Domination 03 ch08 Interview with Vengeance of SCS&TRC

Interview III

Welcome to the final interview for this issue, this time we are proud to present another old timer, here comes... Vengeance/Success+TRC

D=Domination V=Vengeance

D)
Welcome and please introduce yourself to the readers...

V)
Okay here we go again; to some I'm known as Vengeance of SCS+TRC and to others such as Crossfire/Motiv8 as the pathetic arsehole that just keeps on nagging. I'm 19 years old, turning twenty this year. My real name is Matt' Mchugo and I'm the main editor of Australia's oldest and arguably the best disk magazine, along side of Domination.

D)
As some know you have been in the scene for quite sometime, could you please give the readers a complete scene history?

V)
Well a totally complete history would be to damn much for me to answer but, I started in the X-Mas of 1988 in a group known as the Vandals along with Psycho/ex-The Force (ex-scene) and Insane/Shazam! Who is the only other from my beginning in the Australian scene. Still an active friend other than Witty of Menace after some time in the Vandals we only had done a little like a crack of Die Hard, Chase HQ and some other bullshit. we went into co-op with chrome that lasted one or two months, eventually I rang a dude known as Sweet Tooth/Ozone+Celtic, he had just formed a new crew along with some others called "Mystic" he said he liked what I had been doing with my swapping and asked me in. I said yes on the condition I could bring Psycho along. By this time it was 1990, Mystic had huge internal problems which lead to its downfall and the group was supposed to have died. So I and psycho went and joined Oxygen a group with a bunch of ex-ROLE members and some other guys like Witty and The Rat. In this short stage, Bronx Australia was born, all the guys from Oxygen joined. I myself didn't really like the idea but went along for the ride, two days later I rang Sweet Tooth and he denied that Mystic was dead, and what I had been told was a bunch of lies, I believed him so I returned to the group along with Psycho and we created the Vandalism News. Before this however, Sweet Tooth (Stooth) got caught by the post and things and quit the scene, leaving me in control of Mystic I lead the group well for almost 2 years making it the number 1 aussie crew with the number 1 aussie mag, we even went into a 6 month cracking co-op with TDU. It was great and fun at the time, but all good things must come to and end and I got sick of Mystic and wanted to get more contacts and I need a starting point. I got several offers to join groups, but none were interesting apart from Abyss Connection (the old group of Anarchy/Hardcore) I was going to join but, I decided in starting a new crew called Honour, this really sucked, first I left two days after to join Battery but one day later I left them to rejoin Honour, after that though 1 week on again, Amazon the crew was formed with all the ex-Ikon Visual members I asked to join and was accepted. Here I started to get more and more known gathering a large quantity of contacts and expanding my relations with Europe, I was first asked by Witty to join up with him in Oregon 4-5 times I said no! But in the end I found it a much better place to be and we started to really kick, until they merged in with Dream to make Sunrise (again as it was a comeback). At this stage I didn't like that at all DNA of Dream was a real geek and he was none as known as the fuckhead of the Australian scene. I stayed in Sunrise and went inactive for a few months; finally I released the 5th issue of Vandalism and left them because I was the only one left other than The Rat.

I got an offer to join The Force from Razor and as I could then again team up with Psycho and Insane. I took it gleefully. I stayed here for nine months or something like that anyway it seemed like a long time, things were really happening in the scene and nothing really in The Force, so I secretly planned making a comeback to lead a cool aussie crew together with Morbid of SCS+TRC and Patto/ex-Cure. this group was known as "Bodycount", we fucking taught Australia to get up and fight and since then I think the country fucking has, Jazzcat joined in and we became a force in Australia, a legend, but got sick of it and joined Rebels as a second group. Not taking much notice of Tuc/Rebels who called the staff at Vandalism pisshead. Thanx pal but next time why don't you check your names, after all, man and machine (Fusion) was a fucking legendary group. Anyway I obtained through the grapevine a copy of Bolo I had a first release which was in fact my 3rd at the time, after Worm recracked by Colwyn of The Force from Mystic and brainwave a Solitare clone both these were coded by Paladin of Collision actually. Anyway I was trying to make up my mind weather or not to supply Bodycount, Rebels or try another group, I decided to try another group, I rang Derbyshire Ram who I had friends with for sometime and one person I could actually make some sense out of at the time as Tyree of Arcade (now Legend) had it in his head I was running up his phone bill, now that was funny, anyway I asked Barry if he wanted the first release, of course he said yes, but I wanted a card really as I just bought a modem off Jerry/Triad (thanx Gunnar and sorry for the money delay!) I sent him the game by mail, in the next days something special was to happen, I rang Nightshade to say hello, I told him I had a full-price Australian game, I sent to Barry, he then tried to convince me to give the game to Success and join, well as I had really wanted to join illusion all along and I never got an offer from Derbyshire Ram, I decided that was the go, then bang 6 cards from the mighty clutches of Moren... bang 1 first release from Burglar and one new mega swapper + original supplier from Australia in Success people on the boards in fact blew out at the fact I was in Success and I was Australian.

