Interview
Handle:
I'm T.I.W. !
How did you come up with your alias ?
At the time, I felt the whole computer scene was a big macho thing, so I called myself 'The Iron Warrior' (or TIW for short) in order to appear hard and socially credible!
City / Country:
I'm from London, England.
Born year:
I was hatched in June 1972.
What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
Like most other British kids, my first introduction to computers was the good ol' Sinclair Spectrum! (and an Atari 400 at school!)
How did you get into the scene and what groups have you been a member of ?
I went into a local computer shop back in 1987, when the A500 had just come out, and met some bloke showing off an Arkanoid-type game on the Amiga. (Amegas!) When he said he had other copied games, I decided the Amiga was the machine for me! So I started a group with this bloke (Comrade J) which met every fortnight in a church hall computer club, and this group slowly grew into Share and Enjoy!
What was the proudest moment in your career ?
Probably hearing the responses to Amazing Tunes II when it was first released back in 1991 !
For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
I think it will be mainly for that demo. That seems to be the thing people think of when the think of SAE nowadays.
What would you like to be remembered for ?
Being the one-time bob record holder (!), and making some interesting and original demos. Definitely NOT for making a complete fool of myself by getting up and doind a (c)rap in front of 500 scenefreaks at the ECES 91 copyparty in Sweden!
What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
I think I lost interest in the scene back in about 1992, which was about the time that SAE began to disintegrate, after the Scoopex split. I also had a lot less time to spend with my Amiga, as I was busy discovering beer, drugs, heavy metal music and girls!
Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
Leaving Scoopex! Nobody wanted to know about us really after that, certainly in a European sense. We were still big-ish in the UK, but that's 'cos there wasn't much competition. Anarchy and Anthrox were the only other decent groups in the UK at the time.
What was your favorite:
GAME(S)
Battle Squadron, Rock 'n' Roll
DEMO(S)
Mental Hangover by Scoopex
PROGRAMMER(S) (OR PROGRAMMING TEAM(S))
Azatoth / Phenomena, Comrade J/SAE, Kris/Anarchy/Lemon
CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
Nomad and Quartex
COMPOSER(S)
Uncle Tom / Scoopex, 4-Mat/Anarchy
BEST COMPOSED TRACK(S)
Atmosphere/Uncle Tom, Weapon/Rogue Male
EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY)
Dexion copyparty, Jan 1991
MEMORY(S)
Quartex splitting up!
Favorite drink ?
Newcastle Brown Ale (but I enjoy a joint as well!)
What are you doing nowadays ?
I work doing video game mapping at a well known British game developer!
What are you doing on your spare time?
Playing bass guitar in my band, being an Internet freak and getting stoned!
Is there anything you'd like to say to the public (read: admires)
Where's the PC demo scene? Let's see some cool stuff on the PC, or has the good old days of creativity and imagination passed?
What is the meaning of life?
Life's a tree..... its branches go off in all directions....