Illustration/Consignment (band)
See his blog here.
This is my newest blog feature "A Seattle Q & A." Being born and raised in Seattle, I've come to meet a lot of stylish and unique people, who do a lot of cool things, so I thought I'd ask them some questions.
1. What trait(s) or characteristic(s) do you get from your grandparents?
I think I get my music and art from my mom’s side and my humor from my dad’s side. On my mom’s side: I've been told that my Grandma drew and painted but she was gone before I came around. My mom says my Grandpa Franklin played and maybe toured with Horace Heidt and also was friends with Harry Barris. Those are old jazz guys and have Wikipedia pages. She used to say that he wrote the horn part to Tuxedo Junction but she doesn’t say that anymore. Grandpa Franklin mainly played trombone, but also knew piano and some vibraphone. My mom also recalls that he would say that if he had it to do over again, he would have pursued cartooning and that he loved drawing cartoons. When I was four I got to hang out with him for a bit and I remember him drawing a great looking boot and I thought him producing that boot on the paper out of thin air was like being able to do magic.
On my dad’s side: one time when I was 16 the family was on a trip to visit Grandpa and Grandma and my girlfriend at the time happened to be along on the day trip. We got there and headed out to the back porch, where we usually did all our visiting and hanging out. My dad proceeded to start telling stories about his adventures working at the phone company as Grandpa sat quietly in his chair. After a while I remember seeing Grandpa gaze shift from my dad to my girlfriend. He sat there for a while staring at her with a straight face as my dad
continued to talk and then he let out a fart. "Blew you a kiss," he said to my girlfriend, with the same straight face and then turned back to look at my dad, who hadn't stopped talking.
2. What's the best part about living in the Seattle?
The thing I like most about Seattle is the summer and how beautiful it gets and swimming in lakes. Nine months out of the year it sucks living here but when it's nice I will take Seattle over almost anywhere else. Swimming in Lake Washington is a 20 minute ride from my house, or if I have some time, there are a bunch of great swimming and jumping off of rock lakes with in 1 – 2 hours all around. I would say what lakes, but like a good fishing spot, I don’t want people to find them.
3. What do you always carry with you?
What I try and carry on me wherever I go is one of my two technical drafting pencils, my radiograph pens and a drawing pad. If you asked my 1998 Honda C70 Elite scooter it’s answer would be: “Matt Nyce”.
4. If you could have dinner with any deceased author, who and why?
I’m not much of a reader but I would pick Ernest Hemingway but more the Hemingway as he is portrayed in his books than the actual one. Literary Hemingway would be a lot more fun. I would try, and succeed, at out drinking me, try and fight me and then after dinner we would end up at a bullfight while the other Hemingway would be bored with me, head to bed early and I would spend the rest of the night talking to his butler.
5. Worst food indulgence? (the more secretive the better).
Burritos. I indulge up to five days a week due to the recent emergence of a certain purveyor of cheap Mexican foods on the Hill.
6. If Obama were coming to your house for dinner, you would prepare your famous __________. (Include your recipe if you want!)
I don’t have anything famous. I would probably do what I always do when we have company in town and show him our cat Jerome that can roll over on command (most of the time) and then suggest that we head out to Ezell’s Fried Chicken. It is 80’s fat Oprah’s favorite place, close to my house and much better than my best concoction of Tuna Fish and Tomato soup.
7. If you had to make rules (like Fight Club), what would rule #1 always be?
Treat your friends well and expect the same.
8. No one knows _______________ about me. (fill in the blank). Make it as serious as you want to.
I played trumpet in band in middle school for a year and then quit. I learned how to play Jurassic Park and that Bon Marche song.
9. Is the Seattle freeze fictitious? How do you know?
It’s real. I know from working at FedEx and watching the same people that had said not more than 2 words to me everyday get real friendly on the first sunny day. I don’t know if it’s a “freeze” as much as we’re all just dealing with this weather.
10. Where is the best place to eat dinner?
I like that Agua Verde. They got a porch when it’s nice, not too expensive, on the water and
good food.
Illustrations by Matt:
And a song from his band Consignment.
Thanks Matt!
