LSD / AUTOMATION / HAL / Matthew Smith

[jetsetdanny]

I received this link a couple of days ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_13ewhXFWgY ...

... so I'm sharing it here 🙂 .

[HAL]

I used to be a very good freinds with Matty (that's what we all called him back in the day)

I shot the vid & I put it on YT 🙂

Chris Barton one of my best friends for 40 years he was Tommy Bartons son (co owner of software projects) and one of the major reasons the game was released but could not be finnished - is because Chris was an alcholic, weed smoking maniac & SP's official games tester & he told his dad, he had finnished the game LOL.

How do I know - I was there 🙂

I also have all the artwork from SP's games in my house, and Tommy's copies of Jet Set and Manic hanging on my walls and yes I can prove it.

HAL

Edited August 24 by HAL

[jetsetdanny]

Thanks for the inside info, HAL! 🙂 

[HAL]

5 funny stories for you - me / Matty & Chris where walking back to software projects after going to a local chinese restaurant, when we noticed smoke coming from the complex of offices around SP then as we approached it was like OMG it is SP it's on fire - I had never seen Matty run so fast ever (he's built for coding not running), as he took off he was shouting about all his work and hard drives. We got into the building and Chris had left a bar fire on a chair (maniac) and it had fell off and set a light to the chair.

2 - My mum said he's too scruffy and always wanted him out of the house - she had no idea who he was - even after explaining.

3 - He dressed scruffy even when he went on Concorde LOL

4 - In SP he had his own office and it was a real garden shed and he had it because the stink of the weed he smoked had everyone including important visitors coughing so they built the shed for him in the furthest place they could from the main offices - so as to keep the smoke in. He used to sleep on top of it, he had a mattress and a sleeping bag up there.That shed is where JSW was born.

5 - That video is about the biggest cracking crew on the Atari ST and some others from the cracking scene - they where wanted by FAST - Federation Against Software Theft - I knew them all well - what I didn't know because Chris was a crazy nut case - was Tommy Barton was one of the founding members of FAST - his DAD LOL    I found that out 30 years later - things you can't make up. MY story is even crazier - google Atari Legend hal alan keeling  🙂

I'm nearly 60 so I don't care about sharing this- have fun thanks for keeping Matty's legacy alive, also Matty is one of the nicest people you could ever meet 🙂

Edited August 24 by HAL

[Norman Sword]

Interesting facts...

I worked with Matthew from the day Software Projects was created (e.g. an empty factory building)1984  to 1985 after the release of Jet Set Willy 2 on the zx spectrum.

in all that time I never heard about or saw this supposed "SHED" mentioned above

The offices and work space was centrally heated.. Tommy Barton mentioned to me how hot it was in my office. Probably a hint as he paid the heating bills. There never was any reason to have any form of extra? heating. So I will ask, WHY WOULD ANYONE HAVE AN ELECTRIC FIRE in those offices?

Matthew did NOT write any programs in any part of the offices or the zoo.... He wrote JET SET WILLY in house... e.g. in his own house. 

 

[HAL]

Did you know Chris? 

That shed was most definatly in the back of the building I was in there enough and Matt definetly coded in it, he had a ton of computer stuff in there, including his hardware to squirt code from his Trash 80 to the spectrum.

EITHER THAT or I have false memory syndrome NOT - also I knew Tommy for 40 years and Matt from his day's at the Tandy center.

You can choose to believe me or not I don't really care.. but why would I make that up, it was a small electric bar fire.

Also I did shoot the vid and the coming back from the restraunt story is also true.

Hal

[Norman Sword]

You can believe your version of events, sadly, I can only tell what I saw whilst there for two years. I will not carry on with a pointless public debate. 

[HAL]

I must have imagined it all... in memory of the 2 of them!

[MtM]

Irrespective of the accuracy of this post or not, thanks HAL for making it, it is appreciated, I am sorry to hear about the loss of

both Chris and Tommy Barton, certainly Tommy's name was one a lot of folks who are old (!) remember from early Spectrum gaming

days. If it is not inappropriate to ask, was Chris' death related to covid, looking at the date of his funeral etc?

 

The artwork looks good, are they the original pieces?

 

Did Matthew Smith attend either out of interest?

[HAL]

Chris's death was related to Chris — crazy B. He drank and smoked himself to death, nothing to do with COVID. I was one of his best friends, not some casual acquaintance. He thought of my house as his second home. I literally pulled the artwork out of Tommie's home office after he passed. Me, Chris, and Matty used to hang out after office hours in SP, and no, Matty did not turn up for the funeral. He's a hard man to find, and I doubt he was invited.

I think Tom and Matty had issues over money to do with SP, because I know Tom always seemed to have some regrets over it.

I think Matty had some kind of notion that Tommy had ripped him off or not got his full due, so to speak. Either way, I think they had a falling out over it, but I could be wrong on that. Chris always blamed Alan Maton for the downfall of SP -  I have no opinion on that. IMHO I think Matty was burned out by it all.

The last time me, Chris, and Matty talked on the phone was about 8 years ago (roughly). It was like no time had passed at all. Chris was at my house at the time.

As for the shed story, I will backpedal a bit. Maybe it was later on, or before Norman was there — it was over 40 years ago. BUT I definitely remember one being there behind the main offices at the back of the building, because when Matty opened the door, I remember nearly choking to death on the smoke (I don't smoke weed). Chris told me he slept on top of it. He also said that's where JSW was born (but Chris drank A LOT).

The Chinese restaurant was on the left as you went down the hill from the Bear Brand complex into the village.

I knew Tommy and Chris for over 40 years, but lost touch with Matty. I'm sure he would have turned up for CB's funeral if he had known.

Chris was a tragic character, and I miss him, but he was, as he put it, alcohol dependent, but not an alcoholic. I never saw him without a can of lager, a cigarette, or a joint.

Anyway, Norman can say whatever he likes. IF I was pushing merch, then call BS, but I just wanted it on the NET (that never dies) as kind of an epitaph for the two of them. Also considering the name of the Adnin here, this seemed like the appropriate online forum to share a bit of this history.

Matty, if you're out there, then get in touch mate (Google me) or join here and PM me.

You know, I just checked Wiki, so Matt is still going, and I also just realised he's only a year older than me, so it's probably why the 3 of us got along. 🙂

I also have some original Manic And JSW T shirts sitting in a draw for sale LOL

That's some shot's (I badly stitched together) of Tom & Chris's house, it had a helicopter pad on the side and hanger for it, as Tommy also used to be a helicopter pilot. Really nice place, Tom's front room was on the left. The family no longer owns it I think. Tom's wife and his daughter took over after Tom's passing & I also just realised I have 3 pieces of furniture from his office, his lazy boy chair (with speakers) that I'm currently sitting in while typing this and his main desk from his office and one of his filing cabinets + his world map hanging on my wall.

Just felt like showing them off in a home that appreciates them 🙂

https://youtube.com/shorts/G3mcIShznRw

Are they the originals, all I know is Tommy owned them and kept them, up until the time he passed.

Edited 14 hours ago by HAL