Matthew Diffee
Encyclopedia
Matthew Diffee is an American cartoonist whose works appear in the New Yorker
magazine.
and was raised as a fundamentalist Christian in Texas and North Carolina
.
His father was an airline pilot. He has a background in art and stand-up comedy
(which he still performs from time to time), and originally intended as a student at Bob Jones University
to become a missionary
after college. As a struggling artist he took various day jobs, including road work, construction, and as a convenience store
cashier.
Diffee moved from Boston to New York and began contributing to the New Yorker in 1999, after winning a cartoon contest the magazine and the Algonquin Hotel
sponsored for an all-cartoon issue, in the process meeting Robert Mankoff
, the cartoon editor, in person. Mankoff encouraged Diffee to contribute to the magazine. After three weeks of submission Mankoff chose one cartoon, which became Diffee's first published work. For the next year Diffee submitted fifteen cartoons per week; the magazine published a total of four. The next year Diffee sold eight cartoons to the magazine, each at the standard rate of $675.
Diffee's first book, The Rejection Collection, was a compilation of cartoons by various artists that had been rejected from the magazine along with questionnaires and portraits of each artist. In an interview he noted that 90% of even a successful freelance cartoonist's works are rejected, and that most cartoonists are known only for their work, not their personal lives. Many rejected cartoons are good, he explained, but inappropriate for the magazine because they are politically incorrect
or sexually suggestive: "...the idea that the cartoonist did it, and actually pitched it to the New Yorker, makes it even funnier to me, like ‘what were they thinking’?" As of the book's publication the magazine had published more than 100 of Diffee's cartoons, a significant accomplishment for a young cartoonist.
wearing a Bart Simpson
tee-shirt.
Other than cartoons, Diffee also produces serious artwork, and has hosted "the Rejection Show", a monthly off-broadway production devoted to rejected works by successful artists. He plays banjo
and fiddle
, and recently won a race in the sport of joggling
(juggling while running), for which he will appear in an upcoming documentary.
He currently hosts The Steam Powered Hour, a "smart and cozy night of bluegrass music, standup comedy, and cartoons."
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine.
Biography
Diffee was born in Denton, TexasDenton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
and was raised as a fundamentalist Christian in Texas and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
His father was an airline pilot. He has a background in art and stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
(which he still performs from time to time), and originally intended as a student at Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University is a private, for-profit, non-denominational Protestant university in Greenville, South Carolina.The university was founded in 1927 by Bob Jones, Sr. , an evangelist and contemporary of Billy Sunday...
to become a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
after college. As a struggling artist he took various day jobs, including road work, construction, and as a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
cashier.
Diffee moved from Boston to New York and began contributing to the New Yorker in 1999, after winning a cartoon contest the magazine and the Algonquin Hotel
Algonquin Hotel
The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan . The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark....
sponsored for an all-cartoon issue, in the process meeting Robert Mankoff
Robert Mankoff
Robert Mankoff is the current cartoon editor for The New Yorker magazine. Before he succeeded Lee Lorenz as editor, Mankoff was a cartoonist for The New Yorker for 20 years....
, the cartoon editor, in person. Mankoff encouraged Diffee to contribute to the magazine. After three weeks of submission Mankoff chose one cartoon, which became Diffee's first published work. For the next year Diffee submitted fifteen cartoons per week; the magazine published a total of four. The next year Diffee sold eight cartoons to the magazine, each at the standard rate of $675.
Diffee's first book, The Rejection Collection, was a compilation of cartoons by various artists that had been rejected from the magazine along with questionnaires and portraits of each artist. In an interview he noted that 90% of even a successful freelance cartoonist's works are rejected, and that most cartoonists are known only for their work, not their personal lives. Many rejected cartoons are good, he explained, but inappropriate for the magazine because they are politically incorrect
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
or sexually suggestive: "...the idea that the cartoonist did it, and actually pitched it to the New Yorker, makes it even funnier to me, like ‘what were they thinking’?" As of the book's publication the magazine had published more than 100 of Diffee's cartoons, a significant accomplishment for a young cartoonist.
Works
His works are mostly single-panel satirical pieces. He credits God with giving him the gifts and inspiration for his career. One of his cartoons depicts a church, with the caption "no shirt, no shoes, no salvation." At Bob Jones University he founded a comedy and juggling troupe, the Leaping Pickles, with the motto "we put the fun in fundamentalism". One of his "classic" cartoons depicts Che GuevaraChe Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
wearing a Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
tee-shirt.
Other than cartoons, Diffee also produces serious artwork, and has hosted "the Rejection Show", a monthly off-broadway production devoted to rejected works by successful artists. He plays banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, and recently won a race in the sport of joggling
Joggling
Joggling is a competitive sport that combines juggling and jogging. People who joggle are called jogglers.The most common objects used in joggling are juggling balls, or sometimes juggling clubs, but any set of three or more objects can be used. The juggling is usually done in a three-ball cascade...
(juggling while running), for which he will appear in an upcoming documentary.
He currently hosts The Steam Powered Hour, a "smart and cozy night of bluegrass music, standup comedy, and cartoons."
External links
- www.matthewdiffee.com - official site (links to Myspace page)
- San Francisco Chronicle archive of works
- New Yorker Store - "classic" cartoon of Che Guevara with Bart Simpson tee-shirt