Fiendishly creative, sharply observant, and deeply devoted to his city, Matthews was among the most influential cartoonists and writers in New Orleans. Throughout four decades his art and writing appeared in almost every local magazine and newspaper, teaching New Orleans new ways to listen to itself and laugh at itself. Along the way, he helped found or influence some of the most important local cultural entities invented by his generation: Jazz Fest, Tipitina's, and WWOZ.
Matthews is best known for his cartoon characters Vic and Nat'ly, two irreverent bar owners from the Nint' Ward who rank alongside Ignatius J. Reilly and Blanche DuBois in the pantheon of fictional New Orleanians. As a critic, Matthews earnestly pursued authenticity. In his later years, he spilled thousands of words articulating what he saw as the depreciation and corruption of New Orleans's cultural capital. He died in 2021, but his legacy lives on in the young writers he helped mentor, the cartoonists he inspired, and in the yellowing clippings of Vic and Nat'ly still found taped to refrigerators throughout New Orleans.
Matthews once wrote, “Be witty. Be nasty. Be silly. Don’t be boring.” That ethos animates every page.
- Hardcover
- 10.5 × 11.5 in., 336 pp.
- 200 color images, 200 b&w images
- ISBN 978-0-917860-97-3
Fiendishly creative, sharply observant, and deeply devoted to his city, Matthews was among the most influential cartoonists and writers in New Orleans. Throughout four decades his art and writing appeared in almost every local magazine and newspaper, teaching New Orleans new ways to listen to itself and laugh at itself. Along the way, he helped found or influence some of the most important local cultural entities invented by his generation: Jazz Fest, Tipitina's, and WWOZ.
Matthews is best known for his cartoon characters Vic and Nat'ly, two irreverent bar owners from the Nint' Ward who rank alongside Ignatius J. Reilly and Blanche DuBois in the pantheon of fictional New Orleanians. As a critic, Matthews earnestly pursued authenticity. In his later years, he spilled thousands of words articulating what he saw as the depreciation and corruption of New Orleans's cultural capital. He died in 2021, but his legacy lives on in the young writers he helped mentor, the cartoonists he inspired, and in the yellowing clippings of Vic and Nat'ly still found taped to refrigerators throughout New Orleans.
Matthews once wrote, “Be witty. Be nasty. Be silly. Don’t be boring.” That ethos animates every page.
- Hardcover
- 10.5 × 11.5 in., 336 pp.
- 200 color images, 200 b&w images
- ISBN 978-0-917860-97-3