Dangermouse
sup boy

Whodini
Whutsup man.

Dangermouse
ACheron has been meaning to interview for quite sometime, and I'm sorry we haven't gotten to you sooner..

Whodini
I don't really like interviews. Normally the people have no idea what to ask and it ends up being a stupid log of an irc conversation. But acheron has cool interviews...

Dangermouse
First off, can you tell us briefly about yourself - where you live, age, sex, hobbies, car, etc..

* dngrmouse blushes

Whodini
My real name is Ryan, I'm 20, I drive an '83 Delta88 (Land Yacht)... Hobbies... Computers, Music, Movies, Girls... and now thanks to chex.. partying.

Dangermouse
Ok, you started off in the scene in 1992.. basically in the BBS scene I'm guessing - what was the atmosphere like?

Whodini
Well.. it was really cool. Locally there was no "elite scene for the lame". Everything was so underground no one locally knew about it. Then a friend of mine from Chicago moves here.. and everything changed.

Elite BBSes popped up... and the local scene was born. It all starts and ends with the local scene I think. The best groups have local have a local foundation.

Dangermouse
I understand you started your own BBS in this underground world?

Whodini
Yah.. Whodini's Magik.. started in 93.. down in '97. Started out mostly lame warez and h/p... got into art in '94. Ditched the warez.

Dangermouse
How did you get involved with the art scene? .. I suppose it's a natural progression coming from the warez scene back in those days?

Whodini
Pretty much. I knew I didn't want to be a warez puppy. The h/p scene had already seperated from the warez/art scene. I remember downloading an ACID pack.. going "woah". And sitting there with TheDraw trying to be Jed.

Dangermouse
I understand you even formed your own group?

Whodini
In '94. Omot (Who's now founder of Lotek.. www.lotek.org) and I created a group called Futile. Started with just him and I. As time went on we got a few members... Saint Sinner (now Misfit), Ewheat, Stigmata... local guy named Maxx, Genocide... it wasn't a good group. But it was our group.

Dangermouse
This is the year you also joined KTS and later Remorse right? What happened with KTS?

Whodini
Right.. when I was in Futile.. I started focusing on ASCII. It was new in the PC scene. Late 94 I joined KTS because TinyZ thought I was really cool. Then.. he saw my art a week later and realized I wasn't that good. So I joined Remorse... then... I ran Remorse.

Dangermouse
What was it like running Remorse? A tough job? I understand it died the same year..

Whodini
Well. I didn't really like being stuck with a group. The problem was, I was president. But near the end Necronite who was founder started stepping in. Omot was kicked out. I just wasn't experienced enough with scene politics. And I'm an asshole.. So. I decided that if I was going to run the show, I should at least run my own show. I killed Remorse.. took all the members I thought were good. I started Trank!Ascii. Which really was when people

I did newschool and oldschool for Trank. The ANSI scene hadn't seen any newschool. The hornet archive didn't allow ANSI packs anymore, so the later KTS packs weren't seen when they released newschool. So.. with a bunch of high quality newschool artists... Trank made it huge. It really got the ANSI artists into drawing ASCII. And they made a huge difference.

Dangermouse
Yeah, I could imagine.. So what sort of mysticism got Trank and well, ACiD!ascii to join back into Remorse (ironic, don't you think?)

Whodini
It isn't that ironic. My life was hectic as hell. I was hoping someone could take over for me. No one really was interested in taking my place, though. (I wonder if Rad man will have the same problem). Necromancer stepped in and saved my ass. There was a few against, but most were for it. Rad Man was basically like.. "However you want to do this, we do it." So everyone realized it wasn't ACiD eating up a group... they were really interested i

Those who were against it... have all told me it was for the better now. So it was a good merger.

Dangermouse
You mentioned Rad Man? is he leaving ACiD? :>

Whodini
No. But he can't be in ACID forever. And everyone thinks about retiring sometimes... Wouldn't you want someone to run acheron when you are too busy/tired/bored? Scene politics are crap... even worse when you play more than the role of an artist.

Dangermouse
I hear you dude.. And I strongly agree and relate.. I remember last year you got busted by the FBI -- that must have been a shocking experience..

Whodini
No shit it was. Especially because I was retired from most of my *really* bad things. I had come really close to being caught for another crime and went straight. Then about a year later... FBI shows up at my door with local and federal warrents to search my place.

Dangermouse
Whoa

Whodini
It was a scare thing. Some dude had hacked a Navy base. They knew who did it. But instead of getting a warrent for just him. They decided they'd say they didn't actually know who really did it. Then go after all of us. So.. a total of 10 people, 11 warrents...

Dangermouse
It must have also been an awakening experience.. You must have never though you'd actually get caught?

Whodini
Two years previous, I was expecting that sort of thing. Not after I had gone straight though. It was really sort of shitty. Especially considering they went after people who didn't do *anything*.. Ewheat, MrO, Spook.. innocent of everything. And they just waltz in and threaten to ruin your life like that.

Dangermouse
Yeah

Whodini
The only thing I can thank them for is that they never pressed any charges on anyone.

Dangermouse
I remember a while back a few police cars used to go by my place over a period of a few weeks.. I was wondering I can tell you.. Turns out they were after a real criminal :)

They usedto just park outside and shit like that..

So you're back in the scene now.. Did you seriously think about giving the scene up after that incident or?

Whodini
A truely innocent man has nothing to fear they say. But anyone who can read know its all bullshit. Sacco and Venzeti and all that shit...

Dangermouse
Just quickly, what's happening today with your life?

Whodini
Well... I drew ASCII while at work, I still looked at the packs. I got a lot of email from people still. I didn't think of giving it up. I mean.. I draw.. its what I do. Wether its ASCII, paper, or whatever... but with ASCII.. people can see it everywhere. There are real patrons.

I live with Cypher Hex and Kaleidas on Ohio State Campus. (We don't go to school). Its cool as hell.

Dangermouse
So you work? where?

Whodini
I'm an Internet Marketing Consultant for Data Image Technologies.... Mostly I run/design porn sites.

E-commerce and porn are the future of the internet.

Dangermouse
Yeah I agree. I'm in the industry myself.. Intranets and training are also boom areas. I noticed your email is element design -- also working there?

Whodini
Yah. I'm one of the System Admins at element. I don't play a big role though. Its really not my show there....

Dangermouse
Wicked. welp, we'll have to draw this to an end.. It's been great chatting to you dude.. Any greets to shout?

Whodini
I've done so many damned greets. :) Instead of pointing out particular people. I'll just greet EVERYONE who has drawn with Remorse/Trank/Futile/Acid... because they are whats great about this scene. Its all about the artists...

Dangermouse
Iagree. Catchya l8r dude. bibi

Whodini
later.