“Graffiti, bizarre clothing and my friends“

Matt Weeks reading a txt-message on his mobile

Blue and shiny eyes, blond hair and a designer stubble. Does it need more to describe Matt Weeks’ face?

Well, he modeled when he was younger, he also was pierced back in those days – and he had a Mohawk. But that is quite a while ago now.

Today, when you meet Matt on the streets of Newtown you’ll meet an open-minded but shy young professional with dreams, a fancy lifestyle and an interesting hobby.

AYCM-author Peter Jagla met him at the Vargabar to initiate the interview. They ended up at his workplace, which, he says, is the best coffee-place in Newtown.

Matt Weeks - being a sugar addict

Thinking of Newtown, Matt first thinks of “Graffiti, bizarre clothing and my friends”. He moved to the suburb just seven years ago. Before that he was living in the CBD of Sydney: “I found it to cold, to cold in the community sense. Sydney is a high business area; not a good place to live in; especially if you come from a country town.” Matt was born in 1983 (“I don’t celebrate birthdays. Facebook tells me my age.”) in Mollymook, a beach community about 220 kms south of Sydney on the South Coast. After an apprenticeship as a chef he moved to the big city to work in high end restaurants in Sydney’s CBD. “I hate working as a chef now – chefs are bastards, they are raw models of Gordon Ramsay” he says. After he worked as a chef he ended up on the floor, being a waiter. “Tips are so good”, he says, “especially at those touristic places like here in Sydney.” But after the owners of his last workplace sold the restaurant he decided to move: “Too much stress and also the new owners weren’t friendly at all. They didn’t know how to run a restaurant and how to talk to people.”

“Newtown has that home-feeling for me.”

Matt Weeks on King Street. Enjoying himself with a cigarette

He moved to Newtown and lived in Don Street with 14 other friends, who he calls his family: “We had three houses at the same street. That was fun.” They had to move out a couple of years ago because the landlord sold the houses. Matt is still friends with all of them. “Back in those days we had a, what we called, family dinner each Sunday. We went from place to place for the appetizer, the main-course and the dessert.” But Matt doesn’t only have friends in Sydney. “Oh no, I wanted to move to Melbourne already, because so many friends live there. I tried to convince my best friend Adam who I am living with, but he didn’t want to go.” If the 26-year-old would get the possibility to move within Sydney, he wouldn’t want to: “Newtown has that home-feeling for me. And moving sucks.”

Walking down Wilson Street: Matt Weeks

“You can wear whatever you want down the street and no one gives a crap.”

Matt likes the people, the community of Newtown. He often dresses up in a fancy way, linked to one of his passions, Animes, Japanese animation. He doesn’t only read them but also draws his own Animes. “Yeah, I’m quite good in that stuff”, he admits. His dress style, therefore, is very colorful. “Tokyo Fashion, really bright, really crazy.” He says this having a huge smile on his face. “I love the fact that you can wear whatever you want down the street in Newtown and no one gives a crap. […] You were whatever comes into your mind. It’s like being inside an Anime.”

“I had 30 or 40 piercings when I was younger”

Matt Weeks' piercing- and ravetime. This picture has been taken in 2004 (c) Matt Weeks

Even though piercings aren’t necessarily linked with Animes, Matt had them a lot. Before he started to work for the high end restaurants in Sydney his body was full of them: “I had 30 or 40 piercings when I was younger”, three in his tongue, one in his belly button, some in his neck, on his arms, everywhere. “Actually, the one in the belly button was the most painful one, the tongue was alright. I kind of liked the feeling being pierced, that’s weird, isn’t it?” He says, he misses his piercings but he had to put them out. Now that he is living and working in alternative Newtown, he thinks of getting them back again. Next week he has an appointment at a piercing place to get his neck pierced. “And I am also saving money for a huge tattoo”, he mentions proudly, “it will be a Japanese phoenix in a fireball.”

Matt Weeks as a model (c) Matt Weeks

He is quite sure to have enough money saved within the next couple of months. “It’ll be a huge tattoo, starting on my shoulder going down the whole right arm to my wrist.”

Comparing the picture of Matt above with the one on the right-hand-side it is hard to believe they were taken in the same year: In 2004, when Matt was 21 years old. Back than, he used to model to follow in his mother’s footsteps. She also modeled when she was younger.

Concentration: Matt, while preparing a coffee

“I start a lot of things which I nearly finish but than just go ah, whatever…”

Preparing a Flat White for his customers at the Buzzzbar Café

Back in those days Matt had to put his piercings out because of his job. He now hopes that his new piercing and the tattoo will be fine with his employees in Newtown – and not only there: He is dreaming of his own restaurant with a mixture of French and Japanese kitchen. He has the financial back up for it already, but is not ready to open it yet. “It won’t be in Sydney, though”, he says, “Sydney has too many restaurants already.” His plan is to open his own restaurant somewhere south of Sydney at a beach community town. “That is why I am working as a barista now”, he says. He did the chef-job and was a waiter already. “But to open a restaurant you must have worked in every position.” There is more to it than that: “I start a lot of things which I nearly finish but than just go ah, whatever…” During his time as a waiter, for example, Matt learned to be a massage therapist. He did it for two years but didn’t finish it: “Well, one day we came to the point that we were meant to touch dead people, to see where all the muscles are – that was enough for me”, he recognizes.

One of Matt's delicious coffees

“I’m part of the family”

Today, Matt works at the Buzzzbar Café in Newtown. It is considered to be one of the best cafés in Newtown, at least if you trust the few people Matt met and spoke to during the interview. “He is the best coffee-maker, too”, an elderly lady said, “but that is not the only reason I go there!” Matt is working six days a week, saying he feels like “I’m part of the family now.”

AYCM

Find out more about Matt’s crazy hobby in the dark and why he wrote “kerosine” on his arm at the end of the interview. Read the second part of the story. Only online at AYCM.

Why does Matt write down "Kerosine" on his arm?