Domination 04 ch17 Interview with Ed/Wrath
Interview with Ed of Wrath Designs
In a different styled "auto biography"-type of interview I proudly present, Ed of WD.
A very talented coder whose latest work can be seen in 'Courtsey of Soviet' Let's begin...
Hello! My real name is Eddie Svard (Sword) And I'm for the moment 18 years old (760917) and about 172 cm tall! I have brown hair (with shaved sides and neck) and I have green eyes... I'm quite easy to recognize, since I always wear my bomber jacket together with my 10-eyelet Doc Martens and black Levis...
But before you draw any conclusions - I would like to tell you that I'm NO Nazi whatsoever! - I know that what I'm wearing is some kind of trademark within those underground-movements, but I don't think the clothes have any kind of importance! - Personally, I must admit that I'm just as "RED" as any other socialistic youth! The last time there was a political-party election in Sweden. I voted for the "LEFT-party", so now I hope not to hear any complaints next time I meet any of you on a computer party! In real life I'm still studying! For the moment I'm in the 12th year of nonstop studying and hopefully I'll become a commercial designer, when I'm finished (in about 4-5 years or so...)
I first got my C64 back in 1987! Back then most of my friends also had one, so I guess most of us already accepted the new way of life - a life based on the man and his machine - the computer... I build up my first crew in 1988, I don't even dare to tell you what we released - pure shit really... Anyway... Jumping a few years forward in the time, to 1990... I had made a demo, and I contacted: STASH (back then he was NOT a member of Wrath...) I joined a Swedish group called: PANIC (Today most of the old members are a part of the NOICE crew!) But only after some months, I got kicked out due to the lack of abilities in programming skills, and probably for other reasons as well!
Together with two of my best friends I joined MANIAX, and there I stayed only for a short while... STASH had got in touch with AVALON/EX-WRATH DESIGNS and we planned to have a meeting at his place... There I met OXIDY and we exchanged a couple of routines and got to know each other. After that meeting, I quitted MANIAX and joined WRATH DESIGNS... The year was 1990, and it was winter... In Wrath Designs, I made a couple of new things on the C64! However, it all changed in '92 when a huge internal conflict made the group split up!
FAIRLIGHT was looking for new coders, so I joined them, but since Bacchus wanted more coders, OXIDY joined them as well! OXIDY was the leader of WRATH in the good old days and since most other members also joined FAIRLIGHT, WRATH DESIGNS died in the end of 1992! One day, however, I decided to quit Fairlight and together with AVALON we rebuilt WRATH DESIGNS! Throughout the whole year of 1993, I almost didn't do anything, except for winning a competition (with a sampled tune - huh?) And released two issues of MIRACLE (by MANIAX) and coded a small demo "THE AWAKENING"... Even though this was one of the worst years when it comes to activity, I actually think it was one of the best! It was at TCC'93 I met my good friend PRI/OXYRON, and still today we happen to exchange a couple of words now and then...
In 1994, We started creating the demo "COURTESY OF SOVIET" but the demo itself wasn't good enough for the scene! We didn't want to belong to the lower class, so therefore we decided to recreate the whole demo with a lot more fresh design. The demo itself got ready in the summer of 1994. But due to real lack of inspiration, we just forgot about the demo, and didn't do anything to finish it!... But when it was Christmas and all, we decided to finally release our delayed demo, and we also competed with it on "THE PARTY 4"! Celebrating the fact that we got the 3rd place in the competition, we have now got new inspiration to create new stuff, so just sit tight and maybe you'll end up getting a new demo - when you least expect it!!
For the moment our group haven't got any musician, but PRI/OXYRON will most likely help us with that in the next demo as well! The members are today the same people, who were in the old factories of WRATH, such as: STASH, OXIDY, TMT, BLACKDROID, JOE and me... Today we have developed an understanding between the different coders, so that I'm the one that puts together most of the demo, and most of the routines as well. But don't worry... OXIDY and TMT have also made a couple of new things, which will be released! BLACKDROID is actually very lazy on the C64, but still he's a member! For the moment he's more active in doing some serious programming on the Amiga 1200 instead of drawing on the C64... JOE is a bit tired after all the pictures in "C.O.S." But will probably do some new graphics for the next demo as well...
