klumzee talking with maestro, writer of "my message to the scene", and founder of the legion

*** klumzee changes topic to "Interview with The Maestro of Legion."
*** Joins: _maestro_ (egod@titan.berkshire.net)
*** klumzee sets mode: +v _maestro_

Klumzee:
Welcome. =] Let the interview begin

Maestro:
Ok, if i get booted again just wait here and i'll be back. =)

Klumzee:
okie =]

Could you please state your name, where your from..a bit about yourself, etc..and then tell us your current and past affiliations =]

Maestro:
You're kidding right? =)

Klumzee:
Nope. =]

Maestro:
Why is it that every interview starts off with that question?

Klumzee:
Because our readers might not know you =]

Maestro:
I think i've stated that info in every sigle interview i have ever had..

My name is maestro, i draw ansi, I'm in the legion.. That's all that matters =)

Anything before the legion doesn't mean anything to me. =)

Klumzee:
Good enough. =] hehe

Klumzee:
Ok....how long have you been drawing ansi?

Maestro:
A long time, like 6 years or something.. Is that a long time?

Klumzee:
yah thats pretty long =]

Ok...The Legion is one of the top groups in the ansi scene today, do you have any secrets or a magic formula to success that makes it what it is? =]

Maestro:
Correction, the legion is the top group in the ansi scene today.. =) and you wanna know our secret formula? i mean, you REALLY wanna know it?

Lemme see you type "yes maestro, i REALLY wanna know it!", because i'm going to give this exclusively to you man.

Klumzee:
yes maestro, your an ansi god, and i REALLY wana know it! =]

Maestro:
ok!@# =) HERE WE GO!@#$. we really love ansi. Nothing more to it.

Klumzee:
Do you think thats the problem with some of the ansi groups nowadays? They don't love what they do enough?

Maestro:
I don't doubt that they love what they do.. The other groups that is.. i just think the reason some of these groups might not be as effective is because they don't work as a team

Every single member you see releasing every single month does it for one reason.. because they love to! But that was just a give in, the main reason this group is so powerful is because we really know how to work as a team.

There are too many hot shots out there that want to steal the show, and you can't have that in a team. Everyone needs to work together. you won't findany hot shots in the legion because we're all friends and we all want to see ourselves progress as a group..

Klumzee:
And I'm sure many will notice that with your packs there are quite a few joint efforts, (mainly in legion #3)..do you believe in each artist improving on his own, or do you like to help your fellow artists with certain aspects of their work?

Maestro:
Oh no, i don't need to help them. god, everyone in the group is amazing..

Klumzee:
=]

Maestro:
We do the joints because we really enjoy combining our two different styles and comoing up with a whole new experience i guess you could say. =)

Klumzee:
Do you find there is a good amount of communication amoung all the legion members, and if so does that contribute to your success as a whole?

Maestro:
Definately. We talk about EVERYTHING and we make all group decisions together. if we're not discussing something on irc we're doing it via email. communication is very important

Maestro:
I love those guys so hell, why wouldn't i want to keep in touch with them =) I just recently forwarded a proposal to everyone from someone regarding adding a new division to the legion.. within an hour we had all read it and responded it to it and how we felt about the idea via email. it worked out really well so we decided that's how it's going to be done all the time now.

Klumzee:
Hmm.. What sort of division might that be? =]

Maestro:
The type of division that will never be seen in the legion =)

Klumzee:
Ascii? =]

Maestro:
We're not into that division stuff. That's more up acid's alley =)

Klumzee:
Hehe

Maestro:
So anyway, next question. =) You're doing fine. =)

Klumzee:
hehe

Maestro:
Keep up the good work son!@

Klumzee:
Do you think that with the enlargement of your groups members, and success that you will still be able to maintain such a high level of communication among them? Basicly i mean if it gets bigger, are you still going to run it the same? =]

Maestro:
Well first of all, i don't run it. WE run it. i'd really like everyone to know that. i might have dreamed the idea up, but without aoh, filth, konami, reanimator, oned, theknight, milkmang, sultan, silverrat, dieznyik, and others, it wouldn't be what it is today - that is what makes the legion, the legion. =)

Klumzee:
Well i'm sure you've noticed lately that the ansi and art scene in general has picked up a considerable amount...

Maestro:
Oh really has it? =) You're damn right i have and i am very happy about that.

