Episode 623 – Matt Madden

Virtual Memories Show 623:
Matt Madden

“I like the whole idea of creating art by setting yourself a rule to follow, especially one that’s weird and unexpected.”

Cartoonist Matt Madden rejoins the show to celebrate his new collection, SIX TREASURES OF THE SPIRAL: Comics Formed Under Pressure (Uncivilized Books). We talk about the liberation to be found in formal constraints, his history with OULIPO and its OUBAPO offshoot, how structure can inspire story, and the formal and thematic challenges in sequencing the stories in the collection. We get into how he tried to make the most of a multi-year residency at La Maison des Auteurs in Angouleme, the unwitting influence of Hergé on one of his favorite stories, the changes in his art & storytelling since publishing Ex Libris in 2021, and the “director’s commentary” he added as back matter for Six Treasures. We also discuss Lewis Trondheim’s challenge to him to make a comic without a formal rule or constraint, his Substack-goal of sharing OUBAPO rules, the balance of comics-making with child-rearing, the fun of making foldy-comics, why it’s important not to let the formal constraints overwhelm the heart of the stories, and more. Give it a listen! And go read SIX TREASURES OF THE SPIRAL!

(And listen to our 2021 conversation!)

“Nabokov describes writing as a kind of game between — not the characters and the page, but the readers and the author. I love that idea and think of it as a very participatory, playful thing, not as talking down to the reader.”

“I’d like to see people drop the whole Imposter Syndrome discourse. I would never have become a cartoonist or artist if I had let that sense of not being qualified stop me from making minicomics. It’s why the ‘zine culture was so great; it was such a welcoming, forgiving and accessible way to work.”

“I’m suspicious of traditional narratives, but at the same time I employ them. Working with constraints brings attention to the artifice, but there’s a story that I’m connecting with.”

Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!

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About our Guest

Matt Madden is a cartoonist, educator, and translator. His best-known book is 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style, a comics adaptation of Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style. His recent work includes the comic books Drawn Onward and Bridge and the graphic novel Ex Libris. He has been living in Philadelphia since 2016.

Follow Matt on Instagram and YouTube, subscribe to his Substack, and listen to our 2021 conversation.

Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded at Matt’s home on a pair of Blue enCORE 200 microphones feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4 digital recorder & interface. I recorded the intro and outro on a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Zoom PodTrak P4. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Nice photo of Matt by R Carter Studios. Goofy photos by me. It’s on my instagram.

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