There have been STUPID rumours about different members of WRATH DESIGNS for a long time now. One of them is that JOE was kicked out of ANTIC! THAT'S NOT TRUE!! - JOE LEFT ANTIC on the Party 3, after he had seen their demo.. (And that's the truth!..) Some other rumours are that TMT and JOE had digitized their pictures that once again NOT true... All pictures in the "C.O.S" are drawn from different Fantasy books by using a normal joystick! There are no BIG computers involved, and no "binary"-conversion have been made to create the BIG pictures!
The legal scene today is not as good as it was only two years ago... Only because you guys use Trackmo, it doesn't mean that the demo is good!.. A lot of people have forgotten that design is not a normal IRQ-loader screen! Design is something which makes you relaxed, upset or something else. Design is necessary to create an overall OUTFIT of the production - Without the design, you simply have a Demo.. With it however, you have something extra... Personally I have chosen to use the name "CHILL-MO", which is a concept invented by WRATH DESIGNS. Its main purpose is to make the viewer really relaxed, instead of just waiting for the next "huge" effect..
Since BYTERAPERS and OXYRON have done almost everything there ever was to do on a computer, I can't say that I have any wishes of a perfect demo part, or demo effect... My goals are to produce the ultimate "CHILL-MO", which will stone the viewer instead of using any kind of drug! I don't think drugs can help a coder or a graphician in creating more individual work. Just look at famous artists like VINCENT VAN GOGH, in the beginning he didn't have any drinking problems, still he became crazy and a lousy painter, when he let the "DRUG" take overhand of his life! - Maybe drugs help one or two times, but after a while the person will get more interesting in the drug than in the Scene... That's why I personally don't like drugs at all!
My all-time favourite dudes on the C64 are so many that it would probably take far too much memory to print them here. But TODAY, I think the following guys, in the following categories are the ones worth being mentioned!
Demo groups: CENSOR, CAMELOT, OXYRON
Demos: "WONDERLAND X" "TOWER POWER" "COMALIGHTS'"
Coders: BOB, TTS, MR.SEX
Graphician: JOE
Musicians: P.R.I, DRAX
Crack group: --- Sorry I have NO idea what's
Cracker: ------ going down in the "ILLEGAL" groups!
Game: "CREATURES"
Magazines: INSIDER, REVEALED
Movies: BLADERUNNER, ALIEN (1-3)
Foods: PIZZA, NOODLES.
Drinks: COFFEE, MILK
Women: All ORDINARY nice looking girls..
Music: TECHNO, SYNTH, all kinds of electronic music!
Sport: -------- Personally I don't like sports!
Today, the C64, have probably reached its real limits! Without any kind of new fresh wind, the demos will eventually look the same.. The graphics won’t be any better than it already is, and the code will probably only be a bit faster in different routines... But with the FLASH 8, I think a new world have opened up for us all! - The question is only wether we all should go into a FLASHY mode and create a whole new scene... Should we let the evolution transform the C64 into a more "Amiga 1200"-like scene.. Or have you forgotten how it all went when the Amiga 500 owners started quitting that computer in terms of joining up with the new 1200- people... Probably one can go totally crazy by discussing that subject, as well as whether the C64 is DEAD or not!.. As for myself, I'll probably go FLASH 8, and start doing some new serious coding on that one - but what about all those that can't fix a FLASH 8?!
Anyway, I think we all should give the FLASH 8 a chance, still there's a possibility for those who haven’t got one, to create normal demos! But we should not do as with the Amiga-scene. I think we should make sure that everyone knows the difference between the two different speeds, So that if there will be any kind of competition, the normal C64 guys don't have to try beating the FLASH 8-demos, since it would be kind of impossible, even though it's the same computer - only different speed!
Anyway, I would like to greet and send RESPECT to the following: Censor, Triad, Pri+TTS/Oxyron, Unifier, Sledge+Tron/FLT+EQX, Intruder/AVT, Reflex, Onslaught, JUCKE, Light, Draz+Stasi+Mazy/Noice, Acidchild/Taboo and a lot more!...
Domination: Thanks for the nice biography there Eddie, we in Domination wish the best for Ed and Wrath Designs for the future. Just check out the review of their new demo in the reviews chapter...
