Matthew Good: An Artist Like No Other in History

That’s the funny thing about the Internet… it has the capability to transcend fame, and bring an artist as close to his fans as he chooses. Im talking, of course, about my long-time hero Matthew Good, local composer/rockstar/blogger. I’ve been following his blog fpr several years now, and I feel like I have come to the know the artist in a way that was impossible 10 years ago.

For example, I remember attending his show at Van-East Cultural Center a few months ago… and it was the best concert I’d ever seen because there was something in him that had changed, and he got that across without saying “I’ve been forced to divorce my wife”… even I could feel through his lyrics and vocal style something was up: “She parties, I pay the bills.”… it made me think a bit.

I could tell from seeing his blog (and thus, seeing her blog), that she was a social climbing, party-loving Prada girl… and I could hear in his lyrics that he resented it. It was an interesting connection to make… but I still wasn’t sure what had happened to his marriage. In recent days, he has modestly exposed a certain pain regarding the divorce, WITHOUT exposing his wife in any negative light. He’s making it clear that he has re-connected with his family, and even altered his relationship with his dogsetc… simply by posting pictures on his FlickR page. It’s a true testament to the power of the Internet to connect people… I don’t even KNOW this guy “Matthew Good,” except for through some interpretive lyrics, chord progressions, MuchMusic interviews, and music videos…. and yet I GENUINELY feel for the guy! And you should see the support his fans gave him in their comments. Incredibly moving stuff.

The distance between art… and the life that insipres art…. is getting smaller. Matt Good is much less a rock star to me now… but much more of a man.

In any case, this man has written some profound thoughts concerning love, life and war. I highly recommend his blog, because his mental stream is more like a raging rapid of brilliant art. The Internet is just making his art more immediately translatable to me… and that is an incredibly profound development in human communication. I can’t help but wonder if Matt Good would ever visit MY site? He might read this, and feel a closer connection to one of the many random faces in his many loyal crowds.

Matthew Good’s Blog