Eavesdropping as a comic art form
Snippets of real life inspire cartoonist's social commentary
appeared in the National Post
Sat. March 6, 2004
by Samantha Grice
An overheard conversation at a bar, a chin-wag with a cab driver, street life in Little Italy, waiting on the corner for the streetcar: All are scenarios that find their way into Matthew Blackett's autobiographical comic strip M@B (pronounced Matt B). Though the three-panel strips don't wrap up with comedic zingers, the subtle, thoughtful humour often makes one laugh out loud. Here are the top five significant Toronto landmarks that appear in M@B:
1. 43 Beatrice St. (Little Italy)
"I lived there for three and a half years and this is the place most of my comic has taken place. It's where I met Manuel, the older Portuguese man who lived on the top floor. He's my most beloved character, even though he's an old chauvinist. I don't want to belittle him because he was such a fun source of comedy and there was such a such a silliness in our lack of communication. We didn't speak any of the same language, not even body language.
"It's also where my comic grew up and I felt like I made the transition from being a young punk. When I moved into Little Italy, it was buzzing, and I felt I was in a community with lots of people from Toronto's indie arts community. I could go out any time of the day and bump into people doing inspiring stuff -- whether it was at 2 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning."
Favourtie strip from 43 Beatrice: "the one where I caught Manuel peeking into my neighbour's window."
2. Soundscapes (572 College St.)
"Whenever I write that I'm in a music store, it's Soundscapes. Or if I'm on the street, it might be in the background and you'll see a poster of bands such as Broken Social Scene or Raising The Fawn or the Hidden Cameras. I live with two of the Hidden Cameras and am friends with those bands.
"When I really started taking my comic seriously and began distributing it around the city for free, Soundscapes was the first store to give it away. I was in there the first week it opened and it grew from there into a wonderful relationship -- they foster and staff Toronto's indie rock scene."
Favourtie Soundscapes strip: "Waiting outside Soundscapes for Nick and then seeing him being chased down the street by a bag lady."
3. The pipe in the alley
"It's the alley at the bottom of Beatrice St, north of Dundas. The pipe is coming out of a house and it makes some of the most beautiful noises. It sounds like a didgeridoo. It caught me by surprise one day. It's appeared in the comic about three or four times and sometimes I just draw it into the background scene.
"I always get asked if all the things that happen in the comic are real, but the most asked question in emails is 'Where's that pipe that makes the cool sound?'"
Favourtie pipe strip: "The first strip it appeared in."
4. The TTC
"I'd say 20% of the comic takes place on transit. It's probably one of the best places to eavesdrop on people, too many cell phone conversations. There are times when I'm on a bus and I say to myself, 'I can't be hearing what I'm hearing.'
"People ask me, 'How come so many people on the street talk to you?' Sometimes people really need to say something and with my body language I volunteer myself."
Favourtie TTC strip: "I'm waiting for a streetcar at Yonge and Dundas and this old lady has been coughing violently. Then she says 'That's the problem with the devil. He gets you slowly.'"
5. Utopia
"It appear in the comic a lot, in the restaurant scenes. My friend Nick lived at Palmerston and Harbord, and Utopia was a central meeting spot. There's a kick-ass patio, too."
Favourtie Utopia strip: "when one of our serviettes caught on fire fire and we didn't notice and the server comes over to tell us, 'your napkin is on fire.'"
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