After 1 year and a huge phone bill and a disconnection, I left success and then formed Shazam! They are still alive and kicking, later I got the phone reconnected and wanted to call out again so I rang and asked to rejoin Success then in co-op with TRC. They said 'sure Matt' and I was back in and that's where I still remain one year later.

D)
You seem to get into quite a few conflicts with other sceners such as "Jadetiger" and "Crossfire" do you enjoy ragging people or is it that your just put on the defence?

V)
Well, its common knowledge I have had a war or 2 yes, but normally I have been the one attacked or I just didn't like the attitude shown by the other party, at the moment with Crossfire even though he denies it, he was the one to start up in the first place with a very abusive e-mail on Dominic that said he would crush me, when I laughed at his comments he got damn fucking pissed off and well instead of explaining the whole thing here people should just read Vandalism 18.

D)
Vandalism has been quite a success what do you wish to achieve with your magazine and what have we in store in the future with this production.

V)
Well hopefully you'll get to see Vandalism News become number one in the world, that is my aim but somehow I really don't think this is possible with known laziness. What can you expect? Well a spanking new outfit for issue #20 and something special soon!

D)
Ok, list you all time favourites of the following:

Cracker group: Crazy
Demo group:Contex or Bonzai
Cracker: Deep Purple/RTI, Questy + Stingray of Crazy
Coder: Shades of Shazam for the simple fact that we work well together
Graphician: Dize/Bonzai
Musician: A-Man, PRI, Snap
Magazine: Mamba, Corruption, Sex 'n Crime, Script, Bitmania and of course Propaganda
Game: Maniac Mansion
BBS: Divine Ultimatum
Food: anything that's dead
Women: my girlfriend Kellie who in fact I have been going out with since my last interview which can be read in an early edition of The Pulse
Movie: can't buy me love and all the Van Damme films kick
Alcohol: beer (Victorian Bitter or Bud Weiser, Heineken isn't too bad)
Drug: cannabis, of course. Actually I'm quite stoned right now

D)
You haven't called the boards much lately compared to past activities, is it because lack of codes, lack of time? Or both??

V)
Lack of codes mainly, SCS+TRC is a big group and well I don't seem to gain that many cards nowadays, since I have rejoined them I've only received 3 cards. One from NSD and 2 from Steve who I just got to join SCS+TRC at the time, so as you can see its not the lack of time or interest, just this fucking card situation.

D)
What are your main jobs on C64 currently and what have been some of your past tasks that you no longer perform?

V)
My current jobs are basically a small swapper but I have started to recontact everyone this week to become a mega swapper, I also supply originals and I'm the main editor of Vandalism News, in the past I suppose the only jobs I preformed that I don't now would be to lead the group, or in fact cracking which is something I rarely do nowadays.

D)
The scene is as most agree, not as good as it used to be. Is there was something we could do to improve it? And how would you like the scene to be once improved?

V)
Well first to improve the scene you would need to bring back Ocean, Thalamus, System 3 and the other cool game companies, at the same time keeping the legal scene at the standard it is now. Bring the cracking standard back to when games like Turrican and Batman, Batman The Movie and so on came out. that of course is when Ikari & Talent were ruling (ED. yeah and Legend too!:))

D)
What was the greatest or funniest war you have been in since your scene life began? Give us some details about it...

V)
Greatest and funniest would have been Jadetiger/Bronx who was later known as Breeze/Antic the guy basically had a big head and sent me an ego tripping letter that made me mad. I slagged him down and he was fucking hated. but all the fun came to an end on a conference when he apologised and Stigs of TDU recorded this moment. After that I in fact became quite good friends with Jadetiger.

D)
If you built up "the mega group" of your dreams, who would you have in it and why?

V)
Well to make the mega group would be impossible and no fun as we would have no competition anymore, but to make a damn cool group I'd probably just take some of the past legends like Doc, Fletch, Excell, Antitrack, Antichrist, Deep Purple and bunch of others probably wouldn't even have to do anything and you would be noticed because of the memberstatus.

D)
In the recent Tribune issue they kind of put your magazine and mine in a negative field, what do you think their style of mag editing is? is its professional or just lame??

V)
Yeah The Tribune, this is a strange question to answer but, their editing is professional in places, but it lacks control in some areas. they have a definite hate for board related mags and I think they are trying to gain fame simply by slagging down these types of magazines and by stating how many issues of there magazine have come out, no one really cares for this bullshit anyway so I don't understand their tactics, but I gather they mean the best in everything they do and they just go that little bit far sometimes.

D)
Before we depart, if you would like to greet any coolies out there please do so now...

V)
I won't greet many, only my closest friends in the scene, of course they are NSD, Moren and Morbid of SCS+TRC and Insane, Shades, Xerez and Gop of Shazam! and Grize/Darkside. RRR and Bizarre must get some type of mention here also and as this is your interview Jazzcat you are not mentioned.

D)
Thanx for your time Matt and best of luck with Vandalism News.

V)
That's ok David, I have to wish you luck with Domination as well and congratulations on the 1st two issues. l8r...


+++no fucking carrier...

Interesting fact: Matt (Vengeance) interviewed me for his magazine whilst I simultaneously interviewed him for mine! a world first or..?! :) The interview section will return in the next issue, bound together in a stunning new outfit. Press fire for the main menu.