As some of you may be aware, The Bay Area Brit spent the first three-quarters of his life being known as “Matt Stone.” But in 1997 a life-altering event occurred, after which, nothing would be the same.
I always thought I had a cool name, you know, kind of private detective-like: “Matt Stone P.I.”
In the mid-Nineties I decided I wanted to be a cartoonist. I entered a couple of cartoon competitions and won–most notably the top prize at The San Francisco Bay Guardian’s annual contest. I drew for a local monthly music newspaper for two years and kept improving at my craft in the hope that one day I might become a syndicated cartoonist.
After many, many rejections, King Features eventually wanted to publish some of my cartoons, and did in newspapers from San Francisco-to-Orlando. Matt Stone the cartoonist from Britain was finally making things happen across the pond.
And then this happened…..
Trey Parker and another man (also named) Matt Stone created South Park, a cartoon about four kids living in Colorado.
What the Hell?!?!
My phone started ringing off the hook.
“Oh, my God, Matt, I just saw your show! It was fantastic.”
“That’s not me.”
“I just loved the fat kid…’Screw you guys, I’m going home.’ Just amazing, Matt! Oh, and I love the part where you kill Kenny every week. ‘YOU BASTARDS!’ Hilarious, Matt, just great. I knew you’d make it. “
“It’s not me. I haven’t made it.”
“Oh, are you sure?”
“Yep.”
“Hunh, well that’s weird. It’s totally your sense of humor.”
“I know, but it’s not me.”
Friends and ex-girlfriends couldn’t wait to tell me how great my show was. It sucked. I hated it. This faker, this pretender to my throne, this complete and utter bastard is running around and making cartoons using my name.
Oooooh… I wanted to hate it, I really did, and when I finally sat down to watch it, I seethed like mad for all of about a minute. Then I started laughing and laughing and laughing.
So loving South Park was all well and good, but I needed to change my name; after all despite the fact that I had cartoons published well before South Park came along, he was now “Matt Stone” and I would have to find another name to publish under.
For a while I went by Matt Poe Stone and then M.P. Stone but eventually landed on Matty Stone. I have many friends whom have called me “Matty” through the years, and I kind of like it.
I embrace my “Mattyness” for you. I even have the website:
www.MattyStone.com
so I must be “THE” Matty Stone. Even though it’s taken a backseat to this site.
Matty Stone: The Bay Area Brit, trying to make a buck and a name for himself in the U.S.A.
Matt Stone as you knew him is gone, but Matty Stone lives.
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