Interview with Norby

Poland is a scene-country which have undergone big changes for the past couple of years. Meet a guy whos role in the Polish is very big, both in the past and today. Meet a guy who's not surpresed by melancholic thoughts about the scene and computing. A guy who loves the scene: NORBY / TRSI


	

		
Name:
		
Norbert Konieczny
	
	

		
Handle:
		
Norby
	
	

		
Group:
		
TRSI
	
	

		
Former groups:
		
INVESTATION, COLA SECTOR
	
	

		
Function:
		
Swapper, organizer
	
	

		
Age:
		
20
	
	

		
In the scene since:
		
1992
	
	

		
Occupation:
		
Studying at Polish Open University
	
	

		
Resident:
		
Milicz, Poland
	


The story starts in the summer of 1991, when Norby got his first Amiga. The first few months were focused on games, but one day he saw a demo and his heart belonged to the scene. He started to meet real scene-guys and so it went.
At the second real party held in Poland, he joined Investation and his career was started for real.

But the Polish scene was placed in a weird deadlock. Despite a high level of activity, the Western scene never really noticed Poland before more organized swappers stepped in.
- In the years 1990-1992 we had "a scene in the scene" - polish productions was not know around the world, Norby says.
But after the success with "Technological Death", which archieved enormous popularity in the West, things started to roll and a lot of Polish swappers started to enter the scene for real. Norby was one of them and together with names like: Kopara, Backfire, Redman, Trash Head or Qwerty, he "opened" the Polish scene for the outside world.

The dark past!
Norby was 15 when communism finally died in Poland, but as a 5 year old he experienced the really cold voids of communism and the hard control by the system.
He has no real memory from the time, but does however have knowledge of the "home-war" between the Solidarnosc and the military/police.
- I remember, when I was ill, and my parents had to ride to another city, for a good doctor! I had to hide in the car, 'cause it was very dangerous to have a child in the car... But I don't remeber these times so good...

After the home-war which did cost lifes, communism didn't quite disappear, but was however weakend so Poland did become a more free country.

When it comes to war...
The recent conflict between Mr. King/TRSI and Steffen/Speedy has brought a lot of discussion in the scene. Who's wrong? Who's right?
Norby doesn't feel like stating his opinion in the case. He is really fed up with war and sends out a special appeal to Mr. King, Steffen and the rest of the scene.
- I think, that wars destroy the scene... Destroy the groups... Destroy the friendship !!! So, I'm a good friend of Mr. King, but I'm a good friend of Steffen, too! And I will not write, who's wrong, 'cause I really don't know, and THIS IS NOT IMPORTANT FOR ME! And I think that it will be really better for the scene, if Mr. King and Steffen can forget the past, and be friends again... Is it so hard for you?

Being the best
Lately Norby was, by one of the most popular swappers in the scene, pronnounced to be one of the best swappers around and getting ahead as a swapper has always been Norby's ambition.
- What I can say? Swapping is most important think on my life! When I started to swap, I had a dreams about being the best swapper in Poland, he tells.
But Norby's career has moved further than that. With a 5th place on The Official Eurochart, he is close to reaching the top. This however doesn't change Norby, who don't see himself as having tried to be "elite".
- I still tried to be friendly, he explains.
But as most people should have experienced, a rise in a career can have its downs too. When Norby started to top the charts in Poland he felt forced to drop contacts, but got more involved in the world scene as he calls it himself.
- But because of meetings and long chats with my Polish friends, I was back to the friendship, he says.
Norby's has had his ups and downs in his career. Rising in the scene-ranks can be hard for everybody, according to Norby who has within a relatively short period placed himself among the 5 best swappers in the world and is the organizer of TRSI Poland, but despite of this Norby still hopes to remain the same.
- One must know, that to be a know dude is really very hard! If you are known, peoples like you, you think, that maybe you are a god or elite... But it's the wrong way, I know about this! Friendship is most important thing!

Another scene
Poland has naturally, like other Eastern-Europe countries, been considered a bit different from other Western countries and the scene has been no exception.
But today things have changed and in Norby's opinion the Polish scene is now as good as any wester country and generally doesn't differ above the usual.
- Polish dudes are going to the parties in others countries, we had a lot of others division of Polish groups in other countries (like FREEZERS, FCI, TECHNOLOGY, ILLUSION or many others) and I think, that we are on the world scene now, he states.
- We had a LOT of differences in the past, but not now, he adds.

But the relationship between groups in Poland IS a bit alternative and according to Norby the whole Polish scene is strange.
- In Poland nearly everybody try to be the best and the most wise dude, and the rest is lame! If any person/group have made something better than the rest, they think, that they are better than everyone else, he explains.
Norby belives that the Polish scene might be the one with most wars and conflitcs between groups. Despite this, Polish sceners are in Norby's opinion not taking things too serious.
- Everything is just fun for us, he points out.

When countries differ as Poland does to the rest of the scene, parties are almost bound to be different.
Norby has gathered a number of experiences when it comes to the differences between Polish parties and parties in Denmark and Germany for instance.
- Well, I was at The Party III, but I was also at the 680XX CONVENTION in Hamburg, at the Summer of 1993 and I saw a lot of differeces! First of all, at every Polish party we have a lot of vodka, beer, wine and others drinks like this!
Of course, organizers are not so happy, but it's a tradicion to drink alcohol at every polish party!
At the 680XX CONVENTION in Hamburg, we were one'n'only dudes with Vodka! Yes, I saw bottles of beer somewhere (Hi Jazy!), but there was not this same like in Poland! At The Party III was little bit more of alcohol, but it was still not this same like in Poland! You just must come to polish party and look for this for your eyes! After first day of party, nearly all dudes are drunk.

A rather characteristic thing for the Polish scene is the number of groups which carries rather strange names (Flying Cows, Mad Elks).
According to Norby the only explanation for this, is the basic behaviour of Polish people: Crazy, mad and flying.
- Polish dudes have a very hard life... Everything is so expensive here in Poland... We have no places to work... But you don't know polish dudes! They are lucky-guys! We can think about life, like is a joke! Everything is s joke for us: school, work, family... Life is strange, so let's smile! And a lot of polish groups was born only for fun! And after some funny productions they made one or two big demos and everybody know them!

In Upstream's opinion, the development of the Polish scene has been rather fast during the past couple of years, but Norby believes that Poland has only followed the development of the rest of the scene.
- But the most important think is, that now we join the world Scene, and now we are together with Germany, Denmark, Holland, Finland and all the rest, he claims.

The scene - An obsession!
Today, it seems to be very fashionable to claim that the scene means very little to ones life and that one just don't care. Many melancholic thoughts have been spread in diskmags by depressed people almost hating the scene, but for Norby it's totally different.
- The scene is the most important thing in my life! I've been on the scene for so long, and I can't think about my live without it! When I'm at home, my Amiga works all the time! I write some letters, make the new issue of It, organize TRSI.
When I'm at the study in another town (from monday to friday) I can't stop think about the scene... I haven't got Amiga there, but I always take a lot of letters with me and in every free time I write some words to my friends... When I sleep, I think about scene... When I eat, I think about scene... When I ride a car, I listen to music from Amiga on the tapes... It's just ab OBSESSION for me, but I can't stop it... but I'm quite happy with this... I just have no time to get bored! The Scene is everything for me!

At special occations Norby CAN get to be a bit "scene-depressed" from time to time.
- But when I have next 10 letters in my Post Box, I forget about all, and I'm normal scene-Norby, he explains happily.

"What would a guy like Norby do without the scene then?" one asks oneself. Norby have plenty of things he can think of when it comes to a life outside the scene, but Norby is far too involved with the scene to give other things much thought.
- I haven't got time for girls, but when I think about leaving the scene (oh no! but I somtimes have some stupid ideas...) I think about girls, about meeting friends and drink beer every saturday and sunday and I sometimes think about this lost life...

Like everything seems to be for people in Poland, swapping is no cheap affair. Spending 30 DM on swapping a month sounds relatively surviveable for a swapper, but when the monthly pay for most people in Poland is 120 DM, things look a bit different.
- And if you have to live one month, and if you have to pay for food, for your house, for everything, it's really not so big for you! And because of this I fake, 'cause I must save my money... sad but true!

What Norby thinks about:

Demo quality:
- New demos from Poland are better and better... Look for the last demos from Gelloween Party or Intel Outside Party... We have in Poland a lot of shit demos, too, but these groups like MYSTIC or FREEZERS make good work for Poland!

Friendship:
- It's still very important on the polish scene! But as I've said before, we have a lot of wars in Poland... Probably polish scene is most war-scene on the world, but you know, we are funny dudes, and a lot of these wars are made just for fun, to make the scene less boring!

Groups:
- Probably most know polish group was MAD ELKS after the big succes of TECHNOLOGICAL DEATH... But MAD ELKS is nearly dead, now! A lot of members quit the scene or left for other groups... Pity, that the old groups-legends are going to die... Look at ANARCHY, THE SILENTS, LEMON. or in Poland DEFORM, INVESTATION...
So, a lot of old polish groups are dead now, and we have new stars, like: MYSTIC, FREEZERS, FCI, FUNZINE... But lately a lot of old groups have been reborn, like: RAZOR 1911 or REBELS, so maybe in Poland also some old groups will be reborn, soon !?!

Ambition and motivation
It's normal for people (especially sceners) to have ambitions. Norby is no exception. First aiming to be the best swapper in Poland, which he has succeeded in, his ambition now is nothing less than being the best swapper in the world. An ambition which he isn't far from reaching.
- Someone might ask, why being NUMBER ONE is so important for me? Swapping is just for fun, to know new friends, and if to be NUMBER ONE is so important for you, you are just like a lamer!
NOT! If somebody is so long on the scene, like me, you know, that swapping is really hard work! Yes, of course if you are on the scene not more than one year, it can be really funny for you to have many friends, to write long letters and being on the charts is not important for you...
But if you are longer, and you still see, that you are a small swapper, with no success, you are still not so known, you just have no motivation for your job!
Of course, if you live near your friends from your group, everything is ok, but if you live alone (or only with one scene friend, like me with Reset/MYSTIC), the rest you can only meet at parties then you have no motivation to make this hard work so long time...
Because of this a lot of old swappers have quit the scene... Look in Poland for example: Qwerty or Backfire. So if I have to swap so hard, and I don't see, that people like my work, that people vote for me, I can lose my motiviation for this...
So, I decide to be active, but sometimes I have hard moments of reflections... But when I see, I'm third on the 13th issue of The Charts, I have motivation to be better and better, because I have a chanse to be better... And I'm still doing my work!
And I'm quite happy, that people like my job, like my sendings, like my letter... It's a big succes for me and I will try to make my swapping work better and better... just for all my contacts... and my personal satisfaction!


CONTRAST

Steffen / Speedy:
- Norby has almost 200 contacts and I'm sure he will beat me in the charts any time now.

Pearl / Passion:
- He's relatively fast, perhaps a bit old-fashioned kind of swapper, like he wants to be the best and all that, but he's okay to swap with.