Session Start: Mon Aug 31 18:58:28 1998

*** Now talking in #konami
*** Retrieving #konami channel info...
*** dngrmouse changes topic to "Konami interview for acheron.org"

Dangermouse:
Heyhey

Konami:
IRC SERVER DISCRIMATION!

Dangermouse:
I know. Shall we get started?

Konami:
They discrimate against users non-local! Okay well let's get on with it!

Dangermouse:
Okay, acheron has been after an interview with you for quite some time -- and tried :> -- so it's great to be finally talking to you..

First off, how old are you?

Konami:
18. newly 18.

Dangermouse:
and.. what do you do for a living? school?

Konami:
artist/student.

Dangermouse:
ahh. Artist doing what?

Konami:
I'm an artist. it's my identity.

Dangermouse:
Do you hope to get into graphic art one day, in the digital arena?

Konami:
I hope that i'm into everything. :) As in anything i wished to pick up artistically could be mine in an instant, or else i wouldn't be an artist, right?

Dangermouse:
From the outset of you joining the scene, in 1994, what did you think of the environment in which you were placed? Was it friendly towards new artists?

Konami:
Well, it was mixed. at first i was kicked out of most of the boards for not being a part of any legitamite art groups. Then there where some who helped me out such as wator. as once as i was in plain everybody rolled out the red carpet for me, since plain was a very well respected group locally.

Dangermouse:
Yeah, what happened inbetween 1994 and 1996 though?

Konami:
Oh, well it was okay.. i had fun doing what i did.. most was just messages and door games on boards

Dangermouse:
Basically you were just fukcing around then?

Konami:
I did draw ansi and cosysop as well.. ansi was just something i knew how to do that a lot of people around me could not.

Dangermouse:
Tell me about Plain, and especially about wat0r, and how he helped you out

Konami:
Plain was a revival of an previous group TOON ..where many of my local artists where born out of, such as 4th disycple, armageddon donut, wator and dieznyik. Plain like toon was purely a toon style group, although i think sometimes wator wished it wasn't. Wator was the man responsable for both groups. Oh! i forgot to mention. kleenex came out of toon as well.

Well wator is a very good toon artist who i still idolize.. i mean he did it all for me really, taught me how to draw, inspired my early creations.. i can't imagine if i would even be in the scene now if it where not for him. He's a godly toon artist infact. i would say nobody comes close except toon goon.

Dangermouse:
I agree. How did plain die?

Konami:
When echo was born, plain's name died. plain kind of merged into 4th and came up with a new set of ideals, and they saw some success from it. early 1997 they where considered one of the best in the world.

Dangermouse:
Echo was one of those groups that kinda made a few comebacks correct me if I'm wrong?

Konami:
Yeh.. mid 1997 it stopped releasing and it had like, 2 comebacks after.. but ah, since january 1998 it has been no where to be seen. I'm going to assume it's dead but then.. i could be wrong, maybe wator has an other one in store. The legacy of toon-plain-echo is certainly a great one. many artists we know now started off there. maybe even more so then dark, because dark didn't accept so many new artists as they did.

Dangermouse:
Ok, so after the demise of Plain, you joined Dark yeah? How did you find that, because I'malways being told of it's great comradship.

Konami:
Now i'm having a fit of nastalga.. thanks a lot. :)

Oh well dark is tight for sure. it's the only real "community" left in our local scene. go to #dark and you still have pure 905/416. Then there is the mini community of me,prodigy,black jack serial toon and discofunk.. who are all local ascii artists. not so tight though.. but we all connect in a way.

Dangermouse:
Hmm.. You quit dark didn't you? in 1996?

Konami:
No, i quit it in 1997. twice. joined late 1996

Dangermouse:
ahh. So why the hell did you quit dude? And where did you go?

Konami:
Well, the first time.. i was just messed up scene wise.. too many groups, too many commitments. And well, second time around. i was disgruntled.. i became a senior staff and started to hate the way the group worked, wanted to change it. I just was in too much of a rush though, i kicked out TGH and 4th, and caused quite a stirr.

