Glerc / Compentent Commodore Cracking Pirates, The Crew, The Warlocks, Science 451
Added on February 20th, 2004 (7121 views)
www.c64.com?type=3&id=110



Tell us something about yourself.
I was born in Linköping, Sweden, in 1970. I have lived here all my life apart from a couple of years abroad. Today I work as an engineer and I spend most of my spare time with various sports.

What handle(s) did you use and how did you come up with it/them?
Glerc is the only handle I've ever had. I have no idea how I came up with it.

What group(s) were you in?
In chronological order: CCCP (Compentent Commodore Cracking Pirates), The Crew, The Warlocks and Science 451.

What roles have you fulfilled?
Mainly coder, but I of course did a lot of swapping and some cracking as well.

How long were you active for?
From 1984, when I bought my first C64, to 1991, when I left the scene for good.

Tell us about those years and how you got into the scene in the first place.
I bought my first C64 because one of my friends had one. I then discovered that it was fun to swap and get to know people, and also to make intros, demos etc. And the rest is history.

Describe a typical day for you in front of the computer.
I got home from school and took a look at the disks I got in the mailbox (usually a couple of disks every day). I hardly ever played any of the games I got but looked very closely at the intros made by the cracker of the game, and at the demos. I was always very curious how the programmer made his effects and I also read most of the scrolltexts. Later in the evening I did some coding on some demo or intro and if the warez I got that day were good enough; assembled some programs to a spread disk, made copies of it and sent it to my contacts.

Did you personally invent any special techniques or tools to make things easier for you?
I did all my coding directly in the memory (usually starting at $1000, another group of routines at $1100 and so on). So I didn't make life "easy". :)

When you look at what you did back then, what are you most proud of?
I did some coding of demos and intros that I am quite proud of, but nothing in particular comes to mind.

Who were your heroes on the scene and why?
Coders that came up with new effects and ideas. I was never very impressed by people who just copied ideas from others.

What, for you, was the coolest thing ever invented on the C64?
Whoever came up with the idea to sample sound first.

Did you go to any copy-parties, meetings or tradeshows?
Yes, I went to some copy-parties in Sweden and some in Denmark.

In your opinion, what was the scene all about?
In the beginning it was all about cracking many games and getting them widely spread. In the "mid-days" it was all about being a good coder. By the end of my C64 days, it was all about 0-warez (games cracked the very same day they were spread). In order to keep up with this you needed a modem, and to be able to afford the phone bills, (stolen) calling cards. Damn the Americans for destroying the scene with this!

What were the particular highlights for you?
Seeing a cool demo with some new effect for the first time.

Any cool stories to share with us?
Sorry, but I can't remember any particular story to share with you.

Are you still in contact with any old C64 people today?
No.

When did you get your C64 and do you still have it lying around somewhere?
I got it in 1984. Since I sold my C64 to a friend and bought a C128, I don't have it anymore. But I guess the C128 is stacked away somewhere in my parents' basement.

Was the C64 really as special as we like to think it was?
Yes!

When can we expect to see some new C64 output from you? :)
Not very likely! :)

Do you have a message for your old contacts and/or anyone reading this?
Greetings to you all!

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