Interview
Handle: Grendel, from Byterapers, Inc.
How did you come up with your alias ?
Before being a Grendel, I had handle that is all too shameful to be mentioned. Some amusement might arouse from fact that some older time friends from here actually have pre-Byterapers releases that are made with my pre-Grendel handle. And sometimes those terrible people tease me with it. :-)
But then, 1987 early or 86/87 winter, cannot remember, I started looking for a new better handle. I looked around, combined a list of possible canditates and thought about them. The favourite one, Grendel, was from old Scottish tales, a green monster living deep in a lake, robbing food and killing king's soldiers. Very nice chap. :-) Since the name had such good background I decided it would be pretty nice, as it sounded quite original too. Later I found that Marillion also had a song named Grendel, telling about that exactly same Grendel-monster. :-)
City / Country:
Iisalmi in Finland
Born year:
16.07.1970
What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
My first truly own computer I got in 1985, a C-64, same one I still own. It was pretty hard to obtain since I'd been whining about getting it for years, originally I had been whining for a VIC-20 years before :-) I'd anyway been in some kind of computer circles before, lending friend's computers and using them. While my knowledge about computer was quite basic, I anyway KNEW something already :-) Though NOT the secret of joystick ports - which one I should connect my stick for Elite???? It was very relaxing moment to hear, when I called to a friend, that stick was connected to wrong port. :-)
So I got my first computer relatively late, but after a slow start (like, I had no games in first days since I wanted Summer Games with my 64 but it wasnt released yet so I had to wait) I corrected situation quite well. :-)
How did you get into the scene and what groups have you been a member of ?
It happened so natural I'm still amazed. We had some kind of scene here in Iisalmi, with our local heroes and cracker stars, especially Kasper who had over 300 !!!!!!! games. Small swapping happened between locals, but then I managed to pull out something amazing. I got a swapping contact! I got TOTAL NEW GAMES nobody had before around here. And I could sent out local Kasper Systems-cracks. Later I answered some ads in Computer & Video Games, and even managed to have one in it, and got more contacts. After this graduating to a real swapper I slowly somehow became the local hero importing all new stuff to Iisalmi. And then I got an idea. We had some pretty good guys here, who could be equal to those groups outside in big world. Why not make our own group? I called Kasper, discussed it, and Kasper already had a great name for group, Byterapers! He had been doing stuff on Byterapers name much before, but now early 1987 we founded this group officially.
With having own group it was later easier to gain more contacts, and since we had already two programmers (Kasper, Professor Fate) in (B), I could sent our own cracks and intros, which were then naturally spread on. Then it was simply work and more work. Name spread, we gained first local fame, then later in 1987 our name was already known in Finnish scene and winter 87/88 was maybe the breakthrough when Byterapers-name and logo started to be recognized abroad.
I personally have only been in one group ever, Byterapers. From the very first moment a pure, hardcore (B) member. (B) is not a group, it is a way of life for us, and I cannot imagine being anywhere else.
I TRIED to join Fairlight during '89, when (B) seemed to fall completely apart. I wanted to be FLT on C64 and (B) on Amiga, but FLT Amiga-members voted against me since (B) was completely unknown on Amiga back then. Actually I'm pretty happy for it, since things would be quite different now, maybe I'd have been changing groups much more like most other people....
What was the proudest moment in your career ?
Well well, it's naturally hard to say.
I guess, over the years, one very great moment was maybe in 1989, when some cracking charts showed us as NO:9 on world cracking groups charts. And it was vote-based chart, so actually people had been spreading and liking our cracks. Nowadays I'm not that proud of that since I work on legal side of computer industry :-) and things like that aren't my fondest memories. Usually when someone starts talking about (B) cracking is tell them to shut up, "WE DONT TALK ABOUT THAT" style :-)
A great moment was in Assembly'94, when we competed in C-64 demokompo. I still think our demo was better, but the stupid crashing during loading ruined our chances. World of Code II was so beautiful on bigscreen that I really felt good, so wonderfully good watching it and flied around afterwards. Assembly'95 wasn't worse either, Extremes was very much applauded and loved, and again it felt so good when complete PC-strangers noticed my (B) badge and started telling how amazed they were of Extremes.
