Lovely words Paul, it was as you say something of a challenge being a friend with Matt as he certainly could get wound up about people and vent his spleen in a very direct manner when he chose. I, like you, saw a lot more of Matt's kind and generous nature and we'd been firm friends and gig buddies for a good many years from the early days of Conception and IndieCon through to Concrete Cow, the Garrison conventions , Games Expo and Dragonmeet. He came to stay with me and my wife a number of times so we could get to local gigs including Frank Turner , Alice Cooper and Joe Bonamassa and I'd gone up to London to see bands with him at the O2 and Wembley Arena a number of times. So this is how I got the job of helping Matt's wife Mandy pick a few suitable tunes for his service. Matt and I last saw each other in person at a Dragonmeet just before Covid hit but after that we gamed fairly regularly online at various events often organised through our shared love of DCC/ MCC and Weird Frontiers by people in the Goodman Games community. We had a blast on many occasions and it was a great joy to me to see how much he enjoyed those style of games and how involved he'd become with that particular gaming familiy. It was my honor to take a small part in helping with his funeral service, I will miss Matt and his huge presence in my personal and gaming life terribly, may he Rest in Peace , we all have our memories, I have many gaming ones but perhaps right now I'm thinking about the pair of us dancing like dervishes and belting out the words to Glory Hallelujah by Frank Turner on the very happy occasion we were at one of his gigs in Southampton a good few years ago, him the committed atheist and me the committed christian, we both sung our hearts out and nearly collapsed in a fit of the giggles afterwards. So that's why I chose that track as a closer for his service, it's uplifting and at it's heart all about not worrying about a higher power but asking us all to help each other out when times get rough, which Matt certainly did on more than a few occasions for a lot of people, and that's not a bad way to live your life and a good mantra to adhere to no matter what your personal beliefs may be.
Thanks for posting, I attended the service remotely and thought I recognised you. Matt played in a fortnightly DCC I was in, he was lovely chap and we miss him.
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this Paul. I know his death was a shock to a lot of people, here in the Midlands, who knew Matt through my annual games weekend, which he loyally travelled up to from London, to support with fresh and original games. We get a lot of D&D and Cthulhu, which Matt often took as a challenge to show us what Victorian underwater horror role-playing could be, by contrast. Unique and irreplaceable.
A lovely piece Paul - thank you. I didn't know Matt, but I enjoyed reading and respecting the rich tapestry of players who make up our community. A very fitting obituary. Thanks.
Lovely words Paul, it was as you say something of a challenge being a friend with Matt as he certainly could get wound up about people and vent his spleen in a very direct manner when he chose. I, like you, saw a lot more of Matt's kind and generous nature and we'd been firm friends and gig buddies for a good many years from the early days of Conception and IndieCon through to Concrete Cow, the Garrison conventions , Games Expo and Dragonmeet. He came to stay with me and my wife a number of times so we could get to local gigs including Frank Turner , Alice Cooper and Joe Bonamassa and I'd gone up to London to see bands with him at the O2 and Wembley Arena a number of times. So this is how I got the job of helping Matt's wife Mandy pick a few suitable tunes for his service. Matt and I last saw each other in person at a Dragonmeet just before Covid hit but after that we gamed fairly regularly online at various events often organised through our shared love of DCC/ MCC and Weird Frontiers by people in the Goodman Games community. We had a blast on many occasions and it was a great joy to me to see how much he enjoyed those style of games and how involved he'd become with that particular gaming familiy. It was my honor to take a small part in helping with his funeral service, I will miss Matt and his huge presence in my personal and gaming life terribly, may he Rest in Peace , we all have our memories, I have many gaming ones but perhaps right now I'm thinking about the pair of us dancing like dervishes and belting out the words to Glory Hallelujah by Frank Turner on the very happy occasion we were at one of his gigs in Southampton a good few years ago, him the committed atheist and me the committed christian, we both sung our hearts out and nearly collapsed in a fit of the giggles afterwards. So that's why I chose that track as a closer for his service, it's uplifting and at it's heart all about not worrying about a higher power but asking us all to help each other out when times get rough, which Matt certainly did on more than a few occasions for a lot of people, and that's not a bad way to live your life and a good mantra to adhere to no matter what your personal beliefs may be.
Thanks for posting, I attended the service remotely and thought I recognised you. Matt played in a fortnightly DCC I was in, he was lovely chap and we miss him.
Very fitting. Thank you. I didn't know Matt very well, but well enough to know the character, contrarian & gamer. I will miss him. We all will.
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this Paul. I know his death was a shock to a lot of people, here in the Midlands, who knew Matt through my annual games weekend, which he loyally travelled up to from London, to support with fresh and original games. We get a lot of D&D and Cthulhu, which Matt often took as a challenge to show us what Victorian underwater horror role-playing could be, by contrast. Unique and irreplaceable.
A lovely piece Paul - thank you. I didn't know Matt, but I enjoyed reading and respecting the rich tapestry of players who make up our community. A very fitting obituary. Thanks.