Welcome Randy

Talk about the staff who used to work on the mag
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LeeT
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Post by LeeT »

Paul - Check yer pm's! :)
Contributor to Def Tribute to ZZAP!
Compilation64 - http://compilation64.zzap64.co.uk/
Crazy about the C64? - www.lemon64.com
Amiga Anguish? - www.lemonamiga.com
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Post by CraigGrannell »

Randy wrote:You think? Look at what they filled the positions with.
To be fair, I reckon Stu, Phil and Rob initially did a decent job at trying to return Zzap!64 to its former glory. It was, however, pretty obvious that they were all on a much tighter rein than Gordon's team, hence the lack of editorials and the like (unless Stu simply hated writing them). It was sad to see that era's Zzap! morph into Commodore Format, though—although Future's mag was fairly good, I always considered it inferior to Zzap!
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Post by Fab »

Actually I have very fond memories of Randy's short but intense Zzap! period.

One reason could be that three reviewers out of four were replaced at once, and that was really too much. So a fan like me looked for a bit of continuity between the old and teh new Zzap! Randy was a representation of that continuity. The fact that he was a 17-year-old who had been there for two months is irrelevant :)

I remember spending summer of 1989 laughing at Tips Oot for the Ladz, with its overwhelming amount of irreverent photos of Randy, and showing it to my friends. It was outrageously funny. But I also liked the photo stories about Randy's life, his response to Stephen Darbon from Alperton (whom he called Stephen Darbon-Alperton)...

It was really sad to see Paul leave after just four instalments of Tips Oot for the Ladz. And when I saw him in C+VG, he became to my eyes a traitor of the C64. Sorry for this display of strong sentiments, we were younger at that time...

However, it is great to see you in this forum. Now tell us everything about you: where you live, what you do for a living, how your sentimental life is like... You know, this is a fan site, and fans want to know everything about their fave celebrities :D
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Post by Mort »

A belated Hi Randy, glad you found the site after the auction and have been filling a little of the gap in zzaps history on the forum (should have your mag soon :wink: ).

Would have joined the topic earlier but having problems with new PC (sorted now was a xp issues with and athlon 3400 idling along in cool and quiet mode and needing a athlon driver (not microsoft) to work correctly.

Anyhow glad you found us all and look forward to future musings :D
Where`s my screwdriver, need to replace another 6581 Sniff
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Post by SLF »

Hi Randy!
I don't remember what I thought about all those pictures and stuff back then, but I do remember I reckoned you were a good reviewer, for the short time your stay in Zzap! lasted. Surely I was very sad for Gordo Maff and Kati "leaving", as they were my favourite Zzap! team along with PG.

A few standard questions now:
Are you still into c64 gaming?
What are your all time top 10 c64 games?
Welcome :D
My top games: 1.Hawkeye, 2.Delta, 3.Creatures 2, 4.Armalyte, 5.Bubble Bobble, 6.Uridium, 7.Ikari Warriors, 8.Bionic Commando, 9.Buggy Boy, 10.Archon.
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Post by Iain »

Fab wrote: But I also liked the photo stories about Randy's life,
I remember that alright! Very strange, him searching through bins etc.

I think he emailed me a year or more ago asking for a copy of those "articles" :)

What did the poor gentel citizens of Ludlow think about this guy lying on the street etc. while getting his photos taken. x-)
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Randy
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Post by Randy »

Hello all the new folks I haven't said hello to yet!

Can I just say, I'm touched by the friendliness, not to mention the interest.

Sorry to hear you thought of me as a traitor back then, Fab! Like you say, it was a long time ago. As you're no doubt aware, I was at CVG for a long time, but to be honest I've always had as much pride in the few short months I spent on Zzap! as did down EMAP way, as well as some very fond memories. (A little secret; while staff writer at C+VG as it was then, RK phoned me and asked me to become editor of a new mag they were launching called Sega Force and I very nearly went, I enjoyed my time at Newsfield so much.)

Anyway, things were in a sorry old state behind the scenes; hopefully it didn't show too much outwardly, but there was little cameraderie on the team (well, between myself and the rest, at least; art imitating life I guess - I think I was a bit too "out there" for the others, and trying to get them down the pub was like pulling teeth!
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Post by Randy »

Hi SLF!

