How did you get into the scene and what groups have you been a member of ?
Errm.. Well.. I was like every lame kid. I went to a store to buy games and after I bought a game I went to a bookstore with my friends. We were approached by some guy who wanted to sell us games, CHEAP. Now this is New York, and you don't trust anyone! But at $4 for a game you can't go wrong! After about 2 years of walking in-out of his place with games he finally sold me a 2400 baud modem and gave me access to his BBS. I was happy cawz I'd be able to talk to people who could program in ML. My mistake. NO ONE could code in ML. I soon offered to make intros and got into some lame local group but quit soon. Then this guy I knew got me into a group that was looking for a coder and NTSC fixer. It was called Occult and it was just a start up group. I did a nice intro with a DYCP (I think it was the first in the US, but I may be wrong) and I got in. I was in a few groups, but none spectacular: Unix (importing), Occult (importing), Optical (importing), Alpha Flight (cracking.. but I just did NTSC fixes), and I did an intro for the short re-birth of The Survivors, along with a crack (my first ever). On the Amiga I was in Italian Bad Boys and SP/AI (Spreadpoint / Amiga Industries).
On the SNES I was in a group I started called Baseline 2091, then Fairlight for 1 day (I left.. i didn't like Strider's attitude), then BSL 2091 again, then landed in Anthrox where I am now.
What was the proudest moment in your career ?
Anytime someone recognizes me. I'm not that well known since I didn't hang around a lot of people. I tend to keep to myself and let my work speak for me.
For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
Hmm.. Right now my fame lies within the SNES programming I've done. But it would only be for the intros. I'm not much of a demo coder so I try to put demo-like routines and effects in all my intros. I'll be forever engraved in eternity because some of my SNES work has been displayed in European magazines. I've even had my real name in a C64 magaize called Ahoy! and a a console magazine called GamePro.
What would you like to be remembered for ?
For being a world leader and creating world peace. That way 2000 years from now people will be praying to me and starting holy wars because they used my name "in vain"! But that was just last night's dream! I just want to be remembered as the guy who helped anyone except for teaching them how to code. I'm not a good teacher, I have no patience!
What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
Well.. I stopped the C64 scene activity when the releases weren't coming frequently and I wanted to get an Amiga. Then I (almost) stopped my Amiga scene activity when it died down. Now the SNES scene is ending so I'll wagontrain to the PC until a new scene starts somewhere else. I may never quit the general scene, only specific ones.
Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
Urm.. yeah.. My father made me go to work with him when I was 16. I used to stay up until 4 A.M. coding and and checking out the boards then it all stopped. That was a great time!
What was your favorite
GAME(S)
Maniac Mansion, Pirates!, Monkey Island (Amiga), Seven Cities of Gold.
DEMO(S)
I like the old stuff, pre-1989. The new stuff is technically superior, but I like to read the scroll texts :)
PROGRAMMER(S) (OR PROGRAMMING TEAM(S))
Any North American who didn't rip I have respect for. All European coders since they always invent the new routines!
CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
There's only one: Mitch/ESI
OVERALL GROUPS :
USA: ESI
Euro: Ikari
COMPOSER(S)
Rob Hubbard (the man!), Martin Galway, Jonathan Dunn
BEST COMPOSED TRACK(S)
Delta, Comic Bakery, ACE II, Platoon, Last Ninja 1&2
BEST GRAPHICS
Gotcha would be the only euro I know of.
Morissey was also good, and he was in the US.
EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY)
Never went... coulda, shoulda, woulda, didn't...
MEMORY(S)
Late night conferences, those were the definate best. Waiting for a game to be released and having to call a guy 1 million times asking "Is it out? Do you have it?" The rag wars on BBSs that got out of hand and always died mysteriously... Finding out that something I did was published in a German magazine with a positive attitude (except for the French magazine, which was all negative!)
DRINK ?
Diet Coke! Nothing like a 2 liter!
What are you doing nowadays ?
Working in a masonry business with my brother.. I do plan to get out of it. Dirt, cement, and bricks is NOT a way of life!
What are you doing on your spare time?
Watching TV and trying to figure out different things on computers such as C++ and Java.
Is there anything you'd like to say to the public (read: admires)
If you ever have any kids, get them started in the scene. It's better than gang life and you get to meet people from a lot of different countries. 90% of the people you meet are cool! It's an experience you'll never forget!
What is the meaning of life?
To reproduce. THAT is the meaning of life! So stop reading this and start reproducing! Or be kinky and read this while doing it!