One long-term satisfaction came from the realization that while most groups, back then and now, are formed from some previous groups that are splitted or something, Byterapers was formed from guys who had never been in any group. So (B) was built on totally unused ground, and made itself known by hard work during many years efforts.
For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
I don't really know. There are still people who in parties come to me and want pictures to be taken, they with "a real legend". Maybe it's because I am some kind of cornerstone in Finnish scene, some kind of relic and demonstration of those "who were here so long before us". Maybe there's still some legend left from my old partyanimalism. Maybe because I was rather noisy and showed really well in parties. Maybe because I was dead drunk in 88-89 parties, and arranged once upon a time at least one big party a year. Dunno. Some still know me. Don't know why. Sometimes it's a bit embarrassing tho, but at least when I'm recognized I can get free drinks from people :-)
What would you like to be remembered for ?
Maybe two things especially:
- hard work and total dedication to scene. I worked so much for Byterapers that I even stopped school partially for that reason in 1988. When I got the idea to make a new group, we all were totally green. From that I built a very successful group, that could even be described as famous. I lived for (B), and was self-proclaimed dictator in decision making. Nowadays I'm not saying if it was good or bad, nowadays (B) has absolutely no organization but back then we had one, and it worked if we look at results. A lot of members came and went out, but the group CORE is still much unchanged. And I say, say it loud, that it was largely my total dedication for years that gave Byterapers the boost for growing up. When certain momentum had been achieved, Byterapers worked by itself and I was able to withdraw to rest.
- Partly in union with previous reason, is my contribution to Finnish scene. While I worked days and nights for (B), I was also very apparent figure in Finnish scene. One very proud thing in that time, was that while I thought myself as "elite" (eliteness was important back then), I didnt immediately flag people as lamers, but in fact, helped helluwa lot of people to scene. Of Finnish scene, there's really really much people, whom I have helped up. Maybe I gave them some mental support, said "you're all right", gave someone new warez, answered kindly and so on. But Byterapers was also a big stepping stone for LOTS of people. Our memberlist was all time changing back then, 87-89, members came and went, were kicked or left by their own accord, and very noteworthy is that a lot of new members were from small unknown groups, and after their (B) time they could be found from much better position in scene-hierarchy than before. A lot of people gained seriousness for being in (B). But I must remind that this scene-helping wasn't only by the constant flow of members - I did a lot of helping to other people as well. Of course, all was not intended but it happened anyway. While I thought myself Elite, I have always remembered the thing that I rose myself from the deepest mudhole by WORK, and tried to give others the same chance.
That is something that I'm actually PROUD of. While thinking myself as cool and supermegaElite, hovering above the lamermasses, I gave them chance and helped them with it.
- Some other things that could be nice to be remembered for, are for example my early efforts in arranging parties. Byterapers was big figure in early Finnish partyhistory, having the regular big yearly parties. Like Byterapers Party in 1988 (nicked later as Grendelparty :-)), Byterapers Voodoo-party in 1989, Byterapers/Scoopex/ Extasy -party in 1990 (nicked as Grendelparty II) and Byterapers Gathering'91 -party in 1991. Plus other miniparties and meetings. These also gave some big boosting to the development of Finnish scene and the friendship here.
What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
I said earlier that I worked very hard for (B). That's why. I ran out of energy. I bought an Amiga and worked on both machines. Stopped on 64. Then stopped on Amiga and returned to 64. But now the horror part. Real reason why I stopped on 64 was ... MY DISK DRIVE BROKE! I had no money to repair it, so there was no way to continue activity on 64. So I had to work on Amiga, and (B) gained some name there later, but I never returned to my amazing activity that I was keeping on 64. Once I counted my contacts, and the result was that I was swapping with 150 (one hundred fifty) contacts at once. You can guess that it was very time consuming. Maybe you also guess why (B) gained some name, since there was I spreading our products quite helluwa lot and I wasn't the only swapper :-) More than the quality of our early products and cracks was our effectiviness in spreading them the reason for that our name slowly getting known. Still, the quality wasn't bad in that time's standards, only that there were groups making better demos :-)
Oh, back to subject :-) My disk drive broke during autumm 1989, so I stopped then on C64. I think I stopped 1992 on Amiga.
Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
Well... Nothing much I think. Afterwards thinking there were some alternatives to my personal and (B) course, but it's been all quite good as it happened. Maybe I only regret that I couldnt afford to repair my disk drive :-)
What was your favorite
GAME(S)
Delta, M.U.L.E., U.S.A.A.F., Lords of Conquest, all SSI games, rpgs, mostly all those who needed thinking and especially strategy
DEMO(S)
I loved Warriors of Darkness demos, I was very fond of that group. Later 711 had lots of great feeling. Finnish Gold ruuuules.
PROGRAMMER(S) (OR PROGRAMMING TEAM(S))
FCS/FIG is one I bow to.
CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
Loved Papillon's intro :-)
COMPOSER(S)
Maniacs of Noise and Hubbard
EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY) / MEMORY(S)
First (B) party in 1988, Ikari/Zarquon party in Denmark 1989 where I was totally boozed and managed to make kinda great effect to those people around me :-) "Gendel and his plant" :-)
DRINK ?
Beer :-) I don't anymore like stronger booze as I did before, I like beer since it's much more enjoyable to drink. Our own "IRA Special" (IRA=Iisalmen Rappio Alkoholistit) is always a feast.
What are you doing nowadays ?
Work and work and work. Not much time anymore for anything else. I work for a Finnish computer magazine, and I have many responsibilities there. If I get one job done, others are queuqing. Free time is a luxyry I dont much have, but overall I like my job. And actually it grew from my scene-hobby :-) Hobby grew to job, and THAT's something I've always loved in scene. :-) :-) Right now I'm steady with a girl living other side of Finland, so now I have extra burden with my work-responsibilities: while having hands filled with work, I spend periods filled with lust, and am completely unable to do any work. Hah :-)
Anyway I somehow follow scene, am part of it on 64, Amiga and PC, and go always to all possible parties. O what a Lovely Life.
My work consists of mainly two parts, writing about computers, and sysoping our BBS-system. The latter one contains both traditional sysop-things, aswell as hunting the net for stuff for the BBS and handling it. So I spend a lot of time in front of my computers dead bored unpacking, checking and repacking programs etc and then uploading/downloading them. Not my phonebill but gosh it takes time. :-)
What are you doing on your spare time?
Told ya :-) Not much of it. Sometimes watching demos, playing role-playing games, reading books, going to bars and dancing and so on. O and worship my beloved one :-) Also I have two lovely rats, who require intense caring and often manage to drive me nuts. Usually we have mad weekend-parties with local (B) members including small parts of other local scene-community.
Is there anything you'd like to say to the public (read: admires)
Nah, I always say: Have Fun!
That's a guideline in scene. If you do things you enjoy, with people whose company you enjoy, it's enjoyable :-)
Byterapers in nowadays a group where all members are friends, and mostly know each other. We do things we like, and don't really concentrate on being great or anything good. So we dont either release much on any machine :-) We'll start releasing demos on PC, maybe this year, but have stopped on Amiga practically already 4 years ago. The comeback on 64 on '94 was surprise to ourselves too, and I must say it was very enjoyable experience, doing stuff again :-)
Right now we're working on creating Byterapers homepage on the Net, and we're really planning to do it special. I mean SPECIAL. It will have a lot of interesting stuff and information, not only about (B). :-)
What is the meaning of life?
Have fun and 42.

    Grendel full information, public domain
    Jukka Kauppinen
    Sankarinkatu 9 a 3
    74100 IISALMI
    FINLAND
    jkauppin@muikku.jmp.fi
    tel. +358-77-24225