Thanks for the comments, glad you appreciated my reviewing! If I did anything, I tried to put a fair opinion across, in a style which would be appreciated by the readers; after all, I was about their age, which helped!

In all honesty, I can't say I had a 'favourite' team as such, to my mind they all had their different strengths. But IMHO you have to give the ultimate kudos to the lads who made it all happen, and that's Gaz, Jaz and Gaz. Had the pleasure of knowing all three; worked with Julian for a long time which was great and a real education in how to put a magazine together; Liddon is a top bloke and particularly remember a sensationally drunk night with him and Garry Whitta, erstwhile of The One, CVG and PC Gamer, and if Gaz Penn ever pops in, I'm REALLY sorry for trashing your flat!

The C64 games do get a look in now and then, got thousands on a DVD.

Top 10? Gunship, IK+, Op Wolf, Paradroid, Last Ninja 2, Thrust, Rambo (I know!), Speedball, Zak McKraken and good old fashioned Football Manager!

But they're always subject to change!

And thanks for the welcome:)
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Post by Ant »

Well, looks like I'm really late jumping on the "Let's all say hi to Randy" bandwagon!

Anyway, we loved Tips Oot for the Lads down here in Oz. Your zany wackiness was a breath of fresh air in our eyes.

Some nice reviewing too, if I recall.
"Isn't this where ... we came in?"
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Post by Professor Brian Strain »

I would say that the magazine suffered as a result of upheaval in the industry as well; at the time companies were failing because of the increased costs of developing for 16-bit, and the industry was becoming more serious/professional.

So I see the Houghton era as being a reaction against that seriousness, and Randy's work on the magazine in a similar vein. So welcome to the board Randy!


(I nearly used the word "traitor" to describe Randy myself, but that's not fair; if you see what you think is a good job opportunity, you take it!)
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Post by CraigGrannell »

If Randy was a "traitor" so was:

Gary Penn (went on to EMAP)
Julian Rignall (edited C&VG, amongst others)
Steve Jarratt (went to Future to create CF, Edge, and others)
Gordon Houghton (flirted with Future, despite not remembering that now)
Phil King (now at Paragon)

... and many others!
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Post by Gary Whitta »

Randy wrote:In all honesty, I can't say I had a 'favourite' team as such, to my mind they all had their different strengths. But IMHO you have to give the ultimate kudos to the lads who made it all happen, and that's Gaz, Jaz and Gaz. Had the pleasure of knowing all three; worked with Julian for a long time which was great and a real education in how to put a magazine together; Liddon is a top bloke and particularly remember a sensationally drunk night with him and Garry Whitta, erstwhile of The One, CVG and PC Gamer, and if Gaz Penn ever pops in, I'm REALLY sorry for trashing your flat!
But they're always subject to change!
Bloody hell mate, thanks for the namecheck, but if you're going to do it at least spell my name right! It's bad enough they had to get it wrong in the 100th issue of PC Gamer, and now you have to pile on as well?
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Post by gravy »

Cheers for the namecheck also Mr Rand :D

What did you do to Penn's flat? H Block style dirty protest wasn't it?

gaz
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Fab
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Post by Fab »

CraigGrannell wrote:If Randy was a "traitor" so was:
Julian Rignall (edited C&VG, amongst others)
[...]
I have in front of me the November 1989 issue of C+VG. Here is how Randy was introduced

STAFF WRITER: PAUL 'RANDY' RAND
A new addition to the team, Paul has moved from boring old ZZAP!64 magazine [...] He's was (sic) a C64 and Amiga lover before he arrived, but has found that gaming can be a whole heap of fun whether you own a Spectrum, Megadrive or whatever!

I was just 16, a lover of Zzap!, and a proud owner of a C64 and an Amiga, and that slating of Zzap!, C64 and Amiga caused my strong sentiments. But it is great to see that Paul has fond memories of his Newsfield period. I do have fond memories of Paul's Newsfield period.

BTW, at that time C+VG editor was Julian Rignall and the other staff writer was Paul Glancey (another North-Eastern!). Gordon Houghton contributed some console reviews in that very issue.
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Post by Randy »

Gary thats never you
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