shazam! i'm matt ruby
and i make stuff. if you're curious to learn more, read on.
¶ comedy i am a standup comedian. here's a clip of me telling jokes: I've told jokes on MTV, in Time Out NY, at SxSW, and other places across NYC and elsewhere (upcoming shows).
sandpaper suit is my blog about the art of comedy.
¶ music i also make music (sing, write songs, play guitar and other instruments). i was the frontman in a rock band called plastics hi-fi
(#1 in someone's heart). that was back in my chicago days. after we split, i recorded a solo album and then moved on to ruby lament, an electronic project.
recently, i've been writing some new solo songs that are good to listen to if you are sad.
¶ photography i shoot photos of people
, places
, and things
. i especially like to shoot travel shots in far-flung locales
.
¶ still with me? onward! web also, i'm a computer nerd type who works at a web company that makes software.
i started as a designer, but now i'm mostly a writer who co-authors books
and a blog about tech, design, and business stuff.
¶ people i think a lot of people suck. but i also think there are some who rock and rule
. topping the list: my mom and dad
(she passed in 2006, here's her story). david bowie
. carl jung. vladimir nabokov. mark rothko
. the beatles (#1 john, #2 george, #3 ringo, #4 paul...suck it, paul! ok ok, he's not that bad, but still.). leonard cohen. howard stern. raymond carver. bob dylan. louis ck. johnny cash. peter sellers
. thomas jefferson ("a little rebellion now and then is a good thing"). jimmy page. charlie rose. joseph campbell. steve jobs. richard scarry
. aldous huxley. also: tom petty. george hurrell. wayne coyne. paul f. tompkins. nick park. walker percy. billie holliday. kurt vonnegut. jack white. marc chagall. marvin gaye. robert rauschenberg. & tons more but at least that's a taste. google any of 'em and good things will come to you.
¶ unsolicited advice. remember the difference between pixels on a screen and actual experiences. beware of unworthy sirens. put up a fight.
live and flow and experience things that are real. lavish your soul. 'cuz you'll die someday. don't be sad or scared about that. just keep it in mind.
¶