White / The Judges
Added on March 7th, 2005 (9645 views)
www.c64.com?type=3&id=166



Tell us something about yourself.
Bart Meeuwissen, 36, born in The Netherlands in 1968, currently living in Eindhoven. I work as a R&D Senior Engineer building machine controllers and my interests are rowing, diving and drama.

What handle(s) did you use and how did you come up with it/them?
White. I came up with my name together with Red, who was a school pal (he was red-haired, and I was light blond). The group I later co-founded was called The Judges.

What group(s) were you in?
Red & White (never was an actual group name) and The Judges.

What roles have you fulfilled?
Coder and incidentally a musician.

How long were you active for?
I can't remember, from about 1985 to 1989.

Tell us about those years and how you got into the scene in the first place.
Those were fun years of course. I had known Red for a long time, and met Der Hansie and Coko at a local computer club I joined. We just liked to program and spent a lot of time doing that.

Describe a typical day for you in front of the computer.
Typically would be a whole evening and night of constant programming without food and sleep. You know the drill.

Did you personally invent any special techniques or tools to make things easier for you?
The most known effect I invented (or first came up with) was FLD, presented in the Think Twice demos. I also invented the effect in Think Twice 5 that combined standard graphics and sprites in the sideborder. I was also very much into hardware development, and I remember I made a tool that showed the DMA-access periods on the screen which helped me invent the effects.

When you look at what you did back then, what are you most proud of?
I’m proud of having a really good time in this sub-culture, and being able to invent new exiting things.

Who were your heroes on the scene and why?
Rob Hubbard and the programmer of Ghostbusters (don't remember his name).

What, for you, was the coolest thing ever invented on the C64?
The first time somebody did something cool with the sound processor SID i.e. Rob Hubbard, and the first time I saw a cool effect with the video controller which was ESCOS by the 1001 Crew.

Did you go to any copy-parties, meetings or tradeshows?
Yes, every month to Oosterhout.

In your opinion, what was the scene all about?
A sub-culture of un-socialised nerds. :-)

What were the particular highlights for you?
The whole period, and going to the PCW Show for the first time.

Any cool stories to share with us?
Red (Jeroen Kimmel) and TMC (Charles Deenen) got busted by the Police in London for stealing a floppy disk from a company that wouldn't pay Red.

Are you still in contact with any old C64 people today?
Just people that were my friends in the past or people I worked with.

When did you get your C64 and do you still have it lying around somewhere?
I don't remember when I got it, but I still have it in a box. I should really put it in the trash. :-)

Was the C64 really as special as we like to think it was?
People in the scene thought it was as it defined their sub-culture. It was just a popular home computer in a period when home computers were new and popular.

When can we expect to see some new C64 output from you? :)
Never again.

Do you have a message for your old contacts and/or anyone reading this?
Get a life you nerd! ;-)

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