The Obelisk Questionnaire: Richard Nossar of Matus
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Richard Nossar of Matus
—
How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I do sounds and visuals inspired mainly by the freedom of yesteryear and got to do it by accident.
Describe your first musical memory.
I’ve a vague memory of listening to The Beatles with my mother. This was around 1974 or 1975, when I was 3 or 4 years old. “Eleanor Rigby” comes to mind.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
I started listening to music at a very young age and by 1984 I had already been exposed to a good number of records, mostly Peruvian pressings. In those days, there was a small store called Music Nice, which was located in one of the most exclusive shopping centers of the capital. It wasn’t the only place where you could find imported vinyl, but the only place where you could bring them on demand and my first picks were the debut albums by Black Sabbath and Kiss.
Although I’d heard some songs on a legendary radio show – hosted by Peruvian rock icon Gerardo Manuel – called ‘La Hora Pirata (The Pirate Hour)’, listening to the full Sabbath album was a defining moment for me. From the music to the visuals to the whole vibe, the album simply blew my mind and that was an unbeatable moment in my life.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
I’m not a person who’s strongly rooted in an idea or belief. Beliefs are totally debatable and convictions do not imply reasons.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
To sophistication, which sometimes can ruin the essence of a proposal. It’s something pretty subjective really.
How do you define success?
A rewarding epilogue to a personal goal.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
My grandmother lying in a pool of blood after falling in the bathroom.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
A concept album. It would be a real challenge.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
To enrich the human experience.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to shoot a short film called La Cabeza de Sekhmet (Sekhmet’s Head), which is based on real events that happened to me in the early 90s. At the time, my friend Carlos Torres Rotondo wrote a tale about it adding some fantastic elements and in 2011 we co-wrote a script rooted on his tale.
During the last decade we retake the project several times, modifying the script and submitting it to various local contests and although we were one step away from obtaining funding to carry it out, it never came to fruition.
https://www.facebook.com/matus.peru
https://matus.bandcamp.com