Dangermouse:
When was this, the second time?

Konami:
oh, like fall of 1997.

i think i may of been able to do it, but i lost my nerve and skrewed it all up by saying i wanted to resign as ansi senior. It's kind of a shame me and 4th had to have dissagreements. we both wanted change and if we had worked together, nothing would of stopped us. but then, something stopped us from working together so it could never be.

Dangermouse:
Did you leave scene because of this?

Konami:
I left the ansi scene because of that, yeh. At the time, the ansi scene had been doing very bad. do you remember late 1997?

Dangermouse:
very well, I was there dude, reporting about it..

Konami:
The amount of packs where dismal. groups only released every 3 or so months. the quality wasn't so great either

Dangermouse:
The scene was in turmoil...

Dangermouse:
Tell me about Odelay ascii actually.. and indeed, of your ascii..

Konami:
Well, i came back just at the moment things started coming around. just about the same time the legion 01 came about.

Dangermouse:
Whoa, back back :)

Konami:
Heh, well odelay ascii was my first ascii group.. joined early 1997. i was in every pack from 06-17. Yeh me and prodigy had a fun time. we kind of ran the group cooperativly for a year or so.

Dangermouse:
How did you start drawing ascii?

Konami:
Odelay is the group i enjoyed the most.. it was when i was the only one left to run the show when i got a little unbearable.

Oh, well i had not tried untill fall 1996.. i didn't take it very seriously at first. Ansi was #1 for me until the winter of 97-98

Dangermouse:
Heh, well you mentioned Legion #01 before :)

Konami:
Yeh, incase people have already forgotten.. LEGION01.ZIP was a huge shocker for everyone when it came around. it wasn't only a good pack, it was a come back for the intire ansi scene. People hadn't seen quality like that for close to 2 years. it was the answer to everyones prayers.

Dangermouse:
I'd have to agree.. People were talking about the scene, Legion did something about it

Konami:
I just hope nobody ever starts to undermine the impact it had. it would be so ignorant to do that.

Dangermouse:
Did you apply to Legion because of that first pack? or..?

Konami:
Oh, well.. i applied mostly because of milkmang. i didn't think the legion was for me but he told me i had to join.

Dangermouse:
Because theres a rather funny story behind that app isn't there? :_)

Konami:
Oh yeh.. maestro was so passive about the application. he was like "oh, let me consult all my members and i'll get back to you" ...it took 2 months.

Dangermouse:
bwahaha.. I bet you were like "Shit, they must think I'm pretty bad to take this long!"

Konami:
Fact was, he wasn't consulting anyone. he just kind of forgot. i found him 2 months later and asked. The space between pack 1 and 2 was large.. anyway, i got in just a day or two before 02. Spent 12 hours straight on my ansi just prior to pack time.

Dangermouse:
How do you find the Legion as a group.. A few people have described them as being secretative and unsociable..

Konami:
It's all true.

Dangermouse:
haha. To your actual art - because that's what really matters when you get down to it.. Your style certainly original - any people you can tribute to inspiring you?

Konami:
Everything inspires me. i always got my eyes open. wator inspired me, as did dieznyik(nootropic) silver spy and evil genius inspired me techniqe wise at first. akira toriyama is also an inspiration to me.. as is yoshitaka amano in the upper-world

Dangermouse:
I notice you also draw in two different ways - one more abstract, and the other more of the usual scene stuff

Speaking of Legion, do you see it continuing on as strong as it has? Do you see the downfall of ansi happening any time soon?

Konami:
I don't believe in "downfalls" i think even when things look bad. it's all still there. in our hearts. the scenes revival is just a manisfestation of what was always there.. yet hiding from us.

Dangermouse:
Good answer :)

Well, that's about it dude. Any greets?

Konami:
Propz to creator, trip, and milkmang.. who just left for the army. I'll miss you milkmang..

Session Close: Mon Aug 31 20:34:58 1998