Interview No. 14
Interview By: @The-Great-One
Today's guest is not only a forum moderator, but he is also one of the more interesting audio artists in the Audio Portal. Although far more known in the forums than he is in the Audio Portal he hopes to become a better Audio Portal artist. He is none other than @Gooch.
Q: How did you find Newgrounds and Why did you join?
A: I remember it was back in my junior year of high school back in 2002-2003. This one night, my buddy Darren and I were chatting on MSN Messenger, and he tells me he's playing this game called Ganguro Girl. Needless to say, I was hooked on that game.
It wasn't until later on that I ended up signing up, though. Once I ended up playing the game Disorderly, I knew that I could see myself having a lot of fun with the website. So then I signed up for my account in May of 2003 under the alias "Gooch_20-04". The 20-04 represented what year I graduated from high school. Good thing I'm just Gooch now. The extra numbers at the end would look ridiculous nowadays.
Q: Your first submission to the Audio Portal would be entitled Tribalistic Clink Clank. An amusing little piece and one that could be useful. You said you whipped it up with things around the house, what were these things and is there a funny story behind the creation of this piece?
A: There's really not much of a story behind it, persay. I just found myself hitting a couple of pens against my computer desktop. I experimented a little bit with it, and I found myself using a drink coaster to give it that clanky sound you hear. After adding a little bit of echo and reverb on it from the sound recorder on my computer, Tribalistic Clink Clank was born. I didn't think that it would have much success at all. I was elated to see that it was used in another user's flash, too.
Q: I know this is jumping ahead, but I want you to tell us about Psychadelic Bike Ride. You stated you had some inspiration from ChazzGoth. What inspriation was this?
A: Well I got to know Chazz from his inquiry for voice acting. I've been doing a little voice acting for an upcoming project of his, and am hoping that it will be a huge success here on Newgrounds.
Anyways, I sent him the song and asked for his assistance on what a good title would be for it. I'm naturally horrible with creating song titles for my own work. He suggested "Psychopathic Bunnies". I liked it, but I thought it was a little too extreme for the song. After giving it another listen, I felt like the song would best describe somebody just riding on a bike and experiencing this sweet journey on it they've never seen before. If it wasn't for Chazz though, I probably would have ended up naming something completely different.
Q: One of my favorites by you is entitled Piano Hop. One user described it as a nightmare or strange dream. Would you say the same? Also could you tell us about the creation of this song?
A: Sure. I was still relatively new with using Fruity Loops when I came up Piano Hop. I just remember coming up with a beat for the drums and bass to use, but I felt like i needed to spice it up a little. Well I ended up seeing the paino app that was on it, messed with it a little, and the rest is history.
As for it being described as a nightmare or a strange dream, I can definitely see the user's perspective. It does have somewhat of an creepy feel to it. I can just picture somebody walking through an abandoned mansion, all spooky and dark. It just has that kind of feel to it, although my original opinion about its sound didn't fit the description I currently possess of it today.
Q: What is the thought process and inspiration come from when you make music? In our terminology how do you make the music that you make?
A: There's not much to my music-making process really, and there's nothing that just comes out and inspires me to make something. I just like to experiment around with things. If something catches my ear, then I just run with the ball and try and create something unique that everybody would enjoy listening to.
Now has that completely worked out? I'd have to say probably not. I like to have high hopes for any song or loop I create. That just makes me want to strive harder in suceeding as being a well-known and respected audio artist here on Newgrounds.
Q: Now we come to the question I'm sure most people want to know. When and how did you become a BBS Forum Moderator?
A: I'm actually on my second stint as a moderator. I remember the first time I became a moderator. It was November 7th, 2005. I was modded along with Evark, actually. I guess my 1 and 1/2 years of posting history convinced the moderators and administrators at the time that I was responsible enough to handle the privilege.
Well, I kind of burnt myself out on Newgrounds last year, and I was de-modded do to inactivity back in June of 2008. However, I came back to my favorite website this year, and I kind of hinted around that I wanted to be back on the "Mod Squad". Sure enough, I was re-modded earlier this year, and I've continued to enjoy the privilege ever since.
Q: How did the other moderators feel about you coming on board?
A: I don't think ecstatic is the word to use here, but I'd say they are happy that I'm part of team. I haven't had too many problems with anyone on the team, and I try and be available for them whenver there is a problem to be discussed.
Q: Do you like being a forum moderator?
A: It has its ups and downs. The ups just outweigh the downs. I've always been happy to be a moderator on here, and I will continue to do so as long as I affiliate myself with the website.
Q: You talk about a band called 311. What connections do you have with this band? No matter the answer, why do you talk about them so much?
A: I've listened to 311 for fourteen years now. I don't have any physical connections with the band, but I'd like to say that I connect with them spiritually. They've always had positive vibes in their music, and their music has always kept me a positive person in life.
As I said, I've been a huge fan of their music for fourteen years now. I always like to talk about them because there's so much to say about them and how much you can relate their music to others. That, and just the influence and the upbeat nature of 311 is always great to talk about. There's never a dull moment when talking about them. I just wish more people would appreciate their music though. I know they've had their fair share of fame stemming back from the mid-90s on, but the appreciation for their music (specifically on Newgrounds) doesn't seem to resonate with some of the younger generation. Hopefully that will change in the future.
Q: What can we expect from Gooch within the future?
A: Honestly, expect the unexpected. I could post for a few months and be on another hiatus just like that. I don't think chartering what I do would end up taking its course. Hopefully there will be no hiatus, but you just never know with the unpredictability of things.
However, my best friend Dougie (also known as "killinois" here on Newgrounds) are trying to get a band started. He plays guitar and I play the drums. If we can manage to find a bassist and a singer (probably another guitarist, too), we just might start to submit audio to Newgrounds not made on Fruity Loops.
We'll just have to see what's lies ahead, I guess.
After interviewing Gooch. I can honestly say that he is passionate about music, but doesn't seems to forget about it now and then. Perhaps Gooch will become an everyday name in the Audio Portal, that my dear readers is what I am hoping for.