Klumzee:
What are your views on Legion's newly found competition, Zenith, and its good old foe, avenge? =]

Maestro:
I have no views =)

Klumzee:
haha =]

Maestro:
Because i didn't realize we had any competition =) HOWEVER.. I like zenith and avenge and i think they're are alot of good artists and just plain cool guys in both groups.. And even though we might be indirectly competing =), we're really all on the same team so i'm happy to be working with them .

Klumzee:
At first, legions views were plain, you wanted to make people remember the good old blocks they once knew..

Maestro:
Yeah, our little liner is "they say ansi is a forgotten art.. it's time we refresh their memories.." so it really was about reminding people that ansi really is a powerful medium

Klumzee:
And also at first, your group was composed of mostly oldschool style artists.. And recently the addition of a few new artists to legion..(dieznyik, konami)..brought attention to the newschool side of the packs..

Were you at all reluctant to let in newschool members?

Maestro:
I don't know anything about this newschool/oldschool style stuff.. i just no good art.. Know good art that is =)

Klumzee:
Thats the best answer i've ever heard. =]

Maestro:
Thanks man =)

Klumzee:
hehe

Maestro:
Funny story about konami though

Klumzee:
Would you care to elaborate? =]

Maestro:
He applied to the group after our first pack and i looked at his appreal quick and thought "hmm.. not bad.." but i never got around to forwarding

It to the rest of the guys and i sort of forgot about it =) so konami was like waiting for MONTHS for an answer! one day he like msg'd me with a basic "umm, what's up? am i in or not?" i was just kind of like "oh yeah! i remember you!" so then i looked at his art again and i don't know what hit me, i was totally blown

Away and just knew that this guy was destined to be one of the greats! so i forwarded his app to everyone and all the guys agreed that he ruled! so now he's in

The legion and he's being called one of the best! (and for a damn good reason) he made me promise to never make ANY artist wait that long again though. =)

But that just shows you that people believe in the legion.. so much that they'll wait around for us to get back to them months later =)

Hehe. we're really quick about that stuff now though!

Klumzee:
=] yah.. i thought about applying to the legion.. then i realized i sucked. and that there is no hope =]

I smile too much too.. haha

Maestro:
hahaha. i don't think i ever saw your art. zip it up and send it to us! we'll get back to ya. =)

me too! =)

Klumzee:
if i got in the legion, i'd quit every single group i'm in and draw 24/7 till i got better.

Maestro:
I love those damn things.. they're just so neat.. =) =) =) =)

all the guys are diehard with the legion. everyone quit what other groups they were in to dedicate themselves soley to the production of our packs. It just works out better that way.

God i love this group. I mean, i'm drawing side by side with some of the best artists in the scene.. and to top it off, they're all fucking super nice guys! =)

Klumzee:
Ok, on to about 3 more questions..then i'm zippin my works up and sendin it to you..

Creator told me that you and him both were talking and knew that the scene needed something to kick it in the ass, something spectacular... but can you tell us what exactly made you decide to start this thing that we call The Legion. =]

Maestro:
Well, this is how i remember it. the production and enthusiasm in the scene was at an all time low.. one day i just cracked.. i can't really explain it but i just knew that something had to be done.. i couldn't handle the bulls hit anymore so it was either just disappear and forget about it.. or stick around and do something about it.. hence the legion..

After i made my idea public with maestro.txt creator told me that he agreed %100 and that he was going to start a group to give us some competition which started off as genisun and then evolved into avenge..

Klumzee:
And might i say, what an amazing idea you two had =]

Maestro:
You have to be blind to not see that things have really changed for the better since the birth of the legion..

Klumzee:
How does it make you feel when you know you have contributed to the awakening of a once dead ansi scene?

Maestro:
It makes me feel great.. throughout my time in the scene i have always tried to contribute something to make it better but my ideas and projects in the past just seem so empty to me now.. i finally feel like i can leave the scene a happy ex-ansi artist because i was a part of the legion. i was a part of the "new era" in ansi art..

Klumzee:
In the near future, is the legion going to undergo any changes our readers might want to know about? =]

Maestro:
Yeah, we're going to get better.

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After this interview, i think you will all get the idea that Maestro is VERY proud of his group, The Legion, and with good cause, for it reminds me of this semi-forgotten art...only now its not so forgotten.

-klumzee