Favourite Things: Al Matcott

In this feature we're asking artists to share an insight into their world, running us through a few of their favourites things; from inspiring ephemera to their most cherished items.

Australian songwriter Al Matcott weaves a tapestry of sauntering, fuzz-laden guitar with a grunge-meets-country appeal. Penning hazy stories for late night listening, he mixes a deceptive slacker-sound with cleverly crafted lyrical beats. As his debut EPYou Can Be Anyone finally arrives, he shares with us a few of his favourite things.

Pilgermann

This is my favourite book. It’s a crazy surreal thing about a German Jew who’s castrated for adultery and goes on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. At times it’s about the relationship between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but at all times it seems like a hectic acid trip in the desert.. It’s dark, it’s comic, I love the prose. I vaguely based one of my tunes off of it. Would recommend it to everyone.

Mac Forbes Pinot Noir

Great sessionable easy-going pinot noir from a winery out of Healesville, Victoria. Pairs well with summer evenings, or any evening. Or also earlier in the day works too.

The Knight of Cups

So apparently “….the Knight of Cups is the classic romantic of the Tarot deck. He is in touch with his intuition and emotions, and he uses them masterfully to charm and attract others. He shows compassion and understanding towards others because he has learned to understand his own feelings and emotions. His heart is wide open, and he wears it on his sleeve. He shares his love freely with others, without constraint or worry; he is in love with love itself.” I seem to draw him a bit, feels alright.

Hank Wood and the Hammerheads

Just a perfect balls-to-the-wall party-starting garage-punk record. Totally nihilistic lyrics punctuated by hip-thrusting grunts. Crazy Horse sounding guitars and organ. This record rips.

Jesus Christ

Or more specifically, the outrageous rig of our lord and saviour in Caravaggio’s ‘The Flagellation of Christ’. He looks absolutely jacked. He looks like if Ryan Gosling’s character in Crazy Stupid Love were cast as Jesus Christ. Our man Caravaggio clearly had a deep, intense, personal connection with Jesus and I think this MensHealth cover portrait he did benefits greatly from it. Almost like he painted the thing with his….okay joke’s over.

You can find Al Matcott on Facebook and Instagram.

Listen to his debut EPYou Can Be Anyone here