Abnormalia π/Abnormalia 3.14.adf/Articles/74.pak/74.pak

Text File | 1994-01-11 | 21.9 KB | 330 lines

TITLE:THE SCENOLOGY CHAT YOU WON'T MANAGE TO FINISH
PALETTE:0223 099a 08a9 0cc9

              A VERY DEEP SCENOLOGY ANALYSIS WITH MOP OF ALCATRAZ

                                By Mop and Macno


Everybody  knows  that, after Beppe and maybe few others, Mop of Alcatraz is one
of   the   most  authoritative  and  serious  Scene  Analysts  around.   He  has
collaborated  with  important  mags  like  MC  disk  and Upstream always showing
brilliant  and  enlightening  points  of  view  about  the  most important scene
problems.   He  has  helped  also minor mags, contributing with equally valuable
articles  and  giving  therefore  a  rare  example  of  sense  of solidarity and
philanthropy.
We have the pleasure of having him in our Scenarium parlour, here we can discuss
calmly  and  serenely  about  the  scene  and  its matters.  Tell us Mop (can we
address to you in such a friendly way?) what are your concerns about the overall
demo-packs  situation  now?   As  you  know  we  have  made  a deep and complete
analysis,  in  the  last  issue of Scenarium, about this important topic for the
scene.  Are there too many packs?  What can we do to solve the problem?

There  can  never  be a single, direct solution to problems.  Opinions vary from
person  to  person.  They change as time flows by.  More than often opinions are
suppressed, modelled at will and twisted by the power of the press.  So it is of
vital  importance to try to understand that the discussion about packs can never
be  dealt  with  in  a  complete  way,  moreover dare to state that a conclusive
evaluation  can  be  extracted.   In  fact  what  you  alluded to as a "deep and
complete  solution"  was  in  fact only a mere try to embark upon such a worldly
problem.   Having  donated  a  vast  part  of my life for the cause of the packs
problem,  I  have  come  to  a point where it is possible to make a correlation.
Packs are like a glass with a minuscule hole in the bottom.  Such an empty glass
is perfectly utilisable until the time comes when water has to be poured inside.
The  glass can contently accommodate a few drops, but as soon as the water level
accumulates, pressure starts forcing some drops out of the hole.  Packs come and
go,  and this enables the water to stay at a somewhat forecasted constant level.
But  in  the  last year, due to an unpredictable phenomenon, the water level has
reached  the  glass  brim.   It  is  a colossal task, even for the ones who have
donated  great  part  of their lives for this cause, to forecast what can happen
when the water overflows.


That's  a  very  remarkable  and agreeable point of view, do you think that this
matter  has influenced the same groups' politic in intros' production?  It seems
that quality is more and more preferred to quantity in the production strategies
of  nowadays groups.  What do you foresee about this new scene trend?  What does
Mop think of the scene's future, under this aspect?

Due  to the remarkable move of k Intro Competitions, it is nowadays very rare,
to  see  any  important developments outside such contests.  Groups are nowadays
delving   into   more  depth  when  it  comes  to  Intro  production.   New  and
before-unknown  discoveries  are  being  sought after all the time, just for the
sake of Intro research.  The domination of the Intro Charts is only in the hands
of  those  who can afford an immense funds base.  Whole research teams are being
set  up,  all  the  time,  thus making sure that the Intro revolution will never
possibly  stop.   I  cannot, under any circumstances come to the conclusion that
packs  and  intros  can  ever  be  directly  connected  in any bearable way.  An
indirect  process  study  in  strategy  methods is possible, but this would only
occur  if  the known specialists in this field would come together to produce an
elaborate  thesis.  A possible new scene trend, loosely based on the focusing of
Intros  and  Packs  is  already  occurring  right  now,  thus  making  this  new
scientifical field, attracting for all the potential researchers.


In  this  same  issue  of Scenarium we have analysed one of the hottest and most
controversial  arguments in the whole scene community.  Are there too many mags?
Surprisingly  enough  we  have also gathered the opinions of guys declaring that
there  are  too few diskmags around, that too many of them are dying or sleeping
lazily.  The opinion of a real Scene Analyst specialized in Diskmags Disciplines
and Theories is highly welcomed in the debate.

Diskmags  are  like  food  for  our minds.  Too much food can generate digestive
problems,  yet  it  is  theoretically known through past studies, that a minimum
amount  of  daily  brain-food is strictly needed.  Putting out any statistics at
this  point  would  not only be hazardous for the average scener (scene guy) but
can  cause  collateral  disturbances,  or,  in extreme cases of scene addiction,
imprevidibly  fatal.  So, by this last statement, I hope that I have made myself
clear,  why,  my  long  awaited  Diskmag  Analysis  & Theories Studies have been
currently withheld from publication.


We  think  that  diskmags  are  a  very  interesting  field to study in order to
understand  fully the scene's tendencies and customs.  You have widely discussed
about  them  in  many  of  your  issues  and  books, but try to sum up your most
important  theories  about  the  multiple  relations  among  diskmags, scene and
sceners (scene members).  Please try to use a simple language, this is a popular
mag, our humble and not that clever readers could have problems in grasping your
concepts.

There  is  no common tendency, when we come to deal with this extremely delicate
subject.   Through my numerous research polls and universal studies, I have come
up  with  a simple set of custom tendencies.  Sceners (scene members) tend to be
highly influenced by the statistical medias (charts), thus making it possible to
draft  out  a complex ray of relations, and detect various possible positions of
every  Diskmag,  at  any  stage  in  time.   Statistically  speaking, if we also
consider  the  delay  time between various Diskmags issues, we can also say that
the  multiple  relevance between the various Diskmags and the actual groups that
host  them, can be relational, to a certain extent.  This can also highly affect
our  relative elaborations.  One very new phenomena that I am currently studying
is  what kind of affect a group change can have on a highly dominant Diskmag.  I
think that I have made myself more than clear.


Strictly  related  to  this subject, there is the whole matter about insults and
spandimerding  in  diskmags.  The problem, of course, is much larger and applies
to every scene media, but we think that right on diskmags it reaches its maximum
intensity  and  interest.  What are your ideas about the expanding spandimerding
in diskmags?  How do you connect this to the single and his schizophrenic status
of  scene member and human being at the same time.  Is the scene made by HANDLES
or is it made by NAMES and SURNAMES?

There  are  always two different points of view.  The scene is basically made by
HANDLES and GROUP NAMES, but the interaction of proper names can rise up a THIRD
point of view.  A highly acclaimed GROUP or SCENER will always rise as the moral
winner,  even  through  the  worst spandimerding affair.  A spandimerda campaign
will  always,  leave  a  detectable sign of fear, wether being intensive or just
superficial.   By  this,  I would suggest that any potential writer, thinking of
starting  any  kind  of  spandimerda  plan,  should IMMEDIATELY think of the end
consequences,  not only on the presumable targets, but also on his proper health
and  sanity.   Cases  of  extreme  nuisances,  and  mental  disturbances, due to
spandimerda  attacks  has  already  rose  to  an alarming rate.  Authorities are
currently trying to stop such aggressive butchering, by cutting out the roots of
the  most known spandimerda movements.  But this can only heal the moral side of
this  obsessive  situation.   Mental  afflictions  are  incested  heavily in the
spandimerded   victims,   often  ending  up  in  extremely  dangerous  cases  of
schizophrenia.


The  topic  is huge and we can hardly exhaust it in these few lines, but we know
that  you  have  made  also  studies  about the Psychology And Psychiatry Of The
Scener, incidentally we have immensely appreciated your book "Lamer or Cool Guy?
A Self destructive dualism", so you are very competent in the matter.  Let's try
to probe into it.  What are the consequences on the scener's psyche of a massive
spandimerding  attack?  There are various cases, we presume, could you relate us
some  of  the  most  typical  reactions, and possibly, in few words, the average
effects on the single's subconscious?

Dangerous  schizophrenia,  constant  sign  of fear, extreme nuisances and mental
disturbances  are  all, but the lighter superficial afflictions often manifested
by the victim.  A highly well-planned spandimerda campaign can end up having the
victim  leave  the  scene, not to mention a radical change in his social life in
the form of lost family, girl, wife and children, job, car, house and the final,
fatal  decisive  need  to end one's existence.  Such tendencies usually manifest
themselves   more   consistently  in  the  so-called  "cool  guy",  who  with  a
well-thought-out spandimerda plan can be made to turn out into a "lamer", in the
eyes  of  the  scene.  In most cases, under spandimerding pressure, the constant
subconcial  & personal struggle to divide oneself's "cool" & "lamer" personality
ends up in the victim believing he forms part of the latter species.


In your article "Why Beppe is wrong", appeared in Scenology Journal you polymise
violently with Beppe's views about the importance of spandimerding for the scene
wealth.   Can  you  sum  up  the  whole diatribe and explain us why you dared to
engage  such  a  (gentlemen's)  battle  with  Beppe himself, founder of the same
Scenology science and editor of the same Scenology Journal?

With  absolute  respect  to  Beppe's  theories,  especially  to  his  monumental
spandimerda  researches, I couldn't back away to such violent insinuations.  The
art  of Spandimerding, being it noble or not, have proved to be hazardous to the
whole  scene  community.   The  scene's  wealth  lyes  in  the power of positive
communication,  group cooperations, in the understanding and not in the negative
and  violent  attacks.  Spandimerding somebody is literarily like massacring the
scene itself.


Macno,   main   editor  of  Abnormalia,  ghost  editor  of  Scenarium  and  your
interlocutor in this discussion, has declared that Scene's Reality can easily be
built  by  few words on a diskmags.  He has written that Brainstorm's Patsy joke
has  been  a  good example of how diskmags can build a fake scene reality.  What
are  your  points  about  this  matter?  Do you think that nowadays diskmags are
trustworthy?  How, according to you, the reader of Scenarium can understand that
this  is  a  real  discussion with the real Mop, that the various quotes in many
articles  are  real  and  that,  at  the  same  time,  many news are false, some
interviews  are  fake,  some spandimerda interview are real and so on.  Will the
reader understand?  Is it important that the reader understands?  CAN the reader
understand anyway?

Reality  lies  at  the  edge of phantasy.  And the scene is just like a volatile
scale,  set  on the edge between phantasy and reality.  Diskmags, and especially
words, are the weights that control the scene-scale.
Spandimerda,  fakes  and lies form the weights of the dark realms, whilst clear,
clean and true journalism form the weights of the real scene values.
Most  often, the scale is out-balanced by dark weights, in the form of harassing
articles,  the  darker  they  are,  the  more  it  inclines  towards the edge of
phantasy.   Conquest plans are set up, and for some time it seems that the scale
can never regain it's balance towards reality.  But then revelative articles are
conceived,  and  it's  up  to the individual scener to decided at what angle his
scale is inclined.  It is through each and every individual that this total mass
called the scene forms opinions.  A Diskmag can prove to be trustworthy, only by
proving  itself  so.  There are many ways to chose from.  Only the clean & white
road  makes  a  Diskmag  gain  the  so sought after respect & trust of the whole
scene.   It  is  therefore, up to the reader to distinguish if a bunch of words,
signed  with a name, really do bear any true resemblance to that name.  It's not
very  important  if  the  real Mop is behind these words.  More important is the
fact  to  control and analyse oneself, to judge people for what they are and not
for what others try to make you believe.  It's not important if it is Mop who is
actually  trying  to  enlighten  your  minds,  it  is  more  important to try to
understand  the  philosophy  of  the modern scene.  Sceners tend to mix a handle
with  a  name, when in fact it shouldn't be like that.  Words should stay buried
in  Diskmags.  Rumours always do contain a spice from reality.  Little as it may
be,  it's not that important.  You can always write the truth about rumours.  It
is  very  important that the reader finally understands what was initially meant
to  be  true, and what was supposedly written just for the ironical value of the
matter.   It  is  difficult  sometimes,  to  distinguish the truth from the lie,
because  the image of a Diskmag cannot always be taken as a referring point, and
therefore  it'll  always  be the individual scener who'll have to make the final
decision.


Few  months ago, in RAW, has appeared a mysterious article about some Masters of
the Scene who control and direct the scene's opinions.  Somebody has also talked
about  Priests  of  the  Scene, with less influence but still great power.  Some
names  have  been  whispered  too!  They are the ones of the main editors of the
most  important  diskmags.   How  do you see the whole affair?  Who could be the
Masters  of  the  Scene?  Are them a secret organization?  Please, be careful in
your replies, we have heard of dudes who mysteriously left the scene, after some
sibylline and allusive declarations!  Are the Masters watching us?

The  Masters  of the Scene (MoS) do exist and are even amongst us.  They are not
God  or  alien  beings.   They don't possess supernatural powers and they cannot
read  minds.  They are humans, just like every other scener.  They have contacts
everywhere, and their main power is the flow of information.
That's  how  they  control  and  manipulate  the  whole  scene.   The MoS are an
organisation,  but  what  they seek is not profit.  What they seek is simply the
power  to control other beings.  It was only possible to make all this knowledge
available  to you because of Scenarium and not because of Mop or Beppe or Macno.
Saying  that  externing,  the  little know-how some of us have about the MoS, is
dangerous, is not enough.  It can be totally fatal.  The MoS have been here from
the very beginning.  No one knows who they are.
They  control  Diskmags,  demos,  sceners'  opinions  and they are the hands who
generally  direct the whole scene.  But I feel somewhat safe, here in Scenarium,
for  some  unknown  reason.   No  one  has the knowledge who is actually the one
behind  these  revealing  words.  The MoS have eyes, they can read, and they can
get  information  through all the major scene channels, through the modem scene,
through  the  Diskmags  and  even through the confidential letter-gossip between
friends,  who  more than often exchange little but interesting secrets about the
scene.   The  MoS intend to keep their position, at least for the time being, as
no  one  can  possibly  detect  them.   They  wipe away all those who try to act
against their wills, just like a damp cleaning cloth would wipe away dust from a
table surface.
Their   way   of   handling  rebels  is  by  making  the  revolutionary  sceners
society-aware.   They twist and bend opinions, and force the poor offenders away
from  the scene, and into the hidden beauty of everyday's life.  They get rid of
rebels  by introducing enjoyable or extremely time-consuming happenings in their
life,  in  the  form of girls, cars, exams and jobs.  We have heard thousands of
reasons  why the most notorious sceners stopped their activities.  Excuses, just
excuses.   It  has  been  apparent  for  many  that some kind of MoS were behind
everything,  since  some  time now.  We have heard that the scene will soon die,
but  no  one  has  ever put forward any reasonable explanations.  The scene will
only die when the MoS will command.  Only then, they would enlighten some minds,
who'll  put  together  all the various scattered clues that appeared through the
years,  and  the  mysterious  enigma  will  be solved.  Every scener will get so
desperate  and  annoyed  of  how  things were really flowing, that everyone will
leave the scene.  But does anyone know when this event will take place...  maybe
when  the  MoS  will  get  bored  playing  with  all  us?  Playing?  Haven't you
understood that the scene is just a chess board.  Yes, the scene is just a piece
of black & white squares.  The sceners form the various chess pieces.
There's  the King, who is represented by the current Diskmags.  There was always
some kind of dispute, between two major mags, at one time or another, during the
past  scene  history.   It was always difficult to distinguish who was the Black
King  and  WHO was the White one.  Only the MoS decided on that.  Then there are
the  Bishops, also known as the PRIESTS of the Scene (PoS), or Main Editors, for
the  common  scener.   The  Bishop  is  the one who guides the King, as from the
beginning  of  time,  there was always a saintly being, beside and backing every
King.   The Queen of the scene is represented by PATSY.  Her existence takes the
form  of  the  White  queen.   It  was  always the hope of every scener, to find
comfort  in  the  idea  that there exists a perfect girl, also interested in the
scene.  The fear and doubt of PATSY's existence materialises under the vests and
evilness  of  the  Black  Queen.  The Rook is played by the trackmo or one-filed
demo.   Maybe  a  precalculated-vector-success  against  the good but underrated
trackmo  from  an  unknown group?  Only the MoS are in the know-how.  The common
scener takes the form of the Pawn.  There are many Pawns on the chess board, far
too  many  than we think.  The Knight?  The Knight is the key to the Holy Temple
of  the  MoS.   No  one knows anything about the Knight, not even the MoS or the
Knight  himself.   Only  when  the end will be near, the Black and White Knights
will  rise up, most probably from 2 unknown and unexpected sceners.  The MoS are
just  hands...   Black  and  White  hands  who spend their time playing with the
scene.


Better  to  talk  about  lighter  things.   MC disk is dying, we have heard some
official  explanations  of the decline but, sincerely, we don't believe in them.
There  must  be  some  hidden cause, you were one of its most brilliant editors,
tell us the Truth about Mc disk.  People must know!  Had you gone too afar?  Had
you got across something you HAD NOT to get across?  We want the truth, Mop!  Is
there the hand of the Masters behind MC disk's disappearance???

MC  DISK  is dead.  Mc Disk had to die.  The MoS tried to kill Mc Disk when they
realised  that  this  mag  was getting out of their hands.  They killed Coma, by
pulling  away some of the members, but then Alcatraz gave new breath to the mag.
The  MoS  were getting angry and furious, so finally they churned out their most
deadly  weapon,  in  the  form  of  confusion.  No one in the MC DISK team knew,
neither  what him, nor the others were doing.  The MoS made Mad Butcher distract
himself.  They made Cybersonik society-aware.
They made Mop contribute to other Diskmags.  So what was left.  Just emptiness.


Well,  maybe we have exaggerated, please excuse us for our insistence, we really
don't  want to force our guests in any way.  Let's talk about some other equally
important  problem  in the scene.  Do big fishes really eat little fishes?  What
are  the results of your recent studies about the phenomenon?  Is it a expanding
trend?   What  could  be its consequences?  Can the scene survive without little
fishes?  Can the scene survive without articles about big and little fishes?  Is
there  the  hidden  hand of Somebody behind all this???  Oh, sorry!  Forget this
last question...

Because  of  the  set proportional rules of nature, the BIG fish will always eat
the  smaller  ones.   As  long  as  there's  a scene, there'll always be BIG and
smaller  fish.   Small fish are getting rarer, but the C64, ST and PC scenes can
be always seen as potential fodder, little as they may be.  Some Small fish grow
too  rapidly  only  to  burst again into little smaller ones.  This never-ending
vicious  circle  will  only end up when the last fish will find no other fish to
feed on and will starve.  That'll be the end of the scene.  Unknown hands, armed
with  poisonous  nets  are also contributing to the extinction of fish, but only
when uncontrollable circumstances arise.


As  you  can  see,  dear  dumb  readers,  the matters we can discuss with Mop of
Alcatraz  are various and numerous, it's always interesting and useful to listen
to  his  words  and to learn something new, but time is an evil enemy for us and
disk  space in another remarkable opponent.  We have to leave Mop to his various
studies  and  activities  (he  is  organizing  a  Faculty  of  Scenology  in the
university  of  Hamrun,  Malta)  and  you  to  lighter articles (for example the
extended  critic issue of War and Peace by The Ripper of Nightfall).  Thanks for
the  attention  and thanks to you, Mop, for your disposability.  We hope to host
you  again  in  our  space  and  we  wish  you the best...  wishes for your new,
divulging, book "The Importance Of Intros in Modern